Taking to the Trail III(f)

Today the wind and rain are both blowing a bit sideways, and expected highs for the next few days are expected to be in the mid-sixties or below. After all the muggy and/or warm days that I've put up hiked through recently, this one makes me wonder . . .

Lift-off is four days away. I'm sitting home today because my fourteen-mile hike last Saturday gave me bruises on the balls of both my feet. Why the previous Monday didn't cause the same problem I don't understand. The only thing I can think is that I changed my stride in an effort to slow my pace to a more relaxed one, which did more harm than good. At least my tiredness Saturday night left no stiffness on Sunday morning.

At any rate, this has given me a chance to finish packing the dry goods in the bear bag. The breakfast granola is in its little bags mixed with the dry soy milk. The bag of coffee has been reduced to only the amount I'm likely to drink. All that remains is to throw in the excellent chunk of cheese waiting in the fridge on Friday morning. Total weight for two weeks is eight pounds.

It occurs to me that I have hiked as many miles getting ready for this trip as I will hike in the next two weeks. This last shot is of the sudden pinking of the sassafras leaves. By the time they are ready to fall they will be a most stunning scarlet. I wonder what I'll see as I move north.

Taking to the Trail III(e)

Out of a 9-to-5 day, I had exactly one (1) student and she came in at 9:00 AM. I took it as a sign that I should go for a walk today. I put in another fourteen miles and feel pretty good (a shower and a scotch has done no harm). The trail is beginning to fill with leaves in places, especially under the cottonwoods. As I looked up I saw no decisive signs of fall, but when I got to the lake two miles from the car, the entire opposite shore - cottonwoods all - was decidedly more yellow than green. Fall has arrived in Southeast Michigan regardless of the calendar. It has been a privilege to be there to see it. More to come! What a fabulous day to be handed as a blessing! The high was seventy-one degrees and the breezes consistently stymied the already-groggy mosquitoes. I even put on my vest for a few minutes at lunchtime. My age-related slowness to acquire muscle mass is being gradually beaten into line and I'm still two weeks from lift-off.

The woods continue to produce beautiful things. I don't even know the name of this gorgeous six-foot-tall plant with its nine-inch pannicles of fruit.

Then there is the consistent beauty of the ivy climbing its way to make use of the dead and dying. One variety (often spreading over large sections of forest floor) is actually a striking pink right now, while it's relative shows up deep red against so much that is otherwise still green and even skelotonized black.
To think we have at least a week of days like this predicted!

Taking to the Trail III (d)

Very end of the day. I had hiked 13 + miles and stopped to rest at this little Huron-River access site. A father, a son, and an uncle had come straight from work, wandered into the river with no special equipment to begin casting around this downed tree. It probably felt wonderful! Although they seemed to be catching nothing, it appeared to be most important to be wetting lines (?and their nethers?) on a warm and comradely September afternoon.

I finally ended at fourteen miles. my feet were aching, but not as much as eleven and a half miles had made me hurt three days previously. The temperature was scheduled to hit eighty-five degrees and seemed to have made every bit of it. The worst part was not the full heat of the afternoon because it brought a breeze, but at the end of the day - even with the temperature falling slightly - the air got very still as I walked back to the car in full sun.

The last thing I saw on the way out of the woods was this rather gigantic old oak looking like something out of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves nightmare forest sequence. It probably has quite a few stories it could tell.

RANT: Although my change of approach has helped me, the multi-use paths through the Island Lake State Recreation Area are populated by may bikers for whom a hiker must, understandably, step aside. The problem comes from a few bikers who either grimace at me as if I've done something wrong by merely existing, or even growl at me. The most memorable incident occurred a year ago when a nattily -clad rider snarled, "You're in my way!" This on a thirty-foot-wide stretch of gravelly trail with a number of paths through it. Evidently I was supposed to guess which part he wanted and yield it to him. I have taken the approach recently of saying, "You're welcome!," to anyone for whom I step out of the way, whether they say, "Thank you," or not. I have noticed that several say, "Thank you," the next time I see them. To all public bikers: for heaven's sake, folks, do you have any idea how many mosquitoes I collect in the five or ten seconds it takes you to pass me while I huddle in the brush? A couple of simple words doesn't seem too much.

