The long Thanksgiving Day weekend took us to northern Michigan. While most of the trip was sedate and the our greatest challenge was trying to keep a 2-year old happy on a three hour car ride, I managed to get away for a few hours at the Lake Ann Pathway about fifteen minutes from Traverse City.
The old saying “Half the fun is getting there” is crap. But in this case, it applied, because just before reaching the park from US 31, the road twists and turns and it’s incredibly fun to risk death for the sake of a little driving heaven. It made me miss my sporty BMW 3 series that I had to give up when our daughter was born.
Note to lawyers: The comment about driving recklessly only applies to me, Scott, the author, and is no way intended to encourage others to drive in a haphazard fashion. Especially with coming snow and ice and hail and brimstone and whatever else happens to us in Michigan. So if you’re a poor driver, or even an average driver, obey posted speed limits, and don’t tell anyone I wrote this post.
Back on track again…
Once I got there in one piece, I realized a simple truth: Happiness is an empty parking lot. When I hike, I don’t want anyone else on the trails. I don’t want to acknowledge that other human beings exist on the planet, and it’s only grudgingly that I give a hello to passers-by. (I smile and all that, but I don’t mean it.) When I’m in the woods, I want to be alone, which is why I enjoy the Rose Lake trail so much – close to home and relatively very few people.
A river runs from Lake Ann along the southern edge of the trail system, close to trail level in the east, and significantly below it as the path continues uphill and overlooks the cedar-lined river. I love the sound of running water. To me, that is the sound of being outdoors and away from civilization. Okay, I should be more specific, as water running in a sink or a flushing toilet doesn’t do anything for me. There would probably be some psychological issues if they did. I like the sound of fast-moving water over rocks, how’s that?
Unfortunately, a section of the trails was under siege… er, “forest management”… and it looked like a battlefield – churned dirt, downed trees, and forest debris littered the area by the trail. I half expected to see wounded German soldiers is spiky helmets calling for medics, that’s how bad it looked. I understand the necessity of managing Michigan’s forest, but hopefully the forest will be looking healthier next year. If not, Michigan has been trying to be a destination for movie filming – maybe the remake of Red Dawn could make use of it.
The pathway meanders over rolling hills and by several small lakes. There are a few different loops to accommodate short and long hikes. I went for the medium-length walk, but next time, the long one. By long, I mean adding another mile or so to the length of the hike. But the next time I hike might be in winter, so I’ll need my snowshoes and a signal flair.
The Lake Ann Pathway isn’t an extensive system, but I like it for what it is, an easy walk through typically beautiful northern Michigan scenery. If only those Germans wouldn’t have bombed the forest.