A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Shanty Rides and Ice Volcanoes

Monday, January 21, 2013

Shanty Rides and Ice Volcanoes

I guess sensible is a relative term.

Aaron and his friend Allan have been working on building an ice shanty for the last year. It's mobile, fully enclosed, has trap floor boards for jigging and has a wood stove. I was home the day they decided to take it out onto Lake Fanny Hooe, so I went with them.

Here is a video of our journey.

They didn't catch any fish, but they sure had fun!

Since then I've gotten to go for my first snowshoe of the winter! Finally! I would say that, although the snowshoes weren't necessary for the snow, the cleats on them helped with the ice! My adventurer friend Steve and I went out on the Double Lakeshore Loop. But instead of taking the trail, we hiked the Superior shore from the Harbor Haus.

What did we see forming along the way? Ice volcanoes! These babies form as ice builds up along the shore. As the waves get rougher, the splashes start to hollow them out in a swirling fashion. Soon the ice chunk has a twisted cylinder inside for the wave to splash into, up and out of the top. A fascinating phenomenon that I hope to capture for you... if they are still there!

But I really have to be brave to get out there. Here is the forecast for today and into the week for 49918.

Brrrrrrr! Hopefully we'll at least get some of the predicted snow out of the deal.

It sure keeps snowing! I never realized how in tune snowmobilers stay with snow reports. This last weekend was CrAzY with snowmobilers! Every place from here, at least to Lac La Belle was booked for the weekend. Awesome for the businesses, and terrific for my tip jar!

Hmm, now you've got me curious. I'm going to check on those ice volcanoes.

1 comment:

PatJanuary 22, 2013 at 1:23 PM
Thanks for the videos and blog. You make my day.
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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

“If you’ve never been there, you wouldn’t understand” is a quote printed above an outlined picture of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on a t-shirt sold in gift shops in the area. Some people cock their heads in bewilderment of what this could mean. Well, if you’ve never been there (to da U.P.), then you wouldn’t understand.

It’s simple really. Where are you guaranteed to see more trees than people on any drive or walk? Where can you sit in a bar in April and know everybody’s name? Where can you wear flannel and Carharts anytime of the year without a flinch from a passerby? Where can you end most of your sentence with the colloquialism eh, eh? Where can you go to truly get away from the civilized world? If you answered “da U.P.” to all of these questions, why, you must have been there.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula makes up one third of the state’s land mass, but only 3% of its entire population. It’s no wonder the average number of people per square mile is 19.3. Nineteen people per square mile! Its lack of inhabitants combined with a plethora of wilderness, unique geographical features and an abundance of water is a big part of what makes the U.P. so unique. In fact, it was included in the Sherman Travel worldwide “Top 10 Places to Go in 2005."

And unique in itself, at the most northern tip in the Keweenaw Peninsula sits the little village of Copper Harbor. “Tops in Michigan,” “the beginning of the road” and quite frankly, the hardest place to leave once your soul has found its peace. It’s the least visited and most revisited place in America. Returning visitors make an appearance at least once a year, no matter what gas prices are. And when they’re back at home, they dream of their next visit to the end of the world.

Why would people want to return to a place where their cell phones don’t work and they can’t get a Big Mac for at least 54 miles? Once you drive through the one and only blinking stop light in town, you are 99% guaranteed not to see any authorities. The town can take care of itself for the most part, and people respect each other and each other’s property.

To the local residents and the handfuls of returning tourists (of which some have been adopted), Copper Harbor is the only place where they can be themselves -- completely and shamelessly (at least until the next morning). Fashion does not exist, but comfort is a must. Possessions mean nothing, but attitude means the world. Loitering is encouraged, and talk is ceaseless. Fresh air is plentiful, and serenity is down the block on Lake Superior’s shore. Ahhh.

Only 90 people can bear to live there year-round (good thing because the post office only has 130 mailboxes), but the population peaks around 250 in the busy summer months when people reopen their business or their summer home.

Copper Harbor and the rest of the Keweenaw Peninsula average 270 inches of snow each season. Whether it falls consistently throughout the winter or all in one dump, it’s guaranteed to fall if it isn’t drilling sideways. Only four businesses stay open through these long months because sometimes, there’s just nobody there.

U.S. Highway 41, which runs all the way to Miami, Florida, begins in Copper Harbor, and yes, it gets plowed the whole way up. A half mile north, six miles east and five miles south of this landmark puts you in magical Lake Superior. I know it’s magical because I’ve caught myself and many other people staring, mesmerized by its pure vastness, undulations and crashing waves.

When you can enjoy every breath of Lake Superior air, wear clothing soley for funtion and not mind seeing the same people day after day after day after day, then, my friend, then, you’ll understand.

A Little Slice of da Harbor...

Copper Harbor, That is!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Shanty Rides and Ice Volcanoes

1 comment:

Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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