Backpacking

Beachside camping again tonight at perhaps the best site thus far, right on the beach and spacious yet secluded. The hike here was shorter than yesterday, only about 8 miles. I can understand why people don’t like the Lake Superior Trail. If we weren’t here at the perfect time of year, the mud and bugs would be too much. A lot of it was pretty unpleasant due to the swampiness and near overgrowth. But at other times we enjoyed walking along the beach and through the diverse woods on paths of granite, basalt, and shale stones. ...

Breakfast of jalapeño, bacon, and cheddar grits. A 12-mile hike past Lily Pond and along Little Carp and its many waterfalls. Camping on the rocky shores of Lake Superior. ...

Mirror Lake ...

My friend Tom invited me backpacking. My only previous experience was two nights in the backpacking campground at Shades State Park, which is two miles from parking. So four nights at Porcupine Mountains State Park in the U.P. would be more of a challenge. The drive to get there was long, so our first campsite was only a couple of miles from the Big Carp River trailhead. The views from atop the ridge were breathtaking. ...