All About the Kids, a trip report

“Dateline Leland Mi...

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HIKE AT NORTH MANITOU ISLAND

AP. Kids and families gathered this past Friday in Leland Michigan to begin the second annual pilgrimage to the "Gem of Lake Michigan", North Manitou Island a 10,000 plus acre playground for the adventurous and young at heart.

The hikers boarded the ferry at around 10am friday to begin the 11 mile ride. Lake conditions were rougher then expected but this did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the hikers. One youngster was said to have exclaimed "a ferry boat ride" over 100 times.

In spite of dodging vomitting scouts the passengers made it safe and sound. Quickly exiting the boat for the briefing by the more then capable Ranger Dave. Who would provide insight into the rules of the Ilse and remind the hikers of the most important rule...HAVE FUN!

Hikers went many directions but one group of seasoned veterans opted for a scenic stroll through the old village where former private residences dot an old street now grown over. A home designed by the creative genius Frank Lloyd Wright stands guard over the approach to the homes. Many are in various states of repair. One home is still occupied seasonally by a family fortunate enough to have evadaded removal by the National Park Service.

The aforementioned group of hikers enjoyed the scenery as they headed south to the old cemetery where they would basecamp for further exploration of this history rich mecca. Smiles were scene on everyface as they tried to absorb the beauty that surrounded them.

Two camps were selected as the temporary home for our corps of discovery. A wondeful tranquil clearing in a mixed growth forest for some and a small grove of birch for the others.

Near the camps lies a most picturesque beach which reminded many of the group of a Carribean Paradise repleat with cool breezes,turquoise water and bone white sand. Some swam while the others basked in the late afternoon sun glorying in the views of Sleepin Bear Dunes National Lakeshore visible across the crystalline waters of their own private inland ocean.

Dinner time found the group gathered together, Stories were shared,pictures taken,recipes tasted,bellies filled. Like a heard of fattened cattle the group lounged and enjoyed the company of old friends and spent time building new relationships.

Nighttime came quickly (especially for our crew of junior hikers). The young were sheperded into their cozy sleeping bags to dream of the days adventure, fresh succulent raspberries plucked from full vines, cool water and true high adventure. Some more adventurous among the crew ventured westward to view the most beautiful of setting suns whos pallete was untouched by even the best of painters.

As the even cooled the adults relaxed under their new found freedom from potty breaks,snack food,questions and chatter. Many enjoyed the savory goodness of spirits. A meteor shower was rumored to be near. Eyes stared tired upward at the show, beginning for more. Feeling like the children they put down earlier the adults grudgingly climbed into their bags anticpating the new days journey.

Moring came late as bleary eyed youngsters awoke hungry and ready to explore every inch of their new world.

A leisurly stroll brought the group to a former homestead by the name of Bourniques. The family farmed and raised horses here in an era all but lost to our contemporary sojourners. Some of the men reveled the beauty of design and girth of large nails. The attention to detail on this home was impressive. A car, aged by decades of snow,wind and rain captivated the young ones. As great as this living monument to mans fortitude was, the glorious destination of the day was as of yet unreached...Dimmick Point. This point located on the most southeastern tip of the island juts defiantly into the harsh currents of lake Michigan daring thw powerful waters to alter its destiny. And lo what a mighty destiny this point has. This seemingly insignficant spit of snad is home to an endangered species of Bird known as the Piping Plover. From may to august this fragile eco-system is off limits to man and his bumbling ways. Yet our group was most fortunate to be able to explore the point as the birsd had moved on from their nests for the season.

Many in the group looked for the rare petoskey stone, but as luck would have it the lake was remiss to give her treasure freely, few were found. A few intrepid souls journeyed to the most distant point at Dimmicks and were rewarded with ploevr sightings, a gift for sure.

