Marblehead - Drummond Island (4.0 miles; d=4.80)
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Getting on the ferry...it's been a LONG time since I'd been to anyplace truly new within Michigan so I was quite excited...
Leaving the mainland behind...
After driving 14-ish miles across Drummond Island I left pavement at South Glen Cove Road...I still had 8 miles to go...
The colors here were absolutely stunning...
Considering the location, I found this sign hilarious...
Cornbeef Junction...where the road forked and I traveled two rutted miles before ending up at a logging camp and realizing I made a wrong turn...
Back on the right track...the woodlands were interspersed with wide open fields...evidence of heavy logging in the past...
Some tall, stately Aspen's frame the narrowing road as I pass Glen Cove on the east shore of the island...
The final two miles were a nightmare of rocks and water...I likely wouldn't have made much worse time on foot...
Passing a local resident...
Ol' Trusty Rusty did good, but I don't think I'll put him through it again. Take it from me, if you decide to visit and don't have a vehicle with an aftermarket off-road package, just walk the extra two miles from Glen Cove...
Had to give the truck its own hero shot after a performance like that...
My hike to Marblehead (on Drummond Island) from Sitgreaves Creek, as depicted a la Google Earth...
The approximate track of my hike to Marblehead (on Drummond Island) from Sitgreaves Creek...
The jeep trail actually goes all the way to the top of Marblehead but in the interest of keeping this a hike and the fact I like my truck in one piece I parked south of the bridge over Sitgreaves Creek and would walk the remaining two miles...
Sitgreaves Creek...
Sitgreaves Creek as it empties into Sitgreaves Bay with the headland of Marblehead beyond...
Another look at Sitgreaves Bay...
I was shocked to find this ragged little Black-eyed Susan still clinging to life...
Looking south along Sitgreaves Bay in the general direction of the creek from earlier shots...
This small natural harbor was quite pretty...it almost had a lagoon feel to it, except that it was like 35-degrees...
The lowland conifers contrast with the upland hardwoods in the distance...
The first part of the trail curves along the south side of the ridge on the edge of a large marshy area. As is typical in such areas of the eastern UP, this forest was a mixture of Spruce and Balsam Fir, with some Junipers thrown in for good measure...
When the trail started to climb the ridge the forest quickly changed to a deciduous woodland dominated by Aspens...
