The Harbor All Over Again

So remember, I have news for you.

Sunday, April 26th, I had a great hike with Annele and Braeden.  B had the easy ride in my backpack while I got to sweat extra.

Along the way, I saw those tough oval leaves trailing through the fallen brown oaks.  Arbutus?  Is that you?  Sure enough, it was another arbutus plant.  She even had buds!  Annele knelt down to smell them, but apparently they need to be open to be fragrant.

As we ascended the ridge, we heard a boat motor on the lake.  It was really loud, and it lingered.  Well, when we approached the top of the ridge at Stairway to Heaven, guess who we saw!  The buoy tender!  How cool.  I have been waiting to see it drop off for years, and by some chance it was out there while we crested the ridge.  B would have seen it too if he wasn’t snoozing the whole time.

The buoy tender from afar

But that is not my news.

Today was magical for B and me.  Only, he doesn’t realize how special it was (or does he?).  It was a day full of firsts for him.  Here are a few:

• ·      He got to see his first wildflower – hepatica.  I picked one for his stroller.
• ·      It was the first time we got to take the stroller on the crushed gravel trail beside Fort Wilkins.  Only a couple snowy spots.
• ·      It was his first real experience with Lake Superior.

Let me elaborate on the last one.  We journeyed to the shore by the lighthouse overlook.  The sun sparkled the water and the trees at the mouth of the Fanny Hooe Creek held the breeze at bay.  I decided to take B out of his stroller, so he could get a better look and feel of things.

I sat him in my lap and put a warm rock in his hand.  Then another and another.  We threw some for Duce, and he got to watch that crazy doggy splash around in the water.  I even sat him right on the rocks to warm up his tushy.  Then I laid him belly-side-down, so he could feel all those rocks underneath him.  He seemed to enjoy the scene!

We found driftwood, and noticed how the creek entered the Big Lake.  We listened to the buoy ding, and I even dipped his little fingers in the water.  He was taking it all in.  I realized that I didn’t have my camera to capture such inaugural events, but as we waved good-bye to the shore, I was actually glad that I didn’t have to try to pose him for pictures.  Our time there in the moment was really wonderful.  I’m so glad that I get to share this beautiful place with such a perceptive little being.

I realized right then and there how much I am going to love being a mom up here.  What a unique way to experience the Keweenaw – like it’s the first time all over again!

That is not my news either, though.  Here it is.

So, this blog is titled “A Little Slice of da Harbor.”  “A little slice” refers to the fact that it is only my perspective.  And “da Harbor” refers to Copper Harbor, a harbor town on Lake Superior.  Well, would you be mad if I was at a different harbor town on Lake Superior for a little while?

My little family is moving to Duluth, MN from July through September.  Aaron has a trail building contract out there, and he doesn’t want to miss us all summer again.  Awww.

At first I decided to do it for the family.  But now I sort of feel like it will be a neat change for me personally.  Duluth is a cool city (albeit a city which is scary), and variety is the spice of life.  Braeden won’t know the difference because he’s never had a summer anywhere besides in my belly.

So there you have it.  My slice of da Harbor will be from Duluth this summer.  We’ll be back, though, don’t worry.  Our hearts are in this little harbor.

Berries, Bohemia and a Beetle

If you like to pick service berries, bilberries or blueberries, you better come on up.  I eat handfuls of each of them as I walk the trails.

Thimbleberries are spotty, but they are going to be bountiful.  Raspberries and blackberries have a ways to go yet in Copper Harbor.

Whew, there is my berry report.

Know what report I never though I would give you this time of year?  A waterfall report!  That's right, we've had so much rain lately that they are still rushing like they were in late spring.  So if you love waterfalls, get your butt up here!

And if you like cool weather, this is your spot.  Man, oh man, we have had some chilly days.  People are saying, "boy, this is the first year I had to start a fire in July!" or "I had to turn my furnace on last week to get the chill out."  It's true, and I did that too.

It doesn't make for happy campers, but the berries seem to love it!

Yesterday I went to Mount Bohemia Resort for an assignment.  I decided to hike up the face of the mountain to get a couple shots for it.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  I have been pedaling up that steep part of Brockway Mountain Drive, but hiking straight up those ski runs is ridiculous.  I can hardly go down stairs today!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF ME PANTING TO THE TOP.

What?  No one is perfect!

