Nordhouse Dunes, Part 2

Ok, continuing and finishing the summary:


Me sitting in one of the many dunal moraines. This barren little spot was actually right by my campsite, although my tent was tucked into a small group of trees to help protect me from the wind.


Except for a mutually confusing encounter with a porcupine, the rest of my evening was pretty uneventful. I spent some time gathering dead wood, eating, wandering around the dunes, and enjoying some fair weather. However, the night brought in some good rain and wind. Knowing this would probably happen, I had attached more guylines than usual and anchored my tent stakes. However, there was no thunder, so I pretty much slept through it all - and this was unfortunate since I was unaware that my vestibule buckled a bit, causing my boots to get filled with rain. Weeee.


Because of the predicted rain and increasing fire risk, the rangers decided to do a prescribed burn in a couple areas to clear out the combustible underbrush. Although this shot was post-burn and post-rain, there was still some smoldering wood in the back. Controlled burns like this are usually for hazard reduction purposes and it might seem destructive, but they can actually benefit the forest's ecosystem (e.g., recycling the detritus, releasing nutrients, even encouraging fruiting in some plant species).


One of Porter Creek's outlets emptying into Lake Michigan. Before it was just a minor trickle running through a shallow channel. The night's rain, however, significantly increased the output of the creek and caused it to gouge out quite a bit of sand.


And that was about it. Just a quick little trip but it was perfect for checking on some of my aging gear (some of which I've decided is done for), testing out a new camera harness, and getting a little bit of wilderness solitude in. Good times.