The “Enchanted” Forest

On any given trip to our property within the Manistee National Forest one must get into the “psyche” of a boys mind.  From just north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to our property, the last seventy miles are ALL through that forest.  So in each boys mind comes into play the enormity of that area of forest land.  Even so, all that distance is covered in the daytime.

Yet on this particular trip with the Hoffman Estates Boys Club, we did not camp on our property being it late summer as I chose to rent a cabin overlooking the Little Manistee River about seven miles from our property.  Thus their accomodations were almost like home.  So venturing out that evening, those boys did not have the advantage of tent camping in that they had not experienced our forest at all.  Their first experience was to be at night!

As they climbed out of the car at the area I normally parked just above our wooded beachfront, we proceeded down Noreika Road to the old logging trail.  The boys stayed very close to me as we entered our forest.  Each tree must have seemed like some “spectre” of the night as their eyes bulged with every step they took.  Alan and Mark stayed especially close.  Two of the boys thought they saw a bear but it turned out to be only a cluster of bushes.  You know how imagination can affect the eyes? 

And each unfamiliar sound added to that “imagination” making that first entry into the night even more scary for them.  That is why cabin camping is far different than tent camping.  Even their visit to the Haunted Island was made even more special as they had not the advanage of first seeing it in the daytime.  More on that in another post. 

We’re Loyal to You Wabash High

This is Alumni field home of the Wabash Apaches in Wabash, Indiana. In my senior year the Apaches were 9-1 and won the Central Indiana conference. Our head coach was Devere Fair who then went on to coach at Decatur Central in Indianapolis where the stadium is now named after him. I have a surprise for the Wabash fans.Illinois loyalty How many of you remember the song?

Erecting Tents at Our Wooded Beach

On our boys club trips to our family property in Michigan it was also fun to erect tents. Erecting a new tent was always the hardest as instructions always tend to be a tad too detailed. Once any given tent was erected the second and third times they were put up went all the faster. Our tents were always stored at the end of any given trip in our grainery for use the following summer. But over the course of time, some had to be replaced.

One year I brought up a dining tent for times of rain or heavy mosquitoes. It was very little canvas and almost all a meshed window. The kids also used it as a sort of lounge because it caught the winds nicely off of Big Bass Lake and served them well for rest times.

On most trips two tents were erected and a couple of times three. Two were fairly close together and the two times a third tent was put up it was off about thirty yards from the other two. The reason why was due to the area not having enough room.

On a very stormy night one summer my grandmother came all the way from her house (about a half mile away) in that storm to demand that for that night we all move to the guest cottage. She was concerned about our metal rods on the tents attracting lightning. So eight boys and I shared that two room guest cottage for that night. It also had a screened in porch that was put to use.

After a week in a tent civilized living sure looks good again. Still, I highly recommend tent camping. Try it sometime.

A Dream That Never Materialized

No, the Big Bass Lake Camp is not a reality at this lake. It was a one-time dream of mine for our former property that did exist during brief camping trips to that area for three clubs at various times of the year.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s our property on the southwest side of Big Bass Lake was used several times a year for camping trips involving three Boys Clubs of America organizations including those at Marion, Indiana; Columbus, Ohio, and Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Each trip was between seven and ten days in duration.

Our trips exemplified wilderness camping skill building. At the majority of summer camps across the country the offerings are similar to what you could find in your own communities such as tennis, soccer, and even swimming. Our trips were always in tents under primitive conditions. The boys learned how to build fires, cook their own meals, the proper use of a compass, how to purify water for drinking, and tracking skills.

At our wooded beach front they erected three to four tents, dug two fire pits for cooking purposes, cleared the land of ferns, raked the beach, and hung two rope lines for clothes. Activities in this area including swimming and bathing, learning how to row a boat correctly, fire building, and cooking skills. They also learned how to use a hatchet correctly for collecting fire wood.

In our forest they played tracking games, had Scavenger Hunts, learned how to identify edible plants, gathered berries for meal preparation, and had numerous hiking experiences.

Three off site excursions were to the Lake Michigan Recreational Area halfway between Ludington and Manistee, to the Ludington Dunes, and to the Pine River near Wellston.

The boys always looked forward to a midnight voyage to the Haunted Island or to night hikes down the Bloody Antler Trail in the heart of the Manistee National Forest which surrounded our property.

After a camping experience at our property the boys learned about teamwork, character building, and how to survive in the wilderness. Many of the boys asked to return on future trips. And, it was for all these reasons why I had always dreamed of starting a Wilderness Camping Experience for various Michigan Boys Clubs of America organizations where they could come to our property for two week stays and learn much of what I have already outlined here.

That dream ended when our family chose to sell my grandparents property. Yet for all the boys that did get to experience that dream in a somewhat smaller role, they still gleaned all that I could teach them about wilderness survival skills that many camps have abandoned. Boys, and also girls for that matter, need camps like this to retain what the original meaning of camping is all about.

A Spook in the Forest

I was hiking in a Forest south of Phoenix with a friend and my dog Lucky. We separated on this one Trail and then I heard my friend screaming followed by a pistol shot. I ran to where he was and saw what you are seeing here. He was shaking like a leaf and pointed at it. He thought it was some kind of spook. I told him It was some kind of a joke. He said he shot it straight through the heart and it was still standing. As I approached it I could see a fine wire holding it to a tree. But I knew it was not real before that because Lucky had not even growled once. Lucky knew from the start it wasn’t real. My friend said if he ever caught the people that did this he would wring their neck. All in all we didn’t have a bad hike that day.

Autumn at Four Winds and Turtle Islands

The fall season is beginning to paint the area with red, orange, and brown still mingled among some greenery. Here are the northern most islands and both privately owned. Four Winds Island still has a great many remnants of the former Camp Martin Johnson. It housed both boys and girls over the course of time albeit separately of course. Just a few yards away is Turtle or Pirate Island. It has its own mystery to it even with a short trail up the hill. Is a cabin going up there by its new owners? Stay tuned!

BBL at Dusk

Twilight brings a special presence to Big Bass Lake. From Labor Day to Memorial Day the lake takes on a very quiet nature. You can actually hear the Crickets again. There is no loud noise speed boat engines. You can actually take a rowboat into the middle of the lake without dodging speed boats. Now you can enjoy a sunset in a row boat. Take a good look at this picture and just relax. It will do you good!

How to Avoid Deer Hunters

No, that’s not the newest float in the Big Bass Lake 4th of July Parade. It’s also not the new Deer Washing Business either. What you have here is a very smart deer heading out to Haunted Island to avoid getting shot in deer hunting season.   Also those antlers are not his version of a periscope either!

Once at Haunted Island all that deer has to contend with are ghosts and bonepickers.  And, they are from the other world which it is attempting to avoid prematurely by getting shot in season.  Now he can forage for food at his heart’s content without having to dodge bullets and arrows.  After all how bad can a few spooks and bonepickers look compared to that?

If he had stayed on land then someone would have been picking at his bones and this deer was bent on survival!  Then again, with some help, he could pretend to be a float next year and if he won, who in their right mind would want to kill a winner?  Hmm?