Hike 100 Challenge on the actual North Country Scenic Trail/Recon for 2021

During this pandemic, we made the choice to drive from Lakewood, CO to Michigan to see family and learn what the North Country Trail has in store for me next year. I was able to get my 100 miles in on the NCT by visiting portions of the trail in Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas as well as Minnesota and finished up in North Dakota. It was a whirlwind and semi-exhausting tour, but taught me a lot. Below are some of the lessons I learned from each adventure. Beware, this is a semi-long post. Enjoy!

Day 1: Rogue River State Game Area

We were headed from the in-laws house to my father's house, and I wanted to get in some miles on the trail. So, my husband and I agreed to him dropping me off on one side of the Game Area and picking me up on the other side. It was a wet day, and I was formulating a video to send in to the North Country Trail Association to be part of the Virtual Kick Off Celebration of the trail, which was to occur on Wednesday. The trail was well managed through the area. It was an interesting hike as I listened to the gunshots of people out shooting target practice as signs in the area warned. I made sure I had my orange covering my running vest to make myself hunter visible. The end of the 7+ miles was a trail not real well maintained, but still passable. Thank goodness for the blue blazes.

Day 2: Bowman Lake Area

This day, we had left my father's house and were headed to my mother's house, where we had a 5pm dinner date with my aunt. So, I needed to move somewhat quickly over the almost 9 mile distance, as we had not left my dad's house until about 1100. Again, my husband dropped me off on one end, and picked me up on the other. The trail in this section was well maintained and well marked with blue blazes. I enjoyed the time in the woods to reflect and actually create the video I eventually shared with the North Country Trail Association.

Day 3: Hodenpyl Dam with my mom

This was probably my most rewarding day on some level as I got to take my mom out for a hike along the trail that will challenge me next year. We talked about what it looks like to wander these woods with a backpack. Her role in my adventure next year was also discussed. I pointed out places to potentially camp, if they were NOT owned by Consumer Power. Some parts of the trail took extra vigilance to make sure we were on the trail, but overall it was an easy, pleasant walk in the woods with my mom.

Day 4: Sturgeon Bay to Mackinaw City

This was a long day on the trail with lots of ups and downs, not only physically, but also mentally. The first put consisted of rolling hills that promised views of Lake Michigan, but never delivered until road crossings. I encountered people bikepacking, who expressed concern over listening to someone telling them to take the trail vs an easier route. In the second half, it was mostly flat through the woods with many encounters of little stream/swamp/pond areas, where I encountered a lot of little toads. 

As I neared the end of this hike, I received a phone call from one of my best friends, who battles mental illness daily, and he was counting his psych pills to determine whether he had enough with which to kill himself before heading to the place he has requested I take his ashes upon his death. He had already hung up on another friend, who gave me the heads up that he was suicidal. The intermittent cellular signal was frustrating along with the increase in mosquitoes as the sun disappeared into Lake Michigan. As I tried to talk my friend down, I either lost signal or he hung up on me. Eventually, he called back from the Manistee Forest where in his attempt to hike to the spot where I am to spread his ashes, he fell trying to get over a downed tree and severely sprained his ankle. He was laying in the woods figuring nobody would find him. Luckily, his friend who gave me the heads up was working on getting 911 to him. She succeed in getting them connected via the phone, and he hung up with me to talk to them. He ended up being rescued by paramedics and taken to the hospital, where he texted me the next day to say he was waiting on his psychiatrist appointment to determine whether he would be admitted to the psych unit. I did not hear anything further from there. I was glad he was safe, and very thankful for his friend and his mom, who worked together to get description and photo of my friend and his car to the authorities who saved him. 

Our campsite this evening was a godsend, as it was near a small inland lake, where I was able to hear the loons that evening telling me everything would be alright for now. My husband had met me while I was on the phone managing my friend in crisis, and had taken over walking the dog along the trail, while I figured things out. Once at camp, he presented me with the subway sandwich he had gotten me and the chilled Faygo Rock-nRye soda I had bought when I was at my mom's. We had a beautiful fire, thanks to previous campers who had left wood, and enjoyed a solid night of rest.

