My new friend, Danny, and I ventured to the Manistee National Forest, near Mesick, MI in mid-April 2024 to hike one of the most popular backpacking loops in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. We started our 3-day, 2-night backpacking trip from the Upper River Road Trailhead and hiked a little over 9 miles to a nice campsite near the Manistee River for night number 1. We enjoyed hot chocolate and Peach Cobbler as well as a beautiful star-filled sky before heading to bed. On day 2, after filling up with coffee, we hiked another 9-ish miles, enjoyed magnificent views of the river throughout the day and ended up at a nice campsite near Arquilla Creek. After dinner and some Mountain Berry Cobbler, we went to bed early. We awoke to a thunderstorm (despite nothing being forecasted, not unusual for me!), but it did not last long. It was a peaceful rest and Day 3 brought beautiful weather to complete our journey. On the final day, we only had about 2 1/2 miles to return to Upper River Road Trailhead. It was an absolutely wonderful time spending about 10 miles on the North Country Trail, followed by the remainder on the Manistee River Trail. Special thank you to Danny for a wonderful trip!