A Sleeping Bear tour for everyone
All About Water tour photo by Amanda Lodge
By Veronica Gregory
Sun contributor
By foot or by paddle? With new kayaking tours by All About Water and hiking and biking options hosted by sbd Tours, anyone with a will to work for their wonderful view of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore can have their pick of adventures.
Jeff Gagie, paddler-in-chief (and owner) of All About Water which offers kayak rentals and kayak expeditions, wants to give everyone the chance to be floored by the natural sandy spellbinders.
“I have not been able to figure out a way to convey, in an image or video, the scale of those dunes from the water, because there’s nothing next to them, like a skyscraper, to put them into scale. I think it’s something you just have to experience to be able to see and appreciate how big it is.”
All About Water is authorized to give kayak tours in the National Lakeshore. Gagie launched the first tour in mid-July.
While the National Parks exist for the use of the public, the guides and tourists involved in these tours are required to stick to Park doctrine at all times: BYO, and TIA — Bring Your Own and Take It Away. Gagie gets it, and respects the eco-friendly intent of these restrictions. “The Park Service has a dual responsibility: they have to be good stewards of the environment, but they also have to make it accessible to the public. I don’t have any complaints about the rules and regulations that they’ve imposed.”
In addition to protecting the environment, Gagie and his team also have several plans in place for taking care of their customers. Plan A is for days with ideal conditions, during which they will lead kayakers from North Bar Lake to Sleeping Bear Point and back. Gagie adds that the potential exists for climbing the dunes as well — such as the face of Empire Bluff or Pyramid Point.
“Most people who (climb) the dunes start at the top. There are signs warning how difficult it is to climb back up, so many people never descend for fear that they won’t be able to (return). If you’re starting at the bottom, then you don’t have to worry about that.”
Plan B, for rougher waters, will take kayakers from Good Harbor Bay to Pyramid Point and back. A Plan C even exists for when the waters are too rough for kayaking, and alternative plans will be made to accommodate safety.
“Our tours are scheduled to start in the morning, because generally the water is calmest at the start or end of the day” though, as Gagie says, “there’s no bad time to kayak.” Neither is a baseline skill level needed in order for interested parties to join a kayaking tour. “We will just count on people to know their own limitations as far as physical exertion.”
[All About Water requires all kayakers to use life jackets and stay safe. Keep in mind that kayaking in open Lake Michigan can be dangerous. Winds and currents can change rapidly, and water temperatures in the Manitou Passage never reach the 60s. What the beautiful lake giveth, she can also taketh away. For more perspective, read our June 2015 story “Coldwater kayaking not a hot idea” in our online archives.]
If kayaking isn’t one’s preferred method of sightseeing, sbd Tours offers another mode of tourism. Martina Dorn is owner of the company and an expert tour guide who takes visitors hiking and biking through the National Lakeshore. “I noticed that tours offered in the area were with large groups of people, where not everyone would be able to participate,” she says. “I wanted to offer tours with smaller groups according to a person’s own schedule, where everyone could take part in the experience of discovering the natural beauty of this area.”
Like Gagie, Dorn had to be properly authorized to operate her business within the National Park. She has been running sbd Tours for four years, and her favorite stops on the tours are by the Bayview Trail and Empire Bluffs, though her bike tours also run along the gorgeous Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail and Betsie Valley Trail in Benzie County.
Dorn’s tours, like Gagie’s kayaking expeditions, are given with the purpose of sharing the Sleeping Bear Dunes with everyone who passes through the area. Her favorite part of her job: “To see people realize that there is a lot more to a hiking or biking trail than just the path, and to enable them to find out more about their surroundings. It’s delightful to see the joy and fascination on people’s faces as I show them the many wonders that that this Park has to offer.” She even leads tours in German, upon request, and brings resources with her on hikes to name the wildlife of the National Park for her clients.
Dorn advises guests to pack appropriately for the day, allowing for weather flux and bringing supplies such as sunscreen, binoculars and a hardy pair of shoes. The bottom line of her message, though, is to be ready — for the sights on the tours. “Just bring enough time, come prepared, and be ready to discover this beautiful area.”
Sbd hiking and biking tours can be arranged via email at sbdtours@comcast.net or over the phone at 248-931-9440. Kayaking tours may be contracted online at All About Water’s website, AllAboutWaterUsa.com.
