Events

Join the Spirit of the Woods Chapter for our Annual “Chili Feed” (plus hike, ski or snowshoe) at Big M Cross Country Ski Trails on Saturday, February 1, at 10 a.m.

We plan to meet for a hike at 10 am. We will have chili and hot chocolate in the wood-heated trail shelter at Big M after the hike, around noon. Please bring a potluck accompaniment or side dish to pass if you would like.

Big M is on Udell Hills Road east of Manistee near the town of Wellston. Big M is listed on Google maps and this link will take you to a Google map of the Big M trails and trail shelter, where we will meet after the hike.

Big M has a website that will give you more information about the trail system. NOTE: There is a $5 day use fee, or you can use the federal annual Forest Pass, Interagency Pass or Interagency Senior pass. Click here for details.

HIKE NOTES: Gary Hearing will lead the hike on the North Country Trail at 10 a.m. It will be an out-and-back hike. We will base the hike distance on the participant’s wishes and trail conditions. This hike may be applied to the Hike 100 Challenge. We could use a volunteer to be the sweep (the person to bring up the rear and do a shorter distance if there is interest). Snowshoes may be advisable depending on conditions on that day. If we have a freeze/thaw cycle before the hike date, you may be able to do fine with traction devices on your boots. Please let Loren Bach (see below for contact info) know that you plan to attend and for further info.

The meeting place for the hike is west of the Big M trails. We plan to meet where the trail crosses Madison road, at the corner of Madison and Skocelas Road. We have been getting large groups joining us for hikes, so we would like you to park on Madison Road. If you can carpool that would be helpful to cut down on the number of cars. This link will bring you to an ArcGIS map of the area. The meeting place is approximately at Milepost 827.75. Click here for a Google Maps link to the start point of the hike.

Alternatively, you can bring cross country skis and ski the Big M ski trails if there is snow. We need a leader to volunteer to lead a group to ski, assuming we have skiable snow. (Check with Loren to find out about conditions.)

Ski conditions and maps are posted on the Big M website.

For questions or to RSVP please contact Loren Bach at (231) 510-1983 or spw@northcountrytrail.org

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