Fayette, Michigan - A Ghost Town

This historic town site has a beach, campsite, trails and the town itself as a self-guided museum.  I've been here and camped with 5 teenagers who had a blast.  For more information, see this link for the site dedicated to the town.  If you do visit, be cautious of poison ivy growing along pathways.  Also, if you're able, make a donation, even if only $5.

This page also has information about the town and trails, though I could not locate a map.  There is a map in the parking lot of the town site.

Til our paths meet again...

Today I said goodbye, for now, to a good friend and an amazing person. What does she have to do with you and this blog? As hikers, bikers and outdoor enthusiasts in general, we are at higher risk for things such as skin cancer.

My friend Tina has left us a legacy, defying the statement that the good die young - just because her physical time on earth was only 38 years, she lived many lives during that time frame. She has accomplished what many of us could never do. While cancer was beating her down, her head was held high as she helped others with their journeys. Her strength, class, grace and determination is contagious. She made the most out of the good days and the bad. She never wasted a second, even when she didn't have mobility, she was still fighting the fight.

In her honor, celebrating her spirit and to say thank you for being a part of my life, I share with you the blog of Tina Sullivan, melanoma warrior, and inspiration for Pale Skin Is In. Cancer may have taken her body from us, but it didn't stop her heart, quiet her voice or end her fight. Team Pale Skin Is In is dedicated to continuing where she left off.

To her husband Todd, daughter Teya, parents, brother Cory, extended family and fellow friends - I find it an honor to have known her and if there's anything I can do to continue her journey, I'll be there, you have my prayers and support.

To Tina - Forever in my heart, with the big hair, wrinkling your nose, sticking your tongue out at me saying I'm more stuck up than you are! You have to watch out for those quiet ones, they bite!!

The Big Spring - Kitch-iti-kipi

Okay, this isn't really so much of a trail or hiking spot, but if you are tired of walking long distances and are up in the UP looking for something breathtaking - here you go. I can't say more about it than what's on that site other than I'll be back here every time I'm in the area. The kids had a great time, amazed at the fish, watching coins fall to the bottom of the spring and steering the raft.

Copper Harbor Mountain Bike Trails

Found a link for mountain bike trails in the Copper Harbor area with a lot of great info.  Trails maps in jpg form are on the site.  I'm sure you can download these to your smartphones.

Ahhhh.....

Feels good to finally have the open house over with, my kitchen is still a disaster. I have a batch of photos to edit and two senior photo shoots as well as a historical photo shoot coming up this week, and it's going to be a hot one!

Your emails are full of amazing suggestions and THANK YOU for the compliments. One email in particular said "even though you only have a handful of the existing trails on the map so far most of them are close to most of us... has made for nice short trips just an hours drive". This isn't why I started in the southern part of the state but she has a wonderful point!

To answer another email: Yes, I am going to document closed trails. The reasoning is, if it was a trail once, it may be a trail again. It may have been closed due to budget costs, safety hazards or a sale of the land. Whatever the reason, if you know it exists, there's a chance YOU could make a difference to get the trail re-opened. Just remember to read and obey the signs in and around all trails. If it's a closed trail, you may get permission to enter if you find out who the property owner is and ask, doesn't hurt. Trespassing is against the law. I will do my best to provide information on the owners of the closed trails, but that's not always that easy from here if it's miles away from me - so no promises!

Pure Michigan has wrote me about being a guest blogger and I'm going to take them up on it. I don't know what exactly to cover so I think I'm just going to brag about how we have nearly as many trails in Michigan as we have beaches, campgrounds and rivers and many of these trails are a part of the park systems of the cities, counties and state. Of course I won't be able to get to writing it until next week.

On that note, I'll leave you with this:

If you want to have fun outside, MICHIGAN HAS IT ALL!!

Hello Summer!

Gorgeous summer weather finally found our beautiful state, unfortunately because of the rain the mosquitoes are thick and they have voracious appetites. The blog may appear to be inactive but I am working on research and other trail related things offline so in due time posts will start flowing, hopefully one a day or at least 4 a week. Plus it's graduation season. My extra time has been depleted by getting another child ready for the adult world, and we couldn't be more proud. She's going into the physical therapy and prosthetics field. She won a very large academic scholarship from her school of choice. As a person with permanent damage due to a knee injury, I am happy to see her enthusiasm for her choice of career. We need more doctors who understand us and our quest to walk, hike and run around on every trail we find. Until another post my friends, stay safe =) and do let those bad bugs bite!!

Strollers, Low Impact and Handicap

If you are venturing out on trails with children and want to take along a stroller or wagon or just don't want something that's "hard" to walk, like hills and stairs, make sure to read the trail guide from the book or website to see if it describes the type of trail it is or if it's handicap accessible. The ones that are can be the most stroller and wagon friendly. I'll try to make sure I note which trails are best in these situations when I have that information available myself and there's not a companion website for the trail.

