Day 3: approximately 10 miles
We left Meeker’s Haven around 8:30am and hiked along the side of the road about 3/4 of a mile back up to the trail. The day started out gray, moist and in the 50’s. Then the temperature began falling and a steady drizzle fell. We were warm as long as we kept moving. My feet were not in good shape. I had 2 large blisters on my right foot and a pulled muscle on the outside of my left foot, from the heel up past my ankle. I wasn’t sure which foot to favor.
As long as we were under the canopy of trees, we didn’t feel the rain.
Blueberry country! We passed field after field of highbush blueberry bushes. Apparently, Michigan is number one in production of cultivated blueberries.
barn photo not available
Moving into the blueberry fields meant hiking under the open sky with a cold wind and biting rain. After seeing the bright red autumn leaves of the bushes, I felt a great urge to have a bush of my own.
We had our lunch near this field, under the protection of an old weeping willow tree. Maureen’s husband Steve packed us a great lunch of pasta salad, homemade cookies, and apples. The lunch was delicious but I really could have used a cup of hot tea. We cut our break short so we could get back to hiking to warm up.
This section of trail had fewer stops, fewer latrines and fewer water pumps. It was much more barren.
The hike was long, but thank goodness Maureen set a good pace. We got into a rhythm and I could ignore my feet and kept moving along. I just know that if I were alone, I would have slowed down to a crawl, and maybe never finished. This is our final stop at the one mile marker by the Black River. As you can see, the scenery got more interesting again.
bridge photo not available
The covered bridge, a special landmark pointing the way towards our final destination.
Pictures from the bridge. The trail meandered alongside the river all the way to…
Mile marker zero. Here I am, damp and disheveled; tired. My feet were a mess. But I did it!
Arriving in South Haven. A typical view of condos and marinas. The journey was over.
Maureen and I talked of the possibility of future jaunts with a few other women that enjoy hiking. Hmmm, could be fun.
If you’d like to see the route we took, I’ve included a pdf of the map.
Through the Looking Glass 
What magnificent pictures! I don’t think I’ve seen a finer one than the covered bridge you have here.
I enjoyd taking us with You to this trail. Those fall photos are great. I love them and I also take some fall photos.
Lovely photos..iI really injoy watching it…
Thankz for sharing have a good strt of the week
whooo-hooo congrats, Jill!! I’m so proud of you!! the pictures are gorgeous! Hope your feet are feeling better? How many miles did you make in total? Be sure to email me (gmail or facebook) and let me know where to send the check! :~j
Wow, Jill! Thirty three miles!! What an accomplishment! Plus, you had a beautiful place to hike in. YOur photos are awesome! I hope your body is healing.
Thank you all! I took a long weekend to recover the worst of my hurts and a week back at work brought me back 100%. I’d do it again, but invest in some heavy-duty hiking boots beforehand. The hiking shoes I had are fine for easy day hikes just not for 3 days.