First Harrington Hike of 2020

On an absolutely gorgeous Sunday afternoon in mid-June, I visited nearby Harrington Beach State Park for the first time this year. This was a much-needed escape to the outdoors. Good therapy to banish the woes of weeks of forced isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There’s no way to have a virtual experience with nature! I was starved for the outdoors, so I headed out with my camera to see what awaited me. I wanted to do the hike around Quarry Lake, which has been a favorite outdoor activity of mine for decades. What made it special this time is that today was the first time since I had knee surgery in 2016 that I completed the mile-plus trek around the lake.

The photo ops did not disappoint. The vegetation was abundant and healthy due to plenty of rain this year. Today’s bright sunshine, low humidity, and pleasant temperatures brought lots of people to Harrington today. There were about 40 cars in the main parking lot. Many of today’s visitors were also hiking around Quarry Lake, including many walking with their dogs. Some people were fishing, others enjoying a picnic; a few just soaked up the sun on the Lake Michigan beach. It was just a spectacular day to be here, however you spent it.

Photos

I generally take a camera every time I head outdoors. The Quarry Lake Panorama in the gallery below is comprised of four different photos spliced together in Photoshop. Today I took both still and video photos. Be sure to scroll down to see the videos!

Videos

Lake Michigan is at historic highs. Beach access was prohibited in parts of the park due to bank erosion which felled trees along the shoreline and washed away the sandy soil around former stairways leading down to the beach. The first video below show the effects of bank erosion. The second shows the beach. Both will play in YouTube in a separate tab. Be sure to enable sound playback on your device!

Harrington Beach Bank Erosion (0:15)

Lake Michigan Beach at Harrington Beach State Park (0:14)