Day 5: Big Two Hearted River to Muskallonge Lake

On this day, the funnest part was getting to the trailhead at the mouth of the Big Two Hearted River. Basically, we were taking our Subaru Forester through the dune two tracks in the area thanks to Google maps. We made it through to the trailhead, and it was an amazing hike along the shore of Lake Superior. There were wild blueberries often along the trail, and many opportunities to enjoy my favorite of the Great Lakes. It was a wonderful bluebird sky, that made me wish I had not forgotten my wider brim hat. Parts of the trail were beach sand, while other parts were forested. At one point, the trail disappeared off a bluff overlooking the shoreline, and I had to bushwhack through to the other side. It made me laugh. The hike did end a little earlier than Muskallonge lake simply because that is a State Park with fees and it was crazy busy according to my husband, who ran the opposite direction of my travel. I got to pick him up back at the mouth of the 2 hearted river, and then traverse to Munising area to find a campsite that night. We made sure to enjoy a tall Bell's Two-Hearted Ale that night in celebration.

Day 6: M64 to South Boundary Road - near the Porcupine Mountains

Oh what a day this was. I was planning on going to Presque Isle Campground in the Porcupine mountains. My husband and I had arranged this the night before, and he was supposed to find us a campsite in the campground, so we could drink our Presque Ale beer. Unfortunately, the park was very busy, and my husband realized he messed up the math, and I would have ended up doing 27 miles vs the 16 miles I was originally planning on doing. I was very thankful he figured that out and rescued me at a little over 12 miles. The trail, although very well blue blazed, underfoot was non-existent. It was a day of going from blue blaze to blue blaze, occasionally bushwhacking through waist high grasses and through swamps. If there wasn't so much humidity and the mosquitoes were not eating me alive, I would have felt like I was back in my youth, but alas that was NOT the case. When my husband showed up on the trail, I was relieved as I knew I was close to being done for the day. I was hot, sweaty, itchy, and exhausted. That night, I played my hotel card and was relieved to be able to wash off the ick. Of course, that all fooled me for the next day.

Day 7: Jay Cooke State Park to Magney-Snively Natural Area on the Superior Hiking Trail

Hike #2: Mesabi Trail from Hwy 164 into Buhl, MN

Over the night, a severe thunderstorm had passed through the area, and I thought that would have cooled things off. So, I was excited to get started for the day. When I walked out of the hotel, I was smacked in the face with the humidity that I long forgot about after being in Colorado for close to 19 years. The trail was beautifully maintained in the Jay Cooke State Park area and was a wonderful series of rolling hills. I enjoyed coming up behind a gentleman out on his own smoking marijuana. He reminded me of a war veteran, and I assumed he was based on the quality smell of his marijuana. Yes, I have become a connoisseur of marijuana smells over the years in Colorado, one of the first states to legalize it. Anyway, I digress. As I continued along the superior hiking trail, which only seemed part of the NCT because of the blue blazes used to mark the trail, the terrain got more rigorous and the temperatures got hotter with suffocating humidity. My husband met me multiple places along the day to see about having the dog join me. We both decided it was too hot for the dog. When my husband met me at the 12 mile mark, I decided it was his turn to come out in this crazy humidity so that I could cool my inner temperature in front of the car's air conditioning. So, he took the long climb up and over the Magney-Snively Natural Area. I enjoyed McDonald's and air conditioning with the potential of hiking out to meet up with him, but that didn't happen...NOT after McDonald's 

From there, we travelled on to the next section I wanted to checkout, which was the west side of Minnesota. We got there at a decent hour, set up camp in a $7/night small town campground/park, and my husband then took me about 3-4 miles down the road. The idea was to make up some miles since the past few days had been rather short due to one complication or another. This part of the North Country Trail, according to the trail maps on the NCTA's website, follows the Mesabi bike trail. So, I walked 3-4 miles along a paved bike trail to our campsite, which was right off the trail. It was a pretty walk as there were many lakes along the way. It was nice to know I was knocking off some easy miles to make the coming days better.

