This spring, for the first time since he moved to Munich 15 years ago, Maple City native Steve Walker is not hurling fastballs from the pitcher’s mound or smacking line drives from the batter’s box. As so often happens when we reach our mid-30s, baseball, or the activity we love most, takes a backseat to fatherhood and family life.
Although Leelanau County is fortunate to have a national lakeshore to step into with such little effort, it is easy for residents to forget that the park is 35 miles long and spans two counties. We get stuck in our bubbles and forget to explore other angles and ends. As a new year begins, consider stepping out of a routine, working on a New Years resolution, or getting to know the area better by taking on the Trail Trekker Challenge in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Registration for the 11th annual M22 Challenge will open on March 1 at 8 a.m. The Challenge, which takes place June 8, capitalizes on the majestic landscape and waterscape of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Exciting news for mountain bikers in Northern Michigan: work to expand Palmer Wood’s Forest Reserve’s trail system with single-track mountain bike trails is slated to begin next month. Flowtrack Mountain Bike Trails, LLC, a professional trail-building company from the Upper Peninsula, has been hired to lead the design and construction of the new trails.
Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. is a proud partner of the seventh annual Dune Dash, a 4-mile run/walk along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 9 a.m. at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb. Registration is open at DuneDash.com. Registration ranges from $20-$30 per person based on age and prices go up $5 after Aug. 16.
On July 18-19, the Glen Lake Yacht Club (GLYC) will host the annual Butterfly Nationals sailing regatta, which brings together both junior and adult sailors from all over the nation. This is the third time that the GLYC hosts the event. Both the regatta and GLYC have rich traditions and history, and for decades have played a large part of life “Up North” for hundreds of families.
This July three men, Joe Lorenz, Kwin Morris and Jeff Guy, will attempt something that has never been done—to paddleboard across Lake Superior, the largest, coldest and most dangerous of the Great Lakes.
Nancy and Larry Bordine plan to build an indoor rock climbing facility called MI Summit in Long Lake Township just west of Traverse City.
The Leelanau Conservancy has announced that work to expand Palmer Wood’s Forest Reserve’s trail system is slated to begin at the end of this summer. A professional trail-building company will be hired to lead the design and construction of the first new loop added to the existing network of hiking and ski trails.
Photo by Jake Holtrop From staff reports Ryan DeCook, 37, of Washington, Mich., won the 10th annual M22 Challenge on June 9 with a course-breaking record of 1:11:02. He beat 900 other athletes in the iconic Glen Arbor triathlon that includes a grueling 2-mile dune climb in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a 17-mile […]