October in Michigan

September in Quetico Provençal Park was wild, remote, adventurous and restorative. That’s behind me and now on to October! No question how grateful I am for the increase in physical strength I now have after a month of portaging and paddling!

To begin, after September in Quetico I popped back to Ohio for a easy infusion for my cancer treatment at The James, picked up some delicious, sesame bread from Dan the Baker, then headed to Florida where I seized and savored every second with some family. 

 

October was spent mostly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for mountain biking, leaf peeping and exploring!! We primarily dispersed camped in John’s old work van since the WonderVan isn’t ready yet. We splurged on a hotel for a couple nights in Marquette just to enjoy a hot shower and real bed!

However, our mode of camping this month meant slinging John’s hammock diagonally inside his work van while I squeezed my sleeping bag and blow up camp pad underneath him to sleep with packing blankets above and below me on the van floor to keep the overnight 36-50° chill at a minimum. Compared to tent camping in the wilderness, this was luxurious mostly because I had my electric Dometic refrigerator and could have fresh, crunchy, organic veggies daily! (Something I really missed while in the Canadian wilderness).

The fall colors were more than spectacular in the UP, however, it was quite overcast during the height of color there in the second week of October up near Munising. It didn’t stop me from saying WOW a million times though. I cannot recall seeing so many vibrant, neon, illuminated colors all at one time with so many maple trees!! We hunted down some big waterfalls like Tequamenon Falls, but as much as I relish taking in the sights and sounds of tumbling water over granite boulders, that one was a bit too touristy.

While still in Munising, MI we took a popular sunset Pictured Rock boat cruise and the waves were SO massive & choppy that the vessel turned around 3/4 of the way down the coast to prevent us from capsizing! This video clip gives a tiny impression of what was physically felt but our bodies were dipping and diving in the worst moments! I was so grateful they turned around early!

This is an old lighthouse on Grand Island where the lighthouse keeper, his wife and their 12 children back in the early 1900s resided.

Lake Superior is often a rugged, windy and a cold bluster but this particular morning we woke up in the Grand Island ferry parking lot and took in this peaceful sunrise.

 

Mountain biking on some favorite UP trails in the Munising area were Grand Island, Bruno’s Run and Valley Spur. Although I was the pace keeping biker, the rollers, berms, rocks and roots often kept me winded. They were exhausting, yet satisfying at the end of the day! Truly I was in awe that my once-cancer filled lungs could push through the 22 mile, 13 mile and 12 mile trails in 4 days! I was huffing and puffing, but I did it! All praise to my Healer and Creator!

Dispersed camping vs utilizing official campgrounds means finding allowable forest roads that lead to nowhere and parking the van in order to clandestinely camp without paying a dime. Thankfully our Solo Stove allowed us to have a cozy campfires and burn dead branches down to wood cooking coals. When toasters aren’t readily available, John mastered creative ways to cook my breakfast toast. 

Frost was on the ground this particular morning and the cold snap infused fog over the lakes making for a mystical silence. 

The paintbrush God uses for our enjoyment in Autumn never ceases to amaze me. I realized that my shacket gifted to me from my kids last Christmas blended in perfectly with this young pink, red and salmon colored maple! 

Marquette, MI surprised us with a lovely vibe and plethora of activities from welcoming parks, mountain vistas like on Sugarloaf and Hogback, roiling Lake Superior waves on sandy beaches, hidden waterfalls and a Co-op grocery store with organic options!! So far Marquette is my favorite town we’ve visited in Michigan!

I did love having a real cuppa joe from Dancing Crane coffee shop in Brimley, MI and got to chat with the owner’s daughter who was a spunky one!!

Once we started south to the lower part of Michigan we joined a bunch of old fogies on a Soo Locks boat tour which was educational and historically interesting but I didn’t buy a t-shirt saying I was there!

Eventually we paid the toll across the Mackinac Bridge into lower Michigan, our first stop was the often touristy yet charming Mackinac Island where we rode around the island twice, shopped a little and avoided the fudge!! Another 20 miles of riding!!

Continuing toward the northwest coast of Michigan we were wandering gypsies going wherever the gold and crimson colors and mountain bike trails led us. We parked our van at Harvest Host sites including vineyards and organic farms or used the iOverlander app to pick out dispersed camping sites. We took tours of lighthouses, learned about shipwreck history in the Great Lakes and rode more sha-mazing trails near Petoskey, MI. The Offield Family Reserve Trail surprised us with trail gnomes tucked away in the trunk of an old tree!

