Photo from Michigan’s Western U.P. Visitors Bureau on Facebook.
Howard Meyerson
After more than 30 years in the outdoor writing business, you would think I'd know better.
Ride on! Mountain biking returns to Owasippe
West Michigan mountain bikers now have another great place to ride. Twenty two miles of trail was just opened at the Owasippe Scout Reservation where mountain bikers were once prohibited.
Volunteers with the Michigan Mountain Biking Alliance worked hard to bring the trail project to fruition. Kudos to the group for a job well done. To find out more about the effort see: Ride on!
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Tagged Bicycling, Cycling, Mountain Biking, Owasippe, Trails, West Michigan Mountain Biking Alliance
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Too Darn Cute: Piping plover chick
The piping plover is an endangered species in Michigan and along the Atlantic coastline. This chick is one success story. State and federal agencies have been working to protect and restore their populations all along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Their efforts have been met with continuing success over the years. To learn more about the plover and other endangered species check out: USFWS listings. Photo by: US Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Tagged Birds, Endangered Species, Environment, Photos, Piping Plover
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High and Dry: Lake Michigan shipwreck on the map for kayakers
Looking for something to do this summer? Consider Lake Michigan and a trip to South Manitou Island, either by ferry or paddle power. The 8-mile open-water crossing can be difficult. Only skilled paddlers should attempt it. Once you are there this nearshore shipwreck, the Francisco Morazan, is among the attractions. For more information about camping or visiting South Manitou and North Manitou islands, both part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, see: Sleeping Bear.
Photo of the week at Paddling,net
Going Light: Gossamer Gorilla backpack review
Hiker’s generally agree that next to scenery, good companions and maybe a small flask for a nip at night, nothing makes a hike or backpacking more pleasurable than carrying fewer pounds. And pack manufacturer’s have been responding with new, lighter packs.
Gossamer Gear is one of the companies catering to the ultra-light hiking enthusiast. It’s new Gorilla weighs only 1 pound, 5.1 ounces. That’s incredibly light.
Phil Werner gives a detailed review of the Gorilla backpack on his Section Hiker blog. If you’re thinking about getting into ultra-light packing or just want to shave a couple of pounds on the load, give it a look-see at: Section Hiker.
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Tagged Backpack, Backpacking, Camping, Gear Reviews, Going Light, Hiking
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Hiker Survives 4 Days in Utah Desert Without Food
Victoria Grover, a 59-year-old physician assistant from Maine, said she was shivering uncontrollably by the end of her ordeal, showing early signs of hypothermia.
Grover broke her leg about two miles from the trailhead while returning from a 6-mile round trip day hike. She holed up along a creek at 4,500 feet and slept under a poncho for protection at night. Daytime temperatures were in the 50s and 60s. That thin layer helped reduce the chilling effects of the wind on nights with freezing temperatures. Read more: Hiker Survives
Michigan to host North Country Trail national conference
Hikers from across the country will be gathering in Augusta, Michigan near Battle Creek in August for the annual North Country Trail Association conference. NCTA staffers say registration is now open for the August 1-5 event.
The NCT is a 4,600 mile National Scenic Trail that spans seven states, running from New York to North Dakota. The trail is built largely by volunteers from the chapters that span its length. It is the longest hiking trail in the U.S. and is administered by he National Park Service.
The week-long conference offers a mix of workshops on protecting trails, building trails, wilderness medicine and numerous hikes on NCT sections along with visits to other west Michigan trails. The conference will be hosted by the NCTA Chief Noonday chapter. More details about the events can be found at: NCTA conference special-events.
Also on the web: nps.gov/noco/index.htm
Day Trip: Out for a lark in the rollers
Sea kayaking filmmaker Justine Curgenven and her friends are out for a bit of a paddle off Wales having some fun.
From: Cackle TV
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Tagged Justine Curgenven, Kayaking, Paddling, Photos, Sea Kayak
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Free Running: Brown Bridge Dam to come out summer 2012
The Brown Bridge Dam is one of four dams to be removed or modified on the Boardman River, one of Michigan’s finer trout streams. Photo: Courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
By Howard Meyerson
Traverse City, Mich. — Come summer, if all goes as planned, the waters of the Boardman River will for the first time in 91 years begin to flow naturally down to Lake Michigan. State and federal officials are proposing to start removing the Brown Bridge Dam – the most upstream of four dams on the river – in July.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released an environmental assessment for the project March 27. The public comment period ended April 27.
The federal agency examined two options: “No Action,” which leaves the dam intact, and “Dam Removal and Restoration,” which returns the upper river to its natural, free-flowing state.
“We’re looking at mid-July to start,” said Rick Westerhof, a fish biologist with the USFWS. “We’re now going to review all the comments and revise the EA if necessary.” Continue reading
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Tagged Boardman River, Conservation, Dams, DNR, Fish Passage, Fishing, Rivers, Trout, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Eight wolves killed in city of Ironwood
Eight gray wolves recently were shot and killed in the Upper Peninsula town of Ironwood. The wolves had become an increasing problem. The wolves, members of two UP wolf packs, had followed deer into residential areas where the deer were feeding at local bird feeders. One of the wolves showed up in a local resident’s driveway.
“Some wolves were caught and collared and then tracked back to the packs where further hazing was done,” Marty Kovarik reports in Michigan Outdoor News. “These tactics were only short-term solutions, and the wolves kept coming back into town. The problems increased toward the end of each winter.” Read more: Eight wolves
The Outdoor Journal 