Then and now (f.k.a. Endless Beaches)

The water levels in Lake Michigan/Huron (technically one lake because of their miles-wide connection at the Straits of Mackinac... I know, I know, my nerd is showing) are heading to ridiculous levels. So much so that favorite sunning and campfire spots are now underwater.

My hope was that Green Point Dunes still had one of the few beaches beyond reach of this recurring phenomenon not seen since the year of my birth. Recall that we're six years out from record lows. This is how it looked when I went in November.

Keep walking, and you'll (eventually) reach Elberta.

Aaand this is how it looked when I went in June.

This used to be one of those beaches where you could walk a seemingly endless stretch of sand. Now you'd better get there on a day when Lake Michigan isn't numbingly cold, because you're either walking on an eroding bluff or wading in the drink.

But don't let that detract from Green Point Dunes. It's another Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy property just a stone's throw from the nonprofit's crown jewel, Arcadia Dunes (or as I like to think of them, Sleeping Bear South).

Park at a simple lot with signage just off M-22 and walk through a forest crossed at one point by a private drive to a spit of private land surrounded by the nature preserve. I went on a late fall day when the sun didn't do the natural splendors many favors, and my subsequent trip showed me the true beauty.

From here you can see Arcadia Dunes

The trail is short but, unsurprisingly, requires some climbs. There's a nice descent to some stairs to the beach, complete with a shipwreck that's usually covered by sand but occasionally exposed. This is used to be one of those places where one could take an hours-long walk in either direction and never reach an obstacle.

Such beaches had an undeniable allure to me when I was fresh out of college. They're perfect for the directionally challenged, as you'll never get lost unless you can't find the trail back to your starting point (a simple rock arrow can eliminate this very real possibility). 

And thanks to a landmark, tested-and-still-standing but lingeringly controversial state supreme court ruling, the public can tromp on by to their heart's content. I wonder, though, what the two beachfront owners whom I unwittingly interrupted in their not-so-clandestine clinch one dark night many years ago think of the ruling... presumably not amused?

I was accused once of thinking of no one but myself on such jaunts. Fair enough: I'll cop to some self-absorption, and in my early 20's I probably was a bit more narcissistic than is typical of people in that age group.

But Mark Twain once quipped about one of his characters who, left to their own thoughts, exhausted the subject of themselves and turned inevitably to others. That's always been my experience with extended hikes. They lead me to thinking about the world outside my head, but if I'm stuck in a rut they can just as easily send me around the same circles, over and over and over again. Stewing, ruminating — whatever you call it, it's actually rather bad for you.

Sitting and thinking is one thing. Thinking while doing something else is another experience altogether. There are volumes of blogs, articles, books etc. etc. about walking as meditation, therapy through nature, forest bathing, and so on. Most times the act of getting out in the forest and walking can get me out of a rut. Others, I've needed help beyond my usual routines (thank god for counseling and my very patient family and friends, in no particular order).

But back to the hike.

We're so spoiled for dune climbs around here that it's easy to lose perspective and forget how incredible a place like Green Point Dunes truly is. Were it the only place of its kind for miles, it'd be a popular spot, maybe even loved to death. Thankfully there are other, more heavily promoted spots that leave this one a fairly quiet haven on a fall day for a solo walk.

You could backpack in an afternoon's worth of beach gear, snacks and beverages and enjoy a sunny summer day with few others around. Or bring a friend and talk about everything and anything while you tromp through the woods, then splash in the lake. Stop for burritos sorry they're gone pancakes in Elberta and beer in Frankfort.