Last Hike

With clear weather forecast for yesterday (to be followed by rain over the rest of the holiday), we put aside a renovation project to take a hike out at Pinckney State Rec area. The temperature was nearly 50 when we hit the trail around 2--a fine early November day, on the brink of January.

If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

I don't know. Winter still hasn't come.

We don't have the snow or the cold I'd expect around new year's (which I actually enjoy), but we still have the long twilight that begins around 3 and fades to black around 6 or so. We enjoyed a vespertine passage though the woods, an exercise conducive to reflections on the end of something.

A few shots from along the way:



We had a wet autumn, and small ponds spread over most low spots.



The wood along the way (like just about every forest in SE Michigan) were becoming overgrown with pink (Amur) honeysuckle and multiflora rose, pernicious exotics that choke out most other shrubs and ground cover. Much of the time it seemed like we were walking through a thicket. The best views came when we reached large openings like these two. They must have been lovely when October's colors were out.



On the way home, we stopped in the hamlet of Hell (yes, that's the town's name) for a beer at the Dam Site Inn, whose walls were emblazoned with stencils of flames and devils. (This town milks the name for all it's worth--its major industry seems to be the production of T-shirts printed with Go To Hell (Michigan) on them and other demonic kitsch). The tavern apparently does get a bit hellish at times: we overheard that a large fight had broken out around closing time the night before and ended with a good deal of blood on the floor, though we found the place friendly enough.

It was a day I will savor well into the new year. Today it's back to shuffling lumber around. Hope everyone else finds some pleasant way to mark the occasion.