Segment 6, Day 9 Wilderness State Park->Mackinaw City 15 miles

High of 77 degrees.

This was the last day of Segment 6, and I ended the day's hike in Mackinaw City at the top of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. I hiked out of the Wilderness State Park and hugged the shoreline for miles on nearby roads. I was unable to walk at the waterline for the beginning part of the day because there are large tracts of wonderful wetlands up here.
I was able to hike along a short stretch of sandy beach (even barefoot) before heading into The Headlands nature preserve. I hiked through the preserve and out to the lake, then around the bend where I saw the Mackinac Bridge just 3 miles away.





























The Mackinac Bridge spans the Mackinac Straits and is the marker which divides Lake Michigan from Lake Huron. When I reached the bridge, I had completed the Lower Peninsula's shoreline of Lake Michigan.

It was during this day's hike that I also passed the 500 mile mark, the halfway point of this adventure. Next month, I'll continue the journey along the southern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, around the west side of Wisconsin's Green Bay, and across the Door Peninsula to Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Segment 6, Day 8 Cross Village->Wilderness State Park 16 miles

High of 71 degrees.

This day took me from Cross Village to Wilderness State Park. And there is still much wilderness in this park. It is over 8,000 acres, one of the largest tracts of undeveloped land in the Lower Peninsula.

I had a great hike through the park, mostly on the shoreline. Endangered piping plovers were nesting there, and I even saw a pair with their two chicks scurrying along the waterline. I also came across sandhill cranes, leopard frogs, blue herons, and many fish.







It was warm enough to take off my boots for awhile and walk in the cool water.





































When I crossed to the north side of the park, I had my first glimpse of the Mackinaw Bridge and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I'll begin hiking the UP in July and it was thrilling to know that I'd come so far.