Filled with campgrounds and more than
half of the 80-mile High Country Pathway,
the Pigeon River State Forest offers
hikers a playground unlike any other
found in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. On
a trip to the area I encountered the wildlife
and scenic vistas that make it so
appealing.
After spending the night at Pigeon Bridge
State Forest Campground, I headed south
on the High Country Pathway. The Pigeon
Bridge campground is the first of four
easily reached starting points along
Sturgeon Valley Road, the main access
way into the area. I had planned on
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heading out two days earlier, but a mild illness kept me home for a couple days
longer than I had expected. What I didn't know was that this had drained me much
more than I had thought, and it had a much greater effect on me that would show up
once on the trail.
Within minutes of being on the trail I encountered some of the area's abundant
wildlife. Deer seemed to be everywhere, and by the number of tracks so were the elk.
And it was the elk I had come to see.
The Pigeon River area contains the largest wild elk herd east of the Mississippi River,
and I hoped to encounter the animals while on the trail.
It quickly became obvious that this section of the trail was more rugged than the
northern parts I have traveled previously, and still being a bit under the weather, I
could not keep up the speed needed to reach my planned goal. The glacial makeup
of the region makes for uneven terrain, and this trail certainly has its ups and downs.
Two hours out, as I climbed yet another hill, I heard voices ahead and I was greeted
by a group of Boy Scouts who had stopped for lunch. After talking to the boys and
their leaders for a few minutes, the conversation turned to trail conditions. It was
humorous really, the youths saying the trail was not too bad,and those of us gray
haired hikers, disagreeing.
Then they asked me to take a look at my map to see just how far they had traveled.
When I did, we realized that both of us were traveling at the amazing speed of just
under 1 1/2 mph. It was going to be a long day. The boys just sat and stared, not
able to comprehend just how much less they had traveled than what they thought.
My plan had been to travel just over 12-miles to an area called Rattle Snake Hill, a
huge glacial moraine just outside the Pigeon River boundary. I had en-countered elk
there before and hoped to do so again, but the slow speed on the trail forced me to
change my plans.
I was keeping a close eye on my topographic map for water sources nearby the trail
and many that were indicated were nowhere in sight. If I was to spend the night and
part of the next day at Rattle Snake Hill, I would need water.
As the day continued I came to find that only the larger streams were flowing and that
the lower than normal rain fall had taken its toll on the area. I decided to spend the
night to the west of Rattle Snake Hill at Town Corner Lake campground.
After six hours on the trail I arrived at Town Corner Campground that contains 11
large campsites on high ground surrounding the lake.
It is out of the ordinary for me to hike in to established camps, but after hard day on
the trail, and the way I was feeling, this was rather nice. I had a table to sit at and
water that did not have to be purified. After dinner I reviewed my options for the next
day. If I was to make it back to my car in two days and not rack my body any further,
Rattle Snake Hill was out of the question.
I would head back the next day, stopping at another state forest campground I had
never visited - Round Lake.
Just before turning in, I tossed a line over a high branch and hung my food bag.
There is a good population of bears in the area and I did not want to supply any
midnight snacks.
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