Anything but Brown

 
Mostly, I was a slug today. But I finally got myself into gear and went for a walk. I did a very familiar section of the North Country Trail, but then wanted to check on something else and had a tiny new adventure.

Here's the new adventure. The state has designated a place where anglers walk as an actual trail. What I wanted to check out was the campsites and parking along Sulak Road that leads to the Pere Marquette River. So I followed the "fisherman trail" down to the river, and beside it for a ways. I can't say I've never seen this piece of river before because I've paddled it several times, but I've certainly never seen this spot from this angle.



What I want to do is continue to follow the river and see if you can make a loop back to Upper Branch Bridge. There is one area where the banks are very steep. I don't know if there is an OK way to get to the top. If you can, then you can connect back to the NCT. But, since I left home mid afternoon, it was getting a little late in the day to go off on bushwhacking adventures. I'll try another time.

Meanwhile, I have to confess to a tiny bit of frustration. Not at anything connected with the virus restrictions. I'm just officially ready for Spring to start showing her face. Meanwhile, enjoy some of the usual sights:

Wintergreen



Partridgeberry



A polypore bracket fungus of some kind. I like the layers.



And this little anomaly. In the blowdown area, the cut ends of many logs had these star-shaped designs. This was the most perfect. Weird.



Total hiking - about 6.5 miles. Miles that count for the NCT Hike 100 2020 Challenge 4.5- I'm calling it 4. Total is at 68 miles.

In other news: I finished the truly boring accounting project I needed to get done, worked a tiny bit on my art project and read a book.

North Country Trail, Lake County, MI. Timber Creek at US 10 south to Wingleton Rd and back, and from Upper Branch Bridge south to Sulak Rd, Sulak Rd to the Pere Marquette River, fisherman's trail to the river and back to Upper Branch Bridge. 6.5 miles

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