Bishop’s Bog Preserve Trail (Sort Of)

(1 of 52)

To truly start out these 52 hikes right, I headed out to Kalamazoo to check out the 4.6 miles of Bishop’s Bog Preserve Trail, figuring that I could get through some of the mid-range length trails in the colder months where overheating isn’t really going to be an issue. This was my first hike since November and I got to test out my new base layers and had to dawn my jacket for the first time. My base layers (top and bottom) are SmartWool from REI and I use a 3-in-1 North Face coat throughout the year. With it fully put together, it keeps me warm almost down to 0 and the layers themselves are a good rain layer or light jacket if a trail calls for it. The coat is a staple of my day pack. (Maybe I’ll write about my gear list separately one of these days.)

While I was not the creator of this snow angel, it reminded me how long it’s been since I’ve made one myself. (Note: I honestly can’t even remember, it’s been so long.)

Of course, like most January’s here in Michigan, the weather can be rather.. Snow heavy. The night before I headed out to Kalamazoo, most of the evening had seen freezing rain, and, I would discover upon arrival, there had even been some snow to the west. A half mile in, I came across a park ranger heading out towards the park I had started in, so I at least knew someone had been on the trails that morning. Unfortunately, it was to post that the floating trail portion of Bishop’s Bog was closed to hikers. Just a mile into my 52 hikes, and I was already being thwarted. Thankfully, it appeared only the floating trail was closed, so I took the bridge across to Eliason Nature Preserve and kept going.

It ended up being a shorter trail (only about 4 miles) and I’ll have to go back out there at some point, but it was a nice introduction to hiking in the snow. It appeared that I could have connected back to Bishop’s Bog Preserve Trail on the other side of the floating trail, but I didn’t want to chance getting lost just for a lookout point I may not have actually been able to get to. So, I just hiked to a trailhead at the industrial park of the area and then turned around and retraced my steps.