photo credit: D. Gallo

Location: Highland Recreation, MI

Hiked with: Darby

Route/trail: Haven Hill Lake

Weather: 18 degrees and windy

Duration: 1 mile, 16 minutes (that's all we could take!)

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: elevation 300 ft. gaining only 20 ft. the entire time

Sightings: frozen lake

Emotions, etc: the cold caused us to run part of the way which in the end 

felt exhilarating and so much better than all of the hotel treadmills I've been walking the past week

Location: Highland Recreation Area, Highland, MI

Hiked with: Gary and Darby

Route/trail: Haven Hill trail

Weather: 43 degrees, grey

Duration: 55 min. 2.33 miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: small elevation changes, patches of mud on the trails

Sightings: a hawk and the barn that was at one time the largest east of the Mississippi river. It was from Edsel Ford's farm that used to be on this property.

Emotions, etc: thankful for Sabbath

Location: Mill Race Park, Village of Commerce Township, MI

Hiked with: myself

Route/trail: the one trail through the park and some of the neighborhood streets behind it

Weather: overcast, 30 degrees, breezy

Duration: 45 min., 2.18 miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: very wooded, fairly flat, creek running through it that is a diversion of the Huron River created for the roller mill that used to be on this site in the early 1900's

Sightings: didn't see the ducks in the creek and they obviously didn't see me. My heart skipping a beat reflected their surprise departure when I was practically standing atop them.

Gear/food: note to self--need warmer gloves

Emotions, etc: despite the cold, it felt so good to be outside. The range of sounds coming from the moving water was captivating.