The best find on the road was an Io (say EYE-oh) Moth Caterpillar. Don't pick these guys up; the spines have a mild venom that will make you itch!
After I got back in the woods, I found several clumps of these elegant gray mushrooms. I'm pretty sure it's umbrella inky cap.
The trail today was mostly in Hubbard County Forest. This is all new trail since I hiked here before. Very pretty section. This is a wetland area, and I love the vertical trees with the abstract ponds and grasses.
My big news is that the mosquitoes were tolerable. I wore long sleeves, and kept a hat on for just a couple of hours to foil the divebombing deer flies, but it was heavenly not to have to be completely covered up on a fairly hot day.
Gage Lake was a nice area of open water. A lot of the smaller lakes are getting choked with aging water lilies at this time of year. Perfectly natural, but sometimes they don't look as pretty.
At the end of the day, Randy Cadwell of Lakeland PBS came out to meet me to shoot some video. There will be a number of hikers included in an episode of Common Ground this winter.
BONUS SECTION: Meeka's Story
Right at the beginning of the day Michelle and I saw a young woman, whose name we learned is Meeka, standing beside the road. She didn't seem to be hitching a ride, but she was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and we weren't sure what she was doing. Well, she had been trying to get a ride home (a few hours away) because she is starting a job tomorrow, and the guy she was riding with just dumped her out and left her. I said maybe we could get her to the next town (I didn't want to volunteer Michelle for a big project). But Michelle took her all the way home.
I'll try not to preach here, but gosh, kids, choose your friends with some care.
Miles today: 15.3. Total miles so far: 3121.9
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3 comments:
Hiking with so many mosquitos can be so frustrating. Have you considered a bug jacket? REI has one from Sea to Summit that weighs only 4 oz. I also live in Michigan, and the mosquitos can get fierce. Sometimes the head net just isn't enough.
I look forward to reading your entries each evening. Thank you so much for sharing your marvelous adventures.
That caterpillar really stands out with that green color. Love the look of those mushrooms.
How sad that someone would dump that poor girl off and leave her. That was nice of Michelle to take her all the way home.
Ellie- anywhere the netting touches your skin, the skeeters can bite right through it. And they can snag and rip. I'd rather just wear a shirt.
Ann- The mushrooms were elegant and very fragile.
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