Day 8: Mesabi Trail; Buhl to Hibbing, MN

Another long day on the trail. I woke up early and got on the trail from the campsite. The dog joined me on this walk, and I attempted to do the whole thing in my Chaco sandals.  On the Appalachian Trail, there were people hiking in Chacos and Keens to save on having to carry/wear socks. So, I thought maybe I could do the same thing, especially since this was just a walk along a paved bike path. Unfortunately, it was also raining/thundering most of the day. This day, I deemed my Neverending Story day, as I passed what I called the Swamp of Sadness as I was looking for Morlah, the ancient one. I guess in this story I would have to call my dog, Artax (the horse, for those who are familiar with the movie); however, I did NOT let him or drag him through the swamp of sadness. I never found Morlah, but I was joined briefly by my husband, whom I was happy to see as the Chaco idea was NOT working out. By the time I reached the car at 12 miles, I had sliced into my right big toe, scraped off the top of my left pinky toe, acquired 2 big blisters in my arches, formed a blister on the inside of my left ankle where the strap rubbed, and acquired mini-abrasions on the top of my feet at any point the straps crossed. At the 12 mile mark, I had drawn blood, and was planning to switch to my flip flops for the last 4 miles of the day. My husband thought I was insane. It was a wonderful choice, especially since I was NOT carrying a heavy backpack. Next year, I will definitely be wearing my hiking shoes or maybe something with a little more cushion to manage the paved bike path. 

Day 9: Riverdale, ND to Lake Sakakawea State Park - Western Terminus of the NCT

Don't worry. This ends the NCT Pandemic recon mission...day 9. We camped near a small lake the night before this hike, and it was possibly the best sleep I had gotten. Temperatures had cooled down such that we needed to actually sleep IN our sleeping bags, and wear a sweatshirt to start out this portion. It was a beautiful blue sky day on which to finish my NCT Hike 100 Challenge. The trail in this section was a little challenging to find, as I followed the maps from the NCTA website versus finding any blue blazes. There really is only one way to get across the dam. So, that is the way I took. It was all road walking until I got to the state park. Once in Lake Sakakawea State Park, the trail was a nicely mowed path well marked at trail junctions with signs, but there were no other markers along the route. Somewhere in Minnesota I lost the blue blazes. I can't wait to find out next year where that happens. 

It was wonderful to be able to take this opportunity to venture onto the trail and see what I am looking at for next year. It has made me realize I do NOT need the rain jacket I use here in Colorado year round. Instead, I will carry a lightweight coat that will be water resistant during the summer months through o-HI-o, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The same is true of the weight of sleeping bag I will use through the summer months. I might simply use my silk liner, thus lightening my pack weight by a ton, thus reducing the heat I will more than likely produce, and overall making me a happier individual.

After this recon adventure, I am finding it even harder to stay focused at work. All I want to do is get out there on the trail. The high humidity day on the Superior Hiking Trail near Duluth had me thinking about coming back from this adventure, telling my job I quit, and starting the trail at that time and hiking it through the winter. Sure, I have minimal winter camping experience, but maybe I would be fine!? The one thing I realized that day was that there would be less humidity/heat issues as well as fewer bugs of all sorts. My husband squashed that idea right away with Logic. That's why I love and hate him. Every so often I just want him to feed in to my illogical state of minds. Of course, after 22 years of marriage and 25 years of knowing each other, he is fully aware of what would happen if he fed in to my illogical thoughts. For that I am grateful for his insight, love, and support. Here's to better planning for this full adventure net year! Don't worry, the posts will be a lot smaller next year as I will more than likely be exhausted and using my cellular phone to post updates. I can't wait to start. Only 200 +/- days left...NOT that I'm counting or anything. 😎