This video was filmed at Proud Lake Recreation Area in Oakland County Michigan.
Transcript
The snow is gone in Southern Michigan, and I am not sure why but I seem drawn to the water's edge. The air around me is filled with the sounds of migrating Canada geese and the rattling calls of sandhill cranes looking for a nesting site. A pair of swans have already staked their claim to Marsh Lake for their nursery and red-winged Blackbirds defend their sections of the cattails at the west end of the lake. Mallard ducks also nest here and look for a place of their own.
I breathe in the early spring air and listen to the chorus of the birds and reflect on my own place in this world. I hope, through my nature photography and these videos, that I can inspire others to get outside and enjoy the natural world. In our modern society we all spend too much time inside looking at screens and participating in a virtual world. Researchers are finding that time in nature or even viewing nature scenes increases our ability to pay attention and reduces stress. I think humans naturally find nature interesting because we evolved from hunter-gatherers where our lives actually depended on paying attention to what is happening around us. It seems most of us are hard wired to naturally focus on our surroundings when out in nature. This makes it easier to unplug and forget our daily worries while we enjoy outdoor activities.
Nature can provide a refuge for ourselves and our overactive minds. Studies have found that as little as two hours a week in nature can provide a significant impact on our well being. So I hope you get outdoors, go for a ramble in the woods and enjoy the natural world.
Now I'm going to go for a hike at the Proud Lake Recreation Area which is a just few miles from my home in Michigan and is where this video's scenes were all captured. Please come along with me and enjoy the instrumental version of my daughter Aspen's song "Georgia Boy" and the natural sounds from my hike. I will also include a link to the studio recording of this song at the video's end.
My Hike The 4.4 hike I took in this video starts at the canoe/kayak launch of Wixom Road in Proud Lake Recreation Area. I headed east on the River Trail through the group campsite. At the four way intersection where the River Trail goes to the left and over the boardwalks after exiting the group camp, I continued straight on the trail then crossed the park road and joined the Marsh Trail and turned right to circle the little lake. At the northeast end of the lake, I turned off the Marsh Trail and took the trail that goes east skirting the large shrub wetland on the trails south. Reaching the small dam and bridge across the Huron River, I crossed the river and turned left to follow the Ecology Loop which circles back to the bridge over the Huron. I then continued west following the River Trail back to my car in the Wixom Road parking area.
This is a nice loop that I like to follow because of the variety of habitats it crosses, but Proud Lake has many miles of trails to explore and you can make your own path. There is also a canoe Livery if you would like to take a trip down the Huron River. If you want to make a longer visit here, there is even a modern campground as well as cabins to rent if you want to stay over night.
Keep Wandering & Stay Curious!
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