December 20, 2019 - Friday
Some people think I’m nuts for wanting to go out in the woods by myself, especially before Christmas. But, maybe they don't really know me that well. I found Nebo initially in 2016. In 2017, I came back to Wilderness, but I stayed at Waugoshance cabin instead. It was a totally different experience being right next to the icy shoreline. But, Nebo provides a more secluded feeling in the woods, and I wanted to find that feeling and experience again. I booked Nebo again in 2018, but I had just bought my bungalow and I was in the process of moving yet again so I cancelled. So, it’s 2019 and I’m back at Nebo with the fire kickin.
I worked a half day on Thursday, and planned to drive up around lunch time. I accidentally slept past my alarm this morning and started my first of five meetings for the short day. Most of the time, it tapers down before the holidays, but it felt extra intense this week. I actually took my time getting ready that afternoon and spent some quality time with my cat, Cooper. I was actually hindered by some self-doubt about my trip, too. I hit the road at about 3:30pm. I made it all the way the Bennethum’s Northern Inn just south of Gaylord, which is an amazing restaurant by the way. I treated myself to lobster and shrimp pasta. I washed it down with an Old Nation M-43. There was one lady at an adjacent table talking obnoxiously loud about politics. I was glad when she finally shut her trap.
I hit the road shortly after and the Star Gate Motel manager called to see if I was still coming. I was about 15 minutes away. He was worried a bit because I booked the room way back in May. Maybe I forgot, or changed my mind. I checked in to the hotel in Indian River and it was as I expected an up north hotel to be. You know, outdated in a comfortable northern Michigan kind of way. Clean. It’s all I ask for. It’s kind of their down time. They are waiting for snowmobilers to come. Also, who travels right before Christmas?
I decided it was too early to go to to bed, so I ventured out to the Wigwam bar. I had a 98 Problems IPA from Perrin. Closing time was 10:00, so there wasn’t too much time left. More redneck politics across the bar. A blonde lady in her 40’s walked into the establishment and sat about 6 seats from me on my left. She started talking about her sick mom, and it led to her 4 kids. Then she asked if I wanted a shot (chilled cogniac, I think?). I accepted. Then she asked me to go to her house. Hmmm. Was she trying to pick me up? I declined. I cashed out and as I was walking to my car, she yelled from her car, “Are you sure you don’t want to come over? I live right there,” as she pointed down the road. I declined and proceeded to walk to my car. Weird. Still not sure if I was embarrassed or flattered.
I went back to my room and went to bed. Woke up and tried to find a breakfast joint on Yelp. The Brutus Camp Deli was a short drive away. The interior was adorned with animal heads and random outdoor stuff. I loved it. Had a great breakfast and some coffee that was much better than the hotel coffee I had earlier that morning.
And I was on my way north. Saw a few cities I had not been through before. There's a Crash Landing Bar across from the Pellston airport.
Checked into the park HQ to get my keys for Nebo. I changed into snowpants and made my way towards the Nebo trailhead, with a stop at the shoreline on the way. There was a lot of small icebergs out there on Lake Michigan, but the water was not frozen. The ice on the shoreline looked pretty sketchy. I kept my distance.
I suited up at the trail head and snowshoed out. I wanted to stop at Mount Nebo, but my pack was heavy and I’ll have other opportunities this weekend. The trail was groomed for cross country skiing. Saw some critter prints and an imprint of a wing tip in the snow, who was obviously after those said critters.
After a few miles, I came up on the shitter right off the trail. Made it to Nebo.
The ranger had been out in the morning to clean the cabin and he had started a fire for me. It was still going. That’s pretty awesome. They have a nice supply of dry nicely chopped wood for the cabin. I love our parks. We are very fortunate.
You know what’s difficult? Filling a flexible water container by yourself with an old school hand pump. I finally propped it up with a few pieces of wood. You know what else is difficult? Finding out that two of your containers had been punctured by cat incisors. Cooper is the main suspect. I quickly figured it out when I heard dripping onto the floor. It’s like having a hole in your bucket, Dear Liza, a hole.
