Beavers Make a Dam Mess

A few weeks ago while on an overnight hike my brother and I stopped to admire the handiwork of some furry little engineers.

While we were initially amazed at the pond that the beavers had created we were more than a little bummed when we discovered that their calculations were just a little off in determining how much area they would flood with their project.

The next section of the North Country Trail was flooded as a result of their dam. What a mess. In order to keep our shoes dry for the rest of hte hike we had to "ford the river" barefooted. 

After drying our feet we stopped to check out the area below the dam that continued to flow. To our suprise there were fish making their way up to spawn. 

Once their business is done the fish expire and give themselves over to help sustain other creatures of the forest. It is such a beautiful little drama.

More on the remainder of our hike later.

-j

 

A hot September afternoon on the Huron

I've lived in Ann Arbor for just over three years. In that time I have made numerous trips to the closest section of the Huron River to to try my hand at catching whatever would bite. I was never impressed with the mutants that I was pulling out; rock bass with white eyes, all-black bluegills, and other varying offerings that I refer to only as "panfish." Due to the many dams on the Huron I regarded it as a few long, slow-moving, oligotrophic lakes strung together that could only support halfbreeds and muttfish.

But this summer I found out that people catch some sizable carp on the Huron. The sub/ counterculture of carp fishermen deserves a post of its own. Pictures of people landing 10 lbs + carp not far from where I live got me super stoked. I picked up appropriate tackle, but the season's best time coincided with my last set of law school finals. Needless to say, my dreams of horsing in copper-colored softmouths yielded to the necessity of my school duties.

Fast forward a few weeks: I'm done with law school for good (graduation in a week and a half). Now, barring preparation for the Bar Exam (honestly, not a pun) my free time is truly free time. Today I put some of my free time to good use: I gave the Huron another shot.

I'm very glad that I made a serious effort to find a fishable portion of the Huron. It will give me one more resource to call on when I need a reprieve. We caught many Bluegill, a few smallmouths and quite a few decent-size rock bass. There were no trophy fish willing to suck up our flies but they were out there, in the water... and that will keep me coming back.

You get that Chernobyl Hopper little man!

Carp carp everywhere and me with my little 6 wt. Next time.

Hunter with his prize of the day.

J.

Whippy whip.

Loooong week, super tired, lots of hard work and all that stuff.

In other good news I finally got to pick up my new Forester this evening.

Snazzy guy with a clean car. Super pumped to have found such a good home for the our older friend, and happy beyond words to be in the new ride.

What I do.

6-speed, nice smooth ride, ample window space, factory rack, functional ground clearance.... oh yeah and some nice creature comforts inside. Will do some pics and description a little later.

Taking it to the Ann Arbor Art Fair tomorrow and on a quick fishing trip Sunday.

Verdict so far: love it.

J

I wish.

J

As the panfish see it.

Holy hiatus! I have been off this guy for months. Oh well. Law school is ending and I will soon have more time to pursue other things, namely ride my bike, study for the bar and write on the old blog.

I have soooooo many new pieces of gear to write about that it is not even funny and many upcoming trips to go on. Goodness, it is going to be a whirlwind fall. Well, my case books beckon for four more weeks. The end is nearing.

Until my time loosens up expect sporadic posts filled mostly pictures. Speaking of pictures here are a few taken with my Olympus Stylus Tough 8010. Enjoy.

J

Spring Golden Hour

"Bullfrog Pond"

Lower Peninsula Splendor

"Beauty and the Beast"

We must go West.

While on my way out west I flew over the Rockies. It was the first time that I have ever been out that way. I felt very small and insignificant. I think that in the near future I need to go see them in person.

I want to stand at the base of a real mountain and look up.

Freshly brined dirt roads

Got back from California and decided to go out for a nice 27 miler on the local dirt roads.

Met with Hunter on Friday and headed out. In spite of a nasty headwind that seemed to synch up with each of our turns it was a great way to jump back onto the fitness wagon.

Thanks Hunter for the companionship and the Washtenaw county road commission for brining the roads. Nice and smooth, just like I like it.

J.

Sharks

Last week we went to anaheim, the to long beach and we were shark and ray petters.

It was awesome.

J.

Human Hot Pocket

I have been slacking in the reading department. But my increased gym time is allowing me time to catch up a bit.

While reading the Survival Edition of Backpacker I came across one of my greatest fears; the possibility of becoming a human hot pocket. For years I have thanked the powers that be every time I wake up in the morning in my sleeping bag intact.

I am talking about a situation like this: you are sleeping in the deepest slumber, fresh air is filling your lungs, the stress of the workweek drifts out your tent vents in a gentle night breeze. All of the sudden you snap out of your dreamworld to a musky smell and some grunting. This is a situation that I call the human hot pocket because that is essentially what become to a hungry bear looking to fix his midnight case of the munchies.

According to Backpacker, in the event that this happens to you you should thrash around to alert your camping partners and start fighting back... good luck.

Make sure your smelly stuff is in proper storage containers, watch for scat and if you are really afraid, put some raw meat in your friend's tent just in case... unless it's my tent.

John

(This is not a bear, but it has the potential to be equally terrifying)

Poor little guy

Off-season reading

Make sure that you are all taking time to bone up on and hone in your skills in order to stay safe during the warmer months.

I personally prefer mushroom and other wild edibles books.

In my eyes, the next best thing to actually being outside and enjoying nature is kicking back and reading a good book. I am currently in the middle of the Nick Adams Stories by Hemingway; great stories that are largely based in northern Michigan.

What are you reading?

J

Winter Commute

Monday brought a few new inches of snow. Luckily for me, I had to go out and about on my bike. I am currently running some skinny tires but that did not stop me from having fun. In fact it lead to a couple of loose corners which I rather enjoy.

Work with what you have right?

J

EMS Ice Climbing guide.

Thank you EMS for this handy guide.

Hopefully someday I will get to try some ice climbing and this guide will be of some use. Until then.

J

Baiku 1

The sound of dirt roads

Farmer's fields line the roadway

Morning done just right

Well, there you have it baiku number 1. Baiku you say? What is that? Well, I'll tell you, it's a bike-themed haiku. 5-7-5. Hopefully I can come up with more as things roll on. Sometimes rolling around on two wheels can make you feel brilliant.

J

Progress

I have posted this little guy before, but today he is a bit more symbolic than before. Progress, no matter how slow, is progress. 

Keep moving my friends.

J

Is this really January in Michigan?

Bare fields all around.

This downtube should have ice caked on it, not sticky mud...

Why am I able to cruise down these backroads without spinning out and sliding all over the place...

Something was way wrong in these pictures. January in Michigan, come on Mitten, hit me with some snow.

J

Ending 2012

Twenty-twelve was pretty jam-packed, so much so that this blog was mildly neglected. I was constantly running and trying to get as much out of each day as possible.

I built up a new mountain bike and a new commuter/ dirt road warrior, started brewing beer, survived another year of law school and built a rockwall.

Unfortunately, I did not get very many hikes in. Aside from the trip to Kentucky I think that I got 9 or 10 real hikes in. With that in mind I was determined to finish 2012 strong. That meant a trip to Old Baldy. 

In the spring I am going to bring my tripod out here to get a crisp shot of the dunes leading up to Elberta because none of my shots turned out satisfactorily.

Even though the picture quality is not perfect, the subject matter is second to none.

Osprey Daylite: C's new quick pack. Hopefully she gets to use it more in 2013!

As for goals in the new year, mine is very simple: More Everything, and make the most of everything.

Today: workout, juice, mountain bike, read for school... nap?

-J