Location: Highland Recreation State Park

Hiked with: Gary and Sarah

Route/trail: Past Teeple lake and the small sledding zone

Weather: overcast and 35 degrees

Duration: 2.56 mils in 59 minutes

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: trails covered with snow which wasn't all packed down. This allowed for a better work out than normal.

Sightings: kids sledding

Emotions, etc: Happy to have a Pittsburgh friend along for the journey!

Location: Dauner Martin Nature Association Trails, Fenton, MI

Hiked with: Gary-don't let the pic deceive you, he did put his phone away!

Route/trail: Yellow and part of the blue...the trails were well marked and we should go back to explore during other seasons

Weather: 34 degrees and sunny but we could see the impending snow storm rolling in from the distance

Duration: 1.96 miles, 40 minutes

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: mostly flat but totally snow covered yet easy to navigate because of the cross country skiers that had packed the path

Sightings: deer and a few blades of green grass

Emotions, etc: Looking forward to spring when these walks can be longer yet the woods were so beautiful today and it was great to have Gary's company. Glad we took the time because tomorrow we'll probably be shoveling the snow from that storm that is headed our way!

Location: the neighborhood

Hiked with: myself

Weather: 25 degrees but absolutely glorious because of the sunshine

Duration:  just 30 minutes (doesn't really qualify as a hike)

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: mostly clear paved road with patches of ice

Sightings: the birds are starting to sound different as uf they are beckoning spring

Gear/food: tried out my new extra warm mittens. They work!

Emotions, etc: after several weeks of walking only on the treadmill this was such a treat.

Location: the neighborhood

Hiked with: my dear husband

Route/trail: the main loop plus three circles

Weather: 29 degrees, cloudy

Duration: 32 min., 1.97 miles

Sightings: so many different animal tracks in the snow....I want to learn who they belong to

Emotions, etc: it felt so good to engage in this little walk after the busyness of the holidays, being under the weather and the bitter cold of the last week.

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.