Facebook Post on March 1, 2011, 7:33 am, “Ice Dreams”

Ice Dreams (Photo by Mark Lindsay)

Quickly I went through my checklist, threw my gear on and tried to slow my heart rate down!  Anyway, again I got to walk on pure ice!  As pure as the 50mph winds and cold temps from the night before. Folks, again I was surrounded by a glorious grandness. I knelt, I felt and I turned over to lay flat on the ice. I wanted to be one with it.

I heard the crashing of the waves on the shores, so I moved towards, and climbed down the ice wall to the polished stone beach. The ice was gigantic from this perspective. I climbed behind an ice structure to block the waves from my upper body. I hunkered down and tucked my legs in and wrapped my arms around myself, like I was bear-hugging me body. But what I was doing was immersing myself in a moment. Not knowing how long I needed, I closed my eyes and listened to the waves stirring the slush-ice and finally crashing along the shores. It was wooshingly soothing!

“I was not alone.”  That is what I was thinking. You know the feeling. Time must have moved, but it felt so still, so calm. I opened my eyes, I was still here. The ice was so softly white, it was highlighted with a magical light, coming from a setting sun, and as I started to stand, I noticed a couple standing and staring out into Lake Michigan. I was not alone. Rarely am I though!Again I was on the receiving end of a true blessing. Oh What a Life!

Facebook Post on March 1, 2011, 7:42 am, “Ice Breakers”

Ice Breakers (Photo by Mark Lindsay)

The wind blows across the water. The blown water makes a wave. The waves rush to the beach only to be turned away, but in doing so they make the most soothing sounds. They repeat, one after another, almost as if they are never going to stop. On this day, the waves were gentle. They spoke, I listened. The water was moved by the wind, and I was moved by the waves. I was here today to capture beauty and the beauty captured me! It wrapped itself around me and led me to a incredibly peaceful, happy place. All this caused by a little wind! What a Life!

Facebook Post on March 2, 2011, 2:04 pm, “Beautiful Ice on Lake Michigan”

Beautiful Ice on Lake Michigan (Photo by Mark Lindsay)

Mark Lindsay: “This was the tail end of a day trip spent along the shores of Lake Michigan with my youngest son, Jack. We started with a Polar Dip in Empire and traveled south and hit all the simple entry points along M-22. We went to Frankfort for a quick coffee break and there was a snow-cross right down Main Street. Many photo opportunities today and lots of running up and down icy beaches for Jack!! Grand Day!”

Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau: “Is this photo for real? Wow! Spectacular is not a strong enough word!”

Mark Lindsay: “It is certainly real, very much touchable and it was wonderful spending some time tucked down below it and listening to the waves washing up little pieces of ice on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was almost like little chimes rattling an awesome tune!”

Photographers, we really love when you post on our Facebook wall to share the beauty of Sleeping Bear Dunes. We also love it when you tell us what it is like the moment you captured it on film (digital card). We welcome any blog articles or Facebook posts like the one above. Feel free to post on our Facebook wall or if you would like to write a blog article (it is really easy to do), email it to info@sleepingbeardunes.com with jpgs of your photographs or we can download them from of Facebook.

Blog by Ileana Habsburg-Snyder and Mark Lindsay

We stumbled on several blog posts by Jonathan Schechter on his Earth’s Almanac blog. Below is his second in a series of winter hikes through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Reprinted by permission. 

The moment was primordial and unscripted and occured about one-hour, cross-country ski time long the Alligator Hill Trail, a meandering  trail that crosses some of the wilder sections of Sleeping Bear Dunes and affords excellent views of Lake Michigan.  I had just descended a long down hill section and stopped to pause and take in the sights of the deep woods in an area of windfalls. Steep hills were on both sides. Large trees, snapped near their bases told me storms command this land.  And then just when I dropped my ski poles to the ground, and unzipped my coat (exposing my camera in the process) and was about to stuff my mittens within the coat before answering my call of nature’s need, I detected movement 30 yards away. I was not alone.

