Deb Haynes is hiking shore to shore

June 13, 2007

She’s Hiking
Shore-to-Shore
If you see Deb Hayes out hiking through the backwoods this summer, be sure to give her a shout-out: she’s hiking the Shore to Shore Trail from Empire to Oscoda.
A high school science teacher from Linden, Michigan, Deb is hiking across Michigan to raise money for cancer research. The trail is maintained by the Michigan Trail Riders Association. She’s leaving Empire on June 14 and expects to reach Lake Huron and Oscoda on July 3.
“My goal is to raise money to donate to cancer research through the American Cancer Society,” she says. “I have been planning this trip for almost a year. Some friends and family will accompany and support me by walking with me and transporting hikers to me. I will be backpacking the entire distance - some 224 miles. ‘
Hayes is seeking donations for her effort, with all funds going to the American Cancer Society. If you’d like to make a donation, you can contact her via email at debnort@charter.net.

Top Trails

Some top trails for hiking and backpacking in Northern Michigan this summer include:

• The Manistee River Trail: Offers a 30-some mile stretch running from M-131, north of Manton to just south of Buckley. You can expect to spend two nights out on this trail, with fabulous views from the Manistee River bluffs just south of Kingsley.

• Jordan River Valley Trail: It’s an 18-mile round-trip from the trailhead at Dead Man’s Hill near Alba. Fortunately, there’s a nice campsite located halfway through the route, giving you a good nine-mile hike in and out. Alternately, it’s possible to hike the whole trail in a single day if you’re in good shape. Or, you can fudge it a bit by hiking back from the campsite, down the road alongside the Jordan River for a 15-mile hike that skips the endless ups and downs of the longer hill route.

• Pigeon River Forest: If you’re a hard-core backpacker, you may wish to try the 80-mile High Country Pathway through the heart of Northern Michigan’s elk country. Lesser mortals may prefer the Shingle Mill Pathway, which takes the site of a long-gone lumber village and plenty of wildlife habitat with two nice campgrounds en route. The trailhead and a ranger station is located nine miles east of Vanderbilt off Sturgeon Valley Road.

• Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore: Easy does it here; it’s only a one-or-two mile hike to the backcountry campsite near the park’s vehicular campgrounds on the Platte River. Once you hike in, the feel of the place is as wild as anywhere in Northern Michigan, with a bonus being that a spectacular Lake Michigan beach is only a couple hundred yards away.