I was especially grateful that the weather cleared to crystal blue during the day and temps warmed up enough so that we could sit out at night and gawk at that super moon, plus I could step outside in the middle of the night to pee and not freeze! The colors were again at peak as we drove a little down the coast around this hilly and beautiful part of the state. The lavender sky greeted us as that moon crested over the horizon! Wow again at God’s creative genius! 

As October is coming to a close and we are heading back home in a few days I woke up Sunday the 20th. At this point of our trip I admit I’m getting ready to be home mostly because I’m tired of crawling in the van to sleep on the cold floor in a tight little space with the bottom of John’s hammock 1” from me when I roll over underneath him! The biggest reason is because after so many days of mountain biking, I either am not hydrated enough or didn’t stretch out enough! But that night I woke up out of a dead sleep at least 5-6 times with paralyzing charlie horses in my legs or feet! Anyone whose had them knows how fast I wanted to yelp, jump up and stretch it out to relieve the lightening rod spasm overtaking my legs with groans and a few curse words, but my zipper was on the wrong side, zipped up to my nose and had me cocooned inside with John’s hammock pressing over me preventing me from doing it faster than the muscle spasm. I needed a hotel for the next night before making our way south toward home. Thankfully, we found one reasonably priced, clean, newly renovated and it was Heavenly to sleep like a normal person again at least for one night!

While away on our travels I discovered that a very special friend of mine did something that honored and touched my heart deeply. This kindred relationship, orchestrated ONLY by God, is with a woman named Judy. Over the past couple years we have grown in our own very unique Christ-centered friendship where Jesus is the foundation and authenticity, grace, and growth is the fruit we share. She now lives in France and there was a 5k race in her village recently that she ran in my honor as a breast cancer survivor. May all who read this know that relationship miracles really do happen because of Jesus alone and it’s my prayer that His gift of forgiveness to us will transfer to those all around us, and the spirit enemy of bitterness and hatred will be defeated! Love is a choice, Mon Amie, and I choose it in you, Judy! Thank you for honoring me all the way from across the ocean!

Traverse City area was just ok but thankfully the vineyards and organic farm-to-table restaurants met our desire for good food and drink. Although I no longer drink alcohol, admittedly I took a teeny sip of John’s wine tasting flights. We also took in Sleeping Bear Dunes but it was just a big hill of sand so…meh. 

We continued soaking up the natural beauty of flowers and the last days of colorful maple trees. Our last night of camping in the woods we were rewarded with over an hour of listening to the call of several barred owls. Our last day of sight seeing was hiking the old growth forest at Hartwick State Park near Grayling, MI where the pines towered into the sky and the 350-400 year old evergreens quietly stood among the blowing yellow maple leaves saying goodnight to another year and the end of our long journey away from home!

Now it’s time to go home. Hello Ohio. Nice to see you again. 

Our one word that describes the beauty in all we’ve tasted, seen, heard and experienced for the past 53 days is the only one that begins to summarize it all and that’s this…

One Month Living in the Canadian Wilderness

The purpose of this post is to show just how amazing my Healer and my Creator truly is! On September 1, John and I entered into Quetico Provençal Park in Ontario, Canada with a canoe, 3 fishing poles, dehydrated and vacuum sealed food for one month, a tent and all the bare necessities to stay alive and camp for an entire month in the pure Canadian wilderness! 

This was literally something we have dreamed about for years! Although we have gone into the wilderness for two weeks at a time previously, we decided that if I had the physical ability and we had the time, we wanted to go in for the entire month of September… So we have been planning and preparing for many months to make this happen. 

Finally, the day came and we drove to Crane Lake, Minnesota, and we were picked up by Zup’s Outfitters on Lac Lacroix, who then brought us by boat to the edge of the wilderness where our journey began. 

It is impossible to describe the serenity and the simplicity and the sheer beauty of living in the elements of a wilderness setting for one entire month. The best way to explain what we experienced is to show it in videos and pictures so this will be probably my longest post for those who are interested in seeing what we really did on a day-to-day basis. 

On the morning of September 28th I woke up in a tent next to a massive waterfall in the middle of the wilderness and on September 29th I finally showered with filtered city water vs lake water after a month and had the luxury of sleeping in a soft bed at home. It almost seems like a dream now, but it’s one I’m so grateful to have experienced!

September 30th I had an infusion at The James and the miracles that God continues to do in my life just keep happening every day, but this is a sneak peek of my life in the wilderness in September, 2024. 