I’m waiting for my boots to dry out. My feet are freezing and I keep stepping in that damn water. Did I bring extra shoes last time?
I prepped my first dehydrated meal so I can cook it easily. It will be dark soon. So close to winter solstice. I forgot to check time of sunrise and sunset, but I’ll quickly learn when that is.
It was completely dark in the cabin by 5:30 pm. I’m not much of a reader, but I just absorbed an entire book in just a few hours - a book that I’ve had for a year that I’ve been too busy to read.
“May I learn to keep myself safe and protected in body in mind. May I learn to keep my body and mind healthy and strong. May I accept that suffering is part of life and that it comes and goes. May I give myself permission each day to create some peace and ease. May I trust in knowing that self-love grows from continued self-compassion. May I trust in knowing that I am and have always been whole. May I trust in knowing that home awaits me.”
I came to Nebo to read that. I came to Nebo to spend time with myself. I came to Nebo to find inner peace with all the strings being pulled in my head.
My first night here in 2016 was a night of paranoia. I am calm today, right now. Good night.
December 21, 2019 - Saturday
I brought my Thermorest sleeping pad because I had a memory of the Waugoshance cabin mattress being kind of like slabs of rock. The Nebo mattresses are in better shape, but the addition of the mattress pad made it more comfortable. However, the insulated mattress pad, my trusty 15 degree North Face Kazoo bag, and a roaring fire made it so warm that I was actually sweating. I woke up at midnight to throw more logs on the fire. There were only coals left, but they were hot and red. I woke up again at 7:15am and the fire was out. I turned the coals, and found some small amount off heat. I threw a few more logs on. So much smoke. It kept smoking. I was worried I smothered it. I went outside to take a photo of the dawn light behind the towering pines, with the moon standing above the tree line. Such an amazing blueish morning light contrasting against the shadow of trees.
I heard some twigs breaking off in the distance. I thought it was a deer, but it sounded like a large bird of some sort, though I could not recognize it’s voice. Likely not a turkey. The fire was still smoking. I lit a piece of paper and let it get into full flame before throwing it inside the stove. It was all it needed to ignite it. I heard a “wooosh” and saw a rush of smoke blow out the cracks around the door. Should be good to go for a while.
The days are short. I should get up and motivate towards getting outside. But, I think I’ll listen to the fire crackle for a bit longer.
My back and hip hurt badly - a misalignment from my foot injury with pinched nerves and accompanying sharp stabbing pain. My foot hurts. A constant reminder of something intangible that hinders me until this day. The physical pain that manifests in my foot remains. I will hurt more later after the day’s adventure, but it will not stop me from exploring. I will not let it.
Blueberry granola and instant Starbucks coffee - it’s what’s for breakfast. I brought some additional dehydrated blueberries from Packit Gourmet to make it extra blueby. I watched a large blue jay hop between branches right outside the window.
I started heading west on Nebo trail towards O’Neal Lake trail. I passed the cross country ski lodge which was basically a stone fireplace and a wall with two picnic tables. How cool would it be to have a fire there? When I got to O’Neal Lake trail, the groomed ski trail narrowed into some single track.
It appears that there has not been fresh snow in a little while. Some critter prints were washed out a bit, but I did find some good ones. I kept seeing this black dust on the trail. Had no idea what it was. I wanted to take a pine cone home to put on my window sill. I finally found one that jumped out at me. When I picked it up, black dust came out of it. The dust that was everywhere was pine seeds. Awesome. Red pine, I think.
I just love seeing tracks in the snow. Cutie critters. I remembered to bring my ruler so I could better gauge size of the prints. I saw what I think was a mouse playing in the snow, by the look of his path.
I walked up on a bunny murder scene. Looked really fresh to me. A few yards further down the trail, I saw a large bird flying through the trees carrying a rabbit in it’s talons. Whoah. Poor bunny. But, whoah.
I was following and admiring some cute little critter prints and it ended with another wing tip imprint with an abrupt stop to the tracks. Ahh, the circle of life.
I had to cross a few creeks by strategically placing my snowshoes step by step over some snowy logs. Took me back to the Isle Royale trip and the beaver dam crossings for a minute.