A stroll down the beach led the wary voyageurs homeward. Swimming was the word of the day. The write recalls falling to sleep to the laughing of children and when he awoke 1.5 hours later he was delighted to hear the festivities were continuing. A new game reminiscnet of simon says was witnessed on the beach though this game had an oddly jamaican feel to it. Perhaps the the games participants were intoxicated by their surroundings or perhaps it was a drunkeness of grand company, regardless a splendid time was had by all.

Dinner again was a communal affair, reminiscent of gatherings held in a time long past. After dinner a wonderful desserst was made by the President and was so generously shared with her constituents. The highlight of the evening was the Christening of new hikers and the granting of trail names. Abby,Casey,James,Audrey,Ariel,Julia,Luke and Tucker no longer were but now Little Pink Flower,Hungry,Johnny Cash,Sleepy,The VP of BP, Sloopy,Hobbes and Calvin joined the world. It was an impressive ceremony. Afterwords the adults forgot their ages and ebgaged in a rowsing game of tage followed by hide and seek. Tired the group seperated to their night quarters. Some would watch the stars for short time. Others would spend a night under them, freed from the man made confines of the mesh and nylon.

The sun rose like a giant red gum drop over the eastern sky. Its message of hope for the upcoming day. The group assmbled quickly for the hike back the dock where the ferry would tear them from the womb of this island paradise and thrust them back into a mechanized and huuried world of work, phones and time. But this group would savor everylast second here. They would run and laugh, they would play frisbee and share stories one last time. They would all remeber this trip. The memories and freindships made hear would grow richer each passing minute away from their short lived home. When asked abou the trip any participant would say boldly and proudly " It was all about the kids!".”

“Woot !”

“Me & Sloopy had a blast! Thanks Joe & Joy, and most especially all the women who took Sloopy to the potty! Tara, thanks for teaching me about kids and sugar. :)

Good to see everyone, and meet the newbies... longer TRE & quips to follow.

Joe, the TR is on the money, and poetic to boot!”

“Sounds like everyone had a good time.

I was thinking about you guys. That place is a real neat get a way. From the weather reports, I noticed that the weather co-operated.

I wish I could have made it, but as luck would have it, I just finished my World Civ project about 1/2 an hour ago.

Can't wait for pics!”

“Fabulous! That was a wonderful report Birch! I felt like I was there. I sure wish we could have been there.”

“We missed you Sunny!”

“awesome report birch! that was fun to read, the trip had to be good!”

“That was a great read! Glad you all had fun!”

“For a s3econd there I thought I had stepped into a Henry David Thorough trip report! LOL! Glad ya had a great time.”

“Some daily highlights:

Thursday:

Got to see Gonzo again. Got to meet his kids. Got to meet Ruby and her boys. Loved every one of 'em!

Gonzo picked up pizza and brought it back to the campsite. What a nice treat.

We were camped next to Interlochen Music Camp and were serenaded all evening and early the next morning by a trumpet.

BB's Backpacking Blues and the VP's scary campfire stories were quite entertaining.

I took the VP and Sloopy on an animal hunt. Alas, no animals were found.

I was a little surprised to see the girls wanted to sleep in a tent together and weren't skeered to be there w/out an adult. Quite impressed!

It was a beautiful night. We left the doors open on the 'Mid to enjoy the fresh air and watch the starts... until it began to sprinkle.

Friday:

It was a fairly rough day on the water. Sat on top of the ferry and got pretty wet.

The VP of BP was a tough hiker and great w/ camp chores. She carried her pack all the way to camp w/out a single complaint. And, she was quick. She helped put up the tent. She helped make dinner. She helped clean up. She told me she wanted to learn how to do everything so she could do it by herself the next night.

Birch showed the VP how to ride the waves on his sleeping pad. She loved that!

A large part of the group did a hike to the west side of the island to watch the sunset. We (Me, the VP, BB and sloopy) hung w/ Birch and Sass for a while. Then, the VP and Sloopy went to bed w/ no opposition. They were both out in no time. After the others got back from their hike, a few of us hung out in the "Voo Doo Lounge" (as Gonzo dubbed it) while the girls slept in their tents.

