Viewing posts about Winter.

A Snowy Hike along Erick's Road

Narrow snowy Erick's Road

For the past four years I've hiked the mountains east of Big Erick's bridge during the snowy months. This annual pilgrimage started with a hike up Bald Mountain with Cory back in 2009 that was shrouded in a thick February blizzard. Sometimes I stick close to this mountain while other hikes stretch…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted March 25, 2013
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Snowy Trudge to Echo Lake

Lots of traffic to Echo Lake

There's something to be said about a good ol' stumble-of-a-trudge, the type of hike when your legs begin to complain about bending properly and you refuse to stop for a break in the fear that your legs will rebel against you. When the weather and the terrain and the distance all conspire against…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted March 4, 2013
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Winter's Fog over Wewe Hills

Tracks leading to a tree-covered bluff

Ghostly fog crept over the dark road, repeatedly slowing me on my early morning drive. It was an uneasy reminder of a trip only a few months ago when my hike was cut short by a solid wall of mist on a bluff out by Irish Hollow Cemetery. Today's first adventure depended heavily on good visibility and…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted February 13, 2013
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Mount Houghton in the Winter

Looking east along the Keweenaw shoreline

Near the southeastern end of the Keweenaw Ridge a series of named peaks rise up, one last push towards the sky before Lake Superior swallows up the land. Mount Horace Greeley is the highest point in Keweenaw County but is on private property, with an old Air Force base perched on its peak. Mt…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted January 9, 2013
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Return to Bald Mountain

First view of Bald Mountain

Three years had passed since I last climbed Bald Mountain, the last significant outcropping of the Western Huron Mountains. My first visit was a significant milestone for me, as it was the first non-waterfall hike I attempted in the Upper Peninsula. This initial climb triggered a long and lasting…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted March 10, 2012
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Winter Visit to Cliff Lake

Ice Covered Cliff Lake

Cliff Lake is a small body of water nestled against the southern flanks of Mt. Benison, located halfway between Big Bay and Skanee. There are two main routes to Cliff Lake: follow Cliff River north from the Northwestern Road past Forty Foot Falls or break off of Erick's Road where it meets Little…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted March 14, 2011
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Snowy Drive Down the Peshekee Grade

Straight portion of the old grade

Katie and I woke up at a small Ishpeming motel to find the ground covered in snow. This was more than a little surprising, as it was the second week of May, but the Upper Peninsula likes to misbehave in the late spring. We packed up the car with Logan and headed west on US-41 towards the Peshekee…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted July 23, 2010
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Cliffs of Mulligan Plains

The -15ºF air hit me like a brick wall as I stepped outside of my car at Mulligan Plains. Unaccustomed to the cold Upper Peninsula mornings I quickly covered my nose and mouth with a warm scarf before heading down the plowed two-track. The sun's early rays had only just begun showing over the…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted June 27, 2010
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The Last Waterfall Hike

Bridge over Mulligan Creek

My last hike for the waterfall project was on April 29, 2009. For the last two months I had been on a crazy schedule re-visiting all of the waterfalls I found last summer and collecting accurate coordinates with a new GPS unit as well as finding new falls within my radius to add to my site. Since I…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted November 24, 2009
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Activity Stream

  • Read 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King.
  • Read Elantris (Elantris, #1) by Brandon Sanderson.
  • Read It by Stephen King.
  • Read Mistborn Trilogy (Mistborn, #1-3) by Brandon Sanderson.
  • Read Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson.
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