Arboretum Trail Restored!

The other place I hiked Friday makes me very happy. This is a short trail created by the Forest Service decades ago through their Arboretum, which was a test plot for over 40 species of trees from around the world. However, over 10 years ago, they abandoned it. I had last tried to hike it in 2018, but there were too many trees down to even be able to get through.

In 2020, the Dublin Heights Sports Club contacted me to say that they were working with the Forest Service to re-establish the trail. I was preparing for my big hike, and sadly, had never gotten back to let them know I was excited to see this happen. The current interpretive sign says that it was a joint effort of the Manistee Conservation District, the Sports Club, the Manistee National Forest and the Manistee Community Foundation.

Well, they have done a great job, not to mention a tremendous amount of work. This is a typical current view of the trail.

Although there is a map to what was planted in the test plots, most of the planted trees have either died or failed to thrive. However, plot 19 had Eastern Red Cedar (which is really a juniper, Juniperus virginiana). This is native to Michigan, although you won't usually find much of it in northern Michigan. This is the aromatic red cedar of moth-proof closets and rustic knick-knacks.

There is an outer loop of about 1.4 miles. Along the back side is this lovely avenue of hemlock.

I thought this was interesting, and I'm glad they didn't just tear it down. The doors and windows are covered with fencing to keep people and larger animals out. I'm pretty sure this was the pumphouse where water was pulled from Pine Creek (wonder how many Pine Creeks there are in Michigan?). You can just see a sluiceway beyond the building.

This was not in the location where the test plot was, but that doesn't mean much at this point in time. Pretty sure this is a Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra. Very handsome!

There is also an inner loop that is partly concurrent with the outer one, but the inner one is all wide and hardened with gravel. It would definitely be accessible for a sports wheelchair. Six-tenth of a mile

So, I managed about 2 miles of walking there.

There used to be possibly original signs there- at least from the 1950s. They were cute and humorous. The new signs are informative and will last well. I think I have pictures of some of the old signs, but they were probably taken on my first digital camera and I'm not sure I still have all of those pictures. At any rate, I'm not going hunting for them now.

This is just south of Wellston, MI, at the corner of Bosschem and Pine Lake Roads. The Pine Lake Campground is nearby (link below). I have updated my Get Off The Couch website with the Arboretum info, and I'll be writing more about it for the newspaper. Arboretum Trail.

This afternoon, Om and I went to an event put on by the church he attends called "At the Movies." It's always REALLY well done. They interspese clips from a recent popular film with life messages. The reason I don't go to church with him any more is because I can't tolerate the volume of the audio which is normal. But I said I'd see how it went, and the movie part was fine. The movie was The Boys in the Boat (an excellent film which we went to together when it came out). The live music portion, however, was intolerable, so I stood there with my fingers in my ears. But at least we did something together.

Miles hiked in 2025: 386.7

See Pine Lake