Topic

Nordhouse Dunes: Where the Wild Things Are


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Campfire Member Trip Reports Nordhouse Dunes: Where the Wild Things Are

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1282702
    Ike Jutkowitz
    BPL Member

    @ike

    Locale: Central Michigan

    sign

    “What book do you want to read tonight?” I was taking my girls to bed.
    My eldest, Keira, hands me one. She likes to take charge of these sorts of decisions. Rowan, our 3 year old, is already curled up comfortably in my lap. “Here daddy, we can read your favorite.”
    It’s by Maurice Sendak. Where the Wild Things Are.
    “That is my favorite”, I respond, smiling.
    “I know why”, she tells me.
    “Why?” I ask.
    “Mommy says that you are the king of the wild things.” She thinks for a minute, then “Is that why you go away sometimes? To see the wild things?”

    snow fall
    The snow had started falling in Michigan, and I couldn’t wait to get out there. The last several weeks had really been chafing at me. Hunting season had finally ended, at least with shotgun and rifle. I would take my chances with the muzzle loaders. I woke up at 3:30 am, dressed quickly taking care not to wake the dogs, grabbed my pack, and headed out to the car. Outside it was snowing, hard. Two new inches had fallen on the car since last evening. I stopped at a convenience store for some coffee and a cheap pair of sunglasses. I had broken my last pair and would need something for the anticipated snow glare. As I drove through the whiteout, I felt my spirit uplifted. I had been looking forward to the first trip of winter for some time now.

    Somewhere around Grand Rapids, the snow started to taper off. That’s ok, I thought, still plenty to go around. Soon though, I was starting to see the snow cover thinning along the median. By the time I reached Muskegon, there was no snow to be seen. I briefly started to think about heading elsewhere, but decided not to waste any additional time in the car. It would be great regardless.

    sunrise

    I reached Nordhouse Dunes just as the sun was rising. It was a brisk 31F. I started out on a trail that would take me along a ridgeline north to the Lake Michigan Recreation Area. There, I would hit the shore of Lake Michigan and follow this south to the adjoining Ludington State Park. I had planned a loop route through that area before returning via the beach to Nordhouse where I would complete a loop of the perimeter. My route overall would look like a stick with a loop at each end and would cover about 25 miles.

    snow dust
    A dusting of snow frosted the ground as I started out

    field
    Snow covered meadow

    ridge
    Climbing to the ridge

    racoon
    Animal tracks were everywhere.

    crossing
    Crossing a snowy ridge

    Lake
    Soon I could hear the crash of surf pounding the shore. Once I reached the treeline, I could at last see the water’s edge.

    layers
    The wind coming off the water was biting, and I stopped to add a layer. Then I headed down to the water.

    cove
    Stepping out from over the dunes, I was instantly blown away by the beauty of this place.

    snack
    I stopped to snack on some dried figs, pears, and mango. Mostly, I just wanted an excuse to take in the scenery, but the fruit was bursting with energizing sweetness. The figs tasted like pure sugar, and the pears, they were my new favorite. I was in that zone I often found when backpacking where all the daily chaff is stripped away and simple pleasures take on a heightened significance.

    walking
    I walked along the shoreline, savoring the blue skies and the crash of the waves. Hard to believe this was a lake and not an ocean. It would be easy to convince myself that I was on some tropical island, that is if I wasn’t bundled up and wearing hat and gloves.

    dune grass
    The dune grass was golden under the azure sky

    driftwood
    Twisted driftwood assumed a variety of forms. At times, I'd see what I thought was a dog or a person sitting on the beach, only to have it resolve into wood as I neared.

    beetle
    A busy dune beetle sifted through the particles of sand for treasures only a beetle mind could comprehend

    narrow
    Hours seemed like mere minutes as I walked the shoreline. At times, the waves lapped at the dunes, leaving not much room for passage.

    sunglasses
    Under the sun’s glare, I was thankful for my cheap sunglasses, I couldn’t feel the warmth, but my face was starting to respond to the UV rays.

    tracks
    Tracks of a large canid. No human tracks nearby.

    gull
    Seagull

    wreck
    Remains of a shipwreck

    sticks
    I was also glad I had brought my poles today. I don’t usually use them but thought I’d need them for the snow. They did a great job in the 18 miles or so of sand I encountered.

    goose
    Snowy Goose

    leaving
    Leaving the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area. I propped my camera on the sign to shoot this picture.

    lunch
    It was now 12:30 and I decided to stop for a lunch of Manchego cheese, venison sausage, and ak-mak whole grain crackers.

