Manistee National Forest Challenge Hike #7

 
There was a bit of a break since the last one of these hikes. I had a lot going on and since I'm the one who scheduled them, they had to fit around my other activities.

Today's hike was only 8.5 miles but pretty much everyone agreed that we were tired when we finished. The weather was good and not overly hot, but we think the humidity was high. That really wears one down. We all agreed we were sweating buckets, and I drank more water than I usually do for that mileage, so maybe the humidity was indeed the culprit.

Here we all are at the start. Most of the usual suspects with one new person this time.



This hike included the crossing of the Pere Marquette River, which is on a road. The bridge did provide a good place to sit and rest. Not so much traffic on that road that it was very dangerous.



Here's the view upstream. We'd love to have a separate bridge for the trail, but the river is designated "Wild and Scenic," and we are being told that means no more bridges. Just my opinion, but it seems like a simple bridge for a National Scenic Trail wouldn't be too intrusive.



Anyway, to get across the river we have to keep 1.5 miles of roadwalk as part of the trail.



Sophie says, "Hurry up and get off this hot road and back into the woods!"



In the final two miles we came upon this teepee frame made of sticks stacked around a tree. Was it kids playing, or someone making a deer blind?



Just before the end, we passed through a small favorite place of mine. It's a tiny cedar swamp in a valley which is always cooler than the surrounding woods.



A great hike, and I'm getting to know some of the regulars pretty well.

North Country Trail, Lake County, Michigan, 56th St. (Bowman Lake) to US 10 (Timber Creek), 8.5 miles

	See MNF Hike #6
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