Please, if you know of any trails that are handicap, family friendly and great for low impact walking, let me know. There are many people who want to lose weight but cannot take on a trail with a lot of sloping and stairs at first because of how much they currently weight, circulation issues, inactivity disabilities, etc. These trails are VERY important to their baby-steps into weight loss. It's so much easier to go for a walk where it's beautiful than to stay indoors on a treadmill.

To contact me, you can comment to the blog post (if the information is beneficial to all of my readers) or to michiganonfoot@yahoo.com. Remember, I'm also on Facebook and through Networked Blogs (see right hand column to connect). I'll be adding a twitter feed this week.

Bad Weather Benefits

It seems that when we look outside we say "Oh, wow, sun" instead of being surprised it's raining. Although I love a good thunderstorm, this rain is really putting a damper on many outdoor activities, no pun intended.

Unless it's thunderstorming, a walk in the rain isn't bad and for those wanting to walk to burn calories, colder weather does help as your body is trying to heat itself. Many of you that like to kayak or canoe, a lot of Michigan trails are along rivers and do have public boat launching sites and water activities available, including rentals. Do keep in mind many of our rivers right now are under a flood watch or warning and currents are a lot faster than normal, so please take extra safety precautions. Deeper water hides debris and fallen trees. If you're an inexperienced boater, stay on foot until the water levels go down.

Speaking of flooding, word has gotten back to me many of the trails that are in flood plains, even if some are flooding over the trails, are still open and quite the sight to see. The excess water brings some wildlife and fish closer to the trails. Just keep in mind some sections of the trails may be closed where the water crosses the path, currents could be present and unseen. If you see water damage to the trail or trees down, please take the time to notify those that manage the trail. Taking a photo of the damage will help.

So if you're brave enough to walk in the rain, find a trail near water that could be interesting to see "under water". Remember, even when the rains stop, the water can still rise for a day or two before it recedes. Do not ignore signs placed around the grounds by trail managers.

Ride the Keweenaw Weekend

Event details here (Facebook link).

Justice For Lily Champions 4 Children 5k Run/Walk

Saturday, May 21, 2011 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Category: Main category.
Added by: trussell

5K walk run to raise money for the Lapeer Child Advocacy Center and to raise awareness of child abuse.

Location: Rowden Park

Phone Number: 810-614-3012

Sponsor: Jutice for Lily

Wild Lapeer Foot Race

Saturday, May 21, 2011 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Category: Main category.
Added by: trussell

Promote local natural resources/agriculture/Recreation and Education.

Location: Ponds & Prairies, Chatfield School and Rolland Warner Campus.

Cost: FREE

Phone Number: 810-664-5647

Sponsor: Joseph Stock

Michigan Trail Maps Started

View Michigan Trails in a larger map

Beautiful Day

I say that with a sarcastic tone because Michigan is having yet another day of rain.  At least the flooded parks have dried out and the river has receded, for now.  Taking a walk in the flooded park does make for an interesting time, unless most of the path is under water too.

I'm curious, what kind of weather won't you walk in?  Are you a die-hard person who will walk in any kind of weather or temps? Did you know walking during winter burns more calories because you are carrying the extra weight of your clothing and from your body trying to keep warm?  Even just walking around the block is better than the same amount of time on a treadmill.  They say in many homes the air quality is worse than some factories.  Fresh air is free and untaxed ;) - for now, maybe I shouldn't give them ideas, huh?

What places have you been in the winter that makes it worth the trouble (plowed, not plowed, scenic, etc)?  It's my experience most trails are not plowed and few are groomed for skiers.  If they are being groomed, hiking and running is not allowed on the groomed portions of the trail.  You must be wearing skis, even snowshoes are not allowed.  The Hansen trail guide does cover this, but it is good to call ahead to the trail staff to find out.  When possible, I will cover this.

Enough of the snow... my other question is do you go for a motorcycle ride and then go hiking somewhere?  Where are your favorite places to take these rides, where you can safely park your bike to walk and are there any good restaurants and lodging nearby?

Coming up in the next week: cellphone apps, geocaching, Deerfield trail in Mount Pleasant.

Lumberman's Monument

Lumberman's Monument is just to the east of Iargo Springs (posted couple of days ago).  It's part of the Highbanks Trail.  I've been to this historical site several times.  Photos of various trips can be found here.  The site can easliy be found opposite Monument Road off River Road, which follows the AuSable to the south.  This is like Iargo, having many steps to walk down to the water and right back up.  It is handicap accessible in the areas surrounding the parking lot and parts of the trails but to get down to the water, it's not.

