Hiking a Moraine

Today was a beautiful day to be outside. The temps reached about 60 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky--a nice reprieve from the rainy October we've been having. Bryan and I decided to head out for a hike this afternoon before watching the big game.

The Leelanau Conservancy has many natural areas, and Bryan and I have been slowly crossing them off our list. We decided to check out the Whaleback Natural Area. It didn't disappoint:

One of our first views as we entered the access trail. The colors have been spectacular this year.

The access trail, which leads to the actual natural area, is bordered by private land. Even these areas provide beautiful landscapes.

Our first view of Lake Michigan (look closely!) shortly after entering the actual Natural Area.

We've reached the viewing platform with crystal blue water as its backdrop...looks promising...

No matter how many times I see a view like this it never gets old. Looking southwest over Good Harbor Bay towards Pyramid Point.

This zoomed in photo of Pyramid Point turned out better than I thought. The view of its dunes is fairly clear. I've never seen it from this angle before.

We're just past peak color season and it was an advantage on this hike. With most of the leaves now off the trees we were able to see Lake Michigan for most of our hike along the bluff.

Bryan, leading the way.

I was a little nervous at some points because of how close the trail came to the edge of the ridge. Here we are looking down at a thick forest of cedar trees growing up the bluff, with a few other types of trees thrown in.

As we looped back around towards the parking lot we were rewarded with amazingly blue water and a view of Leland Harbor...

...and a beautiful sea of yellow (probably my favorite part of our hike).

The downed birch trees provided a neat contrast to the yellow leaves.

The sun peeked through the trees many times during our hike.

Whaleback is obviously an interesting name for a geological feature, especially on the great lakes (you guessed it, we don't have any whales here). According to the Leelanau.com Blog, Whaleback was given its name because of its resemblance to the unique whaleback cargo steamships that were fairly common on the Great Lakes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Considering that Whaleback is not only a moraine but a drumlin, I'd imagine that this geological feature would look like its namesake from the viewpoint of those sailing on the lake.

Originally, we planned on hiking the Clay Cliffs Natural Area but decided against it because that area is open for bow hunting. Considering that we're currently in the middle of bow season it didn't seem very safe to head that way. The Whaleback Natural Area was definitely a great substitute. The hike wasn't too long or strenuous, and the views were worth every step...well, I didn't think it was that strenuous...;)

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering about "the big game", we were victorious! GO GREEN!