For the final installment I ran on the White Pine Trail. It's a rail trail that has been mostly paved. In the summer people ride bikes, walk and run on the trail. In the winter there are snowmobiles and cross country skiers. The trail is 92 miles long and extends from Grand Rapids, MI at the south end to Cadillac, MI on the north end.
The trail itself is pretty flat and straight. The railroad built it that way on purpose to make it easier for the locomotives. I use it on days I want to log some miles, but keep the intensity down. It's just a nice, relaxing run in the country. Often I will see deer. In the summer I see chipmunks, snakes, hawks, bats and owls. Sometimes in the evening I can hear coyotes off in the distance. That's pretty creepy and can turn an easy run into a tempo run in a hurry!
On Sunday I ran 12.5 miles. The sky was mostly cloudy and the temp was about 32. There was not much wind to speak of. We'd received a light dusting of snow the night before. By the time I went out Sunday afternoon it was getting a bit melty and slushy.
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| Lake Cadillac froze over Saturday night. That ice is still mighty thin. |
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| The trail goes ever on... (apologies to Mr. Tolkien) |
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| Only 90 miles to go! |
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| At the turnaround, headed back. The other foot prints have disappeared this far away from town. Just the one bicycle track I've been following all day. |
I hope you enjoyed exploring some of the trails with me. I certainly enjoyed doing the fieldwork. Depending on the weather, this feature may reappear irregularly during the winter as the Winter Trail Tour. Either way, this feature will be back next spring with some new destinations. I'm already getting pretty excited about the 2012 Spring Trail Tour and where we'll go together.
1 comment:
Thanks for taking us with you! I love the pictures and that improved trail is wonderful views. I so wish I had more trail options where I am.
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