Another morning up in the dark and out to the trail. From the Red Roof Inn in Battle Creek we drove to Marshall, MI, where I started my day; still in Calhoun County.
After the short stint along the creek/river in Marshall, I wandered out along a somewhat busy road at the height of the morning work commute. The day before had been slow due to it being Sunday, and so I did not think about all the people driving to work. With my headlamp on, I walked along the non-existent shoulder of the road, hopping into a dewy grassed yard every so often to keep from getting hit. I laughed and got frustrated traversing the roadway having to watch for semi-trucks turning in front of me. 
Eventually, I made it to the bridge park where my mom & I walked on our trip back from Pennsylvania. With it being October, many places along this walk were decorated for Halloween. The Bridge park was no different, as I encountered small pumpkins decorating stairwells or other parts of the park. Again, as I passed through the park, I lost the NCT and did a loop or 2 around the park before just heading across the street, where I knew it continued towards Battle Creek, MI.
I entered Ott Preserve, and enjoyed the tree cover and more nature trail feel compared to the way the day started. There were boardwalks and ponds to watch birds and simply enjoy the quiet. The Fall colors were working on being spent, but still gave some color to the views. On the other side of the park, my husband greeted me with some sugary drinks and to say hey! We made plans to meet in Battle Creek for lunch.
Considering there were still many miles to go, I drank some quick sips of the beverages and headed back out again. I came out of the preserve and the woods back on to the roadways and the POW memorial bridge going into Battle Creek. Once across the bridge, the trail followed along a cement path for bikes, walkers, and anyone else recreating. It followed the river and entered downtown Battle Creek, where I eventually met up with my husband for lunch. We sat along the river enjoying the break and the view.
With lunch complete and still many more miles to go, I put my shoes back on and headed out on the trail again. The cement trail passed by some open fields into the sketchy part of time, through a rundown part of the trail, and out to the industrial side of town. There were times where I was waiting for someone to crawl out of the woods. Other times, the moss covered bridges had me wondering whether I was going to slip and fall and ruin my adventure. Luckily none of that happened.
Most of this day, my husband kept finding little spots to meet up with me off and on. He met up with me on the far side of the cement path once I ended up back on the side of the road. We chatted for a bit before I continued on. The small breaks to see him and the dog were very welcomed.
Eventually, I made it to the Fort Custer National Cemetery and VA hospital. Lots of security stuff that the road walk takes me just outside of. As I took photos, I kept waiting for someone to come talk to me about security aspect. Once again, my husband met me alongside of the road. I got more water from him and continued to take the trail around the National Cemetery to another road walk, which took me to a park in Augusta, MI and the line between Calhoun County and Kalamazoo County. There was a picnic table where I sat and waited for my husband to pick me up.
The day was complete and we headed back to the hotel. I was hurting a little, but still excited for the adventure. After showering off the dirt and grime of the day, I prepared for the next day. With everything packed and ready to go because we were planning on moving from the hotel to my in-laws' house for the night, I headed off to bed.
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