Smitten with the Mitten

Munising, MI
Elevation: 614 ft. 

Driving through the repeating farm fields of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana would have nearly killed me if it wasn’t for my aunt Rattana who joined me for the first leg of my trip. The mission was to get her home to Westfiled, IN. During the drive we passed through Cambridge, OH and I knew that I had to get a picture with the sign. This was the tiny “engineer-town” that my mom and dad lived in when they first got married. My dad worked at NCR (which has since closed its HQ here) which more or less breathed life into the tiny town and my mom was looking for work. What was humbling to me was just how small, desolate and utterly depressing the town was…I was born and raised in Fairfax, VA and, from around the time I was in Middle School, wanted nothing but to get out of there. Growing up in an upper-middle class family I could only see what was familiar to me - strip malls, indoor malls, outdoor malls, my schools and the highways linking my home to other cities and their malls. What is familiar becomes boring and yet, as I looked around Cambridge all I could think of was, “Damn, my parents lived here when they were about my age, worked their asses off and got themselves to Fairfax, built their business from the ground up and then birthed my brother and I”. Not in a million years would I have been able to accomplish as much as they have. I have always looked to Cambodia and DC as the roots of my father’s and mother’s struggles respectively. I always overlooked their struggles during those turbulent 20′s. Pulling out of Cambridge I had a new found respect for my parents as well as a new found motivation for becoming a stronger person.

Being with my Uncle and Aunt for two nights was really really what I needed. It gave me a chance to plan more of my trip, recover some sleep/ emotional stability as well as get to know them both more. I had always spent time with them during holidays but this was the first time being in their home and was I blown away at the hospitality that they showed me. I don’t think there is another person alive as accommodating as aunt Rattana! Never was there a moment where I didn’t have enough to eat, drink or do. And my uncle Viseth gave me some good advice. He told me that taking a trip like this was a big step for me as well as my parents because it was the first real time I was moving away. He told me that, as long as I took it slow and did it right, I would learn things and see things I would never have even thought of. And he’s been right so far. It’s only been 2 days since I left Indiana but it feels like forever.

The Michigan leg of the trip was my first time driving solo. Right off the bat I headed for Holland, MI. It was where I visited Laurie during her last semester at Hope College and it was a place that held a lot of good memories for me. For a long time I kept a picture of her with me of her standing with her back against the endless, white expanse of a frozen Lake Michigan. It was the same day that she took me around downtown Holland and showed me all of the little places she has learned to love during her years here. Parking in the park’s parking lot I took a deep breath - “Thank god I guessed the name right”. Walking across the wet sand I tried to find the place I took the picture over a year ago. The wind was just as strong as it was that day and surprisingly cold (something I quickly realized about Michigan - it’s like NoVa winter up here still). Looking at the lighthouses on the left and the mansions in the distance on the right I closed my eyes and settled on a spot. It funny how physical places can hold so much emotional energy, how associations, no matter how small, can be inextinguishable. We ended on a logical note. There was no wrong or right - we were both wrong and right. I told her that I had put so much of me into her and us that there was still a lot of me with her (tongue twister) and it still feels that way. The further I moved away from Virginia the tighter it seems my heartstrings pulled. I left my heart in Shenandoah but I am making new associations and I am learning something new everyday. Plus, hell, this is the farthest north I’ve ever been and I have always wanted to explore Michigan - before and after her. As I opened my eyes I realized there was a massive dump truck literally pouring dunes out of its ass. I hadn’t heard it pull up because of the intense wind but I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The beautiful frozen dunes I stood on that day as I held her tight and kissed her before Lake Michigan - was shit out by a dump truck the spring before. It helped me de-romanticize the memory. Not that there was anything wrong or untrue about our memories, not at all. It’s just that I needed to come to terms with the fact that they were different for the both of us. After a few more minutes I walked to the light houses and took some more pictures.

