Hiking, web development, best practices, and general awesomeness
Five years. That's how long Katie and I have lived in Wisconsin. Five years ago we moved from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, leaving behind friends and the land I loved for a faint promise of a better job propect. Things turned out. Both of our careers have advanced since the move, I became more…
Most of the mountains in the Upper Peninsula follow predictable ranges. There's the long Keweenaw Ridge that stretches from Copper Harbor southwest past Ontonagon, old Huron Mountains from Marquette to Alberta, and Gogebic and Escarpment out to the west. The majority of my hikes owe their geography…
As my circle of waterfall exploration expanded away from Houghton over the years new thorns appeared on the horizon. At first the thorns, the more stubborn waterfalls that eluded documentation and trails, were still on familiar land. Madison Gap (or Eliza), Upper Sturgeon, Ravine River - at least I…
As the Keweenaw Ridge stretches south of Greenland and Rockland it begins to twist west meander around. By the time it passes Norwich there are multiple lines present. The northern ridge has plenty of great hiking destinations, like the Trap Hills and Cookout Mountain. The southern ridge is a bit…
A long year has passed by since I hiked around the tip of the Keweenaw, one of my most ambitious adventures to date. Not only was it a rather long hike (around twenty miles in length) but it took me to many locations I had never seen before. Horseshoe Harbor, Keweenaw Rocket Range, Schlatter Lake,…
Morning sun shone bright over the trailhead to Bare Bluff. It was early, mere hours since the sunrise, yet there already was another vehicle sitting here. The chance I would run into these hikers was low. The first part of today's hike may be along the main trail but I had an ambitious side trek…
The roads south of Copper Harbor were eerily familiar in the early morning light. There was a time, some years past, when I had drove the Mandan Loop in a failed attempt on High Rock Point. When I pulled off the Burma Road into the parking lot for Estivant Pines I wondered if I had passed by this…
The long drive from Eagle Harbor to Copper Harbor helped calm my jittery nerves. After all, I had just bumped into a bear and dozens of bats in the pre-dawn forest above Copper Falls. Driving the winding, familiar M-28 under a dark morning sky was oddly soothing. By the time I pulled into the…
Cooling air swam around me as I trudged along the two-track, burdened by a full backpack of camping gear. The air felt good against my skin after the August heat of the day. I was walking a familiar path and soon saw the trademark blue shaft with bat cage on top. Today, though, I wouldn't be…
My little Saturn bounced and shuttered as I pressed down Cliff Drive. Gritting my teeth I pushed faster, steadily approaching the breckneck speed of 45 mph, doing my best to avoid the bumps and pot holes on the rough road. I was behind schedule after a few detours near Copper City and didn't know if…