Hayes State Park: A nice retreat for the day

State parks when I was younger were something you had to drive to for at least an hour to camp, swim or hike.

So when I found out there was a state park down the road only a few miles from my now home of about six months in Clinton, I was ecstatic and couldn't wait to check it out.

W.J. Hayes State Park, located near Onsted in the Irish Hills, isn't a large park, but is a nice reprieve from the city life.

A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were looking to go somewhere on a Sunday afternoon, and wanted to have a picnic. After a little brainstorming, we ended up driving to Hayes to grill some burgers and enjoy the sunshine during the early June hotspell we had.

After having some difficulty with the grill (cheap charcoal and no lighter fluid = one frustrated griller), we were playing catch with a Frisbee when an unexpected guest crawled across the field leading up to Wamblers Lake: a big turtle.



I'd never seen a turtle that size before, and here it was, walking in plain view of everyone at the lake that Sunday. He was impressive.

Wamblers Lake in Hayes State Park. Swimmers flocked
to the lake earlier this month for a reprieve from the
hot summer temperatures. 

Also impressive was the lake. There were dozens of people there that day, looking to cool down and get some relief from the early summer heat. The lake had plenty of space for jet skis, motorboats and swimmers, all on a beach big enough for several families to enjoy the water.

There is a campground, but we didn't venture into it. There is a trail that goes up and down a hill at the park, linking the beach to the boat launch area. It's quite the walk, and perfect if you're looking for a workout.

Hayes is a nice little park for a day getaway in the area, and I'm looking forward to hitting its beach later this summer. The water looked clean, not to mention inviting. Not to mention a nice retreat for an afternoon. Just don't forget the lighter fluid.

Fire engulfs hundreds of acres of forest near Grayling

A fire broke out in the forest just outside Grayling in Crawford County at about 2:30 p.m. today, according to 9 and 10 News.

Officials are saying the fire is reaching toward state campgrounds in the area, and more than 100 homes are being evacuated in and around Grayling, north of M-72. Coincidentally, I was just up on M-72 a few weeks ago, coming home from backpacking Sand Lakes Quiet Area.

The fires spanned approximately 1,000 acres in the dry heat, which set records downstate near Detroit. It has consumed one home so far, according to the AP, which had its story published in places such as mysanantonio.com in Texas and the Albany Times Union in New York. Resurrection Life Church east of Grayling is serving as an emergency center for the people that have been displaced.

Below, I've created a Storify post to document some of the social media posts on the fire. (P.S. It's my first time using the service, please let me know how I can improve!)

First trip of the year: backpacking Sand Lakes Quiet Area near Kalkaska

It's been an annual unofficial kickoff to the summer season every year since I was 10: The May camping trip with the Christian Service Brigade from St. David's Episcopal Church in Southfield. I've learned much of my outdoors skills not from the Boy Scouts, but from this group, which routinely went on trips tougher than most of the ones we did in Scouts.

Even after graduating college, I still can't get away from this group, as it's been so important to my growing up. And with the opportunity to travel still, why not continue?

This year's planned trip was to be completed as a backpacking trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but with the size of our group and the limited number of reservations at the Lake Michigan dunes, we settled for a smaller chain of lakes I had not heard of before called Sand Lakes Quiet Area.

Our trip started right outside Guernsey Lake, where we crashed Friday night after arriving. The next morning, we caught the picturesque view of the lake in the early hours of the day.

Here, my friend Adam ended up finding the first of his many wild creatures of the trip: a small goldfinch that had difficulty flying. He stood in Adam's hand shaking before he took him into the woods.


After hiking about 2.5 miles (part of which is part of the North Country Trail) to our campsite at Lake No. 2 - the lakes didn't have names, just numbers - a few of us went out to explore what was at the other lakes. After climbing up an old fire trail, we stopped to check for directions, which one of the men I learned much about the outdoors showed us the proper way to interpret this map:



Walking up the path (while, unfortunately, I began to feel slightly dehydrated), we stumbled across Lake No. 4, which had no campers and was quite tranquil.

After crashing the night in a makeshift campsite, complete with fire, beef stew made from summer sausage and (unfortunately) a little rain, we left the next morning and hiked a mile back to the car.

It was nice to see a new area of Michigan, even though it wasn't as exciting as some of the other places along bigger lakes. It was a good hike for the beginning backpackers in our group, not too long with a good mix of inclines, and no set campsites. If Sleeping Bear Dunes is unavailable, this was a nice, but smaller, alternative.

Breaking them in

It's been at least nine months since I toyed with the idea of creating an outdoors blog. Tonight, while breaking in a new pair of hiking boots, was the last push of motivation I needed to actually start.

I'm not completely sure what I'm looking for, but I plan on keeping tabs on the Michigan outdoor scene, including camping, hiking, canoeing and perhaps a little fishing and hunting (neither of which are my forte). I've grown quite fond of the state I've lived in my entire life, and have seen a wide array of the outdoors here. With my background in journalism, it only makes sense to blog my experiences, thoughts, photos and other tidbits on one of the most powerful mediums in the world. I won't go into my background here, you can see it on this page. 

Back to the hiking boots. I purchased a pair of RedHead hiking boots from Outdoor World at Great Lakes Crossing a few weeks ago. Seeing them at a dirt-cheap price, I knew it was time to invest in a nice pair. Walking around the Village of Clinton, where I call home now, I found myself moving at a faster pace than usual. I can only hope this continues on with my experiences outdoors.