Up next was the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Just a brisk 3 hour drive up the western coast of the mitten. 3 hours of farms later I arrived at the bottom tip of the lakeshore. This would be, possibly, the most frustrating part of my Michigan trip so far. First off, Sleeping Bear Dunes is both the name of the major dunes (the ones I wanted to take a picture of) as well as the WHOLE lakeshore which was 65 miles long. It was my fault for not looking at Michigan’s shitty maps enough the night before and it was also my fault for counting on their signs being any better. I had started the day late and by the time I was at the lakeshore it was already starting to get dark. Both campsites that I planned on staying at were empty, unmanned and freezing. I quickly realized this was the wrong season to be in Michigan. Chalking it up to bad luck I decided to just find the dunes, snap a few shots and then head up to Traverse City for the night. Way too confident. I couldn’t even find the dunes, let alone any signs indicating a way to them. The only thing I saw were signs for a scenic drive and a dune climb. Seeing how dark it was I yelped the nearest motel and crashed for the night, I figured this was something that deserved to be seen and that I would regret completely passing over it. The next morning I went straight for the scenic road only to find it was closed for the season. Then I proceeded to waste nearly 2 hours following roads I saw on the map that lead to the shore only to find that they were private roads that led to nothing. Nearly giving up I decided to give the “dune climb” sign a try. Turns out it was a really beautiful little park, but it also turned out that there wasn’t just one tall ass dune, there were 3 or more. I got to the third one and I realized it was nearly 11 and the shore was no where to be seen. I had to concede or I would run out of daylight before finding somewhere to sleep. I had planned to be in the mid UP by the end of the day. All said and done, it was my fault for not researching well enough. And I did manage to get a decent shot of it all the same.

The destination was Macinaw City. Along the way I stopped at the little port town of Charlevoix. Perhaps one of the cutest little places I have ever seen complete with a little downtown, a drawbridge, a lighthouse and little old ladies crossing the street everywhere. I had lunch at the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station. What I liked about the town was that it was alive even during this tourist off-season. Proceeding ever northward the destination was a port city at the very tip of the mitten advertised as full of life, history and people dressed in colonial garbs. What I got was a cold, deserted city filled with construction and poverty. Again, I should have researched it. I drove to a small park and sat on a concrete turtle and stared out into Lake Huron. Lord Huron is a band near and dear to my heart. Their music represents adventure, love and bravery. I had been anticipating this moment for a long time - the moment where I would be standing in between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It was wonderful. Helped me regain my positivity. I realized that I needed to r-e-l-a-x. As I climbed back into Rhyhorn I blasted “Meet Me in the Woods” and throttled it for Sault Ste Marie.

It has been a big dream of mine to visit the UP (what’s with all of my dreams of visiting Michigan?). Right off the bat I was greeted by easily the most chill tollbooth guy ever. He was a long-haired native american wearing a worn out henley and beads around his neck. We vibed each other out during the 30 second transaction. I told him I was driving up from Virginia and he responed, “That’s a good drive man! Enjoy the UP man!”. I felt like he would have jumped in shotgun and not looked back if I offered. Driving in the UP is tricky. True to it’s wild reputation, there aren’t that many roads considering how expansive the land is. And all the forest you see along these tiny, two-laned roads are actually continuous, most of which are either national forest or state protected forest. It was really beautiful but really hard to stay awake on. Another thing is that there is so much to do in the UP off of these roads but they aren’t advertised well. After I arrived at Sault Ste Marie I was confronted with yet another seasonally dead town. The only differences was this time it was colder and it was getting dark. I made the decision to quickly snap some shots of the famous Soo Locks (god damn you Jickling I made it!) and then to head out to Munising. There I would spend the night at a hotel, rest up and plan for the rest of the UP tomorrow.

