Ridges and Valleys

Thanks for waiting... I had no computer for the last four days.  Man, did I love that!  No responsibilities to the world wide web!

Da Harbor has been experiencing some beautiful days.  A couple rainy mornings, but overall, the sun has been shining.  Melt, snow, melt!

This morning the wind was whipping from the Northwest, so Aaron, Duce and I ventured out to the South side of Brockway Mountain.  There the weather was sunny and warm (a little too warm on the way up!).

We started up the Garden Brook Trail and headed to higher elevation, climbing Brockway, on Woopidy Woo.  No snow up there!  Just some mud puddles which we helped drain down the mountain side using our boots and the ends of sticks.   I love draining puddles... I made ruts for four big ones on Woodland Road yesterday.

We climbed up to the top of Brockway's ridge and sat with our backs to the South-facing stone wall, so we didn't get pelted by the wind.  Looking over the trees in the Garden Brook Valley is always a great time to ponder life and take in nature.  Ahhh.

After descending partially down Woopidy Woo, we decided to catch up with the Garden Brook Trail to the East by traversing the woods along the stream.  Oh, what a treat to walk along a babbling brook!  And with all the melt-off running its way, it was gurgling!  I never hear it like that in the Summer.  

I always like treading on new territory.  Along that walk I found lots of thimbleberry bushes.  I'll be checking those out this summer!  I also discovered an area with lots of rotted birch trees leaving behind their water proof bark.  Anyone need to make a canoe?

The weather has been so splendid lately that I've been out for a walk every day.  Once to the lighthouse, up Brockway Mountain (one dip from the West side) and twice meandering the Norland Trust.  Got to start planning for mountain bike season!

Somewhere Over the Mountain

I just had another "first" today. My friend Jo (who walked the walk from Calumet) wanted to walk from da Harbor to Eagle Harbor over Brockway Mountain. We set a date and walked that 15.5 mile walk today. Overcast, cool and foggy, the weather couldn't have been better.

Our soles pounded pavement for 5 1/2 hours. The part that required the most physical energy was that first hill up, though walking is easier than biking it. At the first lookout, the fog hung above Lake Fanny Hooe. That fog also dangled in Brockway Valley and misted us during the beginning of our walk. So refreshing!

The rest of the walk wasn't all that physically demanding. Duce, the flora, the rock formations and our jolly conversation kept us entertained. We ate our first bilberries of the year on the way up too! Yeah, I know... pretty early for those.

And the most mentally challenging part for me was the stretch from the Silver River (where Brockway Mountain Drive meets M-26) to Eagle Harbor. The speed limit is 55 there, and not everyone likes to make way for pedestrians. Good thing Duce listens well, so he stayed out of harm's way. But we all made it alive.

Then for the moment I was waiting for since the Brockway descent -- dinner at the Eagle Harbor Inn. Two local lady friends met us there as well, and we ate and drank merrily until getting off the chair was a feat (I think it would have been regardless).

So now I can say I walked over the mountain to Eagle Harbor, and people can say, "Oh, my, I don't think I could do that." I bet you could. We plan to do it again next year if you want to join!

Trash Walkin

Yesterday I got to take a walk down U.S. 41 from the Keweenaw Mt. Lodge. It was quite peaceful. I think only five cars passed me on that two mile stretch.

As I walked down the left side of the road, I noticed the unique landscape. Much of it was a steep slope down from the guard rail. So steep in spots, that I wondered if I could get back up from the ditch! After quite a while, the land leveled off, then actually jutted up above me! All in a 30 yard span, then it dipped back down below. For the bottom half, I even got to listen to the babbling Garden Brook.

I was realizing how much I never look around me when I am driving on a road I usually just go as fast as I can on. It reminded me of the walk Donica, Jo, Kurt and I did from Calumet last May -- except it was one thirteenth the distance and not as painful. (That walk will be in October this year, since October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.)

The other thing that was quite different from that walk was that I was wearing a neon yellow vest and plastic gloves and carrying a trash bag. Yes. It was Spring trash pick up day for the Copper Harbor Trails Club's section of "Adopt a Highway."

If you have driven that stretch in the last six months, I salute you. Mike, Rachel, Tammy and I were amazed at how little trash there was to pick up (compared to the last couple times). If we had to, we could have combined all our findings into one 30 gallon trash bag. For three miles of highway (Rachel and Tammy did the top mile and some), that's pretty good.

Even cigarette butts were at an all time low. We were hoping that people are just getting more conscientious about throwing trash out the window of their vehicles. It will not explode if it stays in their car until they reach a garbage can, right?

So kudos to you! Thanks for not littering! And if you have, please realize that not every stretch of road has a heroic group to clean it up. We need to keep the place we live clean ourselves!