From time to time along the way, various friends hiked with me. It was at this point in the trek that Bill Courtois of Ann Arbor, Michigan rejoined me. We encouraged each other, and hiking with someone through snow and ice added to our safety. We even found a way to day-hike through Pictured Rocks, which was spectacular in winter. David Snoek, of Hudsonville, Michigan and I contemplated winter backpacking through the snow-covered Trap Hills. Ultimately, we decided this would be foolish. Those miles are the hilliest in all of Michigan, and my gear would need to be upgraded for me to backpack in the dead of winter.