Hartwick Pines

I have no idea how I found this place. I don't recall going when I was a child, I think the first time I came here was when my own children were little enough to ride most of the way on my dad and brother-in-law's shoulders. (yes, spoiled) Maybe my dad suggested it, or I was looking for places to take children on our visit. Regardless of how we found it, Hartwick Pines left an impression. Since then, we try to come and see the trees whenever we are in the area.

Like so many other memories that live as nostalgia in my head, this trail was not the same as I remembered. I'm pretty sure the last time we were here (probably 15 years ago) the trail was wide and the ground was dirt. It could be that we had started out from a different direction, or it could be that the powers that be decided to make some changes. Whatever happened, the trail was not the same - but the surroundings were just as majestic as they had remained in my mind. The visitor's center was closed for renovations, so we began the loop from the parking lot by the playground. Covered in a canopy of green, we headed out on the paved path and into the lush, old growth forest of white pine.

If you have been here before, you know that I am constantly in awe of nature, and forests in particular. They are full of biodiversity, they require death in order for life to continue, most natural disasters are a healthy part of their life-cycle, and all of these things create a plethora of layers. From the tops of the trees basking in the sun to the green leaves and branches and tree trunks, to the low-lying plants growing in the dirt which is covered in leaves and pine needles and fallen trees that are decaying and nourishing the earth that supports everything growing above. And that's just the vegetation! There are bugs and birds and worms and snakes and herbivores and carnivores thriving in those layers. If that isn't awe-inspiring, I don't know what is. And to top it all off, this land was given to the people as a gift!

The land for this park was given to the state of Michigan by Karen Hartwick, in memory of her late husband. She donated 8,000 acres in 1927, 49 of which are "old growth" (which means it hasn't been through any severe natural disasters or cut down by humans) and are home to trees as old as 425 years, with stipulations that no more trees would be cut.

According to my research, only about 1% of old growth forests remain since European settlers arrived here in the United States. (1) There is a logging museum showing what life was like in a 19th century logging camp, complete with bunk beds, a communal dining table loaded for supper, a camp store with various examples of provisions, and a little table and chairs where even visitors today can sit down to a game of checkers.

After setting up the game and realizing that there were pieces missing, we headed back out to meander through the forest. Earlier in the year, Northern Michigan experienced a severe ice storm which caused people to be without power for up to 14 days. In that, an estimated 3 million acres of forest were affected. (2) Trees snapped under the weight of the multiple inches of ice that formed on their branches. It was so interesting to see a trunk several inches thick snapped like it was a giant’s toothpick. Those fallen trees have been removed from roads and bike paths, but in this forest, they will remain untouched, to decompose and provide life to the saplings and undergrowth for generations.

While I love to be out in nature under the canopy of green, my favorite spot in this place is The Chapel in the Pines. It is a one-room log-cabin with a steeple at the top, two doors at the front and a beautiful window in the shape of a cross at the back. Inside you will find two rows of well-lacquered pews (also made of logs) and a small pulpit housing a plaque engraved with Nature's Prayer. There is something calm and inviting about this place. The way the building sits in silence and the sun's rays find their way through the branches and to the window to light up the room. It's like being enveloped by a giant tree, quiet and peaceful and safe.

1 - Pecha, Yvette, Michigan Country Lines, Hartwick Pines State Park: Evading the Axe, August 2023.

2 - Starr, Stephen, The Guardian, Why effects of Michigan's ice storm will linger for months, perhaps years, April 29, 2025.