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.