NCT > Manistee River Trail

So I did as I planned and did an overnighter through the Manistee National Forest. I started on the epic North Country Trail and zigzagged north for a ways (the NCT actually runs all the way from New York to North Dakota). I eventually split off and connected to the north end of the Manistee River Trail, and hiked back south until it ended conveniently exactly where I started. I've done this exact loop a couple times now, it's good for a random weekend. Minor elevation changes, maybe 20-25 miles in all.


This portion of the NCT is well-maintained and is a basic hike through a hilly forest. Pictured Rocks, where I hiked with Nick last month (1, 2), is actually part of the NCT too. Anyway, it had rained the prior night and the day was cool and overcast, so conditions were...damp and grayish, I guess. It made for a peaceful hike.


A massive collective of shelf fungus on the NCT. The NCT segment was relatively uneventful, as expected. It's "close" to the Manistee River, but it's not riverside, making it not as popular as the MRT segment which hugs the river closely. So even though I didn't run into anyone yet, I knew that would change. Thankfully, I wasn't in any particular rush, so I scoped out a nice isolated campsite immediately after finding the river and relaxed for the rest of the day.


The forecast predicted a big cold front would be pushing through all weekend, so I was prepared for a chilly night. It ended up dropping down to around 35 degrees overnight, accompanied by a steady breeze. It was fine though, since generally I'd rather be a bit cold than a bit hot.


Woke up early the next morning to major fog, which I figured would be the case. You can see the footpath which connected my campsite to the river, which was totally obscured. I was glad I didn't have to wade around in the river that morning, having filtered extra water the day before. Also, I just noticed this photo was taken in the same spot as the above photo, except looking towards the ground a bit more.


All this talk about the river, and not one photo of it yet. So here you go. After an hour or so of hiking, the fog started to lift and the sun was trying to break through.


I think the MRT is a great Lower Peninsula trail and offers some really pleasant scenery. Views of the river and surrounding forest, while standing high on a cut bank, are common. It has gotten a bit more popular, which is understandable, but overall it's still chock full of good times. I'll be back for sure.

Nordhouse Dunes, Part 2

Ok, continuing and finishing the summary:


Me sitting in one of the many dunal moraines. This barren little spot was actually right by my campsite, although my tent was tucked into a small group of trees to help protect me from the wind.


Except for a mutually confusing encounter with a porcupine, the rest of my evening was pretty uneventful. I spent some time gathering dead wood, eating, wandering around the dunes, and enjoying some fair weather. However, the night brought in some good rain and wind. Knowing this would probably happen, I had attached more guylines than usual and anchored my tent stakes. However, there was no thunder, so I pretty much slept through it all - and this was unfortunate since I was unaware that my vestibule buckled a bit, causing my boots to get filled with rain. Weeee.


Because of the predicted rain and increasing fire risk, the rangers decided to do a prescribed burn in a couple areas to clear out the combustible underbrush. Although this shot was post-burn and post-rain, there was still some smoldering wood in the back. Controlled burns like this are usually for hazard reduction purposes and it might seem destructive, but they can actually benefit the forest's ecosystem (e.g., recycling the detritus, releasing nutrients, even encouraging fruiting in some plant species).


One of Porter Creek's outlets emptying into Lake Michigan. Before it was just a minor trickle running through a shallow channel. The night's rain, however, significantly increased the output of the creek and caused it to gouge out quite a bit of sand.


And that was about it. Just a quick little trip but it was perfect for checking on some of my aging gear (some of which I've decided is done for), testing out a new camera harness, and getting a little bit of wilderness solitude in. Good times.

Nordhouse Dunes, Part 1

So like I wrote in my last post, I went on a little trip this past weekend and it was to the Manistee National Forest, with most of my time in the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness. The forecast was incorrect because there were no thunderstorms - but it got the windy, cold, rainy part right. The consistent rain throughout the weekend did help keep the crowds down since I saw all of one person when I would usually expect to run into a couple groups. However, I did see a couple of the largest porcupines I've ever seen, several herds of deer, multiple bald eagles, and two piping plovers - an endangered species. A sampling of photos:


The first portion of the trail was pretty standard for the Midwest: narrow trails, mixed trees, modest terrain, and many small creeks. The forest had been heavily harvested in the past so I might casually describe its appearance as a "new growth" forest. A unique feature is how sandy it is, which seems to lend itself to "sandslides" along the various ridges and cliffs, such as here.


I actually started outside of the Nordhouse Dunes area and hiked my way to it through the forest. As the established trail petered out, it opened up into open sand dunes and pristine beaches. Once in the dunes though, I made my way towards the beach to avoid disturbing the area. I'm not sure what the official rules are, but I know dunes in Michigan are relatively fragile and I'm not about to go tearing around in there - especially in such a small wilderness area.


Another reason to be careful. This is a well-tagged Piping Plover, an endangered species here. This is the first time I've ever seen one outside of the Manitou Islands, which also has sandy, pebbly areas by water (the bird's preferred habitat). Only 30 years ago, the population of this sub-species was barely a few dozen. Anyway, they make lay their eggs on the ground so you have to watch for them when moving around the beach here; it's all too easy to step on a nest.


Big Sable Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse, which is still functional and relied upon, is a tourist attraction but it was closed at the time so there were no visitors. But as I explored the area, a friendly volunteer keeper stepped out and gave me a little tour. He even waived the $2 fee to climb to the top of the lighthouse, although I ended up donating some funds anyway.


Real nice view to the north, looking at the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness, from the top of the lighthouse. During this little break, the rain let up and so I decided to get going. I wanted to backtrack to scout some potential sites I passed earlier which I had put into my GPS (to my joy, dispersed camping was permitted in certain areas).

I'll continue my trip summary later.