Twin Falls where our tent sat perched about 100 feet away from the massive roar of these incredible Falls on our last day. 

Woke up early at Twin Falls at 6 am on our last day and the mist and moon made this surreal sunrise a phenomenal sight to see and during the day and night the roar was soothing to hear!

Paddling every day, sometimes for 6-8 hours if we moved camp or for several hours of fishing, has really built up my strength and endurance. I’m stronger and feel more fit than I’ve ever been in my life!

Waders were needed only for traipsing through the water and rivers where the base of waterfalls made fishing off the charts amazing! Catching and releasing 17”-19.5” small mouth bass was not unheard of and OHHHHH so much fun! 

Jean Creek had at least 5 beaver dams we had to get our canoe over. We would literally paddle up to it and climb over it and lift the boat with all our gear. These beavers are engineering geniuses!!

Every sunrise and sunset was picture worthy and when the wind didn’t blow it was the most beautiful silence ever heard!

The last 2 weeks of the month we had a dear friend join us and he joined me in doing Wilderness Yoga a few times. Getting in and out of a canoe and climbing over boulders and portages can be extremely physically challenging so staying limber is crucial. 

God literally performed so many miracles right in front of my eyes from seeing Him literally calm white capped waves as we crossed lakes to experiencing rainbows at sunrise!! 

Right before this photo was taken the sky opened up with millions of hail balls from marble size to 1.5”-2” diameter and we literally had JUST made it to camp after paddling all day and had set up our tent minutes before these life threatening balls of ice came pummeling down!! Being out in the elements is not for the faint of heart or unprepared. Yet God’s power and majesty and my complete dependence on Him was palpable and comforting. 

Hail!

Again, there were glorious sunsets where all I could do was praise God in response to its beauty! We saw orange moons, the moon rising as the sun was setting, the full Milky Way, shooting stars, heard loons calling and the squawk of several bald eagles and several elegant pair of trumpeter swans taking off in flight! 

Trace and John conferring where we were and where we needed to go to follow our planned route. It’s Wilderness so there are no signs or roads, just trees, islands, points, rocks, lakes and rivers so one better know how to read a map and compass. 

Fishing for these hogs was pure joy!! I think I’m a top water, small mouth bass fishing junkie! 

Yes, I kissed the fish. In fact, several!

When the winds were calm, which was often, the silhouette of the land and shoreline was a mirror image! These reflections were truly so amazing to see that we would just sit in awe of God’s creation. 

Inside of the tent. Most nights were in the 50s but the last night was 46. A bit chilly many nights but my zero degree Big Agnes sleeping bag kept me perfectly warm! Surprisingly although the days were hot we had practically no bugs! But one of the first portages was buggy enough that I donned my bug net, yet the rest of the trip I could count the mosquitoes we encountered on two hands. That’s a real treat to not be bugged by the bugs here especially since we heard that it was one of THE worst summers for them!

So many waterfalls! This one was one I returned to since last time and it made me weep tears of joy to be there again!

Although I prefer catching small mouth bass on top water, landing a fighting Pike can be loads of fun too…If only they weren’t so slimy! But it’s great fun having one hit my lure then landing it! My biggest pike was 33”!

Typical evening of camp fire and fish for dinner. And to my WFPB friends, I chose to eat the fresh fish here but rest assured now that I’m home I’m back to fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds and grains only!!

Curtain Falls

One sacred place for me. Rebecca Falls!

The entire trip was two 50 mile loops totaling 15 lakes, 4 rivers, 6 waterfalls, dozens of rapids, 4 moose, 0 bear, a couple hundred fish and unlimited praises to God! We carried all our gear over the portage trails and paddled from lake to lake. We double or triple portaged each tail because of the gear we had to carry. John always brought over the canoe and his two packs and I had two waterproof packs weighing 35 and 25 lbs each plus the loose gear like poles and paddles, fuel and my Asea/olive oil/John’s wine. 

Again our first and last nights in Quetico were next to water falls!! 

 I share so you can experience and see how good our Creator is at showing off a tiny piece of His coloring book. The fact that I had the privilege of being physically capable to do this is a miracle in itself and I’m so blessed to have a husband who makes me feel safe and protected because of his skills and knowledge. I’m grateful we had a friend like Trace who could join us to share in this and I’m profoundly grateful to Yahweh for gifting me healing and time to spend my September in Quetico Provençal Park!