Polar-Equator Trail Thoughts

I wanted to post about something else, but I can't find the picture I want. Maybe tomorrow... or not.

Anyway, while I was looking for that picture, I found this picture. I've showed you the sign before, but didn't say much about it. This is called the Polar-Equator Trail. It was designed to be a driving route that roughly followed the 45th parallel across Michigan.

I have found signs for this route two different places, but the one above was on the Midland to Mackinac Trail which I hiked in 2018.

This trail was thought up by a club named the Polar-Equator Club that was formed in 1965. As far as anyone can say who knows a lot more about this than I do, that group is defunct. But in the interim, they put up signs that went across Michigan and got the state to promote this as a tourist attraction.

You know, the North Country Trail crosses the 45th parallel, right? Astonishingly, just ONE place, and that's on the Jordan Valley Pathway segment.

What does this look like on a map? I took the NCT interactive map (red line for the NCT), and roughly drew the Midland to Mackinac Trail on it (in orange). I've been wanting a trail from Midland to, pick something, Croton Dam at the south end of the Manistee National Forest. This would make a big Michigan triangle of a trail. The 45th parallel is approximated (in purple).

Supposedly some of the roads the Polar-Equator trail followed are no longer in existence. It wasn't designed as a footpath, but it could be walked. Maybe some of the closed roads could be walked even if they can't be driven. It does make a triangle with the NCT, although a smaller one than using the entire Midland to Mackinac Trail.

Am I going to leap out of my chair and do this? Nope. But some day, I do want to drive as much of the Polar-Equator route as can be found.

I worked pretty hard on several projects today, but didn't reach a milestone with any of them, so no reports.

See Polar Equator Crossing