Posts Tagged ‘lake superior’

One of the prettiest trails in Michigan is the Lakeshore Trail, directly on top of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  It was this reason why I decided to take a few days off of work and give this trail a shot.  I had never met a trail so beautifully difficult before, but looking back on my experience I gained a whole new respect for this hike.

First I will give you a quick breakdown of how this trail works, as it’s different than other trails in Michigan.  The Lakeshore Trail follows a 45 mile portion of the NCT from Grand Marais to Munising in Michigan’s upper peninsula.  One important fact that I will point out is that PRNL has distinctive backcountry camping rules.  You must first file an itinerary at one of the two trailhead offices, and designate which campgrounds you will stay at on each night.  You will then plan your trip accordingly, allowing yourself to hike from “A” to “B”.  It’s a good idea, unless you’ve called in advance (2 weeks), to bring a backup plan just incase the campsites that you wished to stay at are full.  Currently the fee is $5.00 per night, but no fee for day hiking.

Another important point I would like to bring to your attention is there is NO trail blazes on the Lakeshore Trail.  The rangers simply describe it as a “clearly worn path”, however there are several spots which will have you scratching your head and flipping a coin to choose which to follow.

That being said, I chose to embark on my journey at Grand Marais, and hike through to Munising.   I arrived at Grand Marais and filled out the appropriate paperwork then set upon my task.  My first day was a near 7 mile trip to the Au Sable east camp.  The hike was an easy one, although the trail crossed the only local road and followed it for about a half of a mile.  If the ranger wouldn’t have told me that, I could see how a person could easily get lost.   I was surprised at the amount of bushwhacking that was involved in this portion of the hike.  The elevation change was not bad at all, and I made it to camp with reasonable daylight left.  The camps were clean and had quite a few friendly backpackers as well.  The temperature was perfect, the bugs were not too bad just yet, so all in all a good evening.  I sat and watched the sunset on the shores of Lake Superior and then decided to call it a night.

The morning came easy and quiet.  I made a quick breakfast and set about my business of packing up camp.  Today was the “push” day, so I had to make near 14 miles before sunset.  I had injured myself on the previous day, so it was a slow go this morning.  The trail had begun to gain elevation, and the view was starting to get a bit more majestic.  I passed the Au Sable lighthouse first thing in the morning.  The sun was new in the sky and the stillness of the lighthouse emanated an aura of peace and serenity.  I paid my respects before setting off further down the path.  I pass several campgrounds, as well as paths that lead down to the water for viewing shipwrecks.  There was only one shipwreck and I could see from the shore, but the concept behind them being there was equally nifty and haunting.  I passed the Hurricane River mouth, tipping my hat to several fisherman attempting to bag a keeper, and eventually came to Twelve Mile Beach campground.  This is a large drive-in campground, but due to the road construction on H-58, there was not a soul to be found.  I relaxed on a bench perched atop a bluff nearly a hundred feet above the waterline and took a quick power nap.  About an hour later I was awake and grinding my way down the trail, stopping for the occasional snack and rest.  The trail at this point had flattened out quite a bit, and I made the rest of the mileage in quick time.  I arrived at Beaver Creek camp, which I found to be quite serene.  The water access was a LONG hike down VERY steep sugar sand bluffs, but I spent a well-earned time swimming in the ice cold comfort of the lake, then basking in the sun to regain my much needed warmth.  The bugs at this camp were far less numerous than previously on the trail, so I had a hot dinner and settled down for an uneventful night.

The morning drew closer with stealth and was there before I could outsmart it.  I broke camp with a renewed feeling of vigor and peace, and set off on my merry way.  There was a small A-frame bridge to be crossed made of old split logs and then the trail headed up in a rather swift distance.  I passed several groups of hikers than were complaining of bugs.  I just chuckled and went on with my business.  It was no more than a mile down the path before the scenery became nearly breathtaking.  The elevation grunting was well worth the effort, as I stood above towering cliffs and covers hundreds of feet below me.  The 10 miles I progressed that day was worth the trip in its entirety.  Words can hardly describe the beauty of that leg of the Lakeshore Trail.  Several times during the day I looked down upon the boats full of tourists viewing the beautiful cliffs that I was nested upon.  I ultimately arrived at my next camp which was appropriately named “Mosquito”.  The beach at mosquito was derived mostly of layered shale stone that jutted out into the lapping waters of Lake Superior.  The breeze was calming as I setup my camp, although the mosquito population was something out of an Alfred Hitchcock film.  I nestled down and had a cold and unforgiving night, rising at 3:00am to find that the mosquitoes had not subsided in either population or vigor.

The next morning I had a quick breakfast down by the water to escape from my vampiric cloud and then, after wrapping myself in as much clothes and I was carrying, broke camp and set upon my way.  The path was much calmer than the previous days, and I eventually arrived at Miner’s Beach.  I paused to refill my water supply, as the next available water was the end of the trail.  After visiting with a dozen kayakers that had ported in on the beach, I gathered my water filter up and hiked through half a mile of beach sand to an inland portion of the trail.  It was one mile from Miner’s Beach to Miner’s Castle.   This single mile was the toughest of the entire Lakeshore Trail.  The elevation change was intense and the terrain was riddled with tree roots and muck.  I was happy to reach the top and was surprised to see an full-fledged visitor center fully stocked with flush toilets and friendly park staff.  I had a quick chat with the delightful park ranger who informed me that the weather had a 50% chance of rain.  I relaxed at Miner’s Castle for awhile, partaking of a quick foot massage and water break, then embarked on the few miles that remained.  It began to sprinkle but the coolness of the weather was a nice reprieve from the humidity of the lingering day.  I arrived at my final camp of the day, named “Cliffs” which ironically enough was nowhere near a cliff.  In fact, it was about a quarter mile from the lakeshore edge itself.  I setup a small camp and made a fire before it began to downpour.  It only rained for a short time, and I emerged to assess the damage and rebuild my fire.  A group of wet hikers arrived, and within a short time they had setup camp.  We sat around the fire and exchanged hiking stories and jokes.  It was a great time for all, and they were certainly a group I will not forget anytime soon.  I crawled into my tent and had my final night’s sleep undisturbed and peacefully.

I woke early to get a head start on the day, as I had precious little time to make it to Munising Falls before my ride was to arrive.  I packed up a very wet and muddy camp, said farewell to my new group of friends, and slugged along the trail.  The wet branches and leaves left my clothes quite damp, but the refreshing cool of the day kept the mosquitoes down.  That was, until the sun came out.  With the humidity rising the bugs came out in full force, and served as an excellent motivator for me to make my journey faster.  I passed a few small waterfalls and quite a bit more beautiful landscapes before eventually arriving at my destination; Munising Falls.  The morning was still quite young, and I took advantage of running water and flushing toilets for the second time on my journey.  I had a wonderful chat with the park ranger and found that time flew back and alas our chat had to end.  I left Munising Falls exhausted but completely satisfied.  The trail was a harsh mistress but in the end, the Lakeshore Trail was quite the adventure and a definite recommendation to any backpacker I know.

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