Platte River - April 2016
Summary
Platte River Trail is west of Traverse City with access to Lake Michigan. This trail was a great introductory trail for one of my friends new to backpacking/hiking. This trip we decided we would both hammock camp, something new to both of us.
Where
Platte River Campground is adjacent to Lake Michigan, west of Traverse City in Michigan’s Northern Lower Peninsula.
Logistics
This was a weekend backpacking trip, so not much planning was necessary. Platte River Campground is about a 2.5-3 hour car ride from the tai-city area, so we just hopped in our car and drove Friday night. We stayed the first night at the Platte River Campground and we found parking for our vehicle from there. There are many different small trails throughout this area, so we were able to start and end our journey from the Platte River Campground. It’s worth noting Platte River Campground is a rustic campground, but is designed for car camping, not backcountry camping. We stayed at White Pines Backcountry Campground on Saturday night, which as the name suggests, is a backcountry campground with no amenities.
Backpacking
We hiked ~15 miles on Saturday and ended the day with a view of of the sunset sitting on the beach of Lake Michigan. On this trip in particular, I realized the value in backpacking with friends and the time that it affords us in our busy schedules. I vividly remember spending some time catching up with my friend and learning about his new line of work he had just entered. I love to backpack for the nature, but a great side benefit is the dedicated one-on-one time or group time with the people that you backpack with. In this case, we even ended up meeting some friends to share the sunset with, whether they were looking for friends or not, I guess we will never know!
On Sunday morning I awoke to a phone call with saddening news related to the passing of a loved one. I still remember this phone call, reflecting in the woods, and the peace I felt as I took the time to think about the news. In a way, nature is comforting when you need it to be.
Photos
I’m not sure what phone I had at this time.
