Biking along the Kal-Haven obstacle course

As part of my ongoing effort to avoid obesity and death, I decided to look around for places where I can run and bike over the summer. I was delighted to discover that the start of the Kal-Haven trail is only an eight minute drive from my house. The Kal-Haven trail is a roughly 35 mile gravel bike path that connects Kalamazoo and South Haven, making it long enough to meet all of my exercise needs. So on Friday, I decided to throw my bike in the car and head on over to do a bit of biking.

As I began my ride, I learned that the massive thunder storm that hit Kalamazoo on Wednesday had not left the Kal-Haven trail unscathed. Debris from nearby trees littered the trail, and after about five minutes of biking, I came across a fallen tree blocking the entire path. I got off my bike, lifted it up, and clambered over the trunk and around branches. Five minutes later, I hit another tree. During my hour and a half ride, I'd say I encountered about two dozen fallen trees. And they were not small trees.

See? Not small. 

Every time I encountered someone heading the other way, we'd always stop and engage in a ritual where we remarked on how many fallen trees there were (a lot), asked if there were more in the direction we were heading (there were), and then wished each other a happy run/ride. The general impression I got is that most people thought the tree situation was kind of exciting. It broke up the monotony of the run/ride and let you exercise in a different way. Getting my bike through some of the more tangled trees required a bit of strategizing and creativity.

I had to climb off the trail through the valley to get around this tree. 

Besides the fallen trees, the trail was very nice. There's plenty of shade, sources of water, and outhouses. Plus, I encountered some very beautiful views. I think I'll be using the Kal-Haven trail often this summer, although it may have fewer trees the next time I go down it.