Prologue:
Two years ago, I hiked this section and recently, I was looking for somewhere to go on the NCT to add to my “100 Mile” patch for 2018. I really enjoyed the big pines, creeks, lakes and great spots to camp back in 2016 (link to old trip report: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...4-8-miles-Solo )
This trip would be different, since I was doing an out a back of around 40 miles, starting with leaving my car at the NCT Birch Grove Schoolhouse. There’s free parking and a yard for camping with all the amenities (outhouse, power outlet, picnic table, fire pit, and water faucet). If you want to make arrangements, you can also pay to spend the night in the Schoolhouse (https://northcountrytrail.org/trail/...e-schoolhouse/ ) and use the kitchen, etc. I wasn’t doing either and just used it as a safe place to leave my vehicle for a couple days. The weather was forecasted to be hot, with temps in the 80’s and 90’s, then an ominous warning of 100-110 heat index for Saturday. With this in mind, I planned on 10 mile days, getting early starts and staying close to or in the water to help keep cool.
Day 1-Birch Grove Schoolhouse to Bear Creek
I usually plan a hiking trip either the weekend before the 4th of July or the weekend after, so I hit the road from Clarkston on Thursday the 28th at 1:00 PM and made the 3 hour drive to the trailhead. By 4:15, I began the 1.6 mile roadwalk west down the connector trail to pick up the NCT.
The scenery looked familiar and I was glad to be back on the trail, even though it was 85 degrees. I was carrying plenty of water and drank a 32 oz Gatorade and a 22oz of water right before I began hiking. Going through the savanna was tough, but I knew that once I got through it, my campsite would be close by.
10 miles later, after crossing West Pierce Drive at 7:30 PM, I arrived at Bear Creek. Finding a hang spot was easy, so I quickly set up camp, then went down the creek to get water and cool down. It felt great getting cleaned up! I hadn’t planned on doing a dinner, since it was still in the mid ‘80’s, so I just ate a selection of trail snacks. The rest of the evening, I just lounged in my hammock and watched the firefly’s light up the forest around me as I drifted off to sleep. It was good sleeping with temps in low 60s.
Day 2-Bear Creek to Condon Lake
I woke up by 6, retrieved my food bag and had a oatmeal, coffee and a carnation instant breakfast mixed with Nido. By 7 or so, I was on the trail and enjoying the hike in the relatively cool temps of 70 or so. Hiking in the morning is my favorite time to be out. I passed lots of familiar pine groves and creeks.
After 5 miles, I arrived at Nichols Lake SFCG and took a pack off break at 9:00 AM. It was nice to just kick back and relax. I had a long conversation with the campground hosts and I passed off my small bag of trash. Back on the trail by 9:30, I worked my way north along the NCT. By 11, I arrived at Condon and passed a large group that was basecamping for the weekend. They had huge tents set up, big floats, water toys, and of course, they had music blasting….That’s what happens when there’s a forest road nearby for easy access. I knew there were more spots further north along the lake and I passed one where I would end up for the night. I kept going, because I wanted to see Sawkaw Lake, which is right by the Highbank Lake SFCG turnoff.
Right after I turned around to head back to Condon, I passed a forest road just when a Ranger was driving by. I stopped to talk and had a great conversation about the NCT and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. As we were talking, a mountain biker came by and he got an earful about bikes not being allowed on this section of the NCT. This guy really gave mountain bikers a bad name: he was belligerent and said he’d been riding it for years…he also told the Ranger it was a “bulls__t” rule” then just rode away down the forest road.
Back at Condon Lake by noon (and 10 miles), I found my spot and set up camp. By now it was at least 85 degrees. The rest of the day, I just relaxed and hung out in my hammock, but with an inside the bugnet temp of 96, I didn’t last too long. It was nice having the lake right down the hill, because I just alternated between it and camp for the rest of the day.
With the hot temps, I didn’t have much appetite, but did eat my mac and cheese, more snacks, cherry fruit pie and a Griffin Claw Red Ale. After an evening swims, I went to bed, but had a tough time sleeping since it stayed in the low 80’s. I didn’t use a TQ and only put my UQ on after the mosquito's kept biting me through my hammock. I guess they were immune to the permetherin. I had a restless sleep, due to the heat, and was up at 5:30.
Day 3 Condon Lake to Birch Grove Schoolhouse via Loda Lake shortcut
Because of Saturday's forcasted temperatures, I had started thinking about Plan B and cutting my trip short. I knew today would be the hottest day, with possible temps of 95 and a heat index of 110. It would also be my longest day, since I had to get all the way back to the car. I figured if I got an early start, drank and carried plenty of water, plus took advantage of an extended break at Bear Creek, it was possible. Honestly, the thought of one more afternoon and night in the heat wasn’t that appealing. I also let my wife and another HF member know of my new plan, just to be safe. This NCT section also had plenty of road crossing, state forest campgrounds, so there was plenty of opportunity to flag a ride down if it got to miserable.
By 6:30, I was on the trail and feeling really good about my new plan. The next 5 miles flew by and I arrived at Nichols Lake by 8:30. I took a pack off break, drank a liter of water and was hiking again by 8:45. I passed a few creeks and was still good on water, so I kept going. At 10:30, I arrived at Bear Creek for a long break.
I drank lots of water, had some snacks and did a full immersion in the cold creek water. It felt so good, I did it again, after coming out and drinking more water. I even soaked my shirt in it, wrung it out and wore it to help me keep cool. By 11:15. I was back on the trail for the last 8 miles of my hike.
This place reminded me of a scene from the “Lion King”: hot, limited shade, and the ground radiated the heat back toward you. This is what that heat index of 110 felt like. It was an oven! Luckily, I only had a half hour in it and I was glad to finally get back into the forest. A few more miles later, I arrived at the Birch Grove Trail, which takes you to Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary. I’d read about this place in other reports, so I did the loop through it. It also let me shave a few miles off my trip, since the parking lot is due north of the Schoolhouse. It was nice being on a new trail and seeing the old foundations of the farmstead. The trail took me to the Loda parking lot and North Felch Road, so I had less than a mile to go.
After close to 18 miles, I arrived back at my car by 2:30 and took a quick hiker bath under the outdoor faucet, while my car cooled down. I was on the road by 3, made a food stop and finally arrived home by 6 to clean up and unpack.
Final thoughts:
Was I glad I did the trip? Yes, even though it was a repeat, when I saw Condon Lake back in 2016, I knew I wanted to spend some time there. It was nice doing shorter days, but the heat still made it difficult. I was real careful about my water intake and watching for signs of dehydration. Being solo, you don’t have that backup of another person watching out for you. I was also diligent about signing the many NCT trail registers and sending regular texts to my wife so she was aware of where I was, more or less. Shortening it down from 4 to 3 days was smart and it would have been difficult to want to stay out one more night. Too much food is my nemesis, and this trip was no different. I came back with close to 2 pounds of food and snacks. Granted, part of that was a dinner and breakfast, but it was still too much. Keeping my appetite up when it’s hot is hard for me and I had to force myself to eat. I could have saved another pound by leaving the pint of beer home, but that’s a tradition for me that I’m not ready to give up.
Either way, it was still nice getting out and spending some time on one of Michigan’s greatest trails, the North Country Trail. Here’s a link to the full album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkLuqk2
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