Lac La Belle and Deer Lake from the top

And here are a couple shots I got while photographing kayakers and paddle boarders at Bete Gris beach.

A beautiful beetle carcass in the sand

The clouds above the beach

And this Saturday I get to bike in my first Copperman Triathlon!  I'll let you know how it goes!

Flat-lined

Hunting season.  Okay, so what does that mean for me?  Aaron and his papa are out in da Keweenaw woods from dark til dark.  I have all day to spend with my pup.  But what can I really do besides write, make egg rolls and crochet hacky sacks?

I can hike to Hunter's Point without getting shot.  I can hike through Fort Wilkins without getting shot.  And I can hike through Clyde's field without getting shot.  Those are all fine places, but what do they lack?  Elevation.

I LOVE climbing hills.  I love climbing the mountains around here.  It's an awesome workout with a great view and little to no gear.  Love it.  But I can't go up the mountains safely right now.  Sure I could don the blaze orange and make the dog wear a safety vest, but it's not the same.  Plus, the hunters get upset when passers infringe on their territory.  I don't blame them.  They worked hard to sit there so quietly without a sound or scent.  I just miss my hills.

Thanks for listening.  I try not to complain, but, you know, I have to fill you in on the happenings, and that's how I feel about it!  Aaron is a hunter anyway, and he just got his young buck today.  "Easiest buck I ever shot."  Good, we didn't have to track it through the woods for hours like last year.

But in all reality, life is good!  I have time to work on many of the projects I made lists of over the summer.  I am so grateful for this time of year to catch up on what I call life.  Oh, life.  Thank you for still being here between work seasons.

On a present note, do you need a copy of Little Slices of da Harbor for any of your loved ones for the holidays?  If so, you can send me a check for $12.95 for each personally autographed copy, and I will ship your book(s) for free!  Here's the kicker: I will need to receive your request by December 1st.  I'll be on my official honeymoon in Hawaii for two weeks, and your book may not reach the recipient in time for Christmas after I get back.  (On the bright side, you will get to see my little slice of Hawaii while I'm there!)

If you haven't seen this book, you can get a free sneak peek of the winter season by clicking here.  You can send your check and request to me at P.O. Box 94 in beautiful Copper Harbor, MI 49918.  If you like, mention that you read my blog, and I'll throw in a black market F.A.Q. pamphlet too!  Happy holidays!

Montreal River Adventure

Remember my last big inspiration from the final Isle Royale post? I became infatuated with the idea of exploring other areas of the Keweenaw with as much vigor as I did on Isle Royale. While I spent a whole afternoon wondering where I should go first, Aaron casually mentioned that he and Ryan were going to the south side of the peninsula to get some GPS coordinates for the upcoming Keweenaw Point Trail.

What an opportunity, I thought! They were going to walk through the trailless woods along the Montreal River, which contains three waterfalls, including the one that opens into my friend Lake Superior. That adventure would knock some off my list.

After about half an hour drive southeast on trail 134, we parked near Fish Cove. The mission: follow the few coordinates already on the boys' GPS to the pink flags they tied on trees. Then hike around to unique sights of the area and tie more flags in hopes of creating the Keweenaw Point Trail -- the trail of all trails. The trail that will run the perimeter of the Keweenaw Peninsula for hikers and mountain bikers. Pretty neat, hey?

After almost an hour of wandering around through fallen trees, thick pines, broken branches, thimbleberry fields, large rocks and tons of blueberry bushes, they finally came across their pink flag from the last time they were out. "Good," Ryan said. "Now we can start." I kept my comments to myself knowing I was along for a full day of bushwhacking.

Luckily the bugs weren't terrible, but if we stopped too long, I definitely had to put my bugnet hood over my head. Mostly mosquitoes, somewhat blackflies. The sweat dripping down each flank of my body sort of kept my mind off them.

"We should see the falls in about an hour," they promised. I had no idea where we were. I knew my compass pointed to SE and other surrounding letters, but I still didn't know what that meant in the grand scheme. Oh well. Doot, doo doo doo dooh. There I went.

What's that sound? Rushing water! We found the uppermost of the Upper Falls. Not at all what I had in mind, but special in its own way. Here is a view from the top.

And here is a view from the bottom looking up at Ryan. Do you see him up there in the light tan? Now that's a big rock.

