Trail Magic

I have first learned of Trail Magic from Bill Bryson,
in his book entitled A Walk In The Woods, which later became a Movie with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte

I used to adventure over at Nordhouse Dunes in Michigan,
It is a Wilderness, and it is unwise to think of it as small.

It costs $15 per week, for the car permit,
there are water pumps here and there, though once I saw a couple filtering Lake Michigan water.

The camp sites are by an ancient dune,
where you get to fall asleep, to the endless horizon of the great Lake Michigan.

Plus, you are facing west,
which means every evening closes with a Beautiful Sunset.

There are some more pricey less rustic camp sites in the area,
and I remember reading a warning about Bears!

It is real Wilderness, but the Bears are gentle,
and any rustling you will hear in the middle of the night will be the wind, and nothing more.

The most dangerous things out there will be your knife,
and the occasional thunderstorm which you can often watch headed your way over the Lake.

The place comes to life after a Rainfall,
and the woods smell so nice, a mix of Pine Cones and Perfect Nature.

There are no raccoons, and mosquitoes won't bother you,
if you bring a repellent.

One time, on my way back to my camp site,
probably from an expedition to get an ice cream bar.

I ran into three young hikers a Lady and Two of Her Brothers that were gathering up wood,
and setting up camp two thirds of the way to the lake.

I asked what happened, and they said the lake was just too far for them,
and they decided to camp here.

I told them that the beach was just around the corner, which was about 2,000 ft,
and passionately offered to help them carry their stuff.

They didn't set up their tens yet, so they quickly rolled up whatever they had out
I grabbed all the heavy stuff and we started walking to the beach.

I immediately begun explaining that I've learned of Trail Magic from Bill Bryson,
and I defined it as, someone helping, without wanting anything in return.

I went on talking about Nordhouse, and what it is like out there,
I talked about the dunes, and greatly emphasized that there is a Beach out there.

I mentioned that we were on the Nurnberg End Of Trail which is the harder way,
with West Forest Trail End being somewhat easier.

We arrived in no time, and I encouraged them to camp the night in the sandy dunes,
as it was absolutely the most beautiful spot there.

They actually found an even more beautiful place,
by climbing up a near by dune, I am certain they had a great time.

Just as soon as they had their spot,
I waived goodbye, and very quickly hurried away to my own world and distant camp site.

I did not want to give an impression that I expected a Thank You, or any such thing,
Trail Magic is just magic, no explanation, no thank you.

Somehow I just know,
they didn't have a hard time getting back to their car.

They originally gave up on making to the beach because it was late evening,
and they didn't know if they could make it before dark.

Helping is just what we do, and it is not a big deal,
but I am very proud that I told them about Bill Bryson, Narrated Adventure Books, and Trail Magic.