An adult coyote stood and stared. I know he saw me, but he would not look directly at me. I suspect he had been cat napping in the snow and  perhaps my falling poles, or descending zipper noise told him he had company. He appeared startled. But he did not bolt.  I quickly yipped twice hoping to hold his attention: His glance at me could have been amusement or perhaps it was a look of disgust, “Hey stupid, I know you are not a coyote.”  But for the next 30 seconds we watched each other. He kept glancing around for reasons I do not know, and that encouraged me to do the same. I turned back around and with out even a goodbye, old yellow eyes melted magically back into the forest.  Note my use of “melted magically”.  If I was not a fan of wild things I would have said, “slinked sullenly”. But it will be a long time before I forgot our shared dance of observation, in a peaceful and raw moment of interactions. 

Coyote without Camera Zoom (Photo by Jonathan Schechter)

Jonathan Schechter, a naturalist and resident of Brandon Township with a passion for outdoor adventure and severe weather events writes a weekly hiking column for the Oakland Press. He lives on 11 acres with a rich mix of wildlife, meadows, woods and wetlands. He has a Master of Science Degree in Forest Resources from the U. of Washington and is an active member of the Wilderness Medical Society certified in Advanced Wilderness Life Support. His writings and nature photos reveal ways humans are subtly yet dynamically altering the behavior of wildlife leading to a corruption of nature’s way and wildlife behavior. Join his Earth Almanac blog as Jonathan shares thoughts on our natural world in Oakland County and beyond. Visit his blog, Earth’s Almanac. 

By Guest Blogger Tim Kornoelje

We stumbled on several blog posts by Jonathan Schechter on his Earth’s Almanac blog. We liked his articles so much that we are reprinting them here (with permission, of course). He wrote a series about his hiking through Sleeping Bear Dunes in winter. Winter in the dunes is magical and we are so pleased that Jonathan is sharing his experience.

By Jonathan Schechter of Earth’s Almanac

Looking north from Empire Bluff (Photo by Jonathan Schechter)

Superbowl Sunday found me far from a big screen TV at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at the very edge of Empire Bluff on a deep-snow trail 440 feet above the frigid waters of Lake Michigan.  A foggy sky and falling snow left me wondering what drives me to seek out moments like this.  I sat on the crest of the bluff watching a coyote far beneath  me and wondered if that coyote ever sensed danger from sand slides or snow avalanches. And at about that moment I reflected on a quote I read earlier in the Village of Empire defining nature lovers. The quote: “A nature lover is a person who when treed by a bear enjoys the views.”  I  relate to that and try to take unexpected events on trails in stride.  But that fails to explain why I sometimes “seek out the bear” so I may be ‘treed.’  Today I am ‘seeking out the bear’, for with the temperature slipping towards single digets, in  12  hours I will be in my tent in the forest not far from the Platte River in an ice-age terrain. The  black bears are in  hibernation, but I will hope for howls of coyotes and the night crackle of trees as I drift to sleep in my mummy bag.

And come dawn when I heat coffee over a wood fire and smile at the snowy woods I will wonder  if a wolf or a cougar I did not see or hear was aware of my presence, for these two predators are cryptically carving out their niche  in the wild lands of the sleeping bear — and the humans who want to be treed for the experience.

Looking South from Empire Bluff (Photo by Jonathan Schechter)

Jonathan Schechter, a naturalist and resident of Brandon Township with a passion for outdoor adventure and severe weather events writes a weekly hiking column for the Oakland Press. He lives on 11 acres with a rich mix of wildlife, meadows, woods and wetlands. He has a Master of Science Degree in Forest Resources from the U. of Washington and is an active member of the Wilderness Medical Society certified in Advanced Wilderness Life Support. His writings and nature photos reveal ways humans are subtly yet dynamically altering the behavior of wildlife leading to a corruption of nature’s way and wildlife behavior. Join his Earth Almanac blog as Jonathan shares thoughts on our natural world in Oakland County and beyond. Visit his blog, Earth’s Almanac.

