Return to Pictured Rocks

Last year when I hiked 44 miles of the North Country Trail through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, I was a novice hiker. I am admittedly not an outdoorsy kind of guy. It was my first multi-night backpacking trip and when my cousin Paul and I finished the hike, I grew emotional as the parking lot came into view. Never in my life had I ever imagined I could accomplish such a feat, and I felt a deep sense of pride for the accomplishment.

This year, Paul rejoined me along with his brother Mike for an approximately 30-mile trek. Paul had made the plunge into backpacking and had purchased his own gear. Mike was testing the waters to see if he too might enjoy this nomadic pastime.

This year, we avoided the pricey hotel the night before our hike by planning a shorter 2.5 mile hike the first day allowing for all of us to travel to Pictured Rocks and get to Mosquito River camp by 6:00ish.

I immediately regretted not paring my backpack down further, but I wanted to carry my new camera as well as a weather shelter in case we ran into rain. I believe I could have jettisoned an additional 4 to 5 lbs. pounds if I had been more selective about my choice of equipment. When you plan to hike a couple of back-to-back 12-mile days, you are going to feel every ounce of that weight by the time the day is through.

We embarked on our trek at about 4:15 in the afternoon and easily made camp by 6:00. After setting up our gear for the night, we headed down to the lakeshore to enjoy a meal and watch the sunset. All of us went swimming in Lake Superior and found it to be warmer than expected. We turned in relatively early after a long travel day.

The next morning, we hit the trail around 8:30 with the intention of having a late breakfast while taking in the view from Grand Portal Point. It was 2.75 miles of relatively easy hiking and made for a good place to take our first break of the day. The best way to describe this overlook is that it is a sandy shelf about a football field in length a good 150 to 200 feet above Lake Superior. It drops straight down as a vertical cliff but offers an awesome view of the Lake. If you are afraid of heights, it is best to stay well away from the edge.

We lingered for about an hour before resuming our hike. This portion of the hike is my favorite part of Pictured Rocks as it contains the majority of the iconic sandstone cliffs. We made slow but steady progress as we made regular stops to snap photos and rest.

We made one last elevation climb near Beaver Creek Campground before covering another 1.5 miles to our campground for the night at Pine Bluff Campground. This campsite is my favorite as it is situated on a bluff above Lake Superior. You can descend easily to Lake Superior and have roughly six miles of beach in either direction. It is a fantastic location to go for a swim and wash the day’s trail off to feel refreshed.

All of us were feeling fatigued after a hard 12-mile day. I had hoped for a chance to see the Northern Lights over the Lake, but unfortunately clouds moved in around 8:00 PM. After a brief conversation with some fellow Wisconsinites around the communal fire ring, we headed off to bed around hiker’s midnight (9:00 PM).

I heard a few sprinkles of rain overnight, but nothing of significance and we awoke to another beautiful day. We needed to put in another 12-miles and we set off early. The next section is my least favorite when traveling from West to East as the trail led away from the cool lake breeze and slogged through deep woods. It would occasionally work back to Lake Superior for a quick refreshing breeze.

We made Hurricane River by early afternoon and after a much-needed break, headed out for our campsite that night at Aus Sable East a mere 1.6 miles further. After making camp, we took another swim to wash away the trail from the day and chose to relax around the campsite.

The next morning, we once again broke camp early and made for the Log Slide 2.6 miles up the trail. Although a short hike, it involved an elevation gain of some 300 feet as we climbed to the top of the dunes.

As we finished the hike, picked up our cars, and made for a big breakfast in Munising, I reflected on this year’s trip. The year before, the hike was tied to my grief journey. This year, I again felt pride, but also a sense of relief that I had made it another year. Grief and loss never end, but completing the hike felt more disconnected to those feelings and a little bit more . . . joyful. I appreciate my cousins Paul and Mike for joining me on this adventure and hope to have many more.