I got to the O’Neal Lake campsite path and began to follow it. There were no tracks, so I just followed my instinct towards the shoreline. I turned around here at the campsite sign last time. At the end of the small peninsula was a single campsite with water on both sides. What a spectacular little site. I can’t wait to bring friends here.
I saw a sign that said "toilet" with an arrow, and down a small path was the shitter in the woods. I had not seen one like that before.
I hiked back to the main trail. The skier whose tracks I had been following turned around where I did in 2016. I kept heading west, but the trail was difficult to follow at times. There were some low lying wetlands and the path was surprisingly bare in places. The critter highways were sometimes confusing. Then I picked up some boot prints and followed them. Finally, I got to post marker 18. It was the end of O’Neal Lake and there was a dam. The sound of the water was really nice.
Apparently, I had not been on the actual trail for a while before the dam. My Garmin helped to get me moving in the right direction. I paralleled where I had walked before, but the scenery was different in a nice way. I saw a trail of blood drops on the trail that went on for a while, but no noticeable tracks to accompany it. It was strange.
On the way back, my back and foot started aching badly, but I tried to keep moving. It was a six mile hike round trip in some deepish snow. Was glad to get back. I tried to get some of my chores done so that I could kick my feet up and relax for a few.
I made some Lipton chicken noodle soup and added some dehydrated vegetables which included some jalapeños that gave it a nice kick. It was actually quite nice to sip on it in my titanium mug following the hike. Mmm, salty.
I brought in someones poker stick from outside to help me walk a little more comfortably. Damn, my foot hurts. Bad. The snow is melting and dripping off the roof in a consistent frequency. I allowed myself to take a short nap. I woke up and it’s almost dark in the cabin at 5:00pm. Threw a few more logs on the fire. Instantly filled the cabin with smoke setting off the alarm for the second time. The flue is fully open. What’s the deal? Smoke lingered in the cabin for a long time, even with several windows open.
Suddenly, there was an amazing pink sunset in the sky. And later on, the stars on top of the hill were spectacularly amazing.
December 22, 2019 - Sunday
I read another half of a book last night. I finally figured out optimum night time comfort in the cabin. Kickin fire with a window cracked above me, fully inside the sleeping bag. The cool breeze gave me just enough chill to offset the intense heat from the fire. It was actually pretty cozy. Interestingly, not a bit of paranoia or nervousness was inside me.
I woke up a few times, read a bit more, and went back to bed. Slept in later than expected. Not sure what I will do today. I want to go back out to explore, but my foot was really problematic last night. Also, the weather is strange. Upper 30’s today. I don’t think it went below freezing last night. The drips off the roof are now continuous. Snow is melting quickly. Makes seeing critter tracks not so prime. The hill down to the shitter is like a long icy luge. I use my poles every time. It’s supposed to rain later. I was really hoping hoping for some fresh snow.
If you smell yourself and it’s unpleasant, it’s likely that you really stink.
I packed up and headed south to South Boundary Trail. Way off on the left side of the trail, something bright orange caught my eye. It was a lovely set of orange mushrooms. Pretty unique actually - most mushrooms are dead and squishy or petrified this time of year. So pretty. I was so excited.
South Boundary Trail was a long straight shot out to the west. I really wanted to make it to the North Country Trail, and I did. I always get excited when I see the blue blazes.
It was way warmer than expected and the snow became mashed potatoes, making it extra exhausting. I came up on some large canine tracks about how way through that section. I followed a set of interesting yet unrecognizable tracks up a hill that had some huge pines at the top and sat for a little while.
I lost a snow basket somewhere before marker 20. Past that point, it became a slog fest. Direct sun and wet snow in kind of a boring area, until I got to Big Sucker Creek. Shortly after, it became another beautifully dense and hilly cedar forest. It peaked my interest again and I kept on trucking.
I found another bunny murder scene with no tracks around. Wasn’t as fresh as the one yesterday. I found some old mushrooms and I stopped to take a picture. My battery died so I swapped it out. Kept on going. I really wanted to make it to mile marker 21 where it turned into Sturgeon Bay Trail. I went a ways further. More large canine tracks heading in the same direction. I checked my Garmin and I was already 3.5 miles out. I figured it was a good time to turn around.
