Tucked Away in Hiawatha National Forest
I spent the day tucked away at my boondocking spot deep in the Hiawatha National Forest — my own little patch of forest calm. The Hiawatha sprawls across nearly 900,000 acres of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a mix of thick woodlands, lakes, and endless gravel roads waiting to be explored. My spot was tucked off NF-13 — you can find the location marked on my map if you’re curious.
One of the best things about the Hiawatha is that boondocking is allowed here. If you’re not familiar with the term, boondocking basically means camping without hookups — no electricity, water, or campground amenities — just you, your rig, and the land. In a national forest like this, you can camp for free in most places as long as you follow a few simple rules: stay no more than 14 days in one spot, leave no trace, and keep your site a certain distance from roads and water sources. It’s freedom, but with respect for the forest that makes it possible.
Forest Road - My spot was to the left. Logging trucks use this road.
I needed a catch-up day, and that’s exactly what it became. The past few days had piled up a mountain of photos, so I sat down to chip away at them, cleaning up images and bringing a bit of order to the chaos.
The side door of the van was wide open with the bug screen zipped down tight. A cool breeze drifted through while I sat at my little desk, tapping away. On the other side of that screen, at any given moment, ten mosquitoes plotted their heist. A couple always seem to find a secret passage — they buzz in with all the stealth of a tiny chainsaw right by my ear. One or two did make it in, but they didn’t last long.
Between swatting bugs and organizing photos, I went down a deep rabbit hole of Lightroom tutorials. I must’ve watched a dozen videos — little tricks I’d never seen before. Sometimes I think I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Lightroom can do. Maybe 10%, if I’m being generous. But I like the process. I can see my final photos getting better each time, and that keeps me coming back.
At some point, I realized it was after 5 p.m. and I hadn’t eaten all day. Good time for a break. I’d thawed a nice piece of salmon and cooked it up in a pan with my homemade glaze — equal parts soy sauce, vinegar, and maple syrup, three parts olive oil, and a splash of Dijon mustard for good measure. I made a bed of wild rice and added some asparagus. The salmon sat right on top like a little crown. It was a pretty big piece, so I ended up with leftovers for tomorrow.
My turnoff in the forest.
After dinner, I settled in with a book on photography composition, trying to burn a few more ideas into my brain before I forget them. I let an hour of ATG play in the background, then turned everything off.
Outside, the forest was dead quiet. Not a single sound made it through the walls of my van — no birds, no wind, nothing. I drifted off to sleep thinking about tomorrow’s bike ride, happy to have had a day to reset and catch up right here among the trees.