When the Sky's Not Blue

  Took a hike with a small group today on the North Country Trail. Actually, this is my adopted section, but the group chose it, so I know it really well.

Loren came up with a great saying. "When the sky's not blue you have to make do with blue blazes." Hey, I think it's perfect! The sun peeked out twice, but didn't stay. We can't complain. The temperature was extremely moderate for January. I was on my favorite trail.

There were six of us that met. (Do you like my new bright-green gloves? I'm less likely to lose these, I think.)

We hiked 2.5 miles out (to the next road) and then hiked back for a total of 5 miles. The snow was pretty well packed down, and that turned out to be a really comfortable length (for me anyway).

I've showed you this exact same tree before, but I'm pretty fascinated by it. These are beetle galleries, and last time I said I didn't know what kind of beetle. But this time I looked at the kind of tree, which really helps with the identification. It's a dead pine. I'm pretty sure it's a white pine, but it's marginally possible it's a jack pine. Anyway, these were made by some kind of pine bark beetle. Most galleries have a specific pattern that helps you identify the beetle that made it. I've showed you some elm galleries before, and they are distinctive. These just look like decorative carvings. Which is a characteristic of the pine bark beetles.

In other news: Well, I didn't really get into gear. I finished a jigsaw puzzle, and <eyeroll> started another one. This one was easier than I expected it to be. Those are candies and flowers if you can't tell. And it was only 550 pieces. Easy.

Hike 100 Challenge for 2021 is at 9 miles.

North Country Trail, Lake County, MI, Freesoil Trailhead north 2.5 miles and back.

See Hikes with Loren