63 FALL 2020 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 02 SNOWGOER . COM
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This bridge takes riders under Interstate 75 in Sault Ste . Marie . That highway brings so many riders up from southern Michigan and beyond every winter , but once north of the Mackinac Bridge it ’ s more fun to dump your truck and ride to the Soo .
“ It ’ s the pristine vistas of wilderness ,” he said of riding in his area . “ It ’ s like going through a tunnel of snow – in a lot of places , there is a canopy over the trail as the trail goes through the forest . It ’ s not about how fast you can go , it ’ s more about looking at every scene and enjoying every scene on the eastern end .” are with somebody who knows the ice well .
“ Ice is never safe – never ,” said Griffin , who teaches ice safety in youth training courses . “ It ’ s safe sometimes in some places , but it changes daily with the barometric pressure , it changes with the wind , it changes with the temperatures and precipitation and the weight of the snow can cause flooding on the ice .” Plus ice heaves can crop up . “ You should never go out on the ice without someone who is familiar with the ice .”
Sticking to the land , Griffin would lead riders through the varied terrain toward the eastern edge of the Michigan mainland .
“ It ’ s a variation of small amounts of straight stretches and curvy , curvy trails with a 12-foot wide trail through the forest that is canopied over with snow in the trees ,” Griffin said . “ You go over a ridge of hardwoods , down a ridge of birch [ trees ], through some mixed softwood and into cedar swamps . Then you go back out onto a ridge of hardwoods and the edge of an open field and then back into the hardwoods and through the birches to mixed timber and through another cedar swamp . That would be what happens over and over .”
Soon the trail leads to De Tour Village and the one-mile ferry ride to Drummond Island . Griffin described the perfect day .
“ There are probably foot-thick ice chunks that the ferry is bumping against in the channel ,” Griffin said . “ There ’ s an otter on each end where the ferry turns around , and we get to see the otter bring up a fish onto the ice , and we get to see an eagle swipe the fish from the otter , and that ’ s just the front
DAY 1 : Heading To Drummond Isle
For the first day ride , Griffin said he ’ d meet his visitors in St . Ignace – the gateway to the U . P . above the Mackinac Bridge – and head north on Trail 2 before going east on Trail 47 .
“ We ’ d go through Hessen and then through Cedarville and toward Drummond Island ,” Griffin said . If ice conditions are right , a trip to some of the 36 wooded islands off shore outside of Cedarville would be a tempting side trip , but Griffin stressed to do that only if you
For John Griffin and wife , Jeri , snowmobiling together in the U . P . is a way of life .