Woke up thankful not to hear rain, but a little stiff from the day before. Having learned from the Jordan Valley loop, I opted for pants to traverse the Manistee River Loop. Also, I was more familiar with this loop having hiked a small portion of it the year before and knowing my husband had ran the whole loop trying to beat the fastest known time the year before. I was ready and excited.
With the rain the day before, things were wet, and the clouds were still lifting as I headed out for the day. This lead to some pretty sunrise photos. As I started out, there was a small path from the parking lot to the main loop and linked to a nearby picnic and fishing area. It was a pleasant warm up for my semi-stiff legs. Also, I enjoyed the encouraging smiley face drawn in the trail.
From there, I was on the loop and traversing a sketchy trail along the hillside, but with beautiful views of the river on which I grew up canoeing. So many memories flooding my brain as I hiked through this area.
As I dropped from the ridge to a stream valley, I saw something that looked like maybe a black fox or a wolf or a cat. I was sad I missed getting a photo. I did get some footprints in the mud, but I'm not certain it was the animal that had eluded me.
I crossed streams/creeks/brooks, roads, and trail junctures. At each sign, I took a photograph to prove to the organizers of the Triple Crown that I had indeed done the full loop. The views continued to amaze me, as I went from valley to ridgeline and back. 
As I wandered through the woods, peeking out at the river every so often and passing wildflowers, I would occasionally find fungi in a variety of colors. These would cause me to wonder about fairies and gnomes, smurfs and snorks. Yes! I am a child of the 80s. My backpacking travel companions joined me to pose on road crossing signs and continue my joy of being out in the woods that were my playground as a child. I saw deer frolicking in an abandoned campsite and took a small detour to see the waterfall.
Some highlights of the trip were when I crossed the bridge that my mom and I had met my husband on the year before. Unfortunately, right after that is where I got a little lost on the NCT as the signs made it seem like I was to go closer to the paved road vs following the dirt road. Eventually, I figured it out and made it on to the NCT portion of the loop, but not without getting frustrated first. I was not excited by the NCT portion of the loop as it rarely neared the Manistee River, nor did it give views of the river like the other side of the loop did. So, I just put my head down, and finished the loop exhausted but proud and happy to be done with day 2.
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