On to White Cloud

Early morning carried the sound of the birds to my ears as I awoke in my tent in the National Parks primitive campsites by Twin Lakes.

Looking out the flap of the tent brought to my vision another beautiful day. I love it in the morning.

Today, May 6th, I would be heading to White Cloud. I was looking forward to staying in a small motel located on the far end of town. Bad weather was on the way and I wanted to hole up until it passed. One good decision made early on as I started this journey was to avoid getting caught in the woods or forest during a thunderstorm. Too much danger from falling branches or trees.

The scenery was beautiful as I packed and ate breakfast before leaving Twin Lakes. I had 13 miles to go today and I wanted to be on the move by 11:00 a.m. On the trail again.

The coastal wetlands of Michigan, located in the Manistee National Forest, was the location of the trail I would be following north for the next few days.

Back on the trail I crossed M-37 and continued my wetland journey. Some areas were quite wet and I had to cross several wobbly bridges and water crossings. I was a bit nervous as I did not want to hike wet and muddy.

A very large bird startled me as it ran down the trail. I got a good look, but I didn't recognize the species. It looked a lot like a Heron or a Sandhill Crane but the colors seemed to be off. The bird did not fly off but ran up the trail until he disappeared from my sight line. Later research has convinced me that it was the Crane. The Crane has more color in the Spring and turns more gray as Summer progresses.

I saw another eagle today and once again was amazed at the amazing distance this majestic bird can cover with such minimal effort. This eagle flew directly over my head so I got a good look and than with one beat of his wings he left my view again.

Yesterday, at the campground I had watched a good size Otter swim across the entire lake. I thought I was watching a log for a moment but clearly he had his own momentum. As he reached the point directly in front of me his head became clear.

Springtime is great in the woods. The thrilling sound of the birds, the pleasing odor of the various trees and bushes in full bloom and the visual beauty of the wildflowers created a collage that bombard my senses this beautiful day as I hiked the trail to White Cloud.

One line of thinking that crossed my mind several times during this quest is the unlikely circumstance that nature is an accident. It becomes abundantly clear that a greater power created the landscape of nature and man's ability to appreciate the awesome beauty and the terrible cruelty nature brings with her.

Along that same line of thinking it is apparent that the natural world was created for man's use, pleasure and survival. Man is designed for this world and to have dominion over it. God also called men to be good stewards of the earth and nature in general. It is horrible when man does it wrong and a thing of beauty when done correctly.

Later in the day I approached the town of White Cloud. I crossed the White River and passed the cemetery into town. I was able to rest at a small park that was a memorial to a town that had disappeared some years ago.

Fatigue had been my enemy for the last several miles so I was glad that I was approaching the town. As I was passing the High School a very helpful gentleman, who was repairing the roof of the sports field grand stands, called down to me. He asked me if I was hiking the trail and I told him I was. He pointed out that there was a campground just ahead and a Subway further down the road.

Fatigue and the pleasant surroundings changed my mind into staying at the campground instead of walking the extra mile and a half to the motel. Saving the distance today and than again tomorrow was more appealing than the security and relative comfort of a motel. I checked the weather and the thunderstorm on the horizon had been downgraded to a 90% chance of cold rain tomorrow.

My wife, Diane, was contacting the NCTA to reserve the cabin they own along the trail for tomorrow night. I made the decision to forge ahead instead of holing up for the next few days. I would likely be cold and wet tomorrow but the NCTA cabin would be waiting for me along the trail.

Some decisions don't work out as well as others.