160 Miles on the Manistee River Day 2 of 6 - Fife to Kingsley

Day two on the Manistee River. After covering our first thirty some miles and spending the night somewhere deep in the Michigan backwoods, we’re back on the water with another long day ahead of us. Today’s goal: roughly 35 miles and nearly ten hours of paddling. The river is moving fast, the sun is finally out, and for a while, everything feels like it’s going exactly according to plan. Well... almost everything. Tad’s stomach problems from the night before have decided they’re not finished with him yet. But despite being thoroughly betrayed by his digestive system, he somehow manages to keep paddling. Along the way, we pass one of the most fascinating landmarks on the entire trip: High Banks Rollaway. This massive bluff was once used by Michigan lumberjacks to roll enormous white pine logs down to the Manistee River, where they could begin their journey downstream. Today, the only thing going over the edge is our sense of how steep this thing actually is. And after 35 miles on the river, we finally pull over at what will become our home for the night: a beautiful bluff overlooking the Manistee, with plenty of room for hammocks, tents, a roaring fire, dinner, and maybe just enough whiskey to convince ourselves that tomorrow’s another good idea. So let's get back on the river.