Oh I forgot to mention, about 10 minutes in I got pulled over by a cop. Apparently two-laned roads are 55 and are never 70. I had gotten used to the Michigan signs always saying 70 for car, 60 for trucks. As soon as I realized a cop car was approaching me on the other side it was too late. They are painted this ambiguous, pastel blue color and have a single, tiny red light on top. They are also Ford Explorer’s which, in my opinion, are mom cars. Anyways, the officer was extremely kind and I had a whole winter’s worth of treadmill running and watching North Woods Law and Alaska State Trooper to know that, in general, they aren’t trying to give you a hard time and would generally treat you well if you treated them well. I had a clean record, this being only the second time I was ever pulled over (first one being cause a new sign popped up in town that didn’t allow people to turn on red but so many people got pulled over for it they ended up dismissing it) and I was from out of state doing a road trip. I turned on that friendly “Chris So” charm and got away with a verbal warning as well as some tips on great places to hike and visit in Munising.

All in all. I am alive, I have a warm bed to sleep in, I have gas in the truck and a complimentary breakfast in the morning. I have, in these short 4 days, already learned so much. There are countless things to learn and discover once you step out of your comfort zone and take a leap of faith. But above all, learn to be grateful.

Until the next update,

Chris

P.S. Happy Earth Day!

It’s been too long since I’ve last written my thoughts here. So much has happened since my last entry. Perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say its been an “avalanche” of positivity and change. It all started when I packed my life into a 90L duffel, grabbed my pack and my guitar and headed out for the north for my cousin’s wedding. I knew right then and there that I had finally taken the first steps of an exciting adventure. The trip up north through NJ, RI and MA was everything that I could have asked for. I got to see family from all over the world colliding in the humble houses of my New England family. Aunts and Uncles that took care of my brother and I during our stay in France, cousins all the way from Oregon that I only got to see on facetime and Christmas and Cambodian relatives that took us all over Cambodia helping my father find the home he grew up in all collided and it was a surreal moment. The power of a family that stops at nothing comes together is unlike anything else in this world. The house was so crowded that I simply set up camp in the backyard for the whole week. I slept at 10 and woke at 6 to the fresh New England air (yes, it is different) and the sound of wild turkeys (and sprinklers) - it was perfect. The best part of the wedding, hands down, had to be when my cousin and her husband walked out onto the stage to begin their first dance and, instead of having “Ho Hey” played by the DJ, all of my cousins and I ran onto the stage guitar, ukulele and pill bottle filled with golf tees a-blazin’ and sang them the whole song. She was in tears by the first chorus. I don’t mean to be overly sentimental but I think I almost cried playing that guitar haha. After a few delicious Samuel Adams later, a whole lot of dancing and quite a bit of street cred with the cute Boston College white girls, the night drifted away into the misty air. And just like that woke up the next morning at 5am, broke down my tent, packed my car, hugged my family tightly and headed straight for Front Royal, VA.

Just like that I found myself in a small town swallowed by the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by the new faces of whom would become some of the best people I’ve ever met (don’t let that get to your heads guys). Those who’ve followed this blog from day one know exactly how hard I’ve been working to get to SMSC and that first night just standing in the middle of my empty dorm I most definitely cried like a little girl. It’s one thing to get an email saying you’ve been accepted to a program but it’s an entirely different thing waking up in the morning, looking across a beautiful campus and seeing the mountains. It’s only been 3 short weeks but I have already been overwhelmed with huge amounts of kindness, learning and adventure. Right off the bat I made a good friend and fellow adventurer named Tyler Robic and hit the AT the morning of our first class. Things pretty much took off after that. There is no short of being in the great outdoors here. The massive campus is gated but so large that it contains its own forest and it’s own pesky population of white-tailed deer. Our day-to-day are a perfect balance of in-class theory/policy and fieldwork and data collection outside in the SMSC campus or on surrounding farms and research centers. There are no words to describe how good it feels to get my hands back in the earth and my mind back in the classroom. For so long I have been yearning to be productive - to have a direction and goal to work towards. The limbo of unemployment and the cutting knife of rejection have made me a humble and grateful man. The people here are good people to say the least. The staff are the kindest, most down to earth professors I’ve ever met. I forget sometimes that I am surrounded my PhD’s and leaders in conservation - they are all so fun and real to talk to. My classmates are from all over the place (OR, CA, MI/NY, VA) and are quite an eclectic mix of people. There is no end, I mean NO END, to the bonding, laughs and adventures we share. I have to admit that even though it’s just week 3 I already kind of miss them all…My knowledge base of ecology and conservation biology is slowly increasing and I am starting to work out parts of my brain that I forgot that I had. I am also making sure to write down all of the street cred that I get from volunteering/ working with the researchers here and I am nursing a beef jerky addiction. Needless to say, there is so much to experience here and this blog will be seeing much more of it before the end of these 4 months.

