Tahquamenon Falls and Heading Home

Saturday - September 7th, 2014

Even though we didn't stay at the state park, we still wanted to stop and check out Tahquamenon Falls, Jamie had never seen them, and I had never seen the lower falls. We spent an hour or two checking them out.

The Upper Falls

The Lower Falls

After that it was the long drive home. Found something out, the Mackinac Bridge doesn't accept credit cards. Anyways, it is good to be home and really good to see Jonah again.

Backpacking the Peninsulas: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Day 5.

Friday - September 6th, 2014

Today's Miles:         8.9
Cumulative Miles: 42.4

We were up at 5:30 this morning. We immediately started packing our gear, even though it was still dark out. We were ready to get going and get off the trail. We had hiked in enough water the day before that we were able to top off and wouldn't have to stop to fill up. Maybe those grueling 3 miles yesterday were worth it.. After a quick breakfast, we were on the trail by 7, just as the sky was starting to brighter up. The trail descended quickly from where we were camped. I didn't realize it until the trail curved around, but our camp was on top of a huge 100 foot cliff.

We were at Miner's Beach before we knew it. Had I known it was that close, I would have just gotten my water there yesterday. I made Jamie stop, so I could photograph a small waterfall.

We hiked across Miner's Beach and then started the climb up toward Miner's Castle. At Miner's Castle, we stopped for a bathroom break and a picture or two.

After that, our goal was the end. There wasn't much of a view that last day after Miner's Castle. Although we were still on the cliff tops, the view was blocked by trees. We just kept our heads down and trudged along. It is funny how your body knows you are close to the end. As you get closer, it seems like every ache and pain gets worse. Jamie's heel was really bothering her, though she did a good job of not showing it. My feet were also getting pretty sore. We stopped for a snack/early lunch at Sand Point Junction. Our energy levels were running low, but a little food helped fuel the fire to get us to the finish. After that it was non-stop to Munising Falls. That last 3 miles seemed to last forever, but eventually we emerged from the woods into the parking lot at the visitor center.

And just like that, our trip was over. Ending a backpacking trip is always bittersweet. On one hand, your tired and sore muscles long for it to be done, On the other, you really don't want to trade the simplicity of trail life for the hustle and bustle of the every day grind.

We checked in at home to let our family know we were off the trail, spent a little bit at the falls, and left to get our blizzard from Dairy Queen. To our dismay, Dairy Queen was closed. So we decided to head to Newberry to get a flurry from McDonalds.

As we were driving, the radio suddenly started screeching out the tones of the emergency broadcasting system, informing us of a chance of severe thunderstorms, with wind gusts up to 60mph and quarter sized hail. At that moment, camping at Tahquamenon Falls sounded a whole lot less appealing. We decided to get a hotel room instead. We were soon all showered up and lounging in a king size bed. We even got to soak away some of our aches and pains in a hot tub. We went and got dinner at Timber charlie's, one of my favorite U.P. stops. It was a nice night, in which we indulged ourselves with lots of food and lounging around.

At about 3 in the morning, I woke up to the sound of hail pelting off our hotel window. We definitely made the right decision in getting a hotel room.

Backpacking the Peninsulas: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Day 4

Thursday - September 5th, 2013

Today's Miles:         7.5
Cumulative Miles: 33.5

Had a good morning at camp. Moseyed down to the pit toilet. So nice to have one at this campground.  We got packed and were off.

If you only have time to hike one section of the Pictured Rocks, make sure it is the section from Chapel Rock to Mosquito Beach. There is a trailhead that connects trails to both. You could probably do it in a long day hike, or spread it out to an overnight trip. This section of the trail is jam packed with views. Around every corner is a new cliff.

There were coves, caves, and arches. It was absolutely amazing. From Chapel, we hiked to Grand Portal Point. As well, there was another big arch, which I'm not sure if it is named.

We ate lunch at Mosquito Beach. On a hot summer day, this would have been an amazing swimming hole. Too cold today though, even though it was the warmest day so far.

From Mosquito, things started to go down hill (figuratively). The place where we were going to camp next didn't have water available, So me trying to be a boy scout (motto: always be prepared) decided we needed to hike in a whole bunch of extra water. We were loaded down with more weight than normal, which made things difficult. On top of that, the views for the day seemed to be over. And finally, the mosquitos were horrible. It was hard to try to stay positive and remember why I like backpacking.

We made it to camp (Potato Patch Campground) and quickly set up the tent for shelter from the mosquitos. We play a card game to pass the time, which as usual Jamie won. Then we made a fire, hoping the smoke would help keep the mosquitoes at bay, which it did.

We had company tonight, There is an older couple, Dale and Karyn, who are also staying here tonight. We had met them earlier on the shuttle to Grand Marais. It was nice talking with them around the fire.

While we were talking, a chipmunk came and nearly ran up Jamie's  leg. It was random and pretty funny to see. As well, there were a lot of big 'ol Jack Rabbits hopping around the camp site. By far, this was the most wildlife we've seen on this trip.

We're hitting the hay early tonight. We are in the tent just after 8.  We're hoping to get an early start tomorrow so we can get off the trail by early after noon. We're looking forward to getting a blizzard from Dairy Queen and a burger from Timber Charlie's.