The stars. Wow.

Saturday:

The dayhike was great. The beach at Dimmick's Point provided plenty to do for the couple hours we stuck around. After eating lunch, we hiked back to camp and put on our swim suits. Spent the next few hours on our beach. Weather was awesome! Swimming, relaxing, kites, games, etc.

I let the VP go on three different little excursions w/out adult. I trusted Calvin to take care of her (and I'm fairly certain she had a HUGE crush!). Tho she was never gone more than 15 minutes and was never more than a few feet out of eye-sight, I was still worried.

Cow Patty made my most favoritest dessert... Pineapple Upside Down Cake. YUM

Calvin kept the kids busy while he taught them how to gamble. In the end, I think Hobbes won!

Sunday:

My pack weighed a little lighter, finally!

Meeting Jessica (Fisk) was a great pleasure. She entertained us for about 20 minutes w/ some great stories. She was sitting on the porch of one of the old homes. It had been in her family for 4 generations. Her great grandfather and grandfather both lived her year round. Her mother did, as well, for a lot of her life until she moved to St. Louis. Jessica (who is now a playwright in NY) came for three months every summer until she was 20, at which point the home was lost to the NPS. This was her first time back in 25 years.... She came to bury her mother's ashed at the old cemetery. It was a very emotional time for her yet she was happy to share her stories and experiences with the kids. She's hoping the NPS will allow her to do some work on the house so it doesn't fall apart like many of the other homes.



I had a great weekend. The VP of BP is hooked and ready to hike again. I'm thinking maybe Papabull (or, to her, Great-Uncle bull) and I can take her on a local overnighter soon.

Thanks to everyone that went for their part in the planning and taking care of the kids, esp to Birch and Sass for setting it up and making it a tradition.

How about some pics?”

“what a blast!!

it was wonderful seeing some old friends and making some new ones as well....

some highlights include....

the campfire stories at interlochen park with musical accompanyment provided by buddha bear....

the wild ride over to the island....

the hike to fredricksons’s with my gang, ruby and her boys to watch the sundown and then hiking back in the pitch dark with no headlamps....

the voodoo lounge was the place to be, although the feng shui cafe was also pretty cool....

early morning kite flying....

a leisurely afternoon strolling the beach searching (unsuccessfully, unfortunately) for pataskies....

all the great food (and especially the pineapple upside cake....thanks again cowpattie)....

watching the newbies interact with their nieces and cousins....

sleeping outside under the shooting stars....

the beautiful, beautiful weather we were lucky enough to enjoy....

my kids and i had another great weekend at this incredible place and can’t wait to go back again....kudos to birch and sass for setting it up....i’ll put my pictures up later....”

“pataskies....is that the same as Petosky stones? ;)”

“Real nice TR's. I enjoyed reading this one and viewing the pics. The looks on the faces of the children tell it like it is (looked like everyone had a blast). Thanks for posting it!”

“Great pics Tara! (I checked them out early this morning, knew you'd have them on already!)

I dropped our film off today, will get the pics Wens.

My favorite part of the weekend was hiking the extra mile to Dimmicks point with Cp, Gonzo and Abby. I was surprised at how far she followed me, had a blast searching for sea glass and petoskys and got to see some gorgeous views at Dimmicks and some great birds. Carrying the kiddo back wasn't so bad.

Abby was missing everyone as soon as we got in the car, especially missed the "girls" and the ferryboat. She woke up this morning ready to hike and cried when I told her we couldn't go today. =)

Thanks everyone for joining us and making this such a fun trip!”

“Wish I had known people like you when my kids were young!”

“I have to admit, I'm very jealous! I wish I had gone with you guys! Though, my niece couldn't hacked it. My nephew could have, though!”

“Cool pics, Tarabull!

Thanks!”

“oh wow, sounded like you all had fun. Next "all about the kids" trip I'll be going for sure. the pics are awesome too.”