On and on we trampled delicately through marshes, piles of dead trees, bilberry bushes and scratchy branches. I think the boys got sort of lost because they had to ask me which way we were going. We were on our way, roundaboutly, to the lower Upper Falls.

Aaron heard falls to the left, but Ryan and I hear falls to the right. Two against one, we went right... right back to the bottom of the falls we were just at. So's to not make these boys look like fools, their plan was to meander east around the falls and then cut back. I guess we just cut back too soon.

Onward in the sweltering sun we marched and climbed. At one point, we climbed up the side of a ledge that we had to crawl under. Crawling under a rock jutting over the edge of a cliff -- how cool is that! Memorable, memorable.

And soon enough we found the other falls. A quainter little falls. Quite refreshing. Aaron is in this one for scale. I know, eat your hearts out, girls.

Oh boy, I better just get to the end or I'll hold you past your bedtime. We finally reached the mouth of the Montreal, which is good fishing, I hear. However, when we got there, it looked like a high school trip was visiting. Teenagers everywhere. No worries, though. They didn't block the view!

I know, Aaron's in it again, but that's really the best shot I had. And to the south -- all Lake Superior, baby! My favorite!

I did get to walk the beach of Fish Cove, as well, which is another one of the Keweenaw's finest for rock beaches. Over 7 hours we hiked yesterday, and we didn't cover much more than a square mile on the map. Thank goodness those boys are going to put in a trail there!

Prime Brockway Hiking Time

I was tricked yesterday. The day held mixed tones of gray. Flurries whirled in the air. The wind bit through my jacket. I thought winter was back. I was wrong.

I just checked the forecast, and they changed it to sunshine and warmer! Ha! Don't you love it? I was surprised to see the sun come up this morning, since I thought it was going to be a stay-inside day. Not in the least!

So a gathered a couple girl friends, and we walked and talked and giggled to one lookout shy of the very top of Brockway Mountain. The sun lit the blue sky, and the breeze was cool. The road was dry and void of vehicles, which makes this walk prime this time of year. We surprised ourselves when we just kept going up and up, but the day made it hard to turn around!

Collectively, we picked up 26 cents, a hitch hook, a screw, two bolts, a nut, two empty beer cans and some trash. Quite a treasure, I know.

Toward the end of our trip, after not even having to listen for a car, we saw one. It kinda ruined the purity of the walk, but that is not ours to control. Four ATVs and one more SUV passed by before we reached the bottom.

After this trek, I talked to a man who owns part of that road, and he said that vehicles are ruining the road when they drive on it this time of year. The road is heaved with frost. It's not laying flat because of frozen gaps between the foundation and asphalt, if I am understanding it correctly. He even said that we could make it worse just by walking on it! "That's why the sign says 'Road Closed'" he mentioned for effect.

So for the sake of Brockway Drive, I won't drive a car on it until the ground thaws, but I don't think I'm going to stop walking up anytime soon. Sorry buddy, it's prime Brockway hiking time!

Inbetween Season

It really is winter. It came quickly. So quickly that we don’t even have winter tires on the car. So quickly that I had to dig out my boots and scarf before I could go anywhere. Remember all that unseasonably warm and sunny weather we were having up here? It turned winter within a day. Raise a toast to winter!

I even saw snowmobilers today. They came all the way up here on ungroomed trails to realize that the gas station isn’t open. Luckily for them, the Gas Lite General Store usually has a secret stash. But as for the next sledders who come here... they’re probably stuck here for a while.

Isn’t that crazy, though? A town actually exists that doesn’t always have a gas station open. The locals definitely have to prepare themselves in the spring and fall, so they can stay mobile. As long as I’m prepared, I love it. I love telling people that they shoulda filled up before they came here. But I must be mean. Yes. Yes, I am.

So it’s winter, but it’s kinda that inbetween time where I think: the hill is not open yet for snowboarding, there’s not enough snow to cross country ski, too much for biking... what do I do? Never fear. When I am antsy enough, I will always find something to do. So far this year, the answer is snow hiking. The great outdoors is perfectly suited for boots and snowpants and hoofing it. And with the nice layer of snow to pad the forest floor, I don’t have to stay on the trails! Today I was hiking down “Here We Go” and took some liberties to slide down parts of it on my bum. It adds a whole new element to outdoor adventure.

Tomorrow I’ll be at school again and will get to go sledding with the kids. Another perfect sport for an antsy outdoor enthusiast.