    eating
    As I ate, I spent a fair bit of time pondering the correct order to eat my lunch. After extensive trial and error, I decided that it was a bite of sausage, followed by the cheese, with the crispy cracker at the end. The richness of the cheese counterbalanced the saltiness of the sausage, and the earthiness of the cracker neutralized the sharpness of the cheese. Those paleo guys would probably omit the cracker, but I kind of liked it. It brought everything else into balance.

    dune2

    lighthouse
    Big Sable lighthouse in the distance

    house2

    snowy dune
    Passing the lighthouse, I followed the Coastguard trail. This snowy dune led to the site of another shipwreck excavation.

    buck
    Young buck near a closed campground

    Lost Lake
    Soon I reached Lost Lake, which was not actually all that hard to find. I had struggled with water extraction from Lake Michigan. While I had brought a length of cord to tie to my water bottle , to get within range allowed the waves to lap at my feet. The waves also churned up a lot of sand the needed to then be filtered out. Lost Lake seemed like an easier prospect for water collection. I did need to carefully bypass a transitional zone of reeds along the banks. In this 30 degree weather, I preferred not to get my feet wet.

    dunes
    Light snow through Luddington State Park

    lt
    A stone lean-to near the lighthouse trail

    tree
    Nearing the lighthouse

    salmon
    I reached the Lakeshore again by 3 pm. Two hours until sunset. As I walked the beach, I spotted two gulls fighting over something dark on the shoreline. They scattered as I approached this large salmon, and rejoined the battle soon after I passed by.

    copper
    As shadows lengthened, the dunes lit up with a coppery glow.

    sunset
    Soon the sun began to sink into Lake Michigan.

    sunset2

    camp
    I headed inland as the light faded, setting up camp in a small copse of Jack pines to avoid impacting the fragile dune ecology.

    ti-tri
    Firing up the ti-tri

    dinner
    Dinner was a homemade venison chili-mac, served with a large wedge of Zingerman’s Sourdough Bread. After many years of settling for packaged foods, I had recently decided that I should be eating in the woods as well as I ate at home. Since then, I'd been running my dehydrator almost non-stop. The presentation lacked aesthetic value, but the flavor was heavenly and I wolfed it down quickly.

    After dinner, I fed twigs into the fire, contemplating life’s mysteries. It was now about 6:15 pm. People always ask me if I ever get bored on these solo trips, but I never do. Time seems to slow down, and my thoughts are free to roam as they will. Life becomes simple, problems easily solved. Existence condenses to the here and now. I thought about these things for 5 minutes or so, then cracked open the whiskey, mixing it with a bit of the left over hot water from dinner. Less than an hour later, I was asleep.

    I awoke to the sound of rain, drumming down on my tarp. Turning over, I went back to sleep.

    rain
    7 am and still raining. Believe it or not, the national weather service had forecasted a 0% likelihood of precipitation, and given the short duration of my trip, I had taken them at their word. I was packing my winter gear, which provided for water resistance, but not so much for rain. 0% had seemed fairly definitive. It was going to be a wet day.

    looking out
    I stripped off my baselayer and stuck it in my packliner. Might be nice to have something dry for later. I put on my R1, covered it with my windshirt, and hastily broke camp. Heading out into the rain, I stopped briefly to look out over the seething Lake. Then I started the trek back to the car and warmth.

    lake in rain
    Walking through the deep sand, I warmed quickly. Periodically, I would look over at the lake. Regardless of the weather, it was hard not to feel awe and gratitude to be out here, surrounded by such elemental beauty.

    trail
    Leaving the shoreline along a narrow trail through the dunes

    last look
    One last look back at the lake

    Trails through the Nordhouse Dunes were unmarked, and it took trial and error and some compass-work to find my way back to the car. I stopped briefly in Ludington for an outstanding breakfast at Bonnie’s before starting the 3 hour drive home.

    Post trip thoughts: Although I have lived in Michigan for 8 years, I am continually amazed by the diversity of the wild places here. I may not have gotten the winter trip I thought I was looking for, but I received something of greater value. There will be plenty of time for camping in the snow soon enough. At the moment though, the thing I am most grateful for right now is my family. Thank you for understanding that sometimes dad needs to go to where the wild things are.

    #1808694
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    Thanks Ike. Nice report.

    You're building quite a resume of wonderful trips, and trip reports.

    #1808696
    Tim Zen
    Spectator

    @asdzxc57

    Locale: MI

    Ike — awesome trip report!

