Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness Area -- 2003
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This would be my second time to North Manitou Island, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This visit would include my wife and occur soon after the birth of our daughter.
We arrived in North Manitou on the ferry from Leland. Having some prior experience on the island, we skipped seeing Lake Manitou and went directly for the west coast. A minimal amount of hiking through the shaded trail made for an easy day. By early afternoon, we camped alongside the western shore of the island. It was relaxing and enjoyable to feel the cool lake winds and sounds of the lapping shore.
On the second day, we traveled south along the western trail and then took the southern west-east trail along the bottom of the island. Again, we camped on the leeward, eastern side of the island. It had nice open spaces to camp, with still views of the lake. I hoped for better relief from the flies and mosquitos but had no luck. While we enjoyed a nice afternoon on the beach, late at night it was uncomfortable to be out. On the third day, we hiked north to North Manitou and returned to Leland on the ferry.