Backpacking the Peninsulas: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Day 3

Wednesday - September 4th, 2014

Todays Miles:          8
Cumulative Miles:  26

Woke up early having to pee. Darn, it was still dark out. I hate having to go out into the cold blustery dark to pee. Got back into the tent and slept for maybe another hour. After that we got up and immediately started tearing down camp. Had everything ready to go, then realized I couldn't find my camera. So I tore my bag apart to find it. We re-packed my bag and were on our way. My legs were feeling a little stiff and weak in the morning. We said a quick prayer for strength and endurance, kept our heads down, and plodded along at a consistent pace. We were able to somehow knock the first 2.5 miles out in no time at all. After that, we started to see why this area is called Pictured Rocks.

We got to a section called the coves, which was amazing. The waves were beating off the rocks. It was insane how powerful the waves were.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the views from the top of the cliffs. We had lunch in our ENO's on top of one.

We passed Spray Falls.

Some of the trails were pretty muddy, which slowed us down a bit. As well, I had a blister and Jamie had a bruised heel and toe nail. We were really feeling it by the end of the day. It is always a feeling of relief when you get to your goal for the days. Today's goal was Chapel Rock and Chapel Beach. It was a great place to finish the day.

We have a great campsite.

Chapel Rock was amazing.

After dinner, Jamie and I sat on the beach and watched the sunset. It was cold but the view made it worth it. I could photograph here for days.

It was a good day on the peninsulas.

Backpacking the Peninsulas: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Day 2

Tuesday - September 3rd, 2013

Todays Miles:          10.9
Cumulative Miles:   18

We woke up at a decent time, around 7. Last night was a much better night. I slept through almost the entire night, only waking up to roll over. When we got out of the tent, we saw that it was completely different out than the day before. The wind had died down, and the clouds had parted to reveal bright blue skies. Knowing that we had a long day ahead of us, our longest day in fact, we started right away with the morning's tasks. We rolled up the sleeping bags, deflated the air matresses. Jamie got breakfast going (mmm.... breakfast burritos) and I went down to get water.

As I  was bending down to get the water, a huge rogue wave came crashing into the rock I was standing on. As a result, I was soaked. Oh well, what can you do? We finished tearing down our camp, loaded up our packs and were off.

One of the worst parts of a backpacking trip is putting on your pack the morning after a full day of hiking. You feel the bruises on your hip where the belt dug in the day before. After a mile or two, you don't notice anymore though. Anyways, we had a short half mile walk to the Au Sable Light Station.

We snapped a few pictures, then headed to the next destination, the Hurricane River Campground. One nice thing was that it had pit toilets. One less time going in the woods. Yahoo!

We had a quick snack, then headed out again. Most of the trail followed the shore today. There was a pleasant breaze, and you could always hear the waves crashing.

It was a nice hike. We had lunch at Twelve Mile Beach. We set up the ENO's and took off the boots and socks. It is always a relief to get off your feet and let your toes air out.

Since it was a long day for us, 10.9 miles, we tried to break it up into smaller goals, only so many miles to Hurricane River and only this many to Seven Mile Creek. We'll stop and have a snack when we get here or there. It helps pass the miles.

We were feeling strong until the last 2 or so miles. Jamie was still trucking like a champ, but I was fading fast.

Oh, randomly, there is this old car along the trail in the middle of the woods. I would really like to know the story behind it.

Anyways, It was a relief to get to our spot at Trappers Lake. The lake was as smooth as glass. It was very peacefull

The campsite was nice, only a few mosquitos. We had another couple to share the campground with tonight, though they pretty much kept to themselves.

Right now, I'm hoping my legs recover for the hike tomorrow. We still have 3 more days on the trail. Yikes! Wish me luck.

Backpacking the Peninsulas: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Day 1

Monday - September 2nd, 2013

Today's Miles:        7.1
Cumulative Miles:  7.1

Last night was not a restful night. The howling of the wind made it hard to sleep. I'm sure I fell asleep at some point in the night, but it sure didn't feel like it. We were out of the tent by 7, though I was awake long before. Packing up the tent was a struggle. We had to move our car across the road behind a stand of trees. We then carried the tent across the street behind the wind break provided by the trees and the truck. It worked.

After we had everthing else packed up, we headed to the National Park office to pick up our backcountry permits, then to the Munising falls visitor center to wait for the shuttle, which was picking us up at 10. We had time to make some oatmeal in the parking lot and to check out the falls.

The shuttle was pretty empty. There was only 3 other people besides Jamie and I. There was a nice older couple and a younger guy who was going solo. We had a nice chat on the hour drive to Grand Marais.

By 11, we were on the trail.

The first part of the trail was nothing special. We hiked through the woods, on a road for a bit, along a lake, and through the woods a bit more.

We started off at a good clip, but we soon started to slow down. We ate lunch after 4 miles. At a little over 5 miles, we came to the lookout for the Grand Sable Dunes.

After this, the trail got more interesting. There were some steep decents, some good views over looking Lake Superior, and some cool boardwalks through the woods.

We made it to our camp at Au Sable East, where we are the only ones here. Not a whole lot happening in camp. Just resting up for tomorrow, which will be our longest day.