A Candle Luminary Ski Without Snow
After having a green Christmas dinner with several friends, the afternoon of the day after Christmas would be focused on preparing for the Hancock Trails Club Luminary Ski at Maasto Hiihto. Of course the major issue was the absence of snow. The last green Christmas that our friends were recollecting occurred back in 1994, but even in that circumstance snow came soon afterwards.
After getting in a 2,000 yard swim at MTU’s SDC, we met up with a group of board members and other Hancock Trails Club volunteers at the Four Seasons Chalet at the Houghton County Fairgrounds where we would bag up the LED lights and load them onto ice fishing sleds to drag them out onto the roughly 1.3-mile loop that would become a walk this year instead of a ski.
The mild weather did not deter families from coming out for the event! We counted over 70 vehicles in the parking lot at one point during the two-hour event, so we easily had between 200 and 300 come out to enjoy a walk on the lit trail and hot cocoa and cookies afterwards at the chalet. Despite the lack of snow, it turned out to be a wonderful event!
The rest of the week would be spent laying out the groundwork for an MDNR grant proposal we will submit in April to seek funding to further improve the canoe/kayak launch site on the Sturgeon River, moving the SPARK Grant projects forward, and squeezing in swimming and running workouts.
On Wednesday, I would spend the afternoon chainsawing the very large fork of a pine tree that had fallen (and nearly hit our back deck) early one recent morning during some strong wind. That evening we would head over to the MTU SDC to meet up with the Keweenaw Running Group. I forgot my headlamp, so running trails in the dark was out of the question. Fortunately our friend G was running out on the roads and the two of us headed out for a 4.2+ mile run.
Around pulling information together for the April grant deadline on Thursday, Julie and I went over to the pool at the SDC and I put in a 2,000 yard swim.
Friday started with a beautiful sunrise! I didn’t get this photo at its peak, but you get the idea!
Late Friday morning, Chassell Planning Commission Chair Brian Waters, the Chassell DPW staff, and I met with Chris Holmes and Karin Cooper from U.P. Engineers and Architects to have an onsite discussion regarding the bathroom renovation project at the Centennial Park pavilion that is part of our SPARK Grant project. This project is focused on making these restrooms ADA accessible, more sustainable, and available for use throughout the year.
After the meeting, Brian and I walked down to the lake to examine the destroyed boardwalk which will be replaced as part of one of the projects funded by the SPARK Grant. This project will substantially enhance the lakefront experience for visitors to the park and make it ADA accessible as well.
With a clear sky and the temperature at 40 degrees, Julie and I decided to go for a hike to Middle and Upper Hungarian Falls in Hubbell.
Afterwards, we had dinner with our friends Steve and Lisa (they had picked up pasties from the Mohawk Superette) after which we played some mind sharpening games and then watched the MTU Huskies hockey team on television win a shoot-out thriller in the championship game of the Great Lakes Invitational over Michigan State.
Saturday would be focused on chores and squeezing in a 4-mile rail-trail run. Usually I am running the streets this time of year, so I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity!
On New Year’s Eve, we met up with over twenty members of the hiking group in Calumet then carpooled up to Central where Steve Jurmu led us on a 5.28-miles hike through the Central and Madison mine sites. If you are into copper mining history, this is a very cool area to explore! I will share photos next time, but you can see my GoPro video from the hike at this link to the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel:
Do you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely? Consider locating in the Keweenaw where you will find ubiquitous natural beauty, no congestion, and lower crime! Not sure? Come UP for a workcation to check it out! Learn how at Visit Keweenaw at https://www.visitkeweenaw.com/plan/trip-ideas-itineraries/workcations/ Visit Remote Workforce Keweenaw at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com. Learn about those making the decision to locate here by following the Remote Workforce Keweenaw Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.