Going Extreme on Classic Michigan Trails

Posted on May 3rd, 2012

I received two emails recently from what only can be described as “extreme trail users,” people who push it to the limits and then some. The first came from Roy Krantz of the Midland Hiking Club. In 2003, Roy and a friend hiked the entire Lakeshore Trail in Pictured Jim DuFresne Rocks National Lake… read more

Lose the Smart Phone & Hit the Trail

Posted on April 19th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Don’t forget on Tuesday, April 24, Jim DuFresne will be giving his presentation Michigan’s Top Ten Backpacking Treks at 7 p.m. at Backcountry North, 2820 N. US-31 South in Traverse City. Advance registration for the show is required and can be made by calling Backcountry Nort… read more

Driving Father Jack’s Buick

Posted on November 8th, 2011

I’m driving a new car. No, let me re-phrase that; I’m driving a newer car. I picked up a Saturn Vue that is three-years old and has 43,000 miles on it. It’s high tech. For the first time I can use my IPod in my vehicle. It has remote start for those mornings when the windows are all frosted up and during… read more

Upper Bushman Lake: A Place To Escape

Posted on December 31st, 2010

The only thing you can be sure of in life – beyond death and taxes – is that the amount of undeveloped land in the world, places without the heavy footprint of man, will never increase. Jim DuFresne It will only shrink. As our population grows and our needs for fuel, food and housing increases, natur… read more

A Day at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Posted on September 9th, 2010

I’m not sure what was more amazing; the look on my friend’s face the first time he saw the sweeping view of Lake Michigan from Empire Bluff or the fact that this lifelong resident of Michigan, somebody who has traveled widely around the country and the world, had never been to Sleeping Bear Dunes Na… read more

Wolves in the Wild

Posted on August 5th, 2010

I was up north, researching trails in Antrim County for www.michigantrailmaps.com, when the press release arrived in my inbox. The tag line was intriguing: Wolf Pup Captured and Released in the Northern Lower Peninsula The release was fascinating: “A USDA Wildlife Services employee was r… read more

Sharing a Lifetime of Love for Trails

Posted on July 27th, 2010

I like to hike. Pure and simple. I like to put one boot in front of the other in the sand dune country of Michigan, the mountains of New Zealand or the great wilderness areas of Alaska, following a path away from the chaotic noise of civilization and into the slower and quieter pace of the natural world.… read more

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