Nordhouse Dunes juts into Lake Michigan at its midpoint, attracting the full wrath of incoming weather. During summer, the lake’s warm water adds intensity to severe thunderstorms. During winter, it draws bands of lake-effect snow across the frozen landscape in constantly-shifting drifts. Gale-force winds can pick up during any season. As the only federally protected wilderness in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Nordhouse Dunes is a great spot to bear witness.
On a muggy June day, I hiked in at dusk to intercept a strong low pressure forecast to plow across the lake overnight. A lightning storm gained strength from 2:32 – 3:59 a.m., forcing me from the exposed perch as torrential rain let loose. On a frigid February day, I snowshoed in through a snowstorm and slept barely a wink in the wind. Come morning, snow and sand streaked like veins in the foreground beneath my roost.
One of the greatest joys of this landscape is its ever-changing appearance as one hikes through it. From mammal track highways to icy shoreline sculptures, I’ve never seen it look the same twice.
