Last Saturday morning, I headed out for a weekend snowshoeing trip in northern Michigan. Light traffic was a welcome beginning to my weekend, and US 31 between Muskegon and Ludington was literally empty – at one point, I didn’t see a car on my side of the road for about 15 minutes. That is pretty darn sweet.
After a stop at McDonald’s for lunch – no time for fancy food, I had things to do – I made my way along M 116 to Ludington State Park.
Strapping on my Tubbs snowshoes, I headed up and down the dunes. Sure, the trail would have been easier, but what fun is that? I didn’t walk the dunes the whole way, though – that was pretty exhausting, so I cheated at times and followed the 1.5 mile path to the Big Sable Lighthouse.
One of my goals in life is to view all the lighthouses in Michigan. Big Sable was a new one for me. I was practically alone on the trail, and I spent a few minutes taking pictures and enjoying the winter wind blowing off of Lake Michigan before heading back to the trail.
The Lighthouse Trail runs east from the lighthouse, across the dunes, and into the woods. It was a tough hike in snowshoes, and I probably would have collapsed if not for the reenergizing candy I brought. (You can keep your power bars and energy drinks, I’ll take chocolate and peanut butter.)
The trails were not at all crowded, and I only saw four other people on the 2+ miles it took me to hike back. I was tempted to hike more in Ludington, but I had plans to be in Traverse City by late afternoon. So I left Ludington with some trails left un-hiked, but I’ll be back someday to complete the mission.
