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Dive

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Thanks, I guess.

Boos Blocks

Well, not too much going on these days, considering the one thing I'm "excited" about right now are my new cutting boards. I've been using crappy boards for a long time now and after great deliberation, I settled on two big 24x18 maple edge grains. I got them from John Boos & Co., which makes excellent boards and as a bonus (to me at least), both were made in Illinois, just a couple hours away. Actually, most of their stuff is made in Illinois, and all of it is made in the USA.


If I ever made my own board, I'd use the better-performing end grain - but I decided against it this time around since it would've been something like four times the weight and price. Considering I'll probably be dicing white onions and not white truffles on these things, I think it's a reasonable compromise.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Part 2

Ok, let's finish up Pictured Rocks.


A significant amount of Pictured Rocks is composed purely of sandstone. It's the whole reason Pictured Rocks is what it is. The workability (I don't know the correct term) of the rock lends itself to: (1) the creation of some interesting geologic features; and (2) vandalism. For example, here are some holes that have been created by the waves of Lake Superior, and to the left are the initials of some people who, well, don't seem to get it...


Nickbot examining the underside of Chapel Rock, another of the many weathered sandstone features in the park.


This was a first for me. Nick had been growing some peppers back home and brought along a bag of fresh jalapeños. We generally added some into whatever flash-frozen dehydrated bag of stuff we were eating at the time. Besides the obvious amusement factor of dicing a fresh jalapeño on the beach while backpacking in the Upper Peninsula, it added a surprising amount of flavor and some nice heat to the food. Good stuff.


Not much to say here...just soaking in a real nice view of some of the very cliffs that give Pictured Rocks its name.


Kayaker, waiting for the sunset. I've never kayaked my way around the park, but it looks like a lot of fun...might add it to my long list of things to do.

Anyway, that's just a handful of the many highlights of the trip but I think you get the idea. It was great fun. I hope to get back out there soon.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Part 1

So like I said, I got back last week from backpacking Pictured Rocks with Nick. I've been there a couple times, and it's not the best if you're looking for pure solitude or challenging trails, but there aren't many places that offer lakeside cliff-top hiking where you can relax on a beach every night. We hiked about 36 miles in four days, skipping the Great Sable Dunes portion. It was great fun. Here are a couple of the many photos I took:


Packed up, ready to go. We spent the prior night trying to sleep at an unexpectedly busy rest stop (I was curled up under a picnic table), so needless to say I couldn't wait to get started. Anyway, one of the practical benefits of hiking with someone is sharing the weight, since a lot of gear works for more than one person, like fuel, stoves, water filters, etc. This time around, Nick carried the kitchen, I carried the house.


Nick strolling down Twelvemile Beach (it is indeed 12 miles long) near our first campsite. A dip in a somewhat chilly Lake Superior is a perfect way to end (and start) a hot day's hike. You can see the cloud cover moving in here, which was later followed by a good overnight rain - all of which was expected after scrutinizing weather forecasts during the entire preceding week. It wasn't bad at all, except that we later discovered that the rain fly on my two-man tent (roughly 10 years old) was quite leaky. Chinese water torture all night long.


Much of the trail is cliff-side but most of it still involves winding your way along a typical forest trail. Pictured Rocks is heavily visited and lacks a real trail network, so the main trail is well-worn, well-maintained, and pretty easy on the feet. All good or bad things depending on who you ask.


Like most responsible hikers, I generally abide by the Leave No Trace ethic, like purposefully minimizing the evidence/damage that a fire or shelter creates, packing out your trash, and leaving the natural things I do find. Besides Leave No Trace though, I also have a general policy of picking up any garbage I encounter, which Nick also has a natural affinity for. Besides the piles of cigarette butts, wrappers, and duct tape we scooped up throughout our hike, we also found a stray beach ball floating around a cove. Nick killed it and packed it out.


Nickbot in Lake Superior.

More to come.

Off the Trail (Mix)

Just got back from backpacking in Pictured Rocks with Nickbot. No photos yet since I've been screwing off and haven't quite unpacked my camera, but still wanted to throw something up here.

I avoid most store-bought trail mix. I just don't like it. Thankfully, throwing together your own is a brainless task and that's what I did for our hike:


Almonds, peanuts, peaches, cranberries, and mangoes. Simple but balanced and complete.