Bald Mountain’s Graham Lake Loop: In springtime, bring a paddle

Maps don’t always tell the true and entire story. In this case, it was a boot-swallowing muddy story that oozed over my hiking shoes and rapidly extended up my ankles within five minutes of setting foot on a trail that was not what it seemed to be: the high and dry 3.6-mile Orange Loop, a North Unit Trail of the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area. But if I had not had the trail map with me and knew how to read it I would have been forced to turn back. This grand misadventure trail trek story of dry trails gone wild and wet — very wet — began at the Heart Lake parking area at the corner of Harmon and Predmore roads in Lake Orion. That parking lot is often filled with outdoor recreationists who have discovered the great natural surface trails, mountain bike riding and hiking and nature photography opportunities within the 4,673 rolling acres of this picturesque escape from urban madness. I backed into a parking spot, strapped on my day pack and set out. But first a bit of background for you to set the stage for the opening act of a very wet — but in the end — absolutely great adventure on a northern Oakland trail that was new to me. This easily accessible State Recreation Area is immensely popular with cross country skiing, hilly hiking on the wilder side, fishing, rustic cabin camping, trail running and also a shooting range, two trout streams, picnic areas with shelters and a small beach. You will not find city-type amenities or modern facilities on or near trails. Some hikers head for the South Unit, a parcel of land roughly bordered by Lapeer Road on the west and Kern Road on the east with Greenshield Road slicing through the bottom third, but most head for the North Unit which is east of Kern Road, north of Stony Creek Road and west of Lake George Road. Excellent location maps and good trail maps are available at park headquarters or can be found online. And 15 miles of hilly marked trails — thank the glaciers for the hills and boulders — are all open to hikers and mountain bikers. Late in the afternoon, I opted for the easy Orange Loop Trail, a 3.6-mile trail I could easily access from an entry point on Predmore just a minute’s walk east of the parking lot. The map clearly showed the trail looped between East Graham Lake and Dorn Lake, went south of Duck Pond and headed back on the western side of West Graham Lake. And the brochure emphasized rugged terrain, not one single word about sloshing while hiking. The trail map did not know about beavers. Nature has a way of filling vacuums. With more than a dozen small lakes in the North Unit and endless sources of food for America’s largest rodent, beavers had discovered life can be good in the North Unit. Beavers had dammed drainage of East Graham Lake, providing watery access to a grove of tempting young trees. Within minutes of heading east on the trail between marker 18, where I started, and marker 16, the trail became moist, then soggy, then impassable. About the time I realized there was no way to proceed, I began to hear voices with less than affectionate terms about the trail conditions. Two mountain bikers were hauling their bikes over their shoulders through a tangle of shrubs and briars. They turned to me for help. Wearing my khaki shirt, dark sunglasses and a ball cap proclaiming “US Forest Service Fire and Aviation” they assumed I knew what I was doing. I did not. But the three of us studied my map and realized we could bushwhack out to Predmore and re-enter the trail at marker 17 from Predmore Road. And so we did. A lesson here: Always bring the trail map! My trek was now high and dry, offering a visual of hilly treats most of the rest of the way. Uplands bloomed with wildflowers, wood ducks erupted in flight from vernal ponds and just south of Prince Lake, with the sun slipping over the hills, the woods erupted into a final day’s end chorus of bird song. Life on the trail does not get much better than that. I raced the impending darkness down the trail paralleling Harmon Road and drove home. Barefoot. FYI: The Bald Mountain State Recreation Area is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Park entry stickers are required and can be obtained online or at the park office, or you can self-register for a one-day pass at the parking lot. Park Office is at 1330 E. Greenshield Road. For information on trails and cabin rental, call 248-693-6767. Park detail and map at www.michigan/gov/dnr. Bald Mountain is 8 miles north of Pontiac off M-24 (Lapeer Road). Use Exit 81 from I-75 and head north for 21⁄2 miles and follow brown park signs. Mountain bikers travel clockwise on trails. Hiking is best going counterclockwise.