Segment 7 Day 9 Peninsula Point Lighthouse->Top of Peninsula 18 miles

High of 76. July 10

This day was a hot one. I walked from the Peninsula Point Lighthouse to the top of the peninsula across Little Bay de Noc from Escanaba. The terrain here was similar to the Garden Peninsula with wetlands and limestone.

It was encouraging to see the city of Escanaba across the bay from where I was hiking, and to know that I have one more day's hike to arrive at the end of this segment.

Segment 7 Day 8 Top of Garden Peninsula->St. Jacques 13 miles

High of 76 degrees. July 9

This day, I covered the arc of land between the two larger peninsulas just east of Escanaba. This shoreline is especially sheltered because of how it is positioned, so there were some dense wetlands. Thankfully, there was a 2-lane road that hugged the outer curve of the trek, so I stayed on that most of the day and made excursions out to the water wherever possible.

I passed through the town of Nahma along the way, and this tall silo is where the Sturgeon River meets the lake. Monarch butterflies have been fluttering by me ever since I began this segment, and today was the first day I saw the fat, striped caterpillars on milkweed plants.

I passed the massive, contemplative bull along the way and he posed for the photo.

I’m staying in Escanaba now, and the final photo is of a blue heron hanging out by some fishermen. I’ve never seen one of these birds so close to people (and I did verify that it was a real bird). It was just hanging out for a free lunch.

Segment 7 Day 7 Fayette State Park->Top of Garden Peninsula 17 miles

High of 72 degrees. July 8

I began today at the Fayette State Park on the west side of the Garden Peninsula. The undulating shoreline of the peninsula is fantastic if you're a kayaker or a walleye or a duck, but not so great for a hiker. Each little indentation in the shoreline has a pocket of wetlands. In addition, there are sheer limestone cliffs at points with a narrow shelf of broken limestone between the cliff and the water. I stayed on Rt183 all day as I headed north up the peninsula and enjoyed many views of the lake (or Big Bay de Noc) along the way.

There are, as you might expect from its name, many farms on the Garden Peninsula. It was a gorgeous day to walk most of the length of this spoke of land which reaches over 20 miles into the lake. I even saw a nesting osprey near the city of Garden.

There were many limestone outcroppings along the way, and the limestone (a very hard type called dolomite) is the reason that this peninsula is here. When the glaciers made their way through this area, the limestone was hard enough to resist being scraped away entirely. Wisconsin's Door Peninsula also has these dolomite deposits, as do the string of islands between the two peninsulas.

Segment 7 Day 6 Manistique->mid Garden Peninsula 15 miles

High of 65 degrees. July 7

I began this day's walk in Manistique along the boardwalk along the shore. Phil (in first photo) walked with me to the lighthouse, then I continued on across the Manistique River and toward the Garden Peninsula.

Manistique--like many coastal Michigan towns--was a major lumbering town in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Even today, there are still deposits of sawdust and woodchips in the lake and on the shore. There are even rough sawn lumber planks that still wash up after storms. It is estimated that over 5 million tons of sawdust were produced during the lumbering years in Manistique, and most of it was dumped into the lake.

I walked the lakeshore on some of these sawdust deposits (third photo above), then over limestone, then onto some sandy stretches before heading inland just a bit to head down the Garden Peninsula on a road. This peninsula has a lot of limestone. After I hiked most of the day, Phil picked me up and we crossed to the west side to Fayette State Park (last photo above). This park is the site of an iron ore refinery that operated for a brief period just after the Civil War. It was the perfect site since the limestone was used to purify the ore, there were hardwood forests to cut in order to make charcoal, and there is a deep water harbor for the ore boats.

Segment 7, Day 5 Seul Choix->Manistique 15 miles

High of 60 degrees. July 6

There is a large limestone quarry between Gould City Township Park, and there is no easy way to get around it. So, this day began just west of the quarry at Seul Choix Point (pronounced ses shwa which means 'only choice' in french). There is a gorgeous lighthouse there which is my brother Phil's favorite. He has spent some time the last couple of days photographing lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula while I've been on the Lake Trek.



This day's 15 miles was a fascinating hike because the point at which I began was a limestone outcropping shoreline which transitioned into a wide, sandy beach with rolling dunes, then back to limestone mixed with wetlands. It was a walking, climbing, wading lesson in geology.

Segment 7, Day 4 Nabinway->Gould City Park 19 miles

High of 75 degrees. July 5

I had planned on walking the shore from Nabinway to the park south of Gould City, but the weather did not cooperate. The lake is still pretty cold now, and this day warmed up quickly. This led to thick fog rolling in off the lake.

My hike from Muskegon to Montague was foggy, and it didn't derail the hike because the beach there is broad and sandy. The shoreline along today's hike, though, was a mixture of wetlands, bogs, and rocky shore.

I've learned how to read the vegetation in wetlands so I know where to walk. Here's how I learned:

1. Sink in muck.
2. Take note of vegetation around sinking self.
3. Avoid areas around that vegetation in the future.

Okay, it's not all that scientific, but it seems to work.

With the thick fog, I couldn't pick my way safely through these areas, so I opted to walk Route 2 west, then south on Gould City Road. This turned my 15 mile day into a 19 mile day, but it was the right decision.

I dislike being away from the lake, but I found myself taking time to do things like chew on grass and drink the nectar from clover blooms (pull the petals, suck on the white ends--it will make you understand the life of bees), and watch the wind blow a field of hay.

I've had a couple of hitchhikers along the way. The photo below is of a tick I discovered before it bit me.

Segment 7, Day 3 Epoufette->Nabinway 15 miles

High of 72 degrees.


July 4



Today I passed the northernmost point of Lake Michigan, just east of the city of Nabinway. This means that I have walked the entire length of the lake.

The weather was gorgeous today and the lakeshore varied from huge stones to marshy to broad, sandy beaches. The two shots of my hands show the creation of sand up here, from small pebbles to powder-like sand.

There were several streams and small rivers I had to cross. The one in the photo was cool and deep and I scared up a few large trout as I waded through. It was a good day on the lake trek.

Segment 7, Day 2 south of Brevort->Epoufette 17 miles

High of 66 degrees. July 3

I was able to keep to the sandy beach for the beginning of this day. And it was a lovely day with the clouds clearing off slowly as the hours rolled by.

I went inland to US2 near Brevort because just past that small city is an industrial site on the lake that I could not walk through.

Cut River Bridge is a striking site, and even more so since it is under construction and completely deserted this day. I ended this day overlooking Epoufette Bay (last photo).

Segment 7, Day 1 St. Ignace ->south of Brevort 15 miles

High of 70 degrees.

July 2



















After spending a few days on Mackinac Island with my sons, I took the ferry to the city of St. Ignace on Michigan's Upper Peninsula to begin Segment 7. Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are connected at the Straits of Mackinac. The bridge that spans the peninsulas is the marker which divides the lakes. The Mackinac Bridge is an elegant suspension bridge which spans the 5 miles of fast moving water. When it was built in 1957, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

It felt good to get back to the lake. This day's trek stayed on lakeside roads for most of the way since the shoreline was marshy most of the way. It was only at the end of the 15 miles that the lake opened up to beautiful beaches.