By Guest Blogger Michael Thorton of VisitTraverseCity.com

We liked Michael Thorton’s January 3rd blog article so much that we asked him if we could post it on our Dune Bog.  Michael captures the magical winter experience of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Enjoy! (Blog article published with permission from VisitTraverseCity.com blog)

Skiers at Dunes Overlook (Courtesy of Mike Norton)

I’ve lived in the Traverse City area for more than 30 years, but the beauty of this region still has the power to amaze me. Last week, for instance, I spent a day hanging out at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a place I’ve visited many times in every season of the year. Still, I was stunned by how beautiful it can be in winter.

It was one of those perfect blue winter days, of course — with the sun shining down on the snow, the sand and the water, bringing out all the best of their colors. I could hardly bring myself to leave, even with the sun getting ready to set. I have to say that Sleeping Bear’s glacier-scoured landscape of ridges, bluffs, lakes, and islands is even more appealing clothed in snow than it is in other times of the year: a wild and primeval setting for skiers, snowshoers, anglers and campers.

Hikers along the top of the Dune Climb (Courtesy of Mike Norton)

Still, but because of its linear layout, most corners of Sleeping Bear are within a few miles of the highway. And many attractions and amenities remain open all year round – including the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire, where rangers and interpreters can give you a quick rundown on what’s happening.

The visitor center also has a small museum, bookstore and auditorium, and is open in the winter from 8:15 to 4 p.m. It’s also the place where you can join one of the park’s most enjoyable winter group activities: guided snowshoe hikes. On Saturdays and Sundays in January and February, park rangers lead groups in leisurely trips to some of Sleeping Bear’s most interesting winter features. (They even provide free snowshoes for those who don’t have their own.)

A Lone Lookout in the Frozen Dunes (Courtesy of Mike Norton)

But the best part about using snowshoes at Sleeping Bear is that you’re free to leave the trail system pretty much whenever you want. Because the park’s soils and vegetation are easily harmed, rangers are fairly strict with hikers during most of the year — but in winter the rules are much more relaxed, and snowshoeing is allowed on all snow-covered dunes, fields, and forests.

Cross-country skiing is probably the most popular winter sport in the Lakeshore, and the park has designated several trails for Nordic skiers, from relatively flat routes like Platte Plains, Windy Moraine, Good Harbor Bay and Bay View to challenging routes like the Old Indian and Alligator Hill trails. And although the Stocking Scenic Drive is closed to auto traffic for the winter, it’s open to skiers and snowshoers alike during the winter.

Unlike some parks, Sleeping Bear does not permit snowmobiles on land or on the surface of its frozen lakes. But ice fishing on those lakes is allowed, and many anglers find winter the most rewarding time of year to visit the Lakeshore. Fish aren’t the only wildlife that’s stirring in the park in winter, either — deer, coyote, fox, porcupines and otters are active and can sometimes be spotted more easily than in summer.

Walking the Shipwreck Trail near Glen Haven (Courtesy of Mike Norton)

That’s also true, strangely, of shipwrecks. Between 1835 and 1960 more than 50 ships sank offshore in the narrow strait known as the Manitou Passage; thanks to strong winds, many pieces of those long-ago wrecks wash ashore during the winter. Many beachcombers look for relics along what’s called the Shipwreck Trail, between the ghost port of Glen Haven and the shore south of Sleeping Bear Point.

An even more thrilling winter experience can be sampled at the famous Dune Climb near Glen Haven, where the Park Service allows sledding on the 260-foot face of the dune. It’s the only dune where such activities are allowed. (But bring your second-best sled — the combination of snow and windblown sand can be pretty gritty!)

Sledding at the Dune Climb (Courtesy of Mike Norton)

Michael Norton is the media relations director for the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau. A resident of Old Mission, he spends as much time as he can in the beautiful Northern Michigan outdoors. He is a regular blogger at www.traversecity.com.