Erie State Game Area: Hike Report

This is a hike report that I originally posted on the Great Lakes Hikes Yahoo Group:

Erie SGA

Jan. 20, 2001

Well, Luanne, I've done a lot of thinking about that sort of thing. Mostly because I grew up in SE Michigan (Monroe). And while I have hiked in a lot of places like Isle Royale, G. Canyon, Yellowstone, most of my life is spent in a very industrial/populated region.

It really frustrates me at times. The Erie SGA hike that I mentioned has 5 power plants within view. But it is 4-20 miles of hiking right along the Great Lakes surrounded by some high quality nature. And I almost never see anybody there. I am optimistic by nature and I've hiked there so many times that I don't really see those bad things anymore.

What really frustrates me is that these power plants and dumps and quarries get built in a working class place like Monroe. And people in places like Ann Arbor don't get to see how their lights turn on at night or where their garbage goes. I actually think that I have a more real natural experience seeing the very bad with the very good. It is all part of the same.

As for this project, you could probably discount any SE Michigan hike for reasons like this. And I wouldn't necessarily recommend them to people from far away. But, they are the best I've found and for people in the area, a bit of the beautiful.