A 1,000 Mile Walk on the Beach

It feels strange to NOT be walking the shoreline of Lake Michigan with the weather warming and the trees slowly pushing out new leaves. Around this time a year ago, I had already walked 175 miles of the lakeshore from Chicago up to Grand Haven, Michigan.

If you're looking for beautiful beaches to visit this summer, you can't do better than the western shore of Michigan. The prevailing winds and waves have taken the hard work done by glaciers and graced the edge of the state with sandy beaches and, at times, wind-lofted-and-sculpted dunes.

Revisiting the Lake Trek: Segment 4

This segment spanned the 75 miles between Grand Haven and Ludington, Michigan.

I was joined along the way by my friend, Mary, and for the last two days by Leslie and Milene (my sister and cousin).

Note: You may want to press the 'play' button, then pause it and let it completely load before resuming play. This will allow it to play smoothly.

You can find all videos from the Lake Trek on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/lniewenhuis
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Walk with me:

Revisiting the Lake Trek: Segment 3

This segment spanned the 50 miles between South Haven and Grand Haven. I was delighted to have my son, Lucas, along on this part of the Lake Trek. We had some wild weather along the way!
Note: You may want to press the 'play' button, then pause it and let it completely load before resuming play. This will allow it to play smoothly.

You can find all videos from the Lake Trek on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/lniewenhuis
Sign up to be a subscriber on YouTube and you'll get an e-mail when I upload a new video.

Walk with me:

Segment 4 Complete!

Segment 4 took me from Grand Haven to Ludington, May 6-10. It mapped out at 75 miles and took 5 days. I broke my record for the longest day on the trek. It now stands at 24 miles.

I reached the 250 mile mark during this trek. I had some great company along the way and a wide range of weather and scenery.

I visited one more bookstore in this segment. Check out the link for the Book Nook & Java Shop in Montague.

Segment 4, Day 1 Grand Haven->Muskegon 17 miles

High of 72 degrees, sunny.

I was glad to get back to the lake after a three week break between segments 3 and 4.

Grand Haven is a lovely town, and I began this segment on the north side of the Grand River and went north.

I soon was into P.J. Hoffmaster State Park and spent some time exploring the trails and visitors center there. This park has preserved a 3 mile stretch of coastal dunes for everyone to enjoy. In the visitors center, there are interactive displays which explain how the dunes were formed over thousands of years of sand being blown and then held in place by dune grass.
I met Mary Jo on the beach. She was gathering trash, something that she does often between Musekgon and Grand Haven. She's one of my Lake Heroes.

In Muskegon, quite near the end of this day's trek, I passed by a house with a sign which said "COME SIT ON MY PORCH." There was a man sitting there, so I pointed to the sign and asked if I could sit with him. Lawrence is a watercolor artist in Muskegon, and after we had chatted for a bit, he showed me his work in his studio/gallery.

The Lake Trek has taken me many interesting places and I've met some great people along the way.

Segment 3 complete!

Segment 3 took me from South Haven to Grand Haven, April 6-9. It mapped out at 50 miles. I had planned three days for this segment, but the weather on Monday was WILD, high of 37 degrees, but the wind chill was in the 20s. And the wind! It was sustained at 30mph with gusts up to 40mph.


The two photos are of the same stretch of beach. The one on the top was taken today (the 9th), the one on the bottom was from Monday (the 6th). The lake responded to the wind with giant waves. You can tell how high the lake was during the storm by the same vertical stake in each photo.




Monday's 5 miles were hard earned and felt like 25. I added a fourth day to this segment to cover the ground I was unable to make on Monday.

My son, Lucas, joined me on this segment. He's 16 and was on his spring break this week. It was great to be on the lake with him.

I passed the 150 mile marker during this portion, and have now covered 175 miles. The West Michigan media picked up on the story and it was fantastic to share the story of this adventure. Check out the links in the sidebar.

Segment 3, Day 3 Holland->Grand Haven 19 miles

High of 49 degrees.

The day started off pretty brisk (the sand is white because of the frost in the first photo), but warmed quickly.

Lucas and I had a nice stretch of beach to walk up to Port Sheldon where we had to go inland due to the river, Pigeon Lake, and then the land owned by the power plant there.

It was in Port Sheldon that I passed a milestone on the Trek: 150 miles! Lucas took a photo of me with the Port Sheldon sign behind me at that very spot.

We walked inland for a few miles past the power plant to Kirk Park and back to the lake. This is where some news crews caught up with us.






Lucas let me do the final 8 miles alone this day since Phil was able to swing by and get him at Kirk Park.








The day was crystalline clear. The kind of day you want to inhabit and consume, to make it part of you.


It was wonderful to see Phil and Lucas waiting for me on the beach in Grand Haven. It was a long day covering 19 wonderful miles of the lakeshore.

What's in that Backpack??

My friend, Stew, asked me to show what I carry in my sling backpack, so as I was packing up for Segment 3 of the Trek (South Haven to Grand Haven), I thought it would be a good time to show just what goes in to packing for a segment.

The weather is going to be cold on this next part, in the high-30s to mid-40s. And we might get some SNOW. Yep. Since this is only a three-day segment, my pack will actually be a little lighter than you may expect.

The first two photos show the stuffed, then exploded pack. Since I'll be wearing at least four layers, I need to pack fewer extra clothes.



















This is what I'll wear on Monday (a little shout out to Spalding University where I got my MFA).

I always carry rubber bands and trash bags and extra ziplocs (in addition to the ones for snacks and my maps). The red bag has band aids, antibiotic ointment, toothbrush, advil, etc.






Technology plays a part in the Lake Trek. I carry a cell phone and a GPS and a flashlight from my friend Vickie and her husband, Gene. I always have my business card and post cards with me, too.

Snacks are essential. I carry Bob's Beef Jerky (he's a butcher in South Haven) and Almond M&Ms (in Spring colors!) along with dried fruit and granola.

Extra layers like a t-shirt, wool vest, and a warm scarf come in handy. The blue bottle has built-in filters so I can drink water right from the lake. The red Swiss Army knife was a gift from my brother (and Lake Trek Transporter), Phil.




I carry gloves and paper maps with me. I take notes each day on the back of the maps for that day.




The silver ball attached to the strap of my pack was a gift from my friend, Robin. Inside there is a little compass.



I just got my new, larger pack for upcoming longer segments, and I look forward to showing you what goes into a seven-day pack!