Embracing Winter
This may sound crazy, but we consider winter to be a really amazing time to live in the Keweenaw. The climate presents some work when you need to move snow and creates some travel hazards from time to time; however, it is what you do to embrace winter that makes the benefits far outweigh the challenges. The stretch of days starting last Thursday provide some great examples of how we dive into winter with vigor.
Last Thursday afternoon we headed over to Hancock to ski from the Tomasi trailhead at Maasto Hiihto. We skied down to Swedetown Creek and headed out on what would be a big counter-clockwise loop picking up the New River Trail, the triangle, the Sunset Trail, and the Mud Lake Loop before closing the loop on the Vista and Meadow Trails.
One of our favorite parts of the ski on this day was coasting through the snow covered pine on the Sunset Trail which you can see on this link to an Instagram reel.
You can see a video I cobbled together of this ski with the Quik app on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:
On Friday night we went for an over 4-mile moonlight ski with a number of our friends at our friends Mark and Kathy’s place. With the temperature in the 20s, almost no wind, and excellent snow, the conditions were outstanding! Skiing through woods and fields at night provides quite a treat for the senses. After we finished the ski we gathered for snacks and recounted our experiences.
Saturday afternoon I dropped Julie off at the Chassell General Store where Tim Viola helped her with a cellphone repair. I drove over to the Chassell Heritage Center and headed out on a 10k ski on the Chassell Classic Ski Trail. After Tim took care of her phone, Julie walked over to the Heritage Center and headed out for a snowshoe hike. The recent snow was still clinging to the trees, particularly the hemlock, creating a particularly beautiful environment. I have mentioned this before about the Chassell Trails, but their narrowness helps to provide an intimate forest experience.
I did not have my GoPro camera with me, but I shot some video on my phone that I turned into the following reels on Instagram that you can reach at the following links: reel1, reel2, reel3, and reel4. There would have been more cool places to shoot, but my cellphone battery died in the upper loop.
Sunday our hiking/skiing group hiked the North Country Trail to O Kun de Kun Falls. The temperature was right around freezing with little to no wind under a blue sky with bright sunshine! This was our first NCT hike of the year. This hike clocked in at 2.6 miles leaving us with 97.4 miles to go toward our #hike100NCT for 2023. Similar to the Chassell Trails, but with even greater emphasis, the trees were bountifully covered with snow making for a beautiful hike to the Baltimore River.
We made our first stop at the upper falls which are also known as Konteka Falls. The waterfall was barely visible as it was nearly drifted over by the recent blizzard. The ice curtains hanging from the sandstone of the western bank of the river are absolutely stunning this year.
O Kun de Kun Falls was largely drifted over by the snow, but still very cool to see.
Be sure to check out my GoPro video of the hike on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at the following link as space limitations here are only allowing me to give you a slight taste of the experience:
If you love exploring the outdoors, winter in and around the Keweenaw extends countless opportunities for adventure! The key is dressing properly and having the right equipment to navigate the conditions. Speaking of which, I had an awesome experience using my new custom made camera case for my Nikon produced by Chicken Tramper in Hancock! You will want to check them out for ultralight gear at this link.
Do you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely? Would you value living in a place with ubiquitous natural beauty that has NO congestion and lower crime? Consider locating in the Keweenaw! Learn more by visiting Remote Workforce Keweenaw at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com and learn about those making the decision to locate here by following the Remote Workforce Keweenaw Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.