- All
- Backcountry Camping
- Backpacking
- Book
- Camping Skills and Tips
- Do It Yourself
- For Women
- Hammock Camping
- Hiking
- Historic Preservation
- Kayaking and Canoeing
- Meditations on Nature
- North Manitou Island History
- North Manitou Island Now
- Product Reviews and Demos
- Research and Resources
- South Manitou Island
- South Manitou Island History
- Stories
- Trip Reports
- Volunteering
- Wilderness Ethics: Leave No Trace
- Winter Camping
Product Review and Demo: Jetboil Flash Stove with Java Edition Kit
Camping is a game of continuous improvement for us – we are always learning and adjusting! We love finding new ways to be comfortable, happy, and enjoy things that we love.Every camper has some luxury item they take on the trail. For us it is coffee! We make fresh ground French press coffee every morning…
DIY Hammock Camping Gear
Hammock camping is our go-to! We get a lot of questions about our hammock set up for camping. It is extremely comfortable, even with two people in it! Yes, we really both sleep in the same hammock for our long trips. While it’s not ultralight, splitting up the gear in our backpacks works for us.…
Product Review and Demo: Batiste Dry Shampoo
Product Review: Batiste Dry Shampoo On our recent trip to North Manitou Island for two weeks in our hammock, I tried out dry shampoo for the first time. With long thick hair, I was skeptical but hoped for the best!
Pilgrimage to Pilgrim Haven
Visiting Pilgrim Haven Last week, I visited Pilgrim Haven Natural Area near South Haven for a day hike. The Pilgrim Haven Natural Area is part of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC), having been set aside through a generous donation by a local philanthropist Suzanne Upjohn Parish. After decades of sitting idle, this special property…
Hammock Camping in the News
Back in 2014, our annual Winter Hang camping trip to Ludington State Park was featured in the Ludington Daily News. Vince was interviewed and photographed as part of the feature story. In an earlier feature, in 2012, Vince’s hammock was featured in a photo at the end of the article.
Tending a Comfortable Wilderness
Eric MacDonald with Arnold R. Alanen A History of Agricultural Landscapes on North Manitou Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, MI 429 pages, 2000 Purchase PDF
North Manitou Island: Between Sunrise and Sunset
Rita Hadra Rusco Part memoir, part island history, the must-read account of life on the island. 170 pages, 1991 From the Leelanau Historical Society Purchase From Amazon Purchase
Exploring North Manitou, South Manitou, High and Garden Islands of the Lake Michigan Archipelago
Robert H. Ruchhoft Histories and trailguides for the hiker and backpacker for these eastern Lake Michigan Islands which are part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Beaver Island Group 357 pages, 1991 Purchase