Carried Away at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum

Last Friday I enjoyed another Walk About, this time on the far west side of Kalamazoo. Our class met at the Oshtemo Township Park behind the Fire Station on West Main Street.  

My girlfriend and I were not familiar with this park that offers a baseball field, basketball courts, tennis courts, playground, pavilions, restrooms, walking paths, and a disc golf course!

Since we had both enjoyed our morning coffee before heading out on our 30 minute drive from Richland, we were happy to find the restrooms unlocked, clean and well-stocked.

Nearly all 18 class mates showed up as well as our two instructors, Bobbie Jo and Theresa. Today, however, we were fortunate to be joined by Dave Meeker who is a board member of the Great Lakes Adventure Club, a diverse group of people from Southwest Michigan and beyond who enjoy outdoor activities such as backpacking, biking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, hiking, ice climbing, kayaking .... (insert big breath in)..... orienteering, rock climbing, rollerblading, sailing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and white water rafting. 

The club's goal is to have as much non-motorized outdoor fun as they can stand while treading as lightly as possible upon the earth. With an annual fee of just $10, the GLAC is always accepting new members!

As today's hike leader, Dave explained that our 3 mile hike would begin on the west side of the township park, then wander into the Lillian Anderson Arboretum and back to the park, exiting the trail on the east side adjacent to where we started.

After hearing an overview of the GLAC and applying our mosquito repellent, we set off on today's hike. As promised, we strode through the park paths dodging a few overthrown frisbees and soon came to a low railing separating the park from the Lillian Anderson Arboretum.

Owned by Kalamazoo College, Lillian Anderson comprises 140 acres of marsh, meadow, pine plantation and second-growth deciduous forest. Historically, several families worked the land between the early-19th and mid-20th centuries. Lillian Anderson, a Kalamazoo College graduate, donated approximately 100 acres of her family's farm to the College in 1982. 

In 2000, thanks to the generous financial assistance of Dr. and Mrs. H. Lewis Batts, the College added 31 acres of land along the eastern boundary of the original Anderson property. 

The Arboretum was established in 1998 as a resource for the Kalamazoo College community, Kalamazoo-area residents, and visitors to the area.

Although this is a private facility, the public is welcome to walk the trails as long as they abide by these simple rules.

• Motorized vehicles, bicycles, hunting, firearms, campfires, camping and horseback riding are prohibited.

• Pets must be kept on a leash at all times.

• Please remain on marked trails.

• Don't pick flowers or remove plant or animal material. Take only photographs, leave only footprints.

With these important rules in mind, we stepped over the railing and began to hike. These were very well-marked and groomed trails with "you are here" maps at every major intersection. Beautiful wooded forests, valleys, hills, streams and a lake made for enjoyable scenery - if only we had time to stop and look!

Dave set a brisk pace over tree-rooted ground that required a sharp eye to avoid tripping. An avid hiker and (who knew?) storyteller, Dave proceeded to share anecdotes from his hikes and adventures all over the U-S-of-A! 

Dave is not a soft-spoken kind of guy, but has a mighty teacher voice that I suspect those in the back of the group could hear, even if they couldn't quite make out what he was yammering about! 

Dave takes a break to talk about the Arboretum

We did occasionally stop so all hikers could catch up and that gave me time to take in the scenery. Dave kindly pointed out poison ivy and what he thought may be poison oak (although Pat highly suspected it was English ivy). 

Soon we were near the eutrophic lake which also turned out to be a great breeder of ferocious mosquitoes!  

As we stopped to take some snapshots of the lake, we were swarmed by angry, hungry, blood suckers with a mob-mentality and suddenly the hikers were running faster than Dave to get out of the woods! No longer did we look like a bunch of old retired ladies! We were running, swatting, hurdling the arboretum railing and dashing for the finish line!

As I ran, flapping my arms by my face and ears I wondered if indeed this quantity of tiny arthropods could lift me up and carry me away! 

Ten minutes later, a bit out of breath, we arrived back in the parking lot at the Oshtemo Township Park. The mosquitoes thankfully stayed behind in their much-loved arboretum. Fortunately, the repellent worked for the most part and I only found a couple bites on my body. And as a bonus - no ticks!

Bobbie Jo reminded us of our rescheduled walk coming up July 17th and wished us a great fourth of July in the meantime. Then she gave us a hand-out featuring 2015 Hiking and Walking Opportunities, including the following.

Kazoo Walking and Hiking Meetup

Westside Oshtemo Walking Club (KVRT)

Chief Noonday Chapter, North Country Trail Association

After bidding our hiking friends goodby, we jumped in our car and headed out to explore the local eatery scene as our morning jaunt in the woods had left us thirsty and hungry.

One more walk-about down and a new park and arboretum explored! My friend and I agreed we would come back - but at the end of a rainless few weeks instead of during the current seemingly monsoon season. Those rabid mosquitoes were to be avoided at all costs!

Until next time, may your trails be dry and the mosquitoes unhatched.

Miriam