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:

The wild flowers were in bloom today...

the trout lily amongst the trillium...

And more views out on Lake Michigan...

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:

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.

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!

Most Popular Post of 2020

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/

Here's the most popular post from 2020:

I hiked part of Sleeping Bear Dunes lakeshore today at Glen Haven.

The beaches of Lake Michigan usually appear tan or even whitish in color, but if you pick up a handful of sand and look closely, there is a mixture of colors. Silica and quartz give the sand its light color, but there are specks of black from the mineral magnetite. 

This mineral is heavier than the other grains, so it often gathers in bands or patches on the shoreline, sorted by wind and waves.

Today, I came across the largest deposit of magnetite I've ever seen along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. A long section of black sand on the beach.

Wave action has been strong along the lakeshore this winter, and the lake level set an all-time high earlier this year. This has led to increased amounts of magnetite deposited on the shoreline.

Watch the video below to see how deep the deposit was:

Yes, this mineral has been on the beaches for a long time. Here's a post I did about these black sands over a decade ago:

https://laketrek.blogspot.com/2009/06/black-sand.html

November Surprise

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 November has been surprising so far (on many levels). The weather has been amazingly warm this first 10 days. Yesterday, Traverse City broke a high temp record from 1896! And not just by a degree or two, but by 5 degrees!

So, of course, I went kayaking on that warmest day and hiked several other days.

I kayaked my favorite small lake nearby, Cedar Lake. I noticed there are more than one 'Cedar Lakes' around Traverse City. This one is just west of Long Lake, west of Traverse City.

Today, I headed to the big lake to walk the lakeshore. Since the temps were starting to dip and some rain fell, I had the entire beach to myself.

Lovely.

With the lake levels rising this year, the shoreline showed evidence of erosion.

The lake was turquoise and white-capped. Bands of rain clouds hovered over the lake in the distance. 

Still my favorite place.

 

Kayaking Artubus Lake

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 continue to explore the many inland lakes near me. This network of dozens of lakes funnel water into nearby Lake Michigan.

This week, I paddled the multi-lobed Artubus Lake southeast of Traverse City.

There, I saw some of the largest snapping turtles I've ever seen.

It was a gorgeous day for a paddle.

These lakes are full of life and they funnel clean water into the Great Lakes.

Kayaking Lime Lake

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've been exploring more of the many inland lakes that connect to Lake Michigan. This week, I paddled Lime Lake in Maple City just west of Traverse City.

This lake is about a mile across and has a shallow shelf along the edge that extends inward from the edge for a long way. This made for a calm paddle.

Here are some photos:

Freshwater shellfish live in these shallow areas.

Looking north across the lake.

Some old cedars blown down by mighty winds.

Evidence of an old sawmill gathered at the southern end.

Rising 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/

I got out to the Lake Michigan shoreline today. I went to one of my favorite beaches. It has a 50-step set of wooden steps to get down to the shoreline. The steps are well away from the rising lake, but recent windstorms allowed the waves to ruin the bottom few steps:

The wild waves deposited driftwood all over the beach...

and even this uprooted tree was tossed on the shore.

With the missing steps, I was the only one on this beach for over an hour. Perfect for social distancing. Stay safe, everyone.

Waning Ice on the Shores of Lake Michigan

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 was very little ice on the surface of the Great Lakes this winter. 

And now, in late March, the only ice I saw on my lakeshore walk today (with social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic) 

persisted on trees and roots that had been splashed by waves.

The result was sculptural...

jagged...

and told the story of wind and waves.

In this time of necessary isolation, it was lovely to wave to passing lakeshore strollers, to give a smile, to remember that we are in this together.