Over one weekend, we hiked just over 20 miles of the beautiful Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness just to get away from reality for a little while.
3,500 to 4,000 years ago, dunes up to 140 feet high were formed along with the largest area of fresh water interdunal ponds in the world all within the Ludington Dune Ecosystem. The great state of Michigan is home to some truly picturesque places; Nordhouse Dunes, Pictured Rocks National Seashore, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Huron-Manistee National Forest, Porcupine Mountains, Tahquamenon Falls, and so many other stunning areas.
May 29, 2020 - 2.3 miles
Brad, Nova and I drove 3.5 hours to our anticipated destination. Because of the virus we had only been able to enjoy short hiking trails near our home, and now that restrictions are loosening a little we were able to plan our first backpacking trip of the year. Brad has backpacked in Nordhouse dunes numerous time before and I had only camped there for the first time about three years ago. When we got Nova about 2 1/2 years ago we trained her to be the perfect trail pup, and were excited for her first real camping/hiking trip. This particular weekend was perfect because the temperature broke and dipped down to a comfortable sixties as a high and forties as a low. It was the best opportunity to get Nova’s paws wet with her first backpacking trip and her first time in Lake Michigan waters.
We weren't sure what to expect as we arrived at the road leading up to the trailhead. We anticipated a slightly busier park but nothing quite like what we encountered. The amount of cars parked alongside the road and copious amounts of people road hiking with their packs filled to the brim was astonishing. Once we unpacked our car we put on our packs and started hiking. Luckily our packs weren't terribly heavy, maybe 25 pounds each. One thing I will say is when you hike with a pack of any substantial weight and suddenly take it off, you end up feeling light as a feather.
Since Brad knows the Nordhouse Dunes wilderness area so well we knew what camp site we wanted, but unfortunately our hopes of getting that site were readily dashed by the sheer amount of people camping that weekend. The hike into our chosen backcountry site was about 2.3 miles from the trailhead and we watched the sunset as we set up camp and let Nova have a much needed break. As the temperature dropped steadily to the mid-fifties, Brad built a fire and made our dinner; cheesy ramen with chicken.
The great thing about backcountry camping is that you can be much more removed from others unlike camping at a conventional campground. If you find a spot that looks good and is relatively flat and sheltered from the wind you can set up there. I am so delighted to see so many people out exploring in the wilderness, but I know that this is likely because they are beginning to feel stir crazy from having to stay home and away from other people. No matter the reason, I am all for people enjoying the great Michigan wilderness whenever they have the opportunity to do so. With a Bell’s Oberon beer in hand, the stars in the sky, and a fire burning bright, we finally relax knowing we are away from reality for a little while.
May 30, 2020 - 15 miles
Saturday was our big hiking day of 15 miles! We started the day with a morning bonfire, yummy coffee and bagels while nova had her usual peanut butter snack and breakfast before we took off. With only our day packs, we started off on the shores of Lake Michigan towards the Ludington Lighthouse. During our trek we found some stunning interdunal ponds that nova just had to jump in. The day started out fairly overcast but the clouds were quickly dispersed as the sun came out in full force with relatively clear skies. Our excitement for our hike hit a whole new level.
As we hiked down the beach we enjoyed watching Nova play in the waves and be hilariously suspicious of weird plant mounds that washed up on shore. When we arrived at the lighthouse we were taken with how simple, yet beautiful the Big Sable Lighthouse is. We took this time to take a break and eat some snacks, drink some water, and dip our toes into the warm sand. Once we were pleasantly relaxed and reenergized we headed into the state park to explore more interdunal ponds and were so mesmerized by them we nearly got lost and had to search for the trail on our AllTrails app.
The terrain switched from sandy beaches and dunes to the more common leaf covered trail lined with trees providing shade from the sun and even wooden bridges. In the Ludington State Park they have well established shelters equipped with a lovely rock fireplace and benches for hikers to rest their legs. We made use of one of these shelters to allow nova to cool off and we took that time to take off our shoes to dump out the sand we had accumulated so quickly. Once we were ready to keep moving, we set off to the last section of our 15 mile hike into the intimidating dunes.
A dune hike like this one is essentially just following the ridges toward the beach, you kind of make it up as you go along. Brad had hiked this portion before and did not remember it being so difficult. He surmised that the increased difficulty was due to the sand being loose from it being summer plus the wind was at an intolerable wind speed of 15 miles per hour on average, and we had already hiked a good 9 miles beforehand. 15 miles per hour doesn’t sound that bad, but it nearly pushed me over and blew my hat off.
Part way through the dunes my entire body was begging me to stop moving. I felt as though if I were to sit down I would not be able to get back up for a while. Brad kept asking how I was doing and I kept replying “uhhhh, I’m okay, just taking my time”. My mind was strong and I pressed on because I knew I had a hot dinner and a comfy hammock awaiting me at camp.
When we finally got back, Brad let me relax while he went to collect water from Lake Michigan for us to filter and wood for us to burn. Nothing is greater than enjoying filtered icy lake water after a long hike. It seemed like my body needed to catch up to my mind because my mind was moving like crazy, but my body was at a standstill. For dinner we enjoyed Baby Red potatoes with cheese, and heated smoked sausage over the fire. I was so hungry I blurted out "I love potatoes so much" after I enjoyed my first bite.
The wind eventually died down and we walked to the beach to watch the Lake Michigan sunset. Back at camp Brad was able to start our bonfire without a lighter and I was amazed. When the fire dissipated a good amount we gazed up at the stars. I let my mind wander and daydreamed about anything and everything.
May 31, 2020 - 4.8 miles
Sunday morning I woke up to Nova crying outside my tent for me to get up. We normally sleep together and she clearly was concerned about me not being up yet. The moment I unzipped my tent she came right into my lap and gave me tons of kisses.
This was our last day at Nordhouse Dunes and we were sad to leave. Brad decided to take his drone out to the dunes behind our campsite to do some aerial exploring while I started to take down the tents and get the campsite ready for the next set of campers. I was still pretty sore and tired from the previous day, but luckily I was able to sleep fairly well so I was well rested. With our full packs we ventured off onto the Lake Michigan shore to meet up with the trail to hike the remaining 4.8 miles to the car.
The beach lead to some more dune hiking that eventually transformed into a lovely established trail. I was already incredibly sore from our previous dune hike, so with a trekking pole in hand I made sure every step I made was deliberate to make sure I didn’t slip or trip with my 20 plus pound pack on my back. There were some incredibly steep assents and Brad was fast and always ended up ahead of me quite a bit on the trail. He always made sure to stop and wait for me when he noticed how far behind I had gotten.
With each step I knew I was getting closer to the car that will take us home. We passed many occupied campsites and a lot of the friendly campers. Many of them told us how cute they thought Nova was (she sure is). As soon as we saw the car we all became overjoyed. Normally we would make at least one stop during our 3.5 hour drive home, but this time we were so incredibly excited about getting home that we drove straight through. But before we reached our house we made sure to stop at the Dairy Queen drive through for some celebratory ice cream to enjoy after our pizza dinner. I will say, there is nothing like a delicious meal at home after a weekend roughing it in the wilderness.
Check out the video Brad put together here:
and click here for the route we took on AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/recording-may-31-11-53-am-98986c0 Never stop exploring and always try to get out of you comfort zone.
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