The 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Adventures
Saturday, July 24, 2021
Moosewatch 2021 Part 3
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Moosewatch 2021 PART 2
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
The primary goal of a Moosewatch Expedition on Isle Royale is to gather data on moose bones in the field and to bring some of the bones back for study.
Since the study was suspended due to Covid last year and since additional wolves were relocated to the island, we expected to find more moose bones.
And we were not disappointed.
With each find, we searched the area for all the bones we could find, recorded which ones were present, inspected bones for signs of pathology (e.g. arthritis, healed breaks -- these bones would also be recovered for study), recorded data on location of find and condition of bones. Then, we would pack up the skull, mandibles, and a rear metatarsal. This last bone grows to its full length in the first year of a moose's life, so measuring it gives a wealth of information on how that first year went for the moose (e.g. was food abundant/scarce?).
Here's my team,
the second all-women Moosewatch Team:
(L>R: April, Joceline, Zan, and Julie)
Sunday, June 6, 2021
Moosewatch 2021 PART 1
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
I just completed my SIXTH Moosewatch Expedition collecting bones on Isle Royale for the Moose/Wolf Study. This is the longest-running predator/prey study ever done (at over 60 years).
Along the way in our searching for bones, we also gather data on other wildlife and also take measurements and locations of shed moose antlers.
My team came across 22 sheds ranging from massive to tiny:
More to follow on this amazing expedition...
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Invasive Plants
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
I like to volunteer to maintain or improve the trails that I hike near my home in Traverse City. Sure, I always pick up trash when I hike, but I also actively search for opportunities to work on these trails. One time I even got to help put in a new trail in one of Leelanau Conservancy's properties.
This week, I joined with volunteers to help remove the invasive garlic mustard plant from Clay Cliffs Natural Area. This is one of my favorite trails within the Leelanau Conservancy.
Since it had rained the night before, pulling up these invasive plants was pretty easy and we cleared large patches of it.
Here are some photos from the work day:
Go HERE to view a tutorial on how to identify and remove invasive garlic mustard plants.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Platte Plains Trails
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
There are around a hundred miles of hiking trails within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I've hiked many of them, and, lately, have set out to hike them all.
There is a collection of trails at the southernmost part of the park called the 'Platte Plains Trail' that I recently began to explore. I've hiked the lakeshore here many times using the Esch Road access, but this time I hiked the 4.6 mile loop around Otter Creek.
This is a fairly flat hike and part of it is on a dirt road. The wild flowers were in bloom:
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Leland
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
One of my favorite lakeshore towns is Leland, Michigan. There is a lot of history here connected to the Lake Michigan fishery.
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Clay Cliffs
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
I live in Traverse City, Michigan, and one of the reasons I moved here was for the many hiking trails in the region. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is nearby and I've hiked most of the trails and all of the shoreline there.
Northwest of Traverse City is the Leelanau Peninsula. This gorgeous area has its own conservancy organization working to protect and preserve natural areas. One of my favorite trails on this peninsula is Clay Cliffs Natural Area located just north of Leland.
The trail has two overlooks, one of Lake Leelanau and one of Lake Michigan.
Here's a video from the Lake Michigan overlook. Great views of the Manitou Islands.
Here's the view of Lake Leelanau:
Thursday, April 29, 2021
Empire Bluff Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
I took a hike up the Empire Bluff Trail today. This is the most used trail in
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The view from the top!
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
These trees are the preferred feast for the wooly adelgid. They congregate on the underside of the needles and suck the sap out of the tree. The needles turn brown and new growth is inhibited. Infested trees can die within 4-10 years.
Trees can be treated with pesticide and can be saved if infestation is caught early.
Severe winters helped to slow the spread of this pest.
Update (info from NPS): Though the tiny insects don’t move far on their own, they can be blown by wind or hitchhike on birds or mammals – including humans - that come into contact with an infested branch. In a similar way, cars, boats, tents, or RVs parked under infested trees may be able to transport the insects to new locations.
So, clean your boots and NEVER transport wood from one area to another.
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Shadows
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
I have continued to hike during this latest blast of polar air and steady snowfalls. There's something special about hiking in untouched snow, of seeing the whiteness sparkle in the sunshine.
I especially like winter hikes when the sun is out because the light bounces and becomes more brilliant.
Here's a look at some shadows on my hike today:
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Ice on the Great Lakes
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker.
She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
This winter, the Great Lakes have had very little ice coverage.
NOAA Reports January 2021 was Among the Top-10 Warmest for U.S. - Great Lakes Ice Coverage Was the Smallest In Decades
On average,
ice coverage is down 22% since 1973.
Less ice on the lakes means more evaporation and more lake effect snow. Warming waters destabilize the lake's ecosystem making it more vulnerable to disruptions and crashes.
The temperature finally dipped in February and I made my way to the lakeshore to check out ice formation on Lake Michigan. It was brutally cold, in the teens even before the wind chill was considered. It was comfortable (with the correct layering and coat) when hiking with the wind to my back, but walking into the wind was tough.
Check out the icy beach:
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Great Lakes OTTERS
Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures.
To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to
http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/
Did you know that there are otters in the Great Lakes? Have you ever seen one?
During my adventures, I have seen otters on three of the Great Lakes (Michigan, Huron and Superior). I saw otter tracks on North Manitou Island. I watched them feed as the sun set on Lake Huron.
This week I took a drive out to Leland (Michigan) and saw something on the ice in the harbor. I parked as the otter finished chewing what it had caught and slid back into the harbor.
I walked out on a dock to get a closer look and the otter surfaced again, spent some time chewing, then slid back into the water.
Otters are fun to watch, especially if there is more than one. They are playful and animated.
Check out my photo and video from this encounter...and keep your eyes open for your own otter sighting.