Goodbye, 2016

This year was a year of change and adventure in our household. We traveled all over the United States and Canada, we moved to a tiny bush village in Alaska, and we learned to live our lives intentionally as a married couple. Much like I did in 2015, I'd like to take this first post of the year to reflect on my favorite moments from the last twelve months.

January... The beginning of 2016 brought big snows to our little island in Lake Michigan. Cody and I enjoyed a couple of well deserved snow days, and we celebrated by getting some much needed r&r and fitting in a couple of hiking adventures. Beaver Island was picturesque in the snow and provided a peaceful retreat on those breaks from school.

February... The weather in February took a nasty turn and it seemed to be endless weeks of temperatures just above freezing. We tried our best to get out and enjoy ourselves as a way to fight off the winter blues that are so common in the north. Thankfully, the dogs kept us outside often and our awesome island friends kept us busy by going out on the town.

March... Unseasonably warm springtime weather crept into northern Michigan in early March and stuck around for awhile. The snow completely melted and it was warm enough that the dogs happily took a dip in Lake Michigan.  We also got to get out and hike Little Sand Bay Nature Preserve, which is one of our favorite short hikes on Beaver Island.

April... At the beginning of April, Cody and I officially made the announcement that we would be returning to Alaska. I had been feverishly interviewing with potential districts for two weeks leading up to our decision.  While we were sad to be leaving our island life, we were stoked for the adventure unfolding before us.

May... One of my favorite trips of the year occurred this month. My sister, after living the last three years in Hawaii, had moved to Virginia (just outside of DC) and I was able to travel to see her for spring break. I had an absolute blast spending quality time with my nieces, sightseeing in Washington DC, and exploring a new state.

June... Our last month on Beaver Island was fairly stressful as we wrapped-up housing, jobs, and said goodbye to friends that we'd grown to love and cherish over the last two years. We did our best to find some time to enjoy life though because the weather was stellar. My aunt and cousins came to visit two weeks before our move and we had a blast kayaking around the inland lakes, watching sunset on the beach, and just hanging around.

July... July was a complete whirlwind. We crammed in as much family time as we could before heading off on our Alaska-Canada Highway (ALCAN) adventure. We left Michigan in mid-July and spent weeks camping our way through some truly spectacular places.

August... As July turned into August we found ourselves still on the road. We traveled to Banff and Jasper National Parks for the first time and were in awe of the views. We also flew to our little village for the first time and I took off for the most incredible teacher inservice ever. Our inservice included flying to a remote wilderness lodge, learning to fly fish, and collaborating with some truly awesome educators.

September... In September we started really settling into life in our village. We began learning to subsistence fish and we frequently went berry picking on the tundra. By the end of the month, our freezer was stocked with 50+ fillets of wild caught salmon and bags and bags of frozen blackberries, blueberries, and cranberries.

October... We started feeling very "home" in the village this month. We hosted two potlucks in October at the school and learned to make aqutak (eskimo ice cream). I also traveled to King Salmon for another teacher inservice late in the month.  While at inservice, I was able to take a class on skin sewing and learned to make fur mittens.

November... Even though our first snowfall was a month earlier, November was truly a month of beautiful fall weather and colors. This was my first experience with the tundra changing colors, and it was absolutely stunning to watch. I also tried to spend more time doing photography with my nice camera, which helped me capture some cool shots.

December... As we wrapped up the year, we began enjoying true Alaskan winter weather. We saw temperatures in the -20's and snow fell more often than not. The students put on a cute holiday performance and then we released them for three weeks. Cody and I decided to stay in Alaska for the holidays, only traveling to Anchorage for a few days near New Years. It was the perfect ending to a busy year.

With all of that said, I am more than ready to start another year of adventures. 2017 is already proving to be a big year for The Middle(tons) of Nowhere. Stay tuned for new adventures and changes as the year begins! 

Your turn...What were some of the highlights of your year? 

Currently listening to... Shenandoah - Trampled by Turtles 

Things to Do on Beaver Island: Little Sand Bay

Beaver Island is a downright mystery to most people.  They ask where I live and when I reply the responses range from…

"Are there beavers there?" to "Never heard of it."  to "Why?!?!"

