Clark Lake

Clark Lake is located in the Sylvania Wilderness in the Ottawa National Forest in the upper pennisula of Michigan along the Wisconsin boarder. We left early in the morning from the canoe launch area and were rewarded after only minutes into the woods. An American Bald Eagle flew out of a tree 30 feet above us, glidding out over the lake and landing on an island in the middle of the lake. The eagle sat perched on the top of the highest tree on the island. This allowed us to view the eagle with our binoculars for over 15 minutes. This was the first American Bald Eagle we had ever seen while hiking, and it was quite exciting. Continuing, we soon found a turtle travelling the same trail. Buzz and Bandit were very concerned about the turtle. We saw turtles 16 inches in diameter while in Michigan. This hike had quite an array of wildlife. We saw some Mallard Ducks and later a family of Wood Ducks. The trail soon passed some primative campsites where smart campers had their food packs hanging from a tree 10 feet in the air. This is bear country, and nothing draws bears faster than free food.

The trail left the lake and headed into the wilderness. The vast wooded wilderness was extremely intimidating, but the JRT's didn't seem very concerned. The bugs were very active away from the lake, and we needed heavy bug spray. The Jack Russell Terriers even got a shot. Half way around the lake, Nitro took a swim in Clark Lake as we ate lunch. After lunch we passed some fly fisherman, and Nitro swam out to greet them. We had heard the errie call of a Loon earlier in the morning. After lunch, we found him diving under the water and popping back up several minutes later. The JRT's watched him with great interest. This mature uncut forest had hundreds of fallen trees along the trail, and the dogs climbed them at every occasion. This loop trail is only 7 miles in length, but required 6 hours to complete. The soft soil damped the spring of your step and roots were prevalent. The hike ended-up being quite strenuous even though there was little elevation change. This is a regulated wilderness area and special rules apply to all persons and dogs who use it. You can find them when you sign it at the ranger station at the entrance to Sylvania. We highly recommend this hike for Jack Russell Terriers who enjoy wildlife viewing and swimming in clear lakes.