    #1808719
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    Almost makes me wish I'd stayed in Michigan! Great trip report!

    Most of us learn from experience not to trust weather reports. Welcome to the club! Of course out here on the west coast, there's the excuse of thousands of miles of ocean west of us!

    #1808728
    Peter Rodrigues
    BPL Member

    @prodrigues

    Locale: New York

    Ike,

    I've really enjoyed all your reports, and this is no different. Love the beach trekking photos.

    #1808730
    David Chenault
    BPL Member

    @davec

    Locale: Queen City, MT

    Well done, thank you!

    #1808743
    Jay Wilkerson
    BPL Member

    @creachen

    Locale: East Bay

    Great TR and pictures, You gotta love the "Shoulder Season."

    #1808859
    Stephen M
    BPL Member

    @stephen-m

    Locale: Way up North

    I am moving to Michigan myslef shorlty from Europe so its nice to know there are Wild places to hike and camp in, I am from SW Ireland and will miss the mountains.

    #1808930
    Ken Helwig
    BPL Member

    @kennyhel77

    Locale: Scotts Valley CA via San Jose, CA

    Since I have so many relatives in Michigan and from the scenery that I have seen, I have to hike there…..Your trip report confirmed just that!

    #1808990
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Lovely scenery, compliments.

    > 7 am and still raining. Believe it or not, the national weather service had forecasted
    > a 0% likelihood of precipitation, and given the short duration of my trip, I had taken
    > them at their word.
    Snicker. :-)
    Sorry, but leaving rain gear at home is an absolute sure-fire way of getting rain!

    Cheers

    #1809035
    Nathan V
    BPL Member

    @junk

    Locale: The Great Lake State

    Ike, great report, I stopped at the Nordhouse Dunes for a dayhike last summer to check it out, since I was over on the west side of the state. I definitely plan on going back.

    -Nathan-

    #1809036
    Tim Zen
    Spectator

    @asdzxc57

    Locale: MI

    If you like Nordhouse Dunes and would like it quieter,
    Go to:
    http://www.fs.usda.gov/hmnf
    Click the link for Forest Plan SEIS

    There was a law suit against the FS for not taking into account noise in their plan.
    The result is limiting noise sources in the Huron-Manistee forests.
    Comments are open, so drop them a line.

    #1809080
    Chris K
    BPL Member

    @cmkannen-2-2

    Beautiful report, thanks for sharing. I like how you put yourself in several of the shots for scale and such. And also how you detailed what order you ate your food.

    #1809136
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    Enjoyed it a lot. Nice mix of pictures and prose.

    #1809466
    Jeff J
    Member

    @j-j-81

    Locale: Oregon

    Great report; the perfect mix of narration with plenty of photos. It made me miss the mitten too.

    #1809531
    john parker
    BPL Member

    @orclwzrd

    Locale: Illinois

    Would you be willing to share your path? Hiked there last summer but didn't accomplish those miles. It's an area I want to go back to.

    John

    #1809649
    Ike Jutkowitz
    BPL Member

    @ike

    Locale: Central Michigan

    Hi John,
    I used paper maps and guidebooks for route planning, but these two sites have crude maps that approximate the route.

    In Nordhouse dunes, I followed what they referred to as the "ridge trail" and the "beach trail" with the extra foot path in pink. This loop was approximately 5.8 miles. Note that the actual trails in the park are unnamed and unblazed. I also did some bushwacking along game trails through the dunes in the south western corner of the park.

    http://www.getoffthecouch.info/mason/nordunes.htm

    The beach walking section was 8 miles each way from Porter Creek to the Big Sable Lighthouse.

    The Ludington Dunes trails were very well marked and mapped. I'd guess this area sees a lot of use in warmer weather. I followed the Coastguard Trail, Island Trail, Ridge Trail, and Lighthouse Trail. I think this was about 6 miles.

    http://www.getoffthecouch.info/mason/ludsp.htm

    Hope this helps.
    Ike

    -edited links

    #1809732
    Ken Larson
    BPL Member

    @kenlarson

    Locale: Western Michigan

    The map below depicts a trip route with the family in the 70’s when this area was just a National Forest Campground and was not backpacked/hiked extensively. Ike expanded his trip South of this area into Ludington State Parks (left, lower portion of the map in green) and their trail system.

    Nordhouse Dunes  Wilderness Arwea

    KEY
    KEY

    If you desire to expand the hike as Ike did, you might take this approach below…..though many other options are possible.

    Ludington State Park

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...