Taking to the Trail III (c)
It was hot yesterday! Temps were perfect for sitting in my back yard with a book. Instead, I needed to walk at least ten miles with my pack on. I made eleven and a half (eight on the trail and then took the road back to the car rather than the much-more-winding trail). That at least allowed some of the very light breezes to get to me.

Despite the relatively calm day, the cottonwoods were extremely - pleasantly - noisy. The whole way, yellow leaves drifted out of the elms and the wild fruit trees. Fall is coming, and hopefully, somewhat cooler temperatures.

Taking to the Trail III (b)
Finally put the pack on today, but have whittled it down to just over thirty pounds with full water bottles and food bag. I made myself take the nine-mile trail in Island Lake SGA and was pleased to feel that I could have done twelve without too much discomfort. The much lighter pack really helps. It was a spooky day. When I stepped off at noon the entire landscape seemed smoky. For the first half of the hike the bugs weren't bad because little breezes kept them confused, but lunch at the four-and-a-half-mile picnic area was a busy affair. The breezes died completely and I would have put on my head net if I had had it. When I went back into the woods it got worse! I should have recognized the frenzied insect activity as a warning of serious rain, but I was too busy flailing. When it did start, I was protected by a section of multi-sized Maples. Then, finally realizing it was serious, I had to rustle to get out my poncho, then learn how to use it, as it's a new one.

Not much wildlife today. These turkeys were roosting in a row on this fence at a rental cottage that the trail runs behind. They were totally uncooperative, so I could only snap as quickly as I could.

Actually, on my late evening walk through Southfield last Friday I saw much more - and bigger - game. On the farm next to the Civic-Center and its golf course, I watched a doe and five fauns reaping the labors of several local gardeners who rent plots there. Then just a block away from the I-696 freeway, a nervous young buck moved just enough for me to see him and then froze against a natural-fence background and become all but invisible. Too dark for pictures, but a great treat. Today's flowers are surprisingly different from last week. The goldenrod are thinking about retirement and the queen-Anne's lace have completely closed in on themselves. On the other hand, this mallow was in its full glory, playing host to a large mason bee and this rather handsome fellow.

Taking to the Trail III (a)
It was good to be back in the Michigan woods again after - literally - months away. I discovered that I still had the Michigan State Parks sticker from last year in the window of the Escape! The blue-green carpet of vincas was still in the same place in the Island Lake Recreation Area, however, Queen-Anne's lace and jewel weed was still in bloom, and blazing star was everywhere in the waste places. What was really striking this first day of September is that the trees are still a rich green rather than the tired gray green so common at the end of summer here. I'm sure the wet, cool summer has been a major factor.

Today isn't the first attempt to get ready for another leg of the North Country Trail, but it's the longest walk (about 9 miles) that I've taken in a while. The month of July was spent mostly with my son and daughter-in-law in Colorado, where my son led me to a pass in the (Aspen-area) Maroon Bells that topped out at 12,400 feet and about 14 miles total. The hike was only two days, but the trail was rugged. The Colorado designations of difficult vs. medium trails only covers the relative steepness of the trail. It assumes a trail tread that is studded with rocks and brutal on the feet. The callusses on the outsides of both my big toes were bruised rather than blistered. My son decided that there is a measure called the Colorado Mile that is decidedly longer than the one he grew up with here. The experience was fabulous! We should have, perhaps, taken three days instead of two, but I would not have missed it for the world.

I have finished my itinerary for The Trail and have decided that I will try to double my mileage in hopes that I will at least finish the Michigan section before I die, or the legs become seriously incapacitated. That means 150 miles in two weeks. We'll see.

As I hiked today, I was keenly aware that I have lost my concerns about whether my knees will hold up. All extended walking seems to do is work out the stiffness - albeit at the expense of short term muscle stiffness. The work on a ladder at the playhouse last night along with kneeling repeatedly had left some issues that were resolved after just two or three miles.