Jennifer and I spent parts of two days hiking in the great outdoors. One day brought more to us than we had bargained for, and the other day could not have been more perfect. Generally, the woods and I would not mix, but I was more than willing to go along to make memories with Jennifer. My perspective would soon change as the Upper Peninsula offered the possibility of wildlife I never wanted to come face-to-face with, but I will get to that soon enough. The day started out with a casual boat tour of the Soo Locks. Then we had to drive westward to get to Tahquamenon Falls. The original plan was to start at the Upper Falls and hike an eight-mile loop to the Lower Falls and back. Everything was going great; we were snapping pictures and taking it all in. The path terrain changed, and that signified the hike had begun. Since it had just rained, it was mostly mud, and I was more concerned about getting my shoes dirty (typical me). We were about two miles in when I was admiring the birds chirping and the leaves rustling. Jennifer made a joke about how it was good because if we stopped hearing the chirps, we knew we were in trouble. I could not imagine why that would be a problem, but I figured it out in ten short minutes. The woods fell completely silent, so quiet, it was deafening. The only sound to break the silence was a growl. My gut immediately told me to turn around and get out while we still could, but against my better judgment, I followed Jennifer deeper into the woods. With a few more steps, I turned to my right and saw the bear cub who had just let out a call to its mother. This was when we knew we had to get out. At this point, we remained calm and were focused on getting out. (I was still hung up on my shoes being ruined.) Pounding footsteps, large branches being snapped, and a couple more grizzly growls came from behind us. Jennifer looked behind to me to see if I was coming, and that was when the mama bear appeared on the trail. Common sense went by the wayside, and we ran like mad to get out. Running is not something I ever do, but I managed to run those two miles and get back to safety in less than twenty minutes. The potential of bear encounters are always possible in the Upper Peninsula, but I never thought we would see two and be so close to them. Needless to say, we drove to the Lower Falls, and the drive provided us the opportunity for our blood pressures to balance out. Since our day hiking did not go as planned, we set out to have a nice, calm hike another day. We stayed in Mackinaw City and went to Mill Creek Discovery Park. Here, we zip-lined and went rock-wall climbing before we set out for, what I would call a nature hike. The path was clearly labeled, with information plaques of wildlife and plants. This four-and-a-half-mile hike was redemption for the prior day’s adrenaline rush. Jennifer and I loved seeing plants we had never seen before and hearing the sounds of animals we usually do not hear at home. We traded bears for chipmunks this day, and that was about all I could handle after our close encounter. A lookout point, high above the forest canopy, gave a panoramic view of the city, lake, and over to the island. Having a clear viewpoint in the great outdoors of northern Michigan was good for the soul. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2016
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