Warner Creek Pathway - North Country Trail

This trail was amazing and I almost didn't go.  I was headed home from Petoskey and it was starting to sprinkle rain. And it was only 62 degrees out.  I had planned on hitting this trail between Boyne and Gaylord because it was only about 2 miles out of my way - another one I had no idea even existed.  But I decided I had a rain coat and my pants were water "resistant", so I pulled up the big girl panties and decided to go anyway.

The trail starts out wide on an old rail bed through a deciduous forest.

 While it was raining a bit, I was barely getting wet since most of it was hitting the trees. I think the river was running in that yellow grassy area but I couldn't get close enough to really tell for sure.

The sky was pretty threatening and the radar showed patches of rain moving in.

And then it got fun!  After coming out from the trees and slogging through some long grasses, I found this cool little bridge.  Its just planks stacked on cinderblocks and it runs along side a beaver dam! It was BARELY above the water in some spots so walking on it sunk it about an inch under the water.

It doesn't look like much in this picture but this is the beaver dam.

 And those water "resistant" pants?  Yeah, well they aren't.  At all.  They were glued to my legs. But they did dry fast!

After I followed the main trail out to a road, I turned back and took the other leg that made a loop back to the parking area.  This section was pretty wet as it followed along one side that pond but then it came back out into some beautiful forest with wide trails. Except for some downed trees.

More interesting fungus stuff.

Another view that I bet will be stunning in the fall!

 This little clump of bright red leaves really stuck out against all the green!

Some of this trail along the pond was really overgrown. Again, it was well marked so I never felt lost.

This larch tree was already turning!  Soon it's needles will fall off.

 Another Alice mushroom!

I have no idea what these flower are...I don't think I've ever seen them out in the wild before!  This was the only little patch of them I saw and they were a bit off the trail.  I just happened to spot them.

Many of the ferns were already starting to die back out in the open from the frost.

The trail also crossed some pretty meadow areas. And the sky was starting to lighten up again,

 This old tree was probably hit by lightening - it looks burned.  I think it also looks like an old face.

I spy something moving about dead center of this picture...

Oh hi there, Bambi!  How are you today?

And so concluded another fabulous hike in Northern Michigan!