Day 11 Final Hike

Day 11

Today we did our final hike on our adventure, we hiked the Lake Superior Trail and the East River Trail in the Porcupine Mountains (a.k.a. Porkies).  In was a trail through the woods somewhat along the Lake Shoreline.  We took a slight detour and hiked out to one of the Park Cabins that is available to backpackers.  There happened to be two brothers in camp and were very gracious and invited us to see the cabin and everything that it's equipped with.  I must say that we were quite surprised how nice it was, equipped with pots, pans, dishes, wood stove, bunk beds, table, anything you would need to stay out there.  It was right on Lake Superior and the views were beautiful.  A great way to backpack, we thought about it for about a minute or two, and then both looked at each other and said, NO...... maybe 10 years ago we will stick to day hikes.

Our final Waterfall was Bond Falls located in the western part of the U.P., on Bond Falls Rd, east of Paulding MI. Height 40' Crest 100' plus. If you are in the Western U.P., possibly on your way to or from the Porcupines or Copper Harbor, this is a definitely worth a stop. This was probably our favorite of all the Waterfalls that we saw and one of those "best kept secret" spots on the Western UP.

This concludes our Way UP North Adventure Blog and Travel Journal.  We had a wonderful time and marveled at the wonders that were around us, and feel blessed that we experienced PURE MICHIGAN.

We are now spending our final three days in Door County Wisconsin and after taking the ferry across Lake Michigan a night in Ludington.  It's been a fantastic trip; one more off the bucket list.  It will be good to be back home next Tuesday.  We always miss our home, family and friends when we travel.

Day 10 Waterfalls and Sunsets

Day 10

Excuse the couple of day lapse in posts. The signal for the internet was pretty weak so we waited to post. We have so much more to share so hopefully we haven't lost your attention.

Today we decided to explore the trails and waterfalls in the Ottawa National Forest starting with Bonanza Falls or Greenwood Falls; just a short hike from the main road.  These falls are in Silver City and on the Big Iron River.  They are unusual and compelling enough to be worth a special visit. Thin layers of brown rock are tilted up at an angle to the wide riverbed, so water winds around the scalloped layers. It's possible to walk across on the uplifted edges of rock.  The effect is dramatic, whether or not there's much water flowing over the falls.

The next waterfall was Cascade Falls, a little harder to get to but worth the trip. You had to hike in about a mile through the woods from one of two trails.  We chose the main trail to the falls; which is the easiest with only moderate changes in elevation and the Bluff route on the way back.   The Bluff Trail was a little more challenging especially since it started to rain a bit.  The view from the vista was beautiful especially since the leaves are starting to turn.  The waterfall is about a 20' drop over the rock formations.

Our next stop was the Presque Isle Falls, located at the far end of the Porcupine Mountain State Park off of South Boundary Road.  The Presque Isle is the largest river in the Porkies draining over 300 sq miles of forest land in Upper Michigan & Northern Wisconsin.  The amber-colored water of the river and the foam beneath the waterfalls is the result of tannins and other water-soluble plant compounds that wash into the river as it journeys to meet Lake Superior.

There are three main waterfalls in this area with trails along the river with platforms for viewing the waterfalls and rapids that populate the river.  The first of the three is the Nawadaha Falls,  directly in front of the ranger station down a short path.  The next is the Manido Falls just a short walk on the boardwalk, then the Manabezho Falls.  There is also a unique suspension bridge that leads you to the East side of the river and another spectacular view of the Falls.

The finely terraced rock over which the river flows is called the Nonesuch Shale.  It is composed of sand and clay particles that were deposited in a shallow lake that covered this area almost a billion years ago.   The round potholes in the riverbed form where an eddy current continually swirls pebbles and sand grains in a circular path.  Over time, the scoring action of these materials wear away the softer shale, forming the large smooth-sided potholes.

Spent quite a bit of time here exploring and taking pictures of all the angles of the falls. (Steve was very patient with me since I was practicing with my camera) It was a wonderful day followed by a beautiful evening, great sunset with a nice bottle of wine and some much earned chill time on the beach.

  

 

Day 9 The Porcupine Mountains

Today we drove to the Porcupine Mountains, just down the road from where we are staying (Mountain View Lodge).  We decided to hike the Government Peak Trail past Trap Falls to North Mirror Lake Trail to the Visitor Center where we parked our car.  We opted to park here, however from here you needed to hike the Escarpment trail to connect to the Government Peak trail which would have added an additional 4.3 miles to our already 11 mile hike (5 hours, 55 minutes).  So we asked this nice couple from Ludington who was leaving the Visitor Center to drive us to the trail head.  They said no problem, in fact they said that 30 years ago someone gave them a ride and they thought it was awesome that they could finally pay it back.

The hike was beautiful especially by the Trap Falls, however we found ourselves engulfed by the woods limiting our views to the shoreline and lakes.  Even at the top of the Government Peak '1850 we couldn't see much.  We found that the best place to view Lake in Clouds was at the Visitor Center from the Look Out.  No hiking required to get to here, just a short walk from a paved path.  Wherever we hiked we found ourselves applying insect repellent often since the mosquitoes were particularly bad today.  This is the first time this whole trip that we encountered our state bird.

