2026 Rock Garden Report 1

I guess I don't have a full rock garden report from last year with a comparable date, but I found a couple of pix.

Here is the front view today.

And May 5, 2025. There was a little more color, but I really think we are a couple of weeks behind last year.

And for comparison, this is top part on April 27, 2024



And the top today.

It's filled in quite a bit more. Not all of the fillers are quality plants, but they help hold the soil until I can add better things.

Now for some goodies.

This is violets with 'Angelina' sedum and Sempervivum 'Gold Rush' (but it's red)

There's a lot going on here. The light purple is moss phlox, but the rock cress behind it is in bud (white). There are sedums greening up, and the pasqueflower is still blooming. I just like the colors and textures.

Here are a couple of bits of good news. The Lewisia has survived, and is blooming. It's not huge and healthy like it was when it came from the store last year, but I have hopes that it will improve in a year or so as it gets used to this spot.

And this sedum, 'Oriental Dancer,' which stays purple, gets tall, and has a dark purple flower heads is looking good.

I worked all day long on Confidence Camp. Was hoping I could find my notes from mapping workshops I did long ago because I knew I had some good materials for the handouts there, and I did find them! Also, Miki and I went out to look at the space for the final field exercise again, and we solved the last of the issues that needed to be checked there. I need a third "staff person" for that, and she has volunteered.

Also, Miki and Brian are going to let me borrow a campfire pit ring/grate that they just picked up. Hopefully, I can find one for me to keep in the next year, but now I am all set for this year.

A good day with good progress made.

See 2024 Rock Garden Report 1

Spirit of the Woods Hike- May 2026

The group photo hasn't been posted yet for me to grab, but there were about 15 people and 5 dogs who hiked today. We traveled farther than usual, going north to where the Manistee River crosses US 131. The trail goes beneath the bridge.

The hike actually went the other direction, going north (trail west) along the high bluff beside the river.

We finally had another really nice day! We were all ready for this.

And some of the wildflowers were opening. Wood anemone.

Trout lily.

And some Carolina spring beauty.

Finally, just some cute little orange mushrooms on the green moss.

What with travel time, going out to eat, and the hike itself, this is really all I did today.

Miles hiked in 2026: 158.4
Hike 100 Challenge: 51.6

North Country Trail, Wexford County, MI. US 131 Roadside rest north 3 miles and back. 6.0 miles

See SPW Hike- April 2026

Testing, Testing

I'm pretty much in flat-out Confidence Camp prep mode. I did a few other things this morning.

About the most hard-core survival skill we are going to learn is how to make a solar still. I have tried a couple in the past three days. I wanted to find out how well they worked with a smaller hole than "recommended." And, as it turned out, I got to find out how well they worked when there wasn't very much sun.

I did the first one in some badly contaminated soil. The theory is that it's a still- in other words, it distills water and gives you clean water.

This site still reeks of oil, even 45 years after the oil storage tanks have been removed. The water was clean, no odor or taste, but with a little bit of soil that trickled in that could be filtered out with just a bandana. Got over a cup of water in a day.

Then I tried another with an even smaller hole, but in cleaner dirt.

You can see the condensation on the underside of the plastic.

Got the same amount of water in less time. Winner!

Cathy came over and we set up my screen house. Thinking it could be shelter in light rain, or too much sun (not a likely scenario according to long-range forecasts).

It collapses in wind too easily. But I might try to add some extra guy lines. I think we'll just go on the deck or inside if rain becomes serious.

We did a couple other small things, and pretty much finished the gear packs. There are a couple of tiny items to go in them yet. L-R: notebooks with info (I'm still working on those pages), gear packs, emergency packs.

Tomorrow is a group hike that is a fairly long drive. So much for getting much done other than that tomorrow.

It's been either too wet or cold to stain the picnic tables. We did a couple other small tasks. But it's coming together, and it won't take that long to stain the tables.

See Mostly Confidence Camp Prep

Mostly Confidence Camp Prep

The day began with taking Tara back to the trail fairly early in the morning. No rain- hooray!

But the entire rest of the day was getting ready for Confidence Camp. I had to hustle back from dropping off Tara because Doug was coming to make sure we have a driveable lane back to the campsite. Mostly that meant getting rid of autumn olive. (Now, this method is efficient!)

I had a very minimal amount of work that I thought would accomplish what I needed. Doug said, "I'm your equipment guy! If I come over, I'm doing it right."

And he did, of course. He pretty much created a nice clear packed lane.

It continues back through the trees,

and ends up at the open space where we will set up the campsite. Mostly for access to deliver the porta-potty, but I'll need to drive back there to deliver the picnic tables and other gear. We have the use of a four-wheeler for the week which we will use to bring meals out from the house.

A man and his toy.

Then in the afternoon, Cathy and I went out to explore a section of National Forest where the final field exercise of Confidence Camp will be held. I needed to be sure it was going to work well. I'd selected it from a forest map based on some requirements I wanted, and it's not perfect, but it's close by and will do the job. I've already scouted out the other location where we will do a field exercise.

Between going to the woods and walking out to the campsite four times, I walked a fair amount.

Miles walked in 2026: 152.4

Some old roads in the National Forest and out to Confidence Camp four times: 3.5 miles

See Two Picnic Tables

I've Got Tara!

It was a very good day to NOT hike all day. I picked up long-distance hiker Tara at Timber Creek. The rain that was supposed to be over during the night hung on all day. She was very glad to come off the trail and get dried out, cleaned up, and get some new supplies. We also looked at maps.

We've been talking trail stuff all day. It's such fun! We eat very similarly, so getting things for meals was really easy. We've also been comparing how we eat on the trail. She's working on hiking all the National Scenic Trails, and my next Ludington Daily News column will tell more about her.

It was WET. She had this black oak leaf stuck on the rain cover of her pack. Very artistic.

A few of the wildflowers are trying to put on spring faces, but they were crying today. Here is Wood Anemone.

Spring Beauty was also hunkered down waiting for a drop of sun. Maybe tomorrow.

I did get to walk out and meet her on the trail. Got in 2.5 miles

Miles walked in 2026: 148.9
NCT Hike 100 Challenge: 45.6

NCT Lake County, Michigan, Timber Creek TH south and back. 2.5 miles.

See TI Kidnapped Chris