Today we were starting off from Naomikong Overlook, a spot on Lake Superior’s Tahquamenon Bay. Unfortunately, rain was forecast for the morning. Not what we wanted to learn after yesterday’s misadventures. But you can’t expect sunny days every day.
The worst part came when the trail pushed us onto what was labeled a dirt road. We envisioned a wide, flat path that was easy to hike. How wrong we were! The rain from the last few days swamped the first quarter-mile (.4 km) or so of the path, so we inched along, stepping on downed logs, circling around in the brush and so on. Our feet got soaked anyway.
Leaving Naomikong Behind
Eventually, the path became reasonably decent, which meant we still had to skirt huge puddles every 100 yards (91.4 m) or so, and the overgrown vegetation still soaked our feet. But at least we could walk somewhat steadily.
The trail next went onto Highway 123, which wasn’t that busy, so it was a decent hike. The rain stopped, and we began to dry out. Lunch was at a wayside at the point where the trail hitched west toward Tahquamenon Falls. There were even restrooms and garbage cans. Score!
Hiking Back to Tahquamenon
The afternoon was great. The rain stopped and it was cool (48 F. / 9 C.) and windy, which meant virtually no mosquitoes. We weren’t hot and sweating. The scenery was beautiful. We saw a giant crane in the woods – definitely a novelty. I’ve only seen them before in farm fields or near water. Saw lots of geese and goslings. We ended the day at 6:30 p.m.
There aren’t any restaurants where we’re staying (Paradise, Michigan). The closest place is a bar nine miles (14.5 km) away. Sounds good, except after hiking all day and then showering, we crashed. So we ate snack foods again – bread, instant mashed potatoes, cheese, nuts. Looking forward to real food tomorrow night, when we stay in St. Ignace.
Snowshoe and Ed
MI NCT miles today: 24.1 (38.8 km)
MI NCT miles to date: 114.0 (183.5 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 114.0 (183.5 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 4,486.0 (7,219.5 km)
