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.