Found my basket exactly where I thought I lost it on the way back. It was getting warmer and the snow was getting squishier. I was so incredibly overheated. I actually thought about ripping off my long sleeve wool shirt and hiking in my sports bra and snow pants overalls. That would have been quite the sight. I had not seen anyone yet. I probably should have. I was seriously soaked and was getting quickly exhausted. Keep on moving. Keep on moving. I don’t want to be out here at night with the puppies.
Another 6.2 miles in. Got out of my wet clothes. So glad to be back at Nebo. Must get off my feet.
I continue to battle with the smoke inside the cabin. Finally ripped the smoke detector off the wall. I adjusted the flue again and it seems to be working much better, thankfully.
As I was going between reading and battling the incessant smoke, I heard a coyote barking outside. I was able to get a great recording of the barking and a good howl by propping my phone up against the screen in the window that was open. It was about 5:30pm. This is why I like to get done hiking well before dusk.
As night time came over Nebo, the cold air did too. A strange contrast in temperature as the snow was trying so hard to melt today. The wind makes the tops of the pines waiver back and forth intensely. It almost sounds like ocean waves. I like to have this window open.
I just finished my second book. It’s kind of a big deal.
Lights out. I can see the fire glowing at the base of the chimney. No smoke, thankfully.
Lights out.... until 1:30am. I was awaken by what I thought was a loud snowmobile coming up the hill, followed by a knock on the door. I could barely get out of my sleeping bag. There were lights outside. In my half awaken state, I heard “Jennifer Schultz?” “Yes,” I said. “This is the DNR. Your mother had not heard from you and she called 911”. Oh. My. God. But, I had just sent her a satellite message on my Garmin in the morning....
Well, now I know how the DNR gets way out here. It was like a side by side thing with snow tracks. Super cool. But, really? I guess I’ll throw some logs on the fire....
December 23, 2019 - Monday
I didn’t sleep well after all the commotion. I woke up to having some weird dream, though I can never remember them. Started packing things up for the trek out. It was amazing how much snow had melted in just a few days.
I heard a wood pecker doing it’s thing. Saw some different kind of cool orange fungus. Finally made it to the trail to Mount Nebo and headed up. Lots of large tracks of the non-human kind.
Got to the top and saw Mackinac Island in the distance. Had full service and decided to call my mom. Apparently, she thought I fallen off the face of the earth, drowned, was eaten by a bear, or some come combination of the prior. I had last messaged her via Facebook messenger at the dam at the far end of O’Neal Lake that morning. She responded many times on Messenger. Because I did not have service after I left that location, I did not get them obviously, and then she began to worry herself sick until the wee hours of the night...
I continued towards my car. Yep, I still stink. Quickly changed my clothes and headed to park head quarters to return the key. The door was locked, but as I was leaving, I saw the side by side with snow tracks on the side of the building. First time I got to get a real look at it. Then, the gentleman that was my late night visitor/rescuer arrived and we discussed the situation.
I wanted to see Sturgeon Bay. I drove around the Wilderness State Park to the west side and kept heading towards the water. I love when the snow and ice meet the sand. The mixture makes an interesting blended contrast. This is where the Piping Plovers nest. They are a shorebird which is globally threatened and endangered in the Great Lakes region. I was walking down the beach towards the road to get back to my car. Had to step on some chunks of ice to lift myself up. Crunch! My right foot sunk several feet into the ice. My knee was parallel with the surface. I could have broken an ankle or something. Luckily, I had taken my hiking poles since it was icy near the car due to the melting snow.
I decided to take the long way home, heading south on the shoreline. Surprisingly, I had not been in this area of the state before. The Tunnel of Trees was a new sight, and it was quite an enjoyable drive. Saw some freighters on Lake Michigan. The dunes and the views were spectacular. Made my way through Cross Village (so THAT’S where Legg’s Inn is), Good Hart, and Harbor Springs before making my way back east towards I-75 and the remnants of the holiday hustle`.
I wish you a mindful Christmas and a purposeful New Year.