Iargo Springs - Iosco County

This is a majestic place hidden amongst the trees along the river's edge.  Water trickles from nearly every nook and cranny in the hillside.  On a hot summer day, the cool water and shade from the trees will provide a beautiful atmosphere.  Though not far from the road, when you are here you will forget about cars and anything modern.  All you will see are trees, water, birds, butterflies and steps... hundreds of steps, close to 300 of them.

This location isn't much of a trail but it sure will give you a workout.  There are many stops along the way to take a break but if you cannot handle a lot of stairs, this isn't the place for you, or at least don't venture all of the way to the bottom.  Year round I recommend taking water, you'll need the refreshment, and remember water works best, no juice or pops (soda).

Iargo Springs is located off M-65 on Iargo/River Road in Iosco County (Oscoda), Michigan.  It is a part of the Au Sable River system and a part of the Highbanks Trail.  Nearby is Lumberman's Monument (an upcoming post), Loud Dam, Cooke Dam, town of Glennie (to the north) and several camping areas.  Approximate GSP location is 44.440919,-83.675416.  Other activities can be found nearby, such as snowmobiling, fishing, boat launches, canoeing and hunting sites.  For lodging, look to Oscoda, Mio, Tawas, West Branch or Glennie.

Iargo Springs in a google search.
Iargo Springs - my photos @Webshots
Au Sable River Country website (recommended)

Clinton River Trail Mastodon

When MDOT and OCRC was working on the intersection of Adams Road and M-59, they made a discovery - mastodon bones.  There is a marker a bit south of the parking area on the trail.  The remains of the mastodon were moved to two places, one a nearby at Cranbrook.

Here are links for more information:
Earthcaching/Geocaching
MSNBC article
Channel 4 Detroit
Larry the Biker's Flickr (source of photo above)


For information on the trail itself, since it has it's own website and Facebook, I won't duplicate information other than this trail comes highly recommended.

Destinations Unknown

I'm looking for input on what trails I should highlight first.  Do you have a destination in mind?  If you don't have a specific trail, then do you know of the areas you will be travelling to this summer?  Comment, post, email to let me know so I can get you the information you need in a single post.  Until then I'll start blogging about where I have been.

I realize gas prices are insane, which makes taking a camping/hiking trip so much better.  You get to travel in our magnificent state of ours, experience some great trails and stay at some of the greatest campgrounds on earth.  You can do a weekend hiking trip for under $100 besides the gear you need, once you buy the gear you have it though.  I know $100 sounds cheap but I have done it on $100 many times.  Some trails cost a few dollars, some are free and some just require a state sticker.  Same with campgrounds.  Your biggest expenses will be food and gas.

Shoe Sale

As much as I hate to say it, you need more shoes (or boots). If you are a walker, hiker, runner, cycler, etc., you need proper shoes, and specific shoes for the activity. Now is a great time to assess the quality and quantity of your footwear. I add quantity to that because it never fails, any shoe I buy, it fails at least one requirement, so I'll buy 2. I need something comfortable, waterproof, skid resistant and warm... oh, and in a size 5 1/2 wide. The rare time I find the "perfect" boot, I will go back and buy 1 or 2 more to have in case the first gets worn out or wet and because it's so hard for me to find something that fits.

Shoe stores are clearing out and moving in new stock. Take advantage of those sales. Many stores have frequent shopper discounts as well. Many of us are getting our tax refunds back too. Did you get a gift certificate at Christmas and not use it yet? If there's not a sale, have you thought about asking a manager to knock a few respectable dollars off? Even if it's only $10, you can use that to buy some new socks. Having the proper socks also will aid in the comfort of your activity.

The wrong footwear can lead to all sorts of injuries, including falls. Safety first. You want to have fun on your weekends and vacations. Hospitals are nice and all, we just don't need to include them in our destinations.

Canton Couple Walking To Lake Mead 2500 Miles Away

The story is in the article here, just posted today by Fox 2 Detroit.

Spring Is Here - Kinda

The calendar says it's spring, but as we all know, here in Michigan spring isn't here until the snow has melted from under the pines in the Upper Peninsula.

Anyway, right now is a great time to start planning trips to those wonderful trails we have in this beautiful state. It's also time to check on your gear. When I say gear, I mean camping, walking, biking, hiking... whatever your pleasure may be. It's perfect for dealing with that spring-fever even if you can't go right away.

You'll need to restock any emergency supplies like aspirin, aloe, bug spray, epi-pens, etc. etc. Check to make sure things that require batteries weren't stored with batteries in them and have since corroded. You may have to buy new items if this is the case. Rubber deteriorates. Bugs eat holes through things. Stuff even comes up missing. It won't hurt to get one of those pay-as-you-go cellphones for a backup.

Since the economy is what it is, some of the things you may need to purchase might cost you a pretty penny when all added up. All work and no play isn't the way to live, so work on that supply list as soon as you can. This way all summer long you have nothing better to do but enjoy!

NOTE: The download for the county index is currently unavailable. I will replace it ASAP.