May 8, 2022
Carp Lake, MI
We roll up to the trailhead, and Mason is hungry. As he stretches on the yoga mat, I make us wraps. A car pulls up beside us and a man who appears to be in his late 60s jumps out. He immediately apologizes for his small bladder and bolts to the privy. When he returns to his car, he makes small talk, as Midwesterners are keen to do. He asks what kind of dog Gob is, then continues into how much energy his Aussie used to have, before we even respond. At last, as if just remembering that his wife is in the car, the man makes one last joke. “Well, our kids were following us. Hopefully we lost them.” And then they are gone.
Having already explored the northern and central trails here, I decide to take Mason and Gob to the southern edge of the park. Our trail is technically a segment of the North Country Trail that weaves through the dunes along Sturgeon Bay. I warn Mason ahead of time to wear shoes that he won’t mind getting muddy. And sure enough, barely a quarter mile in, we find our first puddle.
I’m not sure if I should be concerned, but sometimes when we’re hiking, my dog’s legs turn black.
As Gob wades into yet another swampy lake, Mason says, “I can’t tell if this one is messy.” And in reply Gob stands up. Or, tries to anyway. He straightens his back legs and they emerge caked in black mud of decay. But when he tries to lift his front up, we hear a squelch of suction followed by the slap of his face hitting water. He tries again, this time successfully, and joins us on the bridge. On the other side of this bridge, a couple pipes up, “lovely day for a hike.” They saunter past. They make no comments about the swamp monster smiling up at them from our feet.
The trail eventually forks. One path, maybe 50 yards longer than the other, provides a view of Mona Lake. Mason chooses this path. Gob and I take the shortcut, but only to ambush him with pictures on the other side. When we meet back up, I make a pun about Mona Lake-sa. This spins Mason into a song about Mona Lisa that I have never heard. And for the remainder of our hike, his joyful bellows accompany the symphony of crackling pinecones underfoot and wind rustling leaves.
Two and a half miles in, our trail forces us into a decision. We can turn to the Sturgeon Bay Trail, adding another 5 miles to our hike. Or we can turn back, saving our energy for the next 3 days of adventure. Gob chooses this time to alert us that it is past his dinner time. So as much as he would love to continue, his belly would prefer to turn back to food. We oblige.
Back past Mona Lake-sa, where Gob and I take the long route. Back past the swamp, where Gob hesitates but ultimately decides to be a good boy and use the bridge. But when we arrive back at the car, Gob is still caked with mud. So he and I head down to the bay to wash off while Mason stretches.
3/19/2021
Stop #2 on our farewell winter tour. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I am definitely judging this park by its name. I have three trails on the agenda for us, totaling 15 miles. As Gob hops out of the car at our first trailhead, I can see he is already a bit tired from our 5 miles this morning. As we step onto the lakeshore, Gob finds a pile of snow and makes himself at home. I decide to cut our 3+ mile hike in half.
We also bail on our second hike along the Sturgeon Bay Trail. Guess we will have to come back.
It is once again time to retreat into the woods. This trail is opposite the lakeshore in just about every way imaginable. The snow has melted, revealing dots of bright green moss. The pond has thawed, allowing Gob to become a bridge troll.
We reach our midpoints, but then I see a sign for Mt. Nebo. MOUNT Nebo. As in…a mountain. It’s just a short addition, so obviously I have to do it. Turns out it’s not much of a mountain. Alas.
I’m a sucker for decaying wooden signs. Especially when they have alien civilizations growing out of them.
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