Trail cam pics and a walk in the January woods.

In late December I placed my trail cameras in the woods for the first time in nearly a year.  Today I went to switch out the memory cards.  Although I managed to get pictures of red fox, raccoon, squirrels, and deer (including several bucks) I was disappointed by the results and ended up moving both cameras.

A fox runs in front of the camera

Part of a herd of deer, including two bucks, passing by the camera

After moving the cameras I used the opportunity to take a walk through the woods and take some photographs.  There was no snow on the ground, but lots of ice.  My favorite photos of the day were probably those showing leaves locked in ice.  Here are a few of the images that I captured.

Bright sunlight has been a rare sight in recent days

This picture was not planned - the plane flew over just as I was taking the picture.

Flowing water carved this channel down through the ice

Many shades of brown

Living and dead trees stand bare in the winter swamp

Oak leaves trapped in ice

Coyote scat on top of a pile of deer scat

Water levels have dropped several inches since this ice formed

Eastern Hemlock

Silt covered leaves, topped by a single clean oak leaf

A boardwalk crosses an eroded area on the trail

Northern White Cedar

The bright trunks of aspen trees glow in the sunlight

Late October afternoon (27 October 2017)

Yesterday, late in the day, I headed out to retrieve the memory cards from my trail cameras.  I had planned to leave them out until after November 1st, but given the opportunity I decided to retrieve them a few days early. 

This also gave me the opportunity to get a few pictures of the fall leaves.  Mid-Michigan is well past prime color.  Most of the trees have already changed color and dropped their leaves, but there are still opportunities to be found.

It was rather a dreary day, with overcast skies and flat light; not the best conditions for photography.  Add in the fact that by the time I got into the woods the sun was already getting low in the West.  Lower light levels meant longer exposure times.  I wasn't using a tripod so there was the good change that many of my pictures would end up being blurry.  Despite these challenges I was happy with my results.

Looking down into the swamp.

A black-phase grey squirrel.  These are becoming more and more common.

Sugar Maple leaves in the swamp.

A deer trail cuts through this edge of the swamp.

Ferns change color in the fall too.

A pop of red sticks out amid the many shades of brown.

Maidenhair ferns can be found along edges of the swamp

The park is surrounded on three side by private land.

Sugar maple leaves floating in a puddle.

Some maples are still hanging on to their leaves.

High-bush Cranberry adds its two shades of red to the swamp.

These berries will probably persist into the winter - birds eat them but only when other foods are gone.

Lichen adds its own shades of color to the swamp

Sugar Maples flank an Eastern Hemlock

Paper Birch bark and Sugar Maple leaves

The canopy around this large Sugar Maple is definitely thinned out.

Most leaves are now on the forest floor.

Through the winter marsh

This morning, between school presentations, I stopped for a short time at Mill Pond Park.  I only spent a short time there, almost all of it walking through a frozen marsh.  I was mainly looking for a place to set up a trail camera, but I did take a few photos.  My favorite picture was this low-angle shot of a deer trail through the cattails.

Field Trip - Pyramid Point Hiking Trail

Shara and I spent the weekend camping near Traverse City.  On Saturday (24 SEP), we went to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and hiked a section of the Pyramid Point Trail.  This popular trail segment leads to a bluff that rises 300 feet above Lake Michigan.  The trail to this overlook measures about 0.6 miles one way (for a 1.2 mile round trip).  The total elevation change of this trail is more than 200 feet, with about 140 feet of that coming in the final 0.2 miles of the climb.  If you are not used to climbing hills it can be a challenge, but the view is entirely worth the effort.

The trail leads upward

The trail passes though a mixed hardwood forest - including stands of birch

Shara stops to photograph something along the trail

Pay attention to the sign!

Tired, but proud, the view is totally worth it

Me with North Manitou Island in the background

The South Manitou Island lighthouse can be seen on the horizon at the left

The lake is 300 feet down from the top of the bluff!

Looking east along the bluff

A wider angle view of the horizon to the northwest

North Manitou Island - you see the dunes on the island's southwest side

Another view of the eastern horizon

Heading back down the trail

The Pyramid Point Trail is just one of thirteen named trails within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - not counting the trails on the Manitou Islands.  Sleeping Bear Dunes is located about 2 hours 15 minutes from Mid-Michigan.  There is a fee for using the park. Currently, a 7-day vehicle pass costs $15 or an annual pass can be purchased for $30.  There is also a pass for people entering the park on foot or by bicycle ($7 for 7 days).  Check the calendar, there are several fee-free days throughout the year - the next one is scheduled for Veterans Day (November 11th).