I feel both proud and shocked admitting this, but when I first arrived back from the trail, I realized how much I actually missed northern Michigan. Not just the people (they are not half bad though), but I found myself really appreciating the natural beauty here. How silly, after having seen some of the most beautiful mountains in my corner of the world, but it is still how I feel. I am very fortunate to live here.

I had promised that the cold Michigan winter wonderland would not stop me from enjoying the outdoors, and so far it has not. I have been on plenty of wintry day hikes and even went on a short backpacking trip with my fellow explorer Kelsey. The winds were fierce, and the land was wet and snow covered, but we survived and even managed to enjoy ourselves a bit.

The path we hiked was a (relatively) short 21-mile loop that skirted along the edge of the Manistee River for nearly the entire trek. For the first day, we hiked south along the North Country Trail, and made it just past the Red Bridge Campground. It was early in the day when we stopped, but the view persuaded us.

Tenting and sleeping took longer than I was accustomed to, having so few hours of daylight. Winter hiking is a different experience. We woke in the morning to a fresh coat of snow and several cold miles to go. Would we make it?

Ah, the suspense!

Of course, we veterans would survive with no serious damage. I even hiked the whole trip in my short shorts, for nostalgia’s sake.

It really was not all that cold either, especially while hiking. I think it’s because I am hot blooded.

The moral of the story here is to get outside even when it is cold and snowy, especially if you live somewhere as beautiful as northern Michigan. Enough blogging for now. Today’s paddling adventure awaits!