Waterloo-Pinckney Trail: Day 2 (15 miles)

Waterloo-Pinckney Trail: Day 2 (15 miles)

I awoke that morning, and took this pic: snug as a bug in a rug. Sleep that night was on and off, I would awake with very tiered legs, sounds from nature, and the new feeling of camping in the woods. Yes, that is a pillow. I've tried sleeping without a pillow and learned the hard way. So the additional pack weight is worth it to me. After breakfast, I packed up, then continued my thru-hike to the next camp site 15 miles away, Blind Lake.

After walking back down Loveland Road, you will see the trail continue on the left side of the road. A sign announces that distance to the HeadQuarters, Discovery Center, and finally Green Lake. I use the Discovery Center for my first break ( mile 5) and Green Lake as my second break point (mile 9). That leaves about 5 miles left from Green Lake to Blind Lake, which will be the place where I spend my second night on the trail. This is a long day of walking with many uphill climbs, some of the steepest climbs south of Lansing. I find this part of the trail to be the most scenic.

The photo below is at Green Lake, about 9 miles from the start of my day. As you can see, this is my time to take the off my pack and shoes and really get refueled. I like to put the ipod on and get my mind right. During my 30-40 minute break, I boil water and corn pasta which really refuels my body for the 6 miles ahead. Trail mix, fruit leather, peanut butter, etc. If you need to refill water, you can walk the half mile each way to Green Lake, which has a hand pump. To avoid the extra miles, I stash water jugs here the day before when I was being dropped off at Big Portage Lake. I was careful to wash any sent on the jugs of waters so animals would not be tempted to tamper with the water jugs overnight. Another option would be to hang the jugs of water like you would a bear bag.

As soon as you leave Green Lake, you begin your climb of Riley Hill (1000ft.), then descend the other side where you cross M-52. For the next 6 miles, you will cross 5 dirt roads. Below is a photo I took of my uncle Dave. The park in the distance is Park Lyndon, about 2 miles from Green Lake. The trail picks up just behind the shelter you see in the background. My uncle Dave has a lot of experience hiking and traveling in the woods. I learn a lot when I hang out with my uncle.

You will see several lakes, ponds, and open fields. The trail is in great shape, clearly marked, and volunteers have build foot bridges to span swampy areas. In the future, I plan to join this volunteer force to preserve the trail I love so much.

The pic below is from 2009, my first unsuccessful thru-hike of the trail. The few rookie mistakes I made:

1. did not pack easy high calorie foods, and did not eat often enough

2. did not stop to bandage hot spots on my feet

3. did not take the time to rest every 4-5 miles.

4. walked to fast, did not maintain an effeciant heart rate

5. pack was to heavy, need to eliminate useless gear

As I walked that second day, hot spots from the day before developed into two large blisters on both heals. As I continued to hike, the blisters got larger and more painful. Mole skin was applied, which allowed me to walk a few more miles. I'll never forget that hike because it was my first experience with a "calorie crash." I had walked so far and eaten so little, I just hit the wall. I was walking and suddenly I had the sudden urge to stop and quit. Every cell in my body said, "dude, what every you are doing, stop!" I tried to press on, then began to feel disoriented, and I had to really think about putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually I had to stop, and I sat with my uncle Dave for about an hour to see if I could regain my strength. I did not, and my uncle was able to walk back to Green Lake and use his truck to come pick me up. I took this photo below as I was waiting for him. I was so disappointed in myself, and when I returned home I stepped on a scale. I had lost 9 pounds in 24 hours. I had a lot to learn about thu-hiking.

After walking 15 miles from Green Lake, you will arrive at post #12. This post has a map on it, which tells you that a 1/2 mile ahead you will arrive at Blind Lake. This camp ground is for backpackers only, and offers 10 camping site, each with a table and a fire ring. On weekends during the summer, these sites fill up fast. Spring and Fall are months were you can find your self being the only camper there. Fall camping in Michigan is my favorite. Several sites sit next to or near the water. I love looking out my tent at dawn to see the steam rise off the flat water.

Ahhhh, fresh potatoes and spices. This cooking system is my old system: MSR whisper-lite stove, MSR black-lite cooking pot, and fuel bottle. I fond this system to be to bulky and heavy. I have since updated my cooking system to my MSR pocket rocket, and a pinicle duealist cooking system. Very fast, liteweight, and easy to use.

Blind Lake, site number 3, is my favorite sight to camp at. It offers a great view of the lake, and after a long hike and setting up camp, makes for a perfect place to cool off. The color of the lake is a unique Mountain Dew like green. Blind lake has a hand pump for water, and a nice drop down toilet to use. This is a great place to camp because the people who often visit it are backpackers and usually show respect to each other at night with noise. At sunset, you can backtrack to post #12, then turn right and hike up a steep ridge to a most spectacular view to the west. That is a great place to chill at dusk, then nike hike back to camp and light a prebuilt fire. I have camped at Blind Lake about 20 times, 15 time solo. It's a great place to escape on a fall or spring weekend.