Two Laps at Love Creek

I woke up Saturday morning and thought, “Boy, this hike is going to be tough.”  For the past week we’ve had good weather…and then two days ago winter decided to return…snow and all.   We didn’t have to drive to far for this cool hiking spot at Love Creek Park.  Coach Gunn reviewed some more information about gear and we watched a neat picture presentation about past trips to the Grand Canyon.   

After that Coach Gunn told us about the two hike options,  One was a 10 mile road hike, which was highly recommended, or we could hike the 5 miles of cross country skiing trails through the park.  At first I thought we should do the road hike…because I wanted to hike more than 5 miles…but my dad said we’ll just hike it twice.  So we manned up and chose the snowy trail through the woods.

Coach Gunn went with us on our first lap, with some others that wanted to hike the trails that day.  Our first lap took a little longer because Coach Gunn had to mark the trail with green paint markers in the snow as we went.  In some spots you couldn’t even tell the trail bridge apart from the pond. Everything was white.  It was pretty cool.

We finished the first lap and took a quick break to get a snack then headed back out on the trail.  Between the footprints and the trail markings we had no problem following the path.  There was one part where the deer tracks were on top of ours…kind of like they were walking the trails behind us the first time around.    When about halfway through my dad and I turned around and noticed that no one was following.  Even though doing the second gave me some cold, wet feet…it also gave me a real sense of accomplishment.  I was glad that my dad and I chose to hike the trail twice.  I really liked this hike and my dad and I are planning on coming back out here for one of our individual hikes when things warm up and start growing this spring.

Morris Farm Hike

Our hike began with a lesson on the right gear to take, at the YMCA in Niles.  The plan was that after the hour long lecture, we would begin our 9.2 mile hike around the outskirts of town.  It would be a more urban style hike, mostly on paved roads.  Due to the heavy frost that we had last night the most dangerous thing on the hike seemed to be the invisible black ice that caused us to slip and slid around.

Coach Gunn presented a lot of good information on the most appropriate gear to bring on hikes. We learned a lot about how to pick out the right type of shoes.  He really stressed that the old style leather boots will not be too comfortable for 20+ mile hikes.  He suggested trail runners, with good treads and a sturdy heel.  Coach also discussed the qualifications of a good day pack.  A good day pack should hold at least 15 to 20 pounds and have a 3 liter water bag for hydration.  This will be crucial on longer distance hikes in the sun.  A good, waterproof jacket and pants will help with additional comfort during your hike, not only for rain but for cold, since it holds in your body heat but is not bulky.  He also recommended jackets that have lots of ventilation ports since you will want to be able to regulate the airflow so you don’t overheat.

When we started the hike my dad and I discovered how slippery this hike was going to be…we both about fell five or six times on the walkway leading out of the YMCA.  We moved into the grass after that.  The night before, the weather decided to go from originally 40 and sunny, to 13 and snowing.  After we discovered how to avoid the slippery spots we picked up the pace and for the rest of the hike we led the group.  We thought about stopping for a break at our house since the trail ran about a ½ mile from our house at the halfway point...but the continuous flow of people behind us, kept us pushing onward.

I really enjoyed this hike.  It was definitely one of the faster ones, and I was able to have a lot of fun on it too.  One of the greatest experiences on this hike was when we were finally driving home, seeing the other hikers and yelling “FIRE UP!”  I can't wait until our next hike.

Barron Lake Road/Trail Hike

The hike Saturday went great.  It was mostly a road hike…with two very short sections of trail…more like cutting through a yard…but trail just the same.  Ron doubted that it was only 9.3 miles…due to the extra little loop that I added to his regular walking path around Barron Lake…but the “Map My Ride” program actually gave us a pretty accurate map and mileage rating.     

Charlie wasn’t able to join us this morning because he was sick…so he decided to pass on this hike.  Tyler decided to bring his BMX Bike along and switch back and forth between riding and walking.  It was pretty neat to see some of the tricks that he can do on that bike…Charlie and Nate would have enjoyed that.

The landscapes didn’t really call to me to take photos…but I snapped a few shots of things along the trail that caught my eye.  Hope you enjoy them.

Barron Lake Road/Trail Hike

Well, this Saturday, Charlie and I are going to do a 9.3 mile hike that we mapped out with some suggestions from my friend Ron.  We are going to meet at the Jerry Tyler Memorial Airport, 2018 Lake Street, Niles Michigan, at 10:00am and head out for a stroll around Barron Lake.  Ron walks around the lake quite frequently...but we added a few more miles to the stroll that Ron usually takes...we'll see how he likes the additions we made.

Barron Lake Road/Trail Hike