Two, Random, Semi-Old

Filler post of two random semi-old photos (point and shoot):


Kayaking through Chicago. I've done this a couple times in both directions, and despite the nasty and polluted river you navigate through, it's great fun. This is a shot of right when you start getting into the Loop. It's like being in an urban canyon when you're paddling between the skyscrapers and buildings. I usually take it all the way out to Lake Michigan, and paddle along the coast for a while. You have to be careful though, the waves on the lake are often big enough to easily dump you.


The red sand Kaihalulu Beach in Maui. Big rocks. I'm in the bottom left corner. The fun part about this beach (besides the red sand) was that you could run out into the ocean for about 100 meters and the water was still barely up to your waist.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 4

My fourth day up here started about the same and I woke up ridiculously early. It was relatively overcast, and although last night's rain subsided some hours ago, the thunder was already threatening in the distance.

While eating breakfast, I realized I had already done mostly everything I wanted on this trip and decided it was a good time to pack it in. The hike back to the parking lot that day was shorter than the last couple days, but a lot harder. I took a steeper return route and was paying back the downhill debt from day one, spending most of my efforts scrambling up and down loose rock, mostly up.


As with most summer hikes through a forest, there was a wide assortment of wildflowers. The one in the middle is Orange Hawkweed, and it is actually considered an invasive species in many North American areas.



I encountered a couple of White-tailed deer during the hike. One actually grazed its way into my first campsite. I didn't hear or notice it until it was already about 15 feet close, and it scared the crap out of me.


They never seemed to be too concerned or interested with me. They just milled about and munched on food, vigilantly keeping an eye or ear on me and everything else while doing so.

I had gone a little over 42 miles in 3 days, which was about twice as fast as I was anticipating. Next time I'll have to visit the Little Carp Trail that the weather forced me to skip out on.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 3

After watching the clouds roll in, I climbed into my tent. Within an hour, it was thunderstorming pretty bad. I became acclimated to most sounds, like my rattling tent and the sound of groundwater flowing under my tent's footprint. However, every 30 minutes or so, a crack of thunder would shock me awake.


Cloud cover.

Despite the overnight drama, I woke up at around 5:30 in the morning the next day. I didn't realize how hard the rain was falling until I saw my tent and boots, which were under the tent's vestibule, covered with mud that had been knocked into the air. I had stored my food in a waterproof stuff sack, and used my backpack cover (I store my backpack up in the air too, since I assume it smells like food too), so that was all relatively dry.


The trail is marked with either a piece of blue metal hammered into a tree as shown here, or simply a small blue dot spray painted on the tree.

The morning was almost sunny, but I was sure it wouldn't last. I checked out the Little Carp Trail, which moved back inland, as a day hike. About four miles into it, I heard thunder moving in and backtracked to my campsite. Although the Little Carp looked like the best trail in the park, I decided to hug the coastline to keep an eye on the weather. It turned out to be a nice hike and a pair of ospreys followed my route, randomly flying out from their hidden perches, trying to nab fish from the lake. Also, because I was able to watch the weather, I found a campsite and finished setting up literally minutes before a torrential downpour hit. I crawled into my tent, and felt lucky and unlucky at the same time.


A Cedar Waxwing, right at the beginning of my hike. A common bird around here.


Some type of wren on the Little Carp Trail? Uh, I'm not sure what kind, and I'm not even certain it's a wren. I'm not very good with birds.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 2

I woke up bright and early the next morning and was surprised to find that it was sunny and warm outside. I left as soon as I could to take advantage of that. The bulk of the day's hiking involved a trail that went around Miscowabic Peak and then towards Lake Superior.


The trail generally followed the Big Carp River. Although in some places you had to cross the river by walking right through it, other crossings had some nice bridges.


Little rapids on a branch off from the main river.


Pile of fur.

Something's undercoat...
Anyway, it was a nice hike though the woods, and I set up camp where the trail and river eventually ran out into Lake Superior. I spent the rest of the day eating, resting, collecting firewood, and exploring.


Lake Superior campsite about 15 feet from the water. Amenities included a windbreak for my tent, a firepit (which was a nice surprise), and a bear pole. It all felt very luxurious.


I ate dinner by the lake, and watched some foreboding clouds move in.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 1

It was about a nine hour drive up to the Porkies. Pretty uneventful, but about five hours into it, you start encountering rolling hills, lakes, and rivers all around you as you drive through the Ottawa National Forest. A quiet and scenic drive.


Road into the park.

After getting to the park, it was too late to start hiking. I set up shop in the Lake of the Clouds parking lot to go over my gear, figuring I would start my hike from there the next day anyway.


Avoiding actual confrontations with bears is easy, but protecting your food is a different story. I've heard stories of bears cutting supporting ropes, finding and retrieving water-submerged stashes, or even sending their cubs up trees to climb branches unable to support an adult.

I spent some time walking around the nearby area to stretch my legs and enjoy the few remaining hours of sunlight. Near the parking lot were a couple scenic views of the surrounding park and the famous Lake of the Clouds:


A popular view of the Lake of the Clouds. It is a huge lake surrounded by old growth forests, resting in a valley between two small mountains. I spent some time on the various ledges soaking it in.

After I finished checking out the immediate area, I backtracked about 10 miles to make my dinner on the beach and watch the sunset.


This was the only night I was able to get a clear view of the sky. The weather took an abrupt turn for the worse the next day.

I eventually decided to head back to the parking lot to recheck my gear, pack it in, and try to get some uncomfortable sleep in my car before heading out the next morning.