Cabin, August 2014

Disclaimer

This was another August trip to the Cabin. This trip lasted from 09 August to 15 August, 2014. Unfortunately, this and some other trips never got properly documented. There are, however, photos, so those will be included even though a story cannot be written at this late date. At least for these photos there are captions that were created at the time. From the captions and other trips, most of the photos can be easily understood!

Fortunately, I had written an entry in the logbook at the Cabin. It is included below.

09 August

(Rarely used) Front door to Cabin. Cabin as seen from the creek. River near the Cabin. Bill and Frankie hiking the loop. Trail around the loop. Bill, Frankie, and Dog resting along the loop.

10 August

River behind the Cabin. Marsh behind the Cabin. River behind the Cabin. Fallen log that served as a bridge to get across the river behind the Cabin. Eroding and fallen tree in the river behind the Cabin. Muddy area I crossed from the fallen log bridge to get to the other side of the river. Good sized toad somewhat camouflaged. Much smaller toad along a muddy path. River behind the Cabin. River behind the Cabin. Old beaver dam bridging the river behind the Cabin. River behind the Cabin. The trail I hiked. This is the third "road" at the intersection of McCloud Grade and Old Seney. Sign on the fancy bridge along Old Seney. Fancy bridge along Old Seney.

11 August

Part of Harvey Creek near the Lucky Buck. Larger tree partially cut down by a beaver. Two-track with wild flowers. Active bee hive. Remanants of logging. Creek in the woods. Pizza for dinner.

12 August

Another bee hive. Muddy patch along the path to Camp Oscar. Last year this was a pool of water. A serious pump at Camp Oscar. Gate on the road to Camp Oscar. Hill on Old Seney (skied in the winter).

13 August

Creek in the woods. Bridge on the trail to the Barfield Lakes. Pheasant on the road near the Barfield Lakes. Flooded road on the way to the Barfield Lakes. The flooding of the road extends pretty far off the road. Some blueberries. The fruit was very sparse and small due to the dry weather. More of the area flooded along the road to the Barfield Lakes. Desolate looking area near the Barfield Lakes. More of the desolate area near the Barfield Lakes. Yet more of the flooded area on the way to the Barfield Lakes. Duck in Harvey Creek near the Lucky Buck.

14 August

McCloud Grade Less frequently traveled spur connecting to roads in the woods. Two-track I hiked along east of the Lucky Buck. River along the two-track. Bridge across the river. It is much more solid than it looks. Corner along snowmobile trail 443 from which the two-track branches. Two-track branching off snowmobile trail 443. Another muddy area that had been flooded the year before. Deer in the woods. Close up of deer in the woods. More stump removal. Yet more is to be done. Wood from the removed stump. Simple screened in shelter that once wonderfully kept the bugs away. Large fallen tree near the Cabin. Creek right behind the Cabin. The washed out area along McCloud Grade one year later.

15 August

Main Cabin room closed up.

The Cabin

Below are some shots of the Cabin taken for some reason. Perhaps for documenting the current state. They are included here for precisely that reason. These can be compared to later photos to see how it is holding up and/or the changes that have been made.

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Logbook Entry

I planned another solo trip to the Cabin. After the success of the trip last year I was looking forward to relaxing at the Cabin. As it turns out, Vittoria, Bill, and Frankie (with dogs) were going to be up at around the same time and generously let me overlap with their time. I don't know the details of their trip, but ....

To be able to spend time with them I decided to arrive early Sat morning (Aug 10). To achieve this I left Cleveland at 11pm. Driving all night I arrived at the Cabin at 7:30am. Of course Vittoria failed to mention that she would be in Tahquamenon for the trail run .... Thus I spent most of the day with Bill and Frankie. We did hike the loop and Frankie made it the whole way with only a couple of rest stops. Vittoria's return, a nape, and a nice dinner completed the day. I again set up my cheap, simple screened in shelter. Despite the jokes it was very nice. The bugs were particularly bad. The flies were annoying but not biting. The mosquitoes were out in droves. It was pleasant to sit outside bug free, particularly as it got dark.

A short hike on Sunday was the final group activity before Vittoria, Bill, and Frankie left around noon.

The rest of the time was taken up by my usual activities, hiking, reading, and a few little projects. Sat to Monday were hot during the day. It had been quite dry in the area so the berries were scarce. On Monday evening and through much of Tuesday (Aug 12) it cooled down and rained. I grudgingly took the opportunity to head into town (for ice) during the rain. Despite the weather town was packed. I guess this is good for the area, but it meant I got in, got the ice, and got out! After an afternoon hike out past Camp Oscar (I discovered the wrong turns we made in the winter trip) I came back rather wet from all the grass I hiked through. I actually fired up the wood stove to take the cool and damp out of the Cabin and to dry out my boots.

The rest of the time was beautiful weather. After the rain cleared it remained cool and breezy. The wind helped mitigate the insect swarms. It was possible to hike without being constantly beset by bugs. I continued to take it easy, though I did remove a bit more of the stump. There is more that should go, but it is shaping up nicely.