New Year's Day 2019

Happy 2019!

As I have for the past two years (2017 and 2018), I greeted the new year by leading a hike at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Bundy Hill Preserve.  This year I actually led two hikes, a "sunrise" hike at 7:30AM and a more leisurely hike at 10:00AM for the late-risers.

Despite an overnight storm that made roads treacherous (and contributed to many accidents overnight) I was joined by a crew of six hardy souls with the goal of being the first people to top Bundy Hill in 2019.

The trees at Bundy Hill were covered in a layer of ice and snow that created a beautiful backdrop for out hike.  Unfortunately, cloudy skies meant that we did not get to see the sunrise.  My record for new Year's Day sunrise hikes is now one-for-three (0.333 is a great batting average in baseball, but not so great for sunrise hikes).

No sunrise to see, but we made it to the summit!

After the first group of hikers departed, I had about an hour to kill before the second hike was scheduled to begin.  I had planned ahead - I brought a book to read and boiled a kettle of water for tea on the tailgate of my truck.

I was joined by eleven people for the second hike (including a family of 5). For the first hike, we had taken the most direct route (the McNeel Trail) up the hill so we could be on top before sunrise; for the second hike we took the more leisurely path (the Summit Trail) around the west side of the preserve.  Both trails climb approximately 170 feet from the parking area to the summit, but the second trail is a more gradual climb.  This is important when the climbers include young children and a dad carrying one of the kids most of the way up the hill!

The view from the top was worth the climb.  Bundy Hill has two summits; the main (east) summit has no view as it is surrounded by trees, but the west summit offers views facing south.  The sky was still clear as we approached the west summit, but there was enough light to make the view of snow-covered trees dazzling against a steel grey sky.  As with so many things in life, picture do not do it justice.

Love the brooding skies...

We snapped a couple of group photos in this location (with the gorgeous trees in the background) and then proceeded to the real summit for another group picture to prove that we made it to the top.

Near the false summit

On the summit

After reaching the summit, we took the McNeel trail back to our parked vehicles.  This trail is a little steeper and we had a couple of slip-and-fall incidents.  Fortunately the only thing injured was pride. Everyone seemed to enjoy the hike and it was a great way to kick off 2019!

Mark you calendar for Wednesday January 1st 2020 to join my for my 4th Annual New Year's Day hike - I'll be there for sunrise!  Until then, get outdoors and, if your schedule allows, join me for more hikes with the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy.  Keep an eye on the CWC website or facebook page for upcoming events.

Happy New Year 2018!

Happy New Year!

How did you start 2018?

I began the year by getting up at 5:00AM for a sunrise hike at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Bundy Hill Preserve. 

I wasn't alone in my determination to see the first sunrise of the new year from the highest oint in Isabella County - nine other nature lovers joined me for this hike.  This has become an annual tradition.  On January 1st 2017, a group of approximately 15 hikers made the same trek to begin the new year.

In 2017 we experienced a great sunrise.  Unfortunately we were not so lucky this year.  An overcast sky prevented us from seeing the sun.  Still it was a great opportunity to start the new year off with a dose of nature.

While most of Isabella County is flat or gently rolling, Bundy Hill is part of a glacial moraine that rises above the rest of the county.  The trail to the summit climbs more than 160 feet from the parking area and can be a bit of challenge when covered with snow.  

It's easy to overheat when climbing hills in the winter.  Remember to take it easy.  You don't want to break a sweat when the temperatures are near zero degrees;  when you stop moving the sweat means that you get cold fast.  It's better to remove layers or open zippers and be a little chilled when beginning a winter hike than to freeze later once your clothes are sweat-soaked.

Starting up the final seep section of the trail.

We arrived at the summit about 10 minutes before official sunrise (8:09AM).  We stood around talking for a few minutes, hoping that the sun would break through the clouds.  When it became evident that we were not going to get our wish we snapped a couple group pictures and headed on down the hill to get an early start to the new year.

While leaving I saw my first wildlife of the year - a pair of White-tailed Deer.

The End (of the year) is Nigh!

Today is the last day of 2013.  Here are 13 pictures to celebrate 2013.  All of these photos were taken during 2013 and all but one appeared in one or more posts on this blog.

January - This photo of a Bohemian Waxwing appeared a post from January 22nd.

February - This photo did not appear in any posts on this blog.  I took very few photographs in February.  I like this one because of the circular pattern formed in the ice where the Chippewa River turns around a bend.

March - This photograph of a Pileated Woodpecker appeared in a post on March 7th.

April - April is usually one of my favorite months to take photographs.  However, cold weather pushed the Spring wildflowers back into May and I took very few photos in April.  This photo of a Common Eastern Garter Snake was featured in a post on April 23rd.

May - This photo of a male Tree Swallow appeared in a post on May 16th.

June - I took lots of photos in June so it was difficult to pick a favorite.  This photo of a Green Frog and a Ground Pine was taken while sampling aquatic macroinvetebrates at Hall's Lake with the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy.  The post on this event was published on June 28th.

July - In July, my wife and I went on vacation to Maine for nearly two weeks so I didn't publish very many posts.  One of my favorite photos (from Michigan) from July was this image of a Northern Water Snake taken in the Chippewa River in Mt. Pleasant.  This image was posted on July 25th.

August - My favorite photo from August is this one of two axes that I published in a post on logging tools from August 7th.  I didn't take a large number of photos in August and I really like the lines and the colors in this image.

September - This photo of a sunset might be my favorite picture of 2013.  It was taken at Old Mission Point in Grand Traverse County and published on September 30th.

October - This fall photo of light streaming through the trees is one of the few photos that I took in the town I actually live in (Alma).  This photograph was taken in Pine River Park and published in a post on October 8th.

November - In November, Shara and I went back to Traverse City for Veterans Day weekend.  There were no crowds like there are during the Summer and early Fall and the scenery was just as beautiful as always.  This photo is of the clouds, water, and beach at Glen Haven was posted on November 13th.  This was one of my favorite trips of the year for photography.

December - This image of the Pine River in Alma was taken less than five blocks from my house.  It appeared in a post on December 24th.

Bonus Photo - I said I was going to post 13 of my favorite photos from 2013.  Because there are only 12 months in the year,  I had to pick to photos from one month.  June was probably my favorite month of 2013 for photos so here is another from June.  This picture of a Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel was taken on the lawn outside our office door on June 13th.