A Walk in the Park, by Harcourt Quick, w8bhk

 

     It's November 14th 2007 the day before rifle deer season starts and probably one of the last days before the cold weather sets in and I need to get out for a walk.  Tomorrow the woods will be full of hunters in there blaze orange suits looking for there 10 point buck, so today is the day and since it's to windy to rake leaves, it's off the the Ludington State Park.  I thought I would hike the Ridge trail to the North end and return on the Island trail along the shores of Hamlin Lake.

 

     Many times I go hiking for the love of hiking and some exercise and leave the radio equipment at home, but I'm still thinking of QRP and possible operating sites.  I try to have a arsenal of operating sites the same as I have an arsenal of radio equipment, antennas and accessories.

 

 

 

 

 

Trail Head

 

 

 

Map of trails in the Norh end of the park.

 

 

     To get to the top of the ridge, you start with a wood stairway and then it's a long gradual climb along the trail.  The Ridge trail is a long wooded sand dune that sets high above Lake Michigan and parallels the shoreline.

 

 

 

Starting the climb

 

 

 

Almost to the top.

 

     Part way along the trail you can see the Big Sable Point lighthouse on the Lake Michigan shoreline line and looking to the East, Hamlin Lake.  Life is pretty harsh for trees trying to hang on to life on the top of the ridge, because they get the full blunt of storms and wind coming off the big lake.

 

 

Big Sable Point Lighthouse.

 

 

Tree roots exposed from the wind.

 

 

Hanging on for life.

 

     When you get to the most northern part of the trail you can lookout over the sand dunes and into the southern boarder of the Nordhouse Dune Wilderness Area, but there's better ways to access that area than from here.

 

 

North end of the Ridge trail and the South end of the Nordhouse Dune Wilderess Area.

 

 

 

One of the locations I plan to setup a QRP station someday just off the trail.

 

 

     Now we are back in the low land along Hamlin Lake on the Island trail and heading South, after a short break at the trail shelter over looking a small inlet bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking out from the shelter on to the bay.

 

 

     I pass several small Islands that could be reached by kayak and make a mental note for use as a QRP operating area for the future.  There's so many beautiful places in the park, but I'm always looking for a few special ones.

 

 

Island #1

 

 

Island #2

 

 

        Well I'm almost back to the area where the truck is parked and it's been a three hour hike and a very pleasant day, but I couldn't pass up a picture of some Bufflehead ducks on there migration south.

 

    

 

Thanks for walking along.

 

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