“It's a cool place, that's for sure...Gem.

You wouldn't be dissappointed!”

“Wow... I love your "Report"-- got the picture entirely-- looks like my hubby & I will have to try to make the trip up there sometime!

--Iris”

“Too cool you guys! Great to get 'em out on the trail young! Looks like you had great weather! Like the Big Agnes in the waves, Birch!”

“Great Report and Pics! Sounds like a great experience was had for all on N. Manitou.”

“Jeez Louise! A thirteen hour negotaiting session today after this trip, and all I could think about is if Sloopy got poison ivy!

I have to say, it's been some time since I've been on a TT trip (Jan), and heck do I miss them. I would have been absolutely lost with my niece if it wern't for the "it takes a village" approach that the majority of TT'rs possess.

My niece is almost 6, and I never have spent much time with her. I was sort of apprehensive about how I'd interact with a kid, being the connsumate bachelor and all. Well, having awsome TT'rs around me, and thier amazing kids made the trip one of the best for me and especially for Sloopy.

Gonzo, whom I haven't seen for 2 years, was encamped at Interlochecn when we arrived. His kids are outstanding, and a testemant to the person I bp'd with on a ridge with Buddur and Skully over 2 years ago. We chowed some pizza as Tara read the story of the manitou Islands to the kids (ears glued, questions dripping off the tongue). Johnny Cash (Gonzo Jr.) is a cool dude, and a kid that you have to respect. Gonzo's daughter, Sleepy, and her friend Hungry passed up a trip to Las Vegas (they are hip 15 year olds) to backpack with pops and a bunch of strangers and kids. That is pretty admirable for a couple of teenage girls.

When President Peggy (name VP of BP and sloopy gave cowpatty) arrived, they salauted her! CP let them her her set up her tent, and the kids were in awe of her presidential demeanor.

Poor ole Sloopy got her first taste of the stench of a outhouse. She wrapped a bandana around her nose the second time around, and still pointed out how it "smelled like #2"! lol!

The boatride to the island the next morn was sweeeeeeeet! VPofBP and Sloopy laughed uncontrollably when the boyscouts and yours truely crashed into the deck when the boat was clobbered by big waves.

When we hit the island, we started hiking. Ruby had Calvin and Hobbes in tow. You can tell by her kids that she's a great mom! Calvin is one cool dude, and young version of myself without the A-Hole tendencies, gut, and predisposed opinion toward our moronic standing president! Hobbes.... what can I say, the kid stole the show, and was a trooper to boot.

When we arrived at camp to the melodic "are we there yet.... I'm tired.... my legs hurt..... what time is it?" (and that was me), we set up camp. Tara and I worked some magic with out duo-batray configuartion. We told VPofBP and Sloopy that the tenst were bat caves (MH batrays), and they immediately wanted to crash in them.

NOTE TO THE LADIES: Throughout the trip, I imposed on the ladies to take my niece to the potty in the woods. All of them hooked me up with flying colors! Much thanks to Ruby, Sass, Tarabull & Cowpatty for helping an oblivious uncle out. :)

The next day, we all had fun hiking, swimming, and 9-year-old-tossing in Lake Michigan. That night Birch went crazy with the kids, as they admired his tree climbing abilities, and wrestling prowess. Gonzo, Ruby and kids cowboy camped to check the shooting stars, and were rewarded!

I had an amazing time, and really bonded with my niece. I can't wait to hike it again next year with Sloopy and her sister!

Finally, I must add a huge thank you to Tarabull. I hadn't seen that beauty for almost a year, and it seemed like yesterday. The girl is amazing, and helped me with all the stuff about taking care of kids that a single guy would have no clue about. When I didn't bring enough food, Tara provided, when I needed potty help, Tara was there, when the kids needed entertaining, Tara had the answer, when the girls had a question, Tara had the answer. There is no doubt that Sloopy and I had a better time becuase of Tara's kindness and efforts, so we both thank you!

