Audubon Nature Center Trip

Last Saturday my friend and I went to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center to go hiking. It was probably thirty degrees and perfectly sunny, a truly beautiful winter day. We took a backpack with fruit snacks and water bottles in it and set off to hike down to the stretch of lovely Lake Michigan that the Nature Center encompasses. Though it was a treacherous walk downhill, we made it alive and the lake was stunning.

Panorama of the Lakefront

There was probably five feet of ice built up over the water. It was impossible to tell where the beach ended and the water started because it was all frozen over with these glacier like things.

Glaciers

Looking out over Lake Michigan is like look out into infinity but less scary because you know there's another side. It ends somewhere, but right where you're standing it looks like you could jump in and swim off the edge of the earth. The other trails we went on were beautiful as well. I feel like people don't frequent places like the Audubon as much in winter because it's cold and snowy, but actually all you need is a pair of waterproof boots and a hat and gloves and it's a perfectly pleasant excursion. The air down by the lake seems fresher than everywhere else and the sound of birds is mood elevating I must say. Live a little dangerously, go down to the lake when it's all frozen and sit on the edge of a weird little five foot thick glacier with your feet dangling over the water, it's kind of like a shot of icy life when your lungs are too full of artificially heated house air. I would suggest a nature hike in the winter to anyone who's looking for a bit more of an adventure than a normal, summer hike.