Grand Marais, MI

FEBRUARY 6, 2005 — GRAND MARAIS, MI

On Saturday Andrew reached the halfway point of his hike!!

Andrew called today from Grand Marais. This is beyond the half waypoint of his journey. Andrew has not had the celebratory half-gallon of Ben and Jerry’s yet. He is waiting to find “just the right flavors” .

Three days worth of miles were covered in the past two days of hiking. The temperatures in the UP are unseasonably warm and some of the snow has melted away. There are even some bare patches in sunny places; the trail is slushy and wet. Andrew knows that this favorable weather will not continue, and he is trying to seize the opportunity by putting in lots of miles.

Hiking along Lake Superior has been one vista after another. There are huge iceburgs along the shoreline that Andrew reports are ten feet tall. They grow throughout the winter as waves crash against the frozen shoreline — the spray freezes quickly in the cold temperatures.

In addition to the weather and the scenic trail, the week had some exciting moments. Andrew was picked up by Kirt Stage-Harvey, President of the Hiawatha chapter of the North Country Trail at the Mackinac Bridge and brought to the opposite side. He met with Chapter members and was provided with hospitality and information. On Wednesday, Andrew met with Ethan Parker and his father. Ethan is a high school student who is working to earn his Eagle Scout badge. His project was to perform extensive maintanance to a six-mile section of the North Country Trail. He did an excellent job. Andrew, Ethan and his father hiked the six-mile section together. It was then on to Paradise and Grand Marais.

Total miles hiked:3894 miles.

Posted in on February 6, 2005
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