Thanks for arranging the trip Birch and Sass & Lil'Pink Flower (a kid about as adorable as you can get), you were the hosts with the most (patio and bar and all), and everyone had a blast!

Thanks to President Peggy....... Sloopy is telling everyone about you!

Gonzo and Ruby, it was a pleasure meeting you and you family!

VPofBP - we should have called her Tara Jr. (great kid!).

I'll leave ya'll with the number one hit of N. Manitou Island from August 13 until now.......


Backpackin' Blues

There was a girl named Ariel,
Who came from Michigan
Went campin’ with cousin Tara
Just tryin’ to catch a frog!

Well now ya know,
Even with all those clues,
Ariel’s backpackin’ and catchin’ frogs
Cause she’s got the backpackin’ blues.

Then came a girl named Abby
Three years old and cool
Mama put a pack on her back
And she became a trail mule

And now he knows
That this ain’t no big news
Haulin’ a pack with mama & papa
Abby's got the backpackin’ blues

Out of the West came Calvin
And his little brother Hobbes
Mama put em’ on the trail
Climbin’ over slippery logs

And now they know
Those boys are payin’ their dues
Blazin’ up a long hard trail
Cause they got the backpackin’ blues.

Last but not least there’s Julia
Only 5 ½ years old
Goin’ to bed in her sleeping bag
Just tryin’ to keep out the cold

And now she knows
When she puts on her backpacking shoes
Got to snuggle in her sleeping bag
Or she’ll have the backpackin’ blues!”

“Now here comes Gonzo
and his backpackin' tribe
Campin' without no tightrope
Just tryin' to survive

There ain't no prose,
To describe thier backpackin' cool.
Haulin' packs as big as Las Vegas.....
They've got the back[ackin' blues........”

“:)”

“Great TR and pics people!
And I agree with ya D, I sure wish we would have started BPing when our kids were younger!”

“Who woulda thought TTer's had such cute kids?

Even BB.”

“My ankles and a wrist are covered in tiny little bites, very very itchy bites. Anyone else?”

“sand fleas?

Nope, but I do have poison ivy.”

“I dunno what it is but it's driving me nuts. Of course, the majority of the bites are right where my running sucks go. And, the wrist is the one where I wear my watch when I run. Ugh.

No poison ivy. I don't think I'm allergic to it (knocking on wood). I've touched it many times in my life and have never had a reaction. My mom was the same way until about 3 years ago so I figure I've got at least 15-20 more years of poison ivy free hiking. :-)”

“sucks = socks.
freudian slip? lol”

“BTW, BB, what you said was very nice. And, you're welcome. I think you did a great job w/ Julia, tho. I can tell she had an amazing time on this trip and was glad to have spent that time w/ you.”

“Running does suck...”

“I, too, second dhutch's sentiments. I wish I'd had you guys around when my daughter was a kid (goodness, I sound old saying that, but maybe I am). Great pics and TRs.”

“I, too, second dhutch's sentiments. I wish I'd had you guys around when my daughter was a kid (goodness, I sound old saying that, but maybe I am). Great pics and TRs.”

“Okay, computer, stop that right now!!!”

“LOL@pekka...darn computers!!
Hey tara, I got those same kinda bites when we were up on the MRT last spring, my brother in law said they were NoSeeUms or something goofy like that....fraid I don't have any good cures or anything but they only last a few days :)”

“As the one adult(?) sans kidlet on this adventure, I got to play with all of them, and they sure entertained me. I'm glad I got to tag along.

The young ones who were in the woods for their first time, some far from home and parents, were real troopers. From 3 years of age to 15, the kids fast became friends as the adults worked cooperatively to make it a fun time.

Fun stuff has already been posted so I'll just say thanks to Sassafras & Birch for the planning, and great meeting Gonzo & gang, Ruby & boys, and my VPofBP and Sloopy. Hope to see you all on the trail again.

