Training Log Archive: OutdoorsMama

Sunrise hike over the ridge (ow, ow, ow....darn lactic acid) to watch the sun rise over Irwin Lake. So peaceful.....it has been a wonderful vacation.

I haven't done much jogging this summer (OK, essentially none, other than at SCAR and Nitrogaine), but we were camped beside Bruno's Run trail, and it was calling my name....
It wasn't even 10C/50F when I started out but as usual, I soon warmed up. The sun was poking through the trees.....hemlocks, pines, deciduous softwoods.... glistening on the multiple lakes I passed....just beautiful. I diligently walked the up hills and jogged and flats and downhills. I met 2 women walking the trail and a family starting to head out on their mountain bikes, but other than that, I had it all to myself.
One pile of bear poop, but no Bruno. I did wear a bear bell, but it was more to warn mountain bikers that I was there (or so I told myself until I saw the pile of scat).
The trail has had a couple minor revisions in the last couple years and a couple more are under way (more switchbacks rather than straight downhills which were eroding).
Good stretching session afterwards, and I expect to be sore tomorrow.....but so worth it!

A good half hour of paddling on the river and Fish Lake, followed by a couple hours of fishing, then a good half hour of paddling to get back to camp.
Spent some time watching a loon play in the water. Or whatever it is called when they splash around in the water.....
A couple bites and the sighting of a large pike, but no fish for supper tonight.
Being a Friday, the camp and lake started to get busy. Saw 3 kayaks, one canoe and a small motor boat out fishing.

Into the wind and against the current.....and blustery conditions on Fish Lake. Watched an eagle dive for a fish (ok, it needs it more than I do), and then be promptly dive bombed by another eagle, presumably trying to steal the fish.

Checked out a campsite for a future trip, and low and behold, there was a couple trails nearby. Easy walk with Paul the non-hiker through the cedars. Trail signs had been essentially devoured by porcupines. They also had been in the outhouse. Quite the destructive creatures.

This was at Portage Bay, on the Garden Peninsula. That is the bit of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that drops into Lake Michigan. It is the Niagara Escarpment, and is exposed along the west side in a couple places. This is called Portage Bay because back in the days of predominantly canoe travel, some travellers would rather portage the 10 miles or so, than paddle around the possibly stormy tip of the peninsula.
Fayette Historical State Park is also on the Garden Peninsula and is a great history lesson. That limestone that makes up the Niagara Escarpment? Essential part of the process of creating pig iron.

Bit of a guess on distance
South Trails - Noquemanon- Marquette, MI
Rental mountain bike....
Totally awesome trail network. I did the kid's trail first, trying to keep ahead of a herd of 8-10 year olds. I probably barely succeeded. Later in the parking lot, when I was looking at the map, I noticed that at least one of them was riding in Crocs.
I then set out on something like the Porky Pass....up, up, up....and walked over a couple (to me) knarly rocky sections that had serious drop offs to the right. Then on the red-signed Pioneer trail to the look out (much walking on the rocky look out trail). Then fun, fun, fun on the green-signed Carp Di Um (?) trail, but the relatively sheer drop offs along side the trail were a bit more than I expected. These were 2 way trails....what if I met someone on one of the many blind corners? I started singing out "Hello" as I approached corners. I had to stop to check out the views as there was no way I was taking my eyes off the narrow trail!
Then I started on the Marquette Mtn trail but it was way too rocky for me so I rode up the steep gravel road to the lookout, then back down via the kid's trail again. A short jaunt on the rolling Moss trail capped off the day.

Sweet evening paddle....

The weather forecast is for 4 days of northerly winds......so the Pictured Rocks will have to wait until another time (I did paddle along them 3 years ago).
Camping at Widewaters in the Hiawatha National Forest. The Indian River goes right by our campsite so we leave the kayaks on the shore.

Paddled upstream and into the wind...a lot easier for me in my sea kayak than for Paul in his broad fishing kayak. I went as far up the Indian River as I could without having to duck around too many downed trees. Like the last time we were here, the upper reaches are not "maintained" for paddling, but could be paddled with a bit of getting in and out of the boat, getting around downed trees and sand bars.

Bar Lake was actually choppy. I caught up with Paul in the section of the Indian River that connects Bar Lake with the Fish Lake launch, and the fishing began. He had already caught and released a 22" pike (they need to be 24" to keep). I had a few strikes, but nothing "stuck". Then down to Fish Lake (which we call Fishless Lake, based on our previous fishing experiences there). I was fishing the shoreline using surface lures, but nothing seemed to like what I was putting out there. The eagle viewing was the highlight of the day for me.

I paddled back to camp and drove 10k north to get a cell signal to set up a mountain bike rental for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Paul caught a 19" small mouth bass, in the now appropriately named Fish Lake. That was a keeper, and cooked up very nicely for supper. He had switched to lures that ran 2-3' deep, and that seemed to do the trick this time.

Paddling time is for the steady paddling I did....not the drift/paddle/cast time.

After supper walk on Bruno's Run, heading downstream to see how many trees are down across the river. Yup, lots. Most are cut back to allow passage by canoe, but not leaving a lot of room to navigate.

Travel day from Manitoulin to da UP.
Peaceful evening paddle on the Indian River after getting camp set up.
Ahhhhh......

South side of Manitoulin Island.
Bliss. Clear water, fair winds, beautiful shoreline.
Many monarchs heading south. Oh boy, it is a long way to Point Pelee from here, let alone Mexico!

C • Isn't Manitoulin gorgeous?! 2

Misery Bay Provincial Park
Definitely worth another visit to explore more trails. Several alvar ecosystems here with flora from 8 of the 9 growing regions in Canada. Trails went through what I would call quite fragile areas, so if it was in a more commonly visited area, means would have to be taken to protect them. Wonderful glacial formations on the shoreline.
Paul the non-hiker did just fine.
This would be a terrific place for snowshoeing !

Easy sunset paddle. Checked out the Beaver dam, but didn't see any beavers.