Tomorrow, weather permitting,  it poured rain last night, we will be visiting the many Waterfalls in the park especially near the Presque Isle River area.

Day 8  Hancock & Houghton

Last night we stayed in Houghton prior to making our way to the Porcupine Mountains.  We met up with Chris & Jen Davidson and their two adorable boys who live in Hancock (formerly from Oxford and family friends).  Their home is lovely and we really enjoyed our visit.  Always fun to reconnect with special friends and family when you are on the road.  It was fun to share some of our experiences on Isle Royale with them.  When we went over the trails we hiked and it was amazing to us that we only covered a very small portion of the Isle Royale.  I guess we will just have to come back.

 

After some laundry and grocery shopping we made our way to Silver City, MI and the Mountain View Lodges.  Our Cabin is very nice, clean, and the view is the best, we face the Lake Superior shoreline.  We have everything you need including a fire ring and swing right on the beach. Steve made a great choice.  This is the sunset from our home away from home for the next couple of days.

Day 7

Day 7

Today we are leaving beautiful Isle Royale and making our way to the Porcupine Mountains for more hiking and exploring.

Lessons learned on Isle Royale, the island is huge and there are about 164 miles in trails so you need allow yourself enough time on the island.  There is more to do than just hike if your spouse or partner is not into hiking.  Every day they offer different tours that go to a number of places around the island.  There are lectures given 3 times a day and the island is the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a good book on your deck, in the guest lounge, or your favorite bench or rock overlooking Lake Superior.  There is also fishing, kayaking, and canoeing.

There are three different accommodations available on the Island, the lodge, cabins, or campsites.  If you book in the lodge request a room with outdoor space.  The bottom level has this but not the second floor.  The cabins are bigger and have kitchens, however the are not on the lake. The campsites have some shelters for back-packers, however they are first come first served.  We noticed a lot of backpackers get to the campsites early in the day and tag their shelter.  You must stay in a campsite if you are back-packing and campfires can only be at some of the sites.


There are two restaurants on island, both serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.  There is also a small store and gift shoppe.

If you want to start hiking further from the lodge and work your way back you can take a water taxi or sign up for a tour and get off the boat when it reaches your preferred area to start hiking, this choice is half the price. If you wanted to hike from Windigo at the western end of the island to Rock Harbor in the east (a 53 mile hike) it’s possible to take the Voyager II ferry from Rock Harbor to Windigo. This ferry also continues to Grand Portage MN.

Bring lots of water on the hikes especially when it’s hot out, the Ridge trail is super exposed to the sun and you get thirsty. 2 liters per person was not enough water for our 10 and 11 mile hikes!

There are different options for getting to Isle Royale; ferry boat out of Houghton takes 6 ½ hours, ferry boat out of Copper Harbor 3 ½ hours, or Seaplane 45 mins  at more than twice the price.  Don't forget your Dramamine for the ferry.

Best map to get Trails Illustrated Map #240 Isle Royale.

From Copper Harbor we took the western coastal route which took us through Eagle Harbor and Eagle River.  We stopped to see the lighthouse at Eagle Harbor and then enjoyed dinner at the Eagle Harbor Inn. Just before dusk we passed Jacob's Falls and then had to keep our eyes peeled for deer on the road to Houghton.

Day 6

Day 6

Today we did another fantastic hike starting at the Daisy Farm.  Trust me any of the pictures I have taken and post don’t do this area justice.  Every turn, rock, hill, etc. that we climb poses another beautiful view.  We once again hopped on the tour boat this morning on their way to the Edison Fishery and the Rock Harbor Lighthouse, fortunately the Daisy Farm and trail head entrance was on the way so Captain Ron on the mighty boat “Sandy” dropped us off.  From here we headed two miles up to the Ojibiway Fire tower.  The views were spectacular and clear enough so we could see Canada from here to the North and Minnesota to the West.  It was so much fun meeting new people today on the trail, 3 guys from Kalamazoo, 5 ladies from Minnesota.  Interesting story there, these ladies hike together different places and carry the travel gnome with them on each of their journeys.  I’m sure this gnome will have many great stories to tell.  

Back on the trail we headed to Mt. Franklin, where we ate some lunch and took in the spectacular views before heading down the 3 Mile Trail to the Rock Harbor Trail and the 3 Mile campground and then did the final 3 miles stopping at Susie’s cave along the way.  It’s called Susie’s Cave because one of the families that had a summer home on the island had a daughter named Susie and she loved to play in this cave.  Evidently one night she was caught in a storm and need to take shelter in this cave, hence the name.  We were amazed at how far the cave was back from the shoreline and how far the water has receded since the 1930’s.

 

Great day in all, hiked approx. 10 miles today with the hardest leg being the last 3 miles because of the terrain.  Total time today with stops 6 hours 22 minutes.  Last stop the Greenstone outdoor terrace for a nice cold beer and social hour with fellow hikers.