A quotable quote: "Still hungry?? She eats more than I do!" - Buddha Bear about 5 year old Sloopy.”

“First of all, I want to say a big thank you to Birch and Sass for organizing this trip. It was so awesome! My boys and I enjoyed ourselves completely. By Sunday evening as we sat in our camp, Tucker (Calvin) was already pining for his new friends and talking about when the next time would be that he could camp with them, especially James (Johnny Cash).

We had lots of “favorite” times…the sunset, the headlamp-less night hike, cowboy camping, meteor showers, swimming, exploring, rough housing with the “big kids” (Buddha Bear and Birch), the boat ride, raspberries, playing poker, looking for Pataskey (sp?) stones or turtle stones as Luke (Hobbes) calls them, and the list goes on.

I think everyone else has pretty much covered the trip so I won’t add too much else to that. Except that I was really bummed that I had lost one of my Tevas. And Gonzo forgot his tent poles on the boat. After the rest of the group left, we went to pick up our dog from the kennel, which turned out to be closed for the afternoon. So the boys and I went to Lake Leenaneau and went swimming (think free shower) and I napped while they played in the park at the lake. To pass more time, we went back into town to have supper and I bought new Tevas (nearly threw away my solo sandal but refrained). I noticed the boat was back in to the dock so we walked to the ferry office. There were Gonzo’s kite poles and, YAY, someone had brought in my missing sandal. Thank you to whomever that mystery person was. After picking up the dog, we headed south to a campground at Sleeping Bear Park and car camped.

The next day we did the Dune Climb and drove the Pierce Stocking scenic drive then headed to the Mackinac Bridge and the UP. We drove all afternoon, did a little driving around the western side of Pictured Rocks. The boys were tired and we decided to do no more hiking. We camped on Monday night in Munising on the shore of Lake Superior looking out to Grand Island. It was car camping and we were near the road so we could hear traffic, but it was UP traffic, nothing like the sounds of the Interstate in Gary. I watched the sunrise on Tuesday morning there, which was beautiful. I told the boys it’s not every day that you can say you saw three of the five great lakes in one afternoon.

From there we just booked it to get to my parents’ house in West Central Minnesota and didn’t do any side trips or day hikes. We are here now and enjoying the last half of our vacation here. Thanks again, everyone! It was a real joy and pleasure to meet and get to know each of you. Once again, I realize that I would welcome another hike with any and all of the TTers I met on this trip.”

“So the boys ready for their next adventure Vic?

I had the same thing happen to me with a pair of tevas. Lost one, so I had to buy new pair. I found the one I lost about 1 year later. The dog actually buried it in the backyard. On;y reason I found it was because I was transplanting tulip bulbs in the area she burried it.”

“The VP of BP drew me a great pic to thank me for taking her. It's a pic of happy people in sleeping bags! She also drew on in chalk on my parents driveway. It has BB and Sloopy and myself hiking up a hill. And, she drew herself sitting around a campfire w/ Calvin. oh la la. My mom was supposed to take a pic and email it to me but I haven't gotten the email yet. When I do, I'll add it to my webshots album for all to enjoy!”

“Aaaaaaah! You're such a good Aunt! You've planted the seeds!”

“Tucker says he misses Ariel and James. Tell them he says hi!”

“Great pictures, Sass!

Psst... you forgot someone's name on the prehike picture. I won't tell Tara whose name you left out. Besides, everyone knows Tara, she's the tall, gorgeous blonde. :o)”

“What are you talking about? She's in there. ;)



(thank you)”

“hey you guys have some good pics!! looks like it was a great time!!!”

“Some of my pics

If anybody wants a copy of the B&W pics, email your addy.

Nice pics Joe & Joy!”

“That sloopy is a cutie! Are you sure you're related? ;o)

Sure wish I could have been there!

Thanks for sharing, everyone!!”

“Great pics, everyone.

BB - You got some excellent close-ups. Nice job.”