Finally, I had the opportunity to attempt to hike the Roaring Plains circuit in Davis, WV this past weekend. When they say that West Virginia is the wild and the wonderful they are not kidding. It’s like going back in time every time I suit up and head out there. John Denver was right, life is old there and things take on the air of a simpler yesterday. To put it lightly, the hike was brutal. It opened up with a small field of wild flowers but quickly led to a misty, pine-filled climb along the ridgeline of the mountain. For several hours we climbed upwards across slippery rocks and fairly deep streams - the whole time envisioning the breathtaking plains sprawling in the wind. We eventually reached a fire road that would, in 1 mile, finally put us at the Roaring Plains trail. It was along this calm respite that we realized that we were running low on time and daylight. If my buddy Zach was to get back at home by 2000 we would need to turn around by 1630 latest. Needless to say we began a frantic trail run into the woods. At about 1600 we stopped for lunch and the turn-around. We never made it to the plains but we were 4000ft. up, surrounded my pines and could kind of see the peaks of the Allegheny in the distance - we were satisfied. These were some of my favorite people and I appreciated just being able to get out here. They met up with me 830 that morning outside of Front Royal’s only Target. They drove an hour to get there and the hugs and back slaps were something I really needed. These were guys that, only half a year ago, were complete strangers working with me at REI. Over a couple of hikes and many many fun days at work, they became my good friends. And here we were, Sean holding down the fort at REI, Zach working hard at Enterprise and me going back to school to save the world one tree at a time. It’s cliche but it certainly wasn’t the destination this time but rather the journey and who I made it with. We pretty much ran the rest of the way back home, piled into Zach’s car shirtless, ran over my glasses and blasted Led Zepplin all the way home - it was just as I missed. We will certainly attempt Roaring Plains again in the future, our campaign to press westward won’t stop for anything.

All in all that’s everything that’s been happening lately, in a nutshell and in only 10 photos. Life is strange, that much I know. Sometimes you are drowning in a endless sea of lost hope, and sometimes you are snowboarding down an avalanche of positivity and change. Everyday is an adventure that has just begun and you just need to get yourself out of bed, strap up your boots and make life TAP. 

Here’s to never giving up and trekking on.

Chris

"I knew right then and there that I had finally taken the first steps of an exciting adventure."

"The house was so crowded that I simply set up camp in the backyard for the whole week."

"She was in tears by the first chorus."

"Just like that I found myself in a small town swallowed by the Blue Ridge mountains surrounded by the new faces of whom would become some of the best people I've ever met."

"It's one thing to get an email saying you've been accepted to a program but it's and entirely different thing waking up in the morning, looking across a beautiful campus and seeing the mountains."

"My classmates are from all over the place (OR, CA, MI/NY, VA) and are quite an eclectic mix of people. There is no end, I mean NO END, to the bonding, laughs and adventures we share."

"There are no words to describe how good it feels to get my hands back in the earth and my mind back in the classroom."

"Needless to say we began a frantic trail run into the woods."

"At about 1600 we stopped for lunch and the turn-around."

"It's cliche but it certainly wasn't the destination this time but rather the journey and who I made it with."