I thought that if I started doing a Things to Do on Beaver Island segment of my blog people might be a little less confused…or not, whatever works. You'll probably notice that most of these things involve just (insert outdoor activity here) around in nature.  Honestly, that's just the majority of what there is to do here.  There are a few community events sprinkled throughout the year, but nothing super crazy.  For all of you outdoor enthusiasts though, it's a paradise!

Little Sand Bay Preserve is one of my favorite hikes on the island. Right past the airport there is a two-track trail that you can drive your car down.  A sign marks it for what it is. You drive a little ways back into the fields, but don't worry your car won't get stuck.  Another old, painted sign shows where to park.  I've never seen any other people out here hiking, so I don't imagine you'll be fighting for parking ever.  Next to the parking is an awesome abandoned house.  The house is from the original Mormon settlers on the island.

The trail is mostly a dirt path in the beginning and you'll traverse through some tall dune grass and abundant apple trees (feel free to snack).  The trail then heads into a winding, swamp-like section of the island.  Boardwalks dot the trail to help with the high water in some spots. It is very mossy with lots of fallen trees, which makes it seem like the Pacific Northwest or SE Alaska for a stretch.  Finally, the trees part and you are out on a huge, sandy beach with endless wildflowers.  It's pretty stunning to walk out of this dark and wooded trail only to be blinded by Lake Michigan. 

This trail comes highly recommended by me, especially if you are wanting a look into the islands many ecosystems.  It is also a popular birding trail and beavers are often seen building in the swamps, which is very cool!

Your turn…What are some of your favorite beach trails?

Currently listening to…New Slang - The Shins

Rosy Mound Natural Area

Rosy Mound is a park in Ottawa County that is comprised of huge dunes, heavily forested areas, and long stretches of pristine Lake Michigan beach. The walk is moderately strenuous due to 1,000+ feet of stairs and dunes that you have to climb and meander along as you hike.  It is only .7miles from the parking lot to the beach access (one way), but if you want a little more length to your hike you can do the 3 mile loop instead.

We chose to do the 3 mile loop with a few stops thrown into the mix. Lake Michigan was the warmest I've felt it all year, which meant my toes needed to be submerged as much as possible.  The hike was very fun and we (luckily) caught it on a slow day.  It was overcast and not too hot, so most people weren't doing a ton of swimming.  You can hike Rosy Mound and set up your beach stuff for the day on one of the two beach access points.  The beach was nice and clean here, so it would probably be a great place to spend the day.  Plus, there were two very nicely maintained public restrooms, which is always a positive.

Overall,  we really like this scenic hike and I would recommend it to others looking for a fun way to spend the day. The views are spectacular and the hike is actually decently strenuous due to all of the ups and downs the dunes cause. The only negative to hiking here is that the county collects a parking fee of $7/day (only during peak season).  I'm still used to Alaska where all of the parks and hiking trails are free.  Plus, $7 to complete an hour long hike seems a little steep, in my opinion. I think I'll mostly stick to hiking there in the October-April season.  I've heard it's absolutely beautiful there in the fall when the colors are changing.  Maybe we'll head back in October and get some new pics!

Your turn…How do you feel about paying to hike? 
Currently listening to…October-Tunng

Mt. Baldhead

Mt. Balhead is a cool, little spot in SW Michigan where you can climb 282 steps to the top of a dune.  At the top of that dune, there is an old WWII radar tower and some great hiking trails.  As a kid I LOVED "climbing the mountain" when we came to this area for vacation.  I remember racing to the top (my stamina was much better at the age of eight) and not-so patiently waiting for everyone else to climb to the top.

These days, this is a spot that I like to go to workout because the climb itself is intense.  The stairs are steep and there are kind of a lot of them.  Once you get to the top I would recommend checking out the trails.  The lookout point at the top is pretty fantastic, but the view from the trails is waaaay better.  The trails are nice and they wind through the top of the dune and some heavily wooded areas.

On the other side of the trees you will break into a great dune overlook.  From this spot, you can climb down the dune and enter Oval Beach (FOR FREE) and enjoy a dip in the water.

If you're just there for the workout I would highly recommend climbing to the bottom of the dune and back up again (on the sand side), then trekking back on the trail to the first scenic overlook and heading back down the 282 stairs to the parking lot.  It makes for a seriously sweaty trip, which is why I don't see anything wrong with sneaking down to Lake Michigan for a dip before heading back up the dune :)

Your turn…What whacky places do you like to workout?
Currently listening to…Paris - Grace Potter