Two Briar Hills- It's So Confusing!

 

I've been meaning to show you this for a couple of weeks. Talk about confusing. Remember that Ellen and I climbed the highest hill in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and it is named Briar Hill? There is another Briar Hill just a couple of miles north of the other one!

First, some pictures, then I'll explain... although the explanation doesn't solve the confusion.

I was driving SE on M-115 and saw a single pointy peak in the distance. It's odd, because it's all alone. It didn't look the right shape for Briar Hill (the one we climbed).



Just a couple of miles farther on the road, and this range of hills came into view. This looks more the right shape for the Briar Hill high point.



When I got home and looked at the map they are both named Briar Hill. Hmmm. Had to do a little more research. First of all, let's be clear. The one we climbed is higher. Quite a bit higher. It's 1706 feet, and the pointy peak is only 1300.

On this map, you can see the two hills. The arrows that match the colors of the Xs are the approximate locations where the pictures were taken. You can enlarge the map.



Here's what I found out. The pointy peak is the location of a former commercial enterprise called Briar Hill Ski Jump. Now things make sense. Someone just decided that was a good name for the ski runs. But it's still really confusing to look at the map and see two peaks named Briar Hill.

	See Briar Hill- Highest Point in the LP
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