     Yesterday I had the opportunity to adventure through the northern area of Dolly Sods, WV with my brother in adventure, Sean Lacey. The 13 mile hike was part of a plan of ours to slowly expand our adventures westward, and let me tell you, it was a hell of a first experience. The beautiful wilderness area was nested in the Allegheny mountains and had a variety of terrain and began as a beautiful westward descent towards the center of the valley. We hiked through sprawling fields of low grasses, sporadic conifers, clusters of boulders and fields of blueberries. In the distance we could see a dense forest of evergreens awaiting us. The valley has had a history of war and logging which could be easily seen in the lush forest floors which were densely covered in ferns and new growth. It was as if we were walking through prehistoric times. The cool forest gave way to bright, rocky fields (I deduce this is when we obtained the majority of our sunburn). For a few miles there was no cover but we could tell we were quickly approaching Rocky Knob by the increasing number of boulders as well as the occasional trail maker (Dolly Sods didn’t have a blazed trail leaving us to the mercy of hikers past). Upon reaching the first large rock face (which we presumed to be Rocky Knob) we could see other, larger rock faces in the distance. Fast-forward two more knobs and we reached what we believed to be THE Rocky Knob mentioned in the literature. Throughout the hike we recorded time and elevation at each trail intersection and made sure to note the first two knobs as Tallywacker Knob #1 and #2 respectively. At the base of the peak we set up shop and rehydrated. Once our food had cooked we took our meals up to the top and enjoyed a well-earned lunch and a breathtaking view. I took the opportunity to photograph the surrounding landscape as well as some candids of Sean. Lately I’ve found that I am relying on my iPhone 4s more and more as my primary camera (I can see all of my photography professors cringing). With these hikes getting more technical/beautiful the opportunity is starting to outweigh the quality and I am reaching for my phone rather than unpacking my bulky DSLR. In my opinion, the app VSCOCAM (http://vsco.co/vscocam) is an invaluable partner on these hikes. It’s photo quality is much higher than the stock camera app and its editing capabilities are everything that I need (except I could use a brightness/fill light option) to take quality images. The only photos in this entry taken with my DSLR are the ones watermarked. Anyways, photographic aside aside, I really owe a lot to Sean Lacey. Over the past months he has become a close friend, a valued teacher and a irreplaceable  adventure companion. Aside from basic survival and navigation, he has shown me how to truly live a simple and honest life. He has helped me gain so much experience with the outdoors and has made me a much more capable and confident hiker. Once we finished our meals we prepared for the stretch back home. To do this we essentially needed to complete the second half of the rectangular hike which included more than 4 different intersecting trails, all of which weren’t marked. We had roughly 5 or so hours of sunlight left. The trouble really began with finding our way back to the main trail from the knob. What we took as the main trail was actually the first of many bushwacked trails we would accidentally follow and it took us almost 30 minutes to navigate the confusing terrain. Once we were on the main trail we hiked until we found ourselves in a earthy, red forest. Our biggest error happened when we miscalculated the distance between two intersections on our map and mistakenly thought we were much further ahead then we were. We crossed the river and met a man setting up camp with his dog. We knew that we needed to hike north and cross a second river but the trail and map weren’t lining up. The terrain features quickly became ambiguous and the trail completely disappeared into campground. We eventually came across a woman filtering water and crossed the river there. We completely lost the trail at this point and only had 2.5 hours of sunlight left with well over 6 miles to go - it was going to turn into a night hike. We gave up on the trail and began bushwacking northward until we found yet another stream - this was the giveaway that we were terribly off course. As it would turn out we were surrounded by the stream and needed to u-turn. Crossing the stream again and hiking through thick trees we found the man setting up his tent again and he happily shouted out, “Deja-vu!” which is the last thing any hiker wants to hear when they are lost. He helped us get back on track and we eventually found the trail indicator we needed. With less than an hour of sunlight left and 5 or so miles to go we rehydrated and prepared our headlamps. We would be approaching the bog part of our hike, in which there were of course 2 very crucial intersections, in the dark. To my luck we had a mile worth of bog before the sun set so I was able to figure out the best way to step through them - there is no best way to step through them. By 21:00 we were hiking in complete darkness across the center of the massive valley through swamp grass, thick mud and invisible streams - I was pretty damn scared and completely out of water. The only thing letting us know we were going the right direction was the fact that the mud we were walking through didn’t have grass and the notion that it and must have been formed by hikers. By 22:00 we were on dry land again and ascending up a cool rocky path. I knew we were close to home. Call me over dramatic but I shouted for joy when I shined my PD22 up the trail and a license plate and 2 rear lights reflected back - we had found the damn parking lot. 

