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Published: August 7th 2007
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Watching the sunset over Lake Superior the trip slowly starts to feel like it's a reality. The hues of red and orange reflect off the gently lapping surface of the water and slowly shift to warm shades of rose and lavendar as time passes on. The sand feels good between my toes and we sit there until the sun dips below the horizon.
This morning we started off with a good roaring fire. Andras drove into Grand Marais to get ice and change while I stayed behind to 'keep camp.' We've come to a lakeshore during the peak of an extremely bad mosquito season and between them and the smoke from the fire it's hard to get a moment to yourself. But apart from the bugs, our only company is the squirels and birds looking for a handout and an occasional camper making their way along the road to the bathroom.
Today we opted for a longer 7 mile hike along the beach and birch forest trail to see Au Sable Lighthouse and the Grand Sable Dunes. The trail cuts down to a portion of 12 Mile Beach where remnants of multiple mid-19th century shipwrecks can still be found
buried down beneath the sand. The wind swept shores keep my hair constantly blowing in my face and across my ears, so by the time we reach the light station 2 miles in I am definitly ready for a break. We stop on the front porch of the lighthouse to eat lunch (peanut butter and jelly hamburger buns--our newest staple food). It's a lonely, isolated place now and I can't imagine it being any other way back in 1874 when it was first built. After reading all the placards and witnessing the wreckage of this treacherous coast, though, its necessity couldn't be any clearer. After lunch we continue our hike out to an overlook of the great sand dunes. Their endless oche formations stretch far into the distance and it makes us marvel at the geologic processes are at work in their formation. As the glaciers of the ice age began to recede, melt water began to carve down into the sandstone bedrock. The dunes themselves are believed to be the result of a glaciofluvial deposit that was later eroded by wind into the dunes we see today.
After returning back to camp, Andras decides to go an explore
Moccasin Flower
Cypripedium acule, also known as the Pink Lady Slipper Orchid the other side of the beach while I discover a new way to bathe. We're getting used to roughing it, but nearly five days without a shower and my hair could really use some TLC. Lacking even the most primitive shower facilties, our only alternative is the wash-basin used for the dishes. I heat up the lake water on the fire, pour it into the basin, grab a rag (in this case, a clean sock that has lost its mate since we didn't bring any washcloths), then wash, rinse, repeat! Our style of camping is certainly not for those who need lots of privacy! You'd be surprised how well an old sock works as a washcloth too. I'd say the only problem with this method of cleansing yourself are those moments after you wash off the bug repellent, but before you apply any new bug repellent. The mosquitos here are blood-thirsty little buggers.
Andras saw a deer on the walk he took. As he was rounding the bend of the trail he froze in his tracks, surprised but hoping he would be able to see some wildlife. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, but not his
feet stepping lightly along the trail as he slowly approached the doe not more than 10 feet in front of him. His good eyes also spotted another orchid--this time a pink lady slipper, also referred to as a Moccasin Flower. If we keep up this rate, we're going to have quite the photo collection of wild-flowers. What we'll do with those when eventually get to Seattle I have no idea.
It's seems a shame we have to leave here tomorrow, so soon. We both would have liked to stay longer, this place is beautiful, but we're off to what will hopefully be a great time--The Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute, WI! I've been looking forward to this even since I realized that such a thing existed. Can't quite explain why.
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