Nordhouse Loop- a Quick Tour

 
I took a hike at Nordhouse Dunes this afternoon. I'm leading a hike there Saturday, and I needed to check the route. I may not mind wandering with less than a perfect sense of where I am, but that's not a good plan for leading a group. The big problem is that a whole section of trail disappeared under a blowdown in 2008, and I still haven't figured out the exact way to get around that.

My loop was about six miles, so I didn't take Maggie with me. I don't think she'll be taking any more hikes that long.

I followed the Ridge Trail north, which comes very quickly to Nordhouse Lake. Surprise, surprise, it was completely dry. Not enough rain over the summer to keep this shallow lake wet. I knew it dries up sometimes, but I hadn't ever seen it like this. Kind of sad; I was hoping to see some ducks.



I continued north, actually just beyond the Nordhouse border, into the Lake Michigan Recreation Area, and took a trail which crosses west, toward Lake Michigan. At the edge of the lake dune bluff, the trail turns south. There are glimpses of the big lake through the trees. It was blue-green today.

Continuing south, now, the trail continues along the bluff. This view is inland into the valley that is no longer passable after the blowdown. It looks very appealing down there, but mixed in with the trees that are standing is a total mess of matchsticked trunks. Because this is a designated wilderness (the only one in Michigan's lower peninsula), no power tools are allowed, and there is limited "management." The Forest Service decided not to reopen that trail, even though it had been an old road.



Most of my best pictures are closeups of autumn treasures. Here are a couple: oak leaves-



And some dried up turkey tail polypore fungus.



It felt good to get out after a rainy weekend.

	See Nordhouse- Today the Facts
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