Five years. That’s how long Katie and I have lived in Wisconsin. Five years ago we moved from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, leaving behind friends and the land I loved for a faint promise of a better job propect. Things turned out. Both of our careers have advanced since the move, I became more integrated with her family, we got married and had a son. And I was never too far away from the one place I still call home: the Upper Peninsula. Within the next month, though, that will change.
We decided a while back that Wisconsin was a temporary location. I didn’t want to raise children here and both of us had a fixed limit in the area’s job market. It was fun, and we’ve met good people in the Fox Cities area, it’s just not where we want to settle down and grow a family. Deciding where to move has been a constant discussion over the last year, a discussion that has led us to Phoenix.
Now I’m not a fan of Arizona. I don’t know the area, or the terrain, and the thought of spending summers jumping from one air-conditioned unit to the next sounds disgusting. But Katie’s family is moving there, and the job market is (a bit) more tech-friendly, and I have family south of Phoenix. Our other options, which included Washingon, Texas, New York, Minnesota, Michigan, and maybe a half-dozen other states, all had considerations to weigh, and Arizon won.
So that’s it. We move to Arizona by the end of October. A lease is signed, we’re comparing moving options - a difficult task with two dogs, two cats, a sixteen-month old child and pregnant wife - and I’ll be two thousand miles from home. Visiting the Peshekee Highlands and Huron Mountains will no longer be a weekend trip. There are things to look forward to, I’m sure, yet the thought of truly leaving Michigan after living in or near it for twenty-plus years is incredibly saddening.
As a small aside, I’m not entirely sure what to do with all of the posts and pictures I’ve collected on this blog about hiking yet. I will still be hiking, probably crawling over the Superstition Mountains like a backyard jungle gym, and plan on continuing to post on the blog on these adventures. The UP adventures, though, deserve something special. I may collect them in a manner similar to the waterfall site, a general collection of hikes with geocoordinates and descriptions, or just simply renovate the old hiking map with a massive update. I won’t just let it disappear, though. Five years of hiking God’s Country won’t be let go that easily.
s
So sorry to hear you are leaving for the horrors of AZ but I wish you well. I would rather be dead than live there.
Jacob Emerick
I hear you, s. I'm trying to stay positive, but yeah, I hear you.
MT
This is a topic which is close to my heart... Many thanks! Where are your contact details though?
nailhed
Yeah, same sentiment here. there are beautiful places in the Southwest, but i would never ever want to live in the cities there.
And Michigan loses yet another great proponent...
:(
Jacob Emerick
Thanks nailhed. I'm going to miss it a lot. The place we're moving to is all brown and rock... Two hour drive to green. The Upper Peninsula is going to seem all that more magical after this move.
dcclark
Well... gosh!
That will make that cliffs hike a little bit harder. Glad to hear that there are benefits for you, though.
Jacob Emerick
Yeah, it will, won't it. I'm hoping to make a return next year (very tentative, but thinking an early-summer hike on Isle Royale), but that may be it. Hard to leave so many things undone, places unvisited.
Jim and Nancy Haun
Unbelievable! A U.P. without Jacob Emerick? Unthinkable! I am so sorry for your pain yet understand you have to think of family and career! On the upside Arizonia can be awesome and Flagstaff area is much like Michigan! A thought for you-purchase a small piece of the U.P. to keep you grounded here! Retirement can be good-although in the future-time flies by! Will continue to read your blogs and we wish you well Jacob and Katie!
Jacob Emerick
I've been considering a purchase up there for a while. There's a few plots up on Mulligan that have my name all over them, far away from utilities, traffic, and everything. Just have to convince the wife that cabins don't need electricity (or running water) to be enjoyable :)
s
Remember that value up there depends on access. You have to be able to get in over the winter to get use out of a property. The quality of generators has improved greatly over the years,much more reliable. For a cabin of maybe 1200 square feet, it will be somewhere between $10000 and $15000 if you also can cut plenty of firewood from your property.
jack kurtz
Hello Jake...I just discovered your site and want to thank you so much for the valuable info on the UP. My home is in Wis. Rapids, Wi. but my wife Holly and I have a camp on Little Lake MI. We love the Marq. area. I'm 61yrs young with some heart problem but still love to explore the wonder of the UP. The work you have done with your site and maps...WOW Thanks again. Next time your near Little Lake look for me 1765 hwy 35 just around curve from Brown's store :) JACK KURTZ
Jacob Emerick
Hi Jack, great to hear from you! Little Lake, eh? That's a beautiful area, had a friend with a cabin on one of those lakes (may have Bass, too long ago to remember). Anyways, glad you enjoy the site and maps, and hope you all the best. If I'm up in that area I'll be have to look you up :P
Dave
Long time reader, first time commenter. Sorry to see you go as I've looked forward to your blog posts for the past year or so and have enjoyed mining the archives. Hope you keep it all up and available so that all of us who can't get to the UP as often as we'd like have a place to go to get our fix. Best of luck to you and your family on your new endeavor!
Jacob Emerick
Hi Dave, good to hear from you. No worries - I have every intention on keeping this info up and available. You and others will hopefully be able to enjoy these stories and photos for many years to come. Thanks, and best of luck to you as well!