Trail 17

The Hancock/Calumet trail travels through the heart of the Copper Country range. More than three-quarters of the nation's copper came from this region of the Keweenaw Peninsula from 1843 to the 1920's. It was the only place on earth where pure copper was found so free of impurities that it could be formed into pots and pans without refining or processing.
The Mineral Range Railroad cars hauled hard-rock copper along this route throughout those years. Today this section of the rolling corridor is home to 13.4 miles of trail that also goes by the names "Jack Stevens Calumet-Hancock Rail Trail" and "Snowmobile Trail #17. It alternates between crushed stone and dirt, and as I travel on it I sail past stands of northern hardwoods, numerous ponds, wetlands, fishing spots, mine tailing piles (piles of rock brought to the surface during mining), and other relics of the copper mining era. I've spent countless hours and traveled countless miles on Trail 17 during the past 26 years. The old rails and ties were pulled up and hauled away years ago - and tonight as I ran with Cooper, I stopped to listened to the quiet, to breath in the pervasive spicy smell of the autumn forest, to study the stands of trees - most of which have given up their leaves now, and to think about the history laid down by this strand of trail.