Lost Nation = 300 - Day 21

  First things first- You all need to keep calm if I say I am tired, or had a tough day. There are going to be days like that. There are going to be days I don't feel like walking (haven't had one yet, but I will). There are going to be days I will think about quitting. If people start worrying about my health or recommending diet changes, etc... well, I'll probably just stop being honest with you. Long hikes don't have 100% perfect days, so get used to it! Overall, just assume I'm fine unless I say there is a serious problem.

OK, that's done. Now let's talk about today's hike. I started on the Baw Beese Trail. There was a juvenile trumpeter swan on Baw Beese Lake. I love seeing more trumpeters! They are native and almost went extinct in the 1930s.

This sculpture of a Mother Bear and Cubs is realistic and endearing.

I had forgotten that the eastern end of that trail is more natural surface which was most welcome after all the pavement pounding I've been doing. This is a not-so-unusual shot of Baw Beese Lake, but I took a very similar one in 1994 when I walked here the first time, also in winter. I just wanted to take one again.

Then I entered Lost Nation State Game Area. This is a real gem for SE Michigan. Today's challenge, though, was that one of the logs of this bridge has washed away. The remaining surface is very narrow. It's too low to skootch across on your butt. It's too high to stabilize yourself with a hiking stick, and the bed is muddy.

I tried it three times, but knew I wasn't going to be able to get across without dunking at least a foot. Alternatives? I could have waded and then called Sue for dry clothers. But, there was this fallen tree downstream. It was a mess of trapped branches and stuff, but it was higher off the water. Yup. I sat on it and got across without getting wet. (Note for anyone concerned with my agility... I made it through this maze.) Sue thinks drone footage of this feat would be laughworthy. I agree!

The rest of Lost Nation was a delightful, quiet walk in the woods. My last for a few days. Bright yellow fungus of some kind.

Lake Number Eight (that's its name).

And a beautiful bend in a small stream. I got across the other three log bridges with no problems. They each had more like 8 inches of flat surface on top.

Today I felt fine. The weather featured temps in the 30s, but it was dry with little wind. Very nice walking weather. Miles today: 15. Total miles so far 309.5. Yes, I'm over 300 miles!

See Lost Nation 2019 See Chief Baw Beese Treasures