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"On a journey, ill:
my dream goes wandering
over withered fields."
-Basho

Life changes quickly, and usually not in accordance with your plans. A week ago I was starting a journey I thought would take me somewhere; now I am at home starting one I could not have imagined.
In that time, the careful plans I made were thrown aside for others and I realized that my own dreams must be traded for less selfish ones. All is not well, and my family needs my support. This trip will have to wait it's time again; I thank you all who wished me well, but now those wishes are needed elsewhere.
Please pray that all things will find their place again.

Day 7: AuSable's Bank-McKinley Trail Camp

I found the solitude I needed between yesterday morning and the night before. Most of the night was spent next to the fire, in and out of sleep, feeding logs from the pile that I created earlier in the evening. I returned to the hammock inthe early morning, only once the fire had died down.
It was another cold morning, but I stayed awake from the time that I first opened my eyes, looking at the river and all the birds that were already beginning life for the day. A red squirrel caught my sight as I first moved and went into a curious chirp while trying to understand what I was, darting up branches and looking back.

I restated the fire in the morning and woke up slowly with a long breakfast, sitting in the hammock and appreciating the view.An otter ran out of the forest and into the river and began to express it's frustration with me; probably that I was near its home. From there, I packed and continued into the woods, the trail twisting between treat and river, giving up good views of both:

The snow was deep through some parts of the forest, and without the snowshoes I had to run (Jesus lizard style) to get through. I was to meet my dad around 3pm in the town of McKinley (an intersection is all there's too it), but the streets are not marked (at all) while crossing the trail...Thinking I was behind, I picked up the pace and started to jog. Only when it seemed like I was not getting anywhere I took out the phone and checked the GPS position to realize that I blew the road where I was supposed to turn off about an hour back and I was nearly at the next Trail Camp...

Day 6: Alcona- A Bank on the AuSable:

Today was leisurely day. I left the sled and snowshoes behind..they were loud and I could have used the the quiet and steady pace of traveling with just the pack. The walk was more natural than the previous days in that I was no longer actively concerned with the trail, and just walked and listened. No deep thoughts came though, perhaps the deepest : "If a tree farts in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?"

I crossed through a few familiar places as the trail merged with the edge of the river several times. Stopped to cook lunch at the Gabions Campgrond and stretched out in the hammock; cold day overall.
With no particular endpoint tonight, I walked until I found one I liked: a tall bank on a bend of the AuSable. Prepped a few trees and made a nice fire that's still burning hot as I lay beside it.

Two owls came to visit during dinner and the circled, calling to each other, likely in regards to what the heck I was doing there. Tomorrow, I head to McKinley where I'll meet my dad for the first time since the start of trip...

1. The sled, packed.
2. Doing loops at Corsair
3. Printing
4. Shelter/Camp 3
5. The AuSable at Rollaways 

Camp from every night so far. Rest well my friends...

Day 4/5: Rollaways-Thompsons-Alcona Pond:

The last two days have been full and full of everything. I got back on the trail after a long lunch and recharge at the Bear's Den on Hwy 65 and continued down steep ravines until I arrived at South Branch trail camp. From there the trail followed lowlands along the AuSable River with a few chances to catch it's views. I pushed on to the Thompson's canoe launch, and camped the night on the bank of the AuSable river. A beaver wasn't too happy that I occupied his workshop.

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain on the tarp; it turned out they were just heavy pellets of snow. The morning was cold and it was hard to get out of 'bag' for a while longer after I woke up; that's been a common theme the last couple of days. The rest of the trail followed the course of the AuSable dipping down and up the ravines. The conditions were very varied and I was going between snowshoes and towing the pack to pack and towing the snowshoes. There were deep drifts of snow and open rocky melt spots with miniature creeks flowing between them. Thank goodness for wool socks.

The afternoon today was predominantly sunny, warm and windy. The snow was melting, but still deep. I was trading between pack and snowshoes more than I would like and considered that leaving the sled and snowshoes behind would be a better choice. The time to switch between seemed to be more of struggle than roughing it out without. After dropping my scarf, neck-warmer and hat and having to backtrack to find them, the majority of the rest of the afternoon was spent with the pack on.

Once in Curtisville, I hid the sled and went into 'town' again, to a little country store cleverly called the 'Curtisville Trading Post'. Log cabin facade, half convenience store, half pizza/sub shop. I got something from both and sat down to charge some stuff. The cashier an pizza lady were really nice and it seemed that everyone knew each other, all wearing their 'Curtisville Trading Post' caps. Country music on the radio next to me, a warm pizza and a Chelada outside. I was very happy.

Made the walk, leftovers in hand, to the trail and walked another hour to the bluff on Alcona Pond. I'd been here last year by canoe (got lost just down in the bay from where I'm sleeping at tonight, however now it is frozen). Clear sky again tonight; got the fire started with plenty of wood around. Tonight, let the ones you love around you know how irreplaceable they are. You never know when you will find yourself by yourself, without the chance to tell them in person.

(Ps. pics coming-I got signal for once!)

Day 3/4: Pond Rd to Rollaways:

I'm at a restaurant now off the trail on hwy 65, about 5 or so miles from the south-branch camp. Slept in a sweet shelter last night at Rollaways and made a raging fire to dry my stuff..had soaking boots, melted one of them. Yesterday was a long day; merged onto the main trail a little after noon: not as well marked as the 'old trail' that I was on and really narrow..more like a rut filled in with snow. Towed the sled/pack behind me again on snowshoes..heavy snow in the afternoon made the path hard to see; lost the trail a couple of times, especially in one section where nearly all the trees in the forest were marked with blue dots that up to that point had only represented the trail markers. Found my stride late afternoon and charged it to the shelter, chopped some wood and went to work in the stone fireplace. Cozy night on a picnic table. Hoping to make it to the south-branch camp today..short day today, it's damp out and the trail looks very slushy from the melting last night. Sketchy signal the past couple of days, I'll try to upload photos when I get to somewhere that has better service.

Day 2: Two Lefts-Corsair

Spilled Gatorade and zigzags:
Tough going today. Towed the sled behind me all day. Didn't get very far; the trail was not maintained, and zigzaged through thick forest, sometimes away from the direction I needed to go. Got frustrated and took a 2 mile detour on why turned out to be a cros-country ski loop. Many lost miles today.afternoon was better. Lunch cheered me up and I hiked with the pack on for the rest of the day, just towing the sled..it felt comforting to have it on my back for the first time. Refilled on water at silver creek and hiked the rest of the trail which followed some Corsair's paths. Camping in a clearing with only a few trees, off the trail somewhere in between Corsair and Pond Rd. Almost to the Monument. Made a fire and cooked a good dinner; stars are still as visible as last night, but I'm tarping it tonight. Hope tomorrow brings more success...
Ps. saw some cool cougar/bobcat prints , owls talking around me tonight and some coyote barks.

Day 1: Tawas Harbor to 'Two Lefts'

At camp for the first night. all good. nice day today, *warm with lots of snow still in the woods (anywhere between 4-8 inches). It's colder(20's) here now but I'm chilling like a mummy in the dessert. The nice thing with it being this cold out, is that you can see all the stars..some that don't even exist in other countries....