It took a week of traveling, but we’re finally in the woods, nestled in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Hannah and I spent the night in the camper van along the side of a dirt logging road. I’m a little unsure driving as the van lurks along the rutted road, bouncing and swaying. But, the van does fine. We pull over, and we’re surrounded by wilderness. There’s us, the trees and the calls of unknown critters in the distance.
After a hot chili dinner, we plop down on camping chairs, warmed over with a blanket and steaming mugs of hot chocolate and take in the Milky Way and a few shooting stars.
I run the heater for about half an hour before we go to bed. The heater uses small one pound propane cylinders and produces heat using a flameless, catalytic process. I’ve heard all sorts of precautions about running propane heaters in a contained area. We run the heater with some care – leave a window cracked open, enlist the guarding nose of a carbon monoxide detector and turn the heater off before going to sleep. The heater lights with a whoosh and a little fireball. A little daring for a little comfort.
The night cools to around 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The van’s pop-up top is lowered to conserve heat. The futon is flipped into a bed. We thread ourselves into mummy style sleeping bags and sleep snug, warm, deep and long.
The next morning, the sun shines bright, lighting up a cold, frost covered landscape. Hannah goads me into a brisk walk down the logging road. Our shoes crunch over frozen sandy ground. By the time we get back to the van, the frost is already starting to disappear. The moment is there, and then it’s gone. Better enjoy it while you’re in it.
We start up the van and drive to trails that wander the coast of Lake Superior. The rest of the day is spent walking in the woods. Feet shuffling over a carpets of fall leaves and soft beds of pine needles. The leaf canopy overhead is awash with maples, leaves bright yellow. Rugged cliffs over seemingly endless water. Waterfalls. A secluded beach. We walk twelve miles and get back to the van just after sunset.
It was a good day.
