View of Brevoort Lake on the North Country Trail near Burma Road.

Today I was hiking out from Burma Road. Ed’s foot was a tiny bit better, but still nowhere near hike-worthy. So I headed southwest on Burma Road, walking the first stretch. I was clad head-to-toe in my bug suit. Last night I kept waking up and feeling like I had a tick on me, so I wasn’t taking chances.

I jogged the next few sections, which were all in lovely pine forests and featured lots of rolling hills. It was just lovely. The trail ran by Brevoort Lake, which was quite pretty.

Then more snafus. After a lovely picnic lunch, I headed east on a 4.9-mile (7.9 km) stretch that ended at Castle Rock Road. I wanted to take my pack so I had plenty of water, but at the last minute I decided not to. Well, the mapping for this section is very poor. This segment does NOT end at Castle Rock Road, as indicated on the map. It just parallels it – from atop a really steep hill.

Snags Leaving Burma Road

Ed was on the road, at the bottom of the hill, and we were yelling back and forth trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually we figured it out and realized I had to continue hiking the next segment, which was another 3.4 miles (5.5 km). I was low on water, but at least it wasn’t hot out.

Ed drove ahead, parked the car, and met me on the trail about .5 miles (.8 km) in to replenish my depleted water supply. From there it was 6.3 miles (10.1 km) to St. Ignace and Straits State Park. Since the day’s total was +27 miles (43.5 km), we decided I’d hike to the northern edge of the city and stop there, a move that would cut 2-3 miles (3.2-4.8 km).

So that’s what I did. And thus ended our first foray on the North Country National Scenic Trail! We had a fantastic experience, except for the tick I found in my bed tonight – so I wasn’t imagining it last night! And we’re anxious to explore more of this phenomenal trail.

Snowshoe and Ed

MI NCT miles today: 24.6 (39.6 km)
MI NCT miles to date: 190.3 (306.3 km) 
Total NCT miles to date: 190.3 (306.3 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 4,409.7 (7,096.7 km)

Disclosure: This entry contains affiliate links (among regular links) to products I own and like, or which I think you might like. This means that, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

 

©2018 Melanie McManus – All Rights Reserved

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