First Hike of 2021

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/

Happy New Year!

My first hike of the New Year was out at the Dune Climb in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The first dune off the parking lot was dotted with kids on sleds. It's a great ride, even when there's just a dusting of snow.

I love to watch the interplay of sand and snow on these dunes:

And the sand and snow reveal which creatures are on the move in the landscape.

I love this landscape in any season. It's an extra-challenging workout when the snow begins to drift amongst the dunes.

A late season freighter moved through the Manitou Passage today (below).

Happy 2021 everyone. 

We made it through 2020. Yay!

Wood Grain Dunes

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 love hiking the dunes along 

Lake Michigan in the winter.

Wind and snow and ice conspire 

to change the face of the dunes in ways you only see in this season. 

Some sand may freeze, while the wind blows free sand around, sculpting the frozen sections.

Recently, I came across part of a dune that resembled wood grain. 

This was at The Dune Climb in

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Check out these photos 

(click on photo to see expanded view):