The Third Week of July

 Are you ready for a week of adventures?  I started this week off by heading to the cabin.  As my parents and I were waiting for our table at a local restaurant, my mom and I realized we were wearing the same shoes...

I was up early the next morning to once again run those Gaylord trails I love.  My motivation for getting out early is to not only beat the heat, but also to get to this part of the forest before the sun gets too high in the sky.  I love catching those tall trees in just the right light.

With no kids to entertain, my dad and I made our own fun.  I finally got him out for a kayak paddle and we had a good time!

My aunt, Kristi, flew in from Colorado, and Uncle Scott drove up from Linden, and we all met at a cool little place in Gaylord for fancy drinks and delicious little small plate appetizers.  It was nice to see my aunt, if only for a little while!

I snuck out at sunset on the kayak because I just couldn't resist the calm lake and cooler summer air.

On Friday, I said goodbye to the family and headed north.  Up and over the bridge and west to Marquette.  I was driving my gigantic 12 passenger van and pulling our camper.  I was headed for another North Country Trail run, and the camper would be our home the next few days. 

I arrived at Perkins Park Campground, and easily found a helpful guy more than willing to back my big rig into its resting place.  This campground is on Lake Independence and I had a beautiful spot, nestled in underneath the trees.

Matt, Dave and I headed to the Maritime Museum in Marquette on Saturday morning to meet up with Josh, and began our run before 9am. I had been excited to get to this section of the trail for quite some time.  I had run portions of the NCT in Marquette during the Marquette 50k, and always got excited when I saw those blue blazes.  We were shooting for about 25 miles on Saturday, and had a lot of ground to cover. 

The trail was flat as we made our way through Marquette and headed away from town.  Soon enough, we hit the rocks and roots and the technical trail that would be with us for most of the day. 

After a couple of hours, our first big climb took us to the top of Hogback Mountain.  We took some time to take in the views from the top, and then feasted on wild blueberries as we headed back down.

Water breaks were taken as needed, sometimes pumping directly from the streams, and sometimes we were lucky enough to find a big pump!

The trail continued on through tall trees, atop boardwalks, across sheer rock, and to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.

We stepped out to Lake Superior whenever we could to take in that shoreline, and even snuck out to the point near Little Presque Isle, where we took off our packs and shoes and socks and waded in the icy water.

Those blue blazes continued to show us the way and then, we came to a sad point.  This where the trail turns away from Lake Superior and heads inland, and this is our last look at that Great Lake for many, many miles.

After some road running, and a little rain, we were on a magical section of the NCT that runs along the side of the Little Garlic River.  The guys stopped to filter water and I continued on ahead.  I loved this section of the trail and the time I had to myself there.  

Soon enough, the guys came along, and it was time to get this day finished.  We were approaching 5pm and we were glad the end was in sight.

And then, we had made it back to our car.  It was a long day, but a really great section of trail, and I think we all enjoyed the mountains and rivers and lakes along the way.

Day two came, and we ran into a bit of an issue getting to where we needed to be to stage a car for the end of the day's run.  The "road" we were on got skinnier and skinnier until we were forced to turn around.  There were a few anxious moments as we turned our vehicles around and found a safe place to park for the day. 

Today's run was to be about 17.5 miles, and we were ready to get going!  

This section of trail had a pretty remote start and was quite overgrown.  It definitely took some time figuring out the correct path.  And just a few miles in, we riled up some ground hornets who stung both Josh and me.  Those things HURT, let me tell you.  Thankfully, just down the hill from the swarm, there was an icy river and we both got in without even pausing to take our shoes off.  The cold water really helped with the initial stinging sensation.  

We continued on down the trail, and I pouted for a little bit.  The hornets had ruined my fun for a few minutes.

The trail continued to be a little confusing, but we did come across a waterfall, and the pain in my ankle slowly subsided.

And then the trail spit us out onto the road, and that's when the real misery began.  Endless dirt roads, and it was hot, and the biting flies and other flying things tormented us.  I wasn't enjoying this, and I couldn't wait to be done.  There were some gorgeous views as we crossed some bridges, but I sure was glad when we made that final turn down the trail to our vehicle.

The last section of trail was re-routed due to a logging project, and our final views were of big machines and cut down trees.  Hopefully by next year, the trail will be ready for use.

Finally, we made it back to Dave's truck and I was very excited.  Not as excited as Matt, clearly, but still, I was happy to be done.

While I was out adventuring, things were still happening with the rest of the family. Nash did some fishing in the neighbor's pond, Alayna and Jason bought a new horse trailer to fix up, Jason's name was on the sign for a free cone, and Owen leveled up in Marine Corps Martial Arts to green belt!

I stayed an extra night at Perkins Park that Sunday, and I lounged in the camper while the rain poured down for several hours.  It was so peaceful there all alone and I was glad I had made the choice to stay.

On Monday, it was time to leave the Upper Peninsula.  I drove my big rig east and then south over the Mackinaw Bridge to the cabin.  I unhooked the camper and stayed the night there before MORE adventure.

Early Tuesday, I headed east to Hoeft State Park along Lake Huron.  I hadn't run with my girls in forever and it was time!  The Lake Huron Shoreline was gorgeous as I neared the park just before 7am.

First, we headed north to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse.  The park wasn't open to cars yet, and we had the grounds to ourselves.  We jumped in the sand, rang the bell, visited with the chickens and took allllll the pictures.

Then we headed back south, refueled at camp, and continued on further south.  We were headed towards Rogers City, but found a little trail along the way to explore and it was quite nice!

The day was warming up quite a bit, and Kara and I were happy to indulge in ice cream cones in Rogers City before heading back to camp.

Thankfully the geese were kind enough to let us pass, and we had a great day running together and catching up on each others' lives.

This is where this week's adventures end.  I left that day completely exhausted after so much running both with my NCT friends, and my girls here on the northern east side, but my cup was full.