St. Patrick's Park, IN & Madeline Bertrand Park, MI

This is a hike report that I originally posted to the Great Lakes Hikes Yahoo Group:

08/30/03

Hi guys!

I got a new hike in on Thursday night between Niles, MI and S. Bend, IN. Madeline Bertrand Park in MI and St. Patrick's Park in IN connect along the banks of the St. Joseph's River. There are about 4 miles of hiking on each side of the border. Terrain is generally flat, although there is a steep river bank portion slightly inland from the river. I saw several nice streams that I'd like to bushwack along at some point. Trails are generally wide skiing paths that seem to be maintained by a motorized vehicle. The MI side has woodchips in spots that make hiking difficult.

Neat items: The Potowatomi tribe seemed to be holding a meeting of some sorts in St. Patrick's Park. There was a large, branch-covered structure that was really neat. I also heard some chanting from adistance. There is a Sept. 11th Memorial on the Indiana side. It looks a bit odd, but it was thought-provoking. Since both of these parks are county parks, there are ballfields and such. However, the hike was pretty nice. Finally, this hike currently extends across two time zones. I forgot about the time change and had to hoof it back to MI quickly so that my car didn't get towed/locked in.