A Day on the Trail with Annie

 
Last night, good friend Sue spotted my car and then took Annie and me to Bowman Lake. Annie is doing what she's calling a "half-thru" hike of the North Country Trail- the western 2400 miles.

Today I had the chance to walk with her. We camped at Bowman Lake. I'll show you pictures of Annie on the trail today and wildlife/flower/other pictures tomorrow.

Here's where we started. I won't tell you where we ended until tomorrow, just to preserve Annie's privacy.





The plan was ambitious. Annie wants to begin to lengthen her mileages, and I certainly hadn't walked this far in a day this year (or for a while), but we were up for the challenge. We took a nice break beside the creek with no name north of 40th St.



The banks of the Pere Marquette River are always a lovely spot, and the sun even came out for us after a gray and cloudy start.



The big blowdown I showed you in January, caused by a microburst, has been salvaged. Quite a difference from the way it looked before. This will grow up and not look bad at all in a few years.



We had made things a little easier for ourselves by stashing a gallon of water in a dry section of trail. Picked that up after lunch.



We were both slowing down a bit in the late afternoon, but took time to walk a few extra feet to look at this beaver flooding. I've never seen the water this high at that spot.



So... we walked 17 miles. My pack wasn't at full weight, but I did have to carry most of my basic equipment because we camped out. My legs still seem to work although I'm a bit stiff. We'll see how I am tomorrow. I have to be functional, so there will be Vitamin I if necessary (ibuprofen for my non-hiking friends.)

So, we reached my car. I filled Annie's water bottles again and then stashed another jug where she's planning to camp tomorrow. That actually generated a bit of one of my favorite activities- exploring new roads. I made a wrong turn getting to that location and saw (if you can believe it) some Mason County Roads I've never been on!

Now I'm home and clean and fed. Annie is out in her tent- probably fed, but not clean till her next day off! Best wishes to her and may she find many more trail angels. I'm sure she will. The North Country Trail Community is great.

Hike 100 Challenge = 64 miles

North Country Trail from Bowman Lake to McCarthy Lake, Lake County, Michigan

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