Pictured Rocks – Michele Oberholtzer

August 1, 2014

Day 27: Pictured Rocks hideaway to Big Buck Creek

Last night I made out with a really hot guy. It was exciting, it was great. Suddenly he was cuming on my face- what the hell? It didn’t make sense, our bodies weren’t even oriented in a way that would make such a thing possible and our actions weren’t “advanced” enough to make such a thing possible. hadn’t progressed that far yet anyway. I woke from a dream a stared into the darkness through the mesh film of my tent as light rain sprinkling down on me. Yup.

It was a difficult night of sleep. The noise of swarming mosquitos only inches from my face kept me up awhile. I tried to focus on the sound of the waves. When I eventually woke up in the morning, I was shocked to see multiple boats going by, including a tourist cruise ship not far from where I was sleeping! I thought I was being so stealthy by sleeping here but I guess I avoided the rangers but not everyone else. Ooops! I could imagine the passengers on board pointing to my disheveled figure on the shore and snapping pictures of the feral girl.

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July 31, 2014

Day 26: Something-Mile Beach to Pictured Rocks hideaway

My day today began on the beach, where I thought the trail was. Before long my path was blocked by a river, which forced me upstream to cross it, and there I found a beautiful, well-marked, well-groomed trail. I wonder how many miles of it I have obliviously skipped over. I wonder how far I wouldn’t gone if it weren’t for that river! t guess I’m just used to the trail being hard to follow so I didn’t think too much about following the beach. That, and I was trying to zone-out/crank-out the miles. That, and I don’t have a map (I actually avoided writing that in my own journal until now because I’m annoyed with myself). The whole day was filled with gorgeous scenery.

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July 30, 2014

Day 25: Grand Marais to Something-Mile Beach

The beach is swarming with flies. A couple-seconds of rest and then BAM! twenty of them land on me. I’ve hardly been able to rest all day because of them which is especially frustrating since my shin is still really painful. At one point, I tried to out-run the flies, that didn’t work. Then, in desperation, I picked up two handfuls of stones from the beach and released them while I spun around like a low-grade machine gun. That didn’t work either. A new threat to my wellbeing on this trail- insect induced insanity! But at last it was time to set up my tent, no flies inside, and I am calm. Continue reading “Day 25: Grand Marais to Something-Mile Beach”

July 29, 2014

Day 24: Muscullunge State Park to Grand Marais

I think I’m in a toxic relationship with the trail. It treats me so badly but I take it back every time! Even when I manage to stay on the trail it is often poorly marked, grown over, blocked by fallen trees. And every time I lose the trail, I curse it and get mad at it and resent it. But of course, when I see that first blue blaze again after being lost, I am flooded with relief and appreciation. I regret every negative thought I ever had about it. I didn’t mean it! Things will be different this time! Then I turn on myself- how much of my blundering is my fault? I am candidly looking at myself and wondering if I actually have common sense. Being out here alone, it’s hard to know if the trail is objectively difficult or if I am just being an idiot. Continue reading “Day 24: Muscullunge State Park to Grand Marais”