Here’s to strapping up your boots and going for it.

Trek On,

Chris

"In the distance we could see a dense forest of evergreens awaiting us."

"It was as if we were walking through prehistoric times."

"For a few miles there was no cover but we could tell we were quickly approaching Rocky Knob by the increasing number of boulders as well as the occasional trail marker."

"Fast-forward two more knobs and we reached what we believed to be THE Rocky Knob mentioned in the literature."

"Aside from basic survival and navigation, he has shown me how to truly live a simple and honest life."

"At the base of the peak we set up shop and rehydrated."

"Once our food had cooked we took our meals up to the top and enjoyed a well-earned lunch ad a breathtaking view."

"Once we were on the main trail we hiked until we found ourselves in a earth, red forest."

"Crossing the stream again and hiking through thick trees we found the man setting up his tent again and he happily shouted out, "Deja-vu! which is the last thing any lost hiker wants to hear."

"To my luck we had a mile worth of bog before the sun set so I was able to figure out the best way to step through them - there is no best way to step through them." 

     Earlier this week I had the fortune to hike Big Schloss (Great North Mountain) with my good friend, Sean Lacey. Hands down the 13 mile hike was definitely the most beautiful and rewarding hike I’ve done so far. It took about 7 hours to get to the summit but the weather was cool and forgiving and the switchbacks gradual and calm. We only took about 3 breaks and the first one was at a beautiful overlook of West Virginia. A preview of the amazing scene at the top. One thing I have to say about this trail is that it definitely was the most varied trail I have ever hiked. And by varied I mean there where times where I felt we were on a beautiful, rainy pacific northwest mountainside, entering the African savanna, walking through a Narnia of thorns and bees and crossing the abyss of a himalayan mountain. At the summit of the mountain was the most beautiful view I’ve seen to date. From where I sat I could see the intersections of the blue ridge and Appalachian mountains. To my left was Virginia and to my right was West Virginia. To imagine that I was sitting at the single, measurable, physical point marking the end of the trail on my map was something so mind-blowing and surreal to me. My mind is always moving through frames of relativity and perspective (it’s just the way I see things) and I was simply humbled. I fall in love with these mountains each time I hike. As icing on top of the cake, Sean used his pocket rocket (http://www.rei.com/product/660163/msr-pocket-rocket-backpacking-stove) to cook us up a well-deserved lunch of chicken teriyaki and mango chicken with rice. While he did that I adventured around the summit with my DSLR geeking out the gear junkie side of mine. I have to say, my PAG240-1 Pathfinder (http://www.rei.com/product/805931/casio-pathfinder-pag240-1-multifunction-watch) really pulled through. It not only gave accurate compass bearings but it correctly measured our final elevation at a 2,920 ft. Ok, the company-man side of me aside, and my rambling under control, the hike is definitely a hike I will be doing again. A life spent outdoors traveling, learning and experiencing the simple pleasures is a life I am working on achieving and these are the kind of pushes I need to get there. Here’s to chasing your dreams one mountain at a time.

Trek On,

Chris 

"From where I sat I could see the Intersections of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains. To my left was Virginia and to my right was West Virginia."

"Sean used his pocket rocket to cook us up a well-deserved lunch of chicken teriyaki and mango chicken with rice."

"It not only gave accurate compass bearings but it correctly measured our final elevation at 2,920ft.."

"And by varied I mean there were times where I felt we were in a beautiful, rainy pacific northwest mountainside."

"Entering the African Savanna."

"Walking through a Narnia of thorns and bees."

"Crossing the abyss of a himalayan mountain."

These signs kept us going!

I'm a sucker for texture.

"We only took about 3 breaks and the first one was at a beautiful overlook of West Virginia."