Keweenaw Day Trip

By Sarah L, Vanguard

February was a month of awesome trips and opportunities for the Vanguards. We got to go to Silver Birch Ranch for our DR Trip debrief retreat, Fort WildernessCamp for the annual Northwoods Broomball tournament, and most recently to the Keweenaw Peninsula in the UP of Michigan for a day of skiing and learning.

Our trip to Keweenaw started with a two and a half hour van ride up north. My favorite part of the drive was that we didn’t have our cell phones on us! It was so fun to be our crazy selves and truly enjoy one another’s company, as opposed to us all just plugging in our earphones and listening to whatever music we wanted.

Once we arrived in the UP, we took a slight detour to visit a snow meter, dubbed the “snow stick,” that was over 30 feet high! After posing for a quick snapshot, we continued on to get our trail passes in Calumet. Once we were all bundled up, we unloaded the van and got our skis on and hit the trails! We were so lucky to have such a gorgeous day for skiing, sunny and not too cold at all. We got to ski for 1-3 hours, depending on how much time we spent in the lodge. The lodge was pretty cozy too, though. There were some nice couches and blankets and two elderly women who ran the little snack shop. Whether outside enjoying the trails or warming up inside with some hot chocolate, it was a good outing for all!

After our bodies were tuckered out from the workout of cross-country skiing, we headed into town to get a better look at what life in Calumet looked like when it was a booming copper town! We got to explore the museum for just over an hour and learned how involved the copper companies were with the daily lives of the citizens of Calumet. C&H, the major company based out of Calumet, built schools, bathing houses, recreation centers, and even homes to encourage a positive attitude towards their company among its workers.

The end to this great day was a stop at the local eatery, Racer’s, where most of us ordered large burgers with as many topping as you could imagine! It certainly satisfied our hunger after a long day in the UP. It was so fun to visit Calumet to learn their history as well as ski on their historic trails. I hope to go back soon to explore this beautiful town some more!