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.