Final training hike for Camino Portugués

September 28, 2023.

Today was our final day of both being off work, so we planned a hilly 14-mile hike from Fallasburg to Lowell along the North Country Trail.

It was drizzly and cool as we pushed off from the Fallasburg covered bridge.

Fallasburg is a historic town with many of the original buildings kept in the original appearance from the 1850s.

Following dirt roatd through the town, we found the trail head and walked into the woods. The area is hilly with a lot of up and down, with views of the Flat River.

As we started up onto the official trail, we soon ran into two older men who were cutting trees and clearing the path. There has been a storm and many trees were down. When the man inquired, we mentioned we were training for the Camino de Santiago, and he told his own story of living in Ibiza, an island off the coast of Spain, and then later that his son waked the Camino and met his future wife there . We reflected on how important the social connection and physical exercise was for these retired men.

We continued on, noticing the beginnings of changing color on the trial.

Light rain started to fall and eventually we put on rain gear. I put on a poncho and a waterproof cover for my pack. It wasn’t heavy enough rain to pull out all of the rain gear including rain pants, but it was enough to make us check our readiness for rain.

The trees varied as we walked along. The native forest here would be a beech maple forest, and we did see parts of this. But then there were also tracts of red pine that had been planted. These red pines are not native to Michigan and tend to not live long.

The trail heads into a stand of red pine, planted in rows as if a planted crop.

One of our learned behaviors while hiking is to pace ourselves, taking regular breaks. Our rule is 4 km between breaks. Near the 4 km mark we look for a nice sitting log.

Around 11:45 we arrived in Lowell. Alice remembered a much beloved patient she had cared for in hospice, so we stopped at her gravesite on the outskirts of Lowell. We recalled fondly what a lovely woman she was. So much so that Alice felt the need to introduce her new boyfriend ( me ) to her when we started dating. As she did not have parents here to introduce someone to.

Finally we arrived at the café we had planned to visit. There was great coffee and quiche. What a change from the days when I used to ride my bike here and there was just a cheap small town restaurant with bad coffee.

While sitting at our table, a young woman turned around to say hello and enquirer about our travels. Clementia was a remarkable young woman who had completed the Appalachian Trail and the Colorado Trail. We hope she is reading this! We shared our enthusiasm for the Camino de Santiago

Back on the trail we stuck to our strict rest policy and stopped every 2.5 miles back to Fallasburg . This really helped us to keep our energy up and finish the hike.

As we arrived in Fallasburg we passed by a barn that we’ve admired multiple times. The owner and his decrepit old dog were out side working. We stopped to say hello and it turned into a great opportunity to see some huge horns from his lifetime of hunting deer and moose, as well as see his workshop The man now had severe arthritis ( also his dog), as well as skin cancer. But he was very open and loves sharing about his life. This is one of the core values of our travel and hiking …. to take time to hear people’s stories.

As we crossed the wooden bridge to get to our car, we were pleasantly tired and sore, and confident in being ready for the upcoming challenge.