Location: Pontaic Recreation Area

Hiked with: my husband

Route/trail: 29-33 kinda because we took some twists and turns out of curiosity

Weather: sunny, cool but lovely

Duration: 3.70 miles, 1 hr. 17 min.

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: hilly (surprisingly for MI), some trails rocky which slowed us down but wasn't bothersome

Sightings: A fair amount of bittersweet which I love and don't' see very often

Gear/food: water

Emotions, etc: I knew there was a large lake in this area but where the trail ended was on the shore and when we came off the trail-head I was overwhelmed to see the sand beach....this is only 15 min. from home and it will be fun to enjoy when the weather is warmer!

Location: Dodge Park #5, Commerce, MI, It's interesting to note that the Dodge family donated money for many parks in the area therefore the #5 to indicate which one this was.

Hiked with: myself

Route/trail: meandered on most of the park's trails

Weather: 57 degrees and partly cloudy

Duration: 3.02 mi in 55 minutes

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: flat terrain through the woods, many fallen leaves made it tricky to see the lumps and bumps on the path so I probably didn't walk as fast as I should

Sightings: a black squirrel

Gear/food: water

Emotions, etc: part of the trail is near a shooting range which was being used today. I had to work hard not to let the sound of gun shots ruin my time outside

Location: Highland State Recreation Area, Highland, MI

Hiked with: Ian Gallo

Route/trail: started and ended at Teeple Lake

Weather: overcast, 60 degrees

Duration: 5.44 miles, 1 hr. 43 min with a bit of time to stop and just observe our surroundings

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: slight elevations, this is the area of the park that has some hills. Path was fairly damp and muddy in places from this week's rain.

Sightings: cranes, evidence of an old mine, flocks of birds (migrating?)

Gear/food: kept it simple, just water

Emotions, etc: A great way to start the day! Felt the do to list slip out of my mind pretty quickly.

Why This Blog?

I spent my 50th year thinking, reflecting, and pondering my life and purpose. A small revelation and resolution  was how much a liked hiking and that I should do more of it. I am hopeful of at least one hike a week in this next year and this blog will help keep me accountable. It's that simple.