Portage Lower Entry, MI to Houghton, MI: Daily miles 14.1, Total miles 1164.6

Done.  We slept in a bit this morning and woke up the sounds of the fishermen getting ready to go out for the day.  Over the night some of the Frat boys from MTU came in and untied all of the fishing boats so the fishermen had to rope them back in. Luckily none of them made it too far. Apparently they do it every year. Seems ridiculous to me. We were slow to get moving but there was no rush. Only 14 miles stood between us and the end of our journey.  We paddled leisurely along, passed sights we had seen a dozen times and we finally felt home.  We got into Houghton around noon and stopped at a beach on MTU’s campus to savor the moment.  We called a few friends and tried to get some people around to make our homecoming more festive and maybe get some photos but we couldn’t get a hold of anyone.  We couldn’t wait any longer and paddled the last mile and crossed under the lift bridge and landed on the same sand we left over two months ago. Sure we had been back twice since we left but now were really home.  It was all pretty anticlimactic.  No one was there. No one knew what we had done. But it felt good. Really good. I can’t even explain it.

Big Bay, MI to Portage Lower Entry, MI: Daily miles 47.1, Total miles 1150.1

Holy Shit! I did not expect to sitting on the shores of the Keweenaw tonight. This was by far the biggest day yet and the most rewarding.  Everything fell into line to make this day perfect.  The weather was awesome without a ripple of wind all day.  We slept really well and got up at a reasonable hour, 7AM. We are well rested from out week off and we are so motivated it hurts.  The shore flew past all day. It was pretty generic shore with some rocky beaches and miles of forest.  We passed the infamous Huron Mountain Club, which owns miles of shoreline and aggressively patrols it to make sure degenerates like us don’t land and spoil and their exclusivity.   We stopped for a short lunch on a sand beach but were too excited to stay long.  We really only planned on paddling to the campsites at the mouth of the Huron River but we got there at like 3PM and found it packed with RV’s and powerboats so we kept moving.  We swung out to point Abbye and got our first looks at home.  The idea of making the big 12 mile crossing had been floating around all day but we never really took it seriously until we could see it.  It seemed so close and looked so easy.  We didn’t have our maps but figured it couldn’t hurt so we took a short rest and launched across the bay at target we could barely see.  The cross was really easy. It took about three hours and we didn’t see a wave the whole time.  When we hit shore there was nowhere to land and we didn’t actually know where we were.  We pulled out on a jumbled pile of rocks to figure out our situation.  Without maps it was tough to actually figure out our location. I tried to use the GPS on my new iPhone but it wasn’t accurate enough due to the lack of cell service in the area.  Eventually we just guessed and started paddling south and within ten minutes were cruising past White City and into the Portage Canal.  We had done it.  We circumnavigated Lake Superior.  We still had about 13 miles to go until we landed where we started in downtown Houghton but we were no longer the Superior.  It felt pretty good.  We were both starving so we pulled over at a boat launch for some dinner and decided to go for the last few miles tonight in the dark.  We ate fast and climbed back into our boats, sore and tired but excited to be done.  After a few minutes of paddling into the darkness, with speed boats flying by we decided we were too tired, it wasn’t safe and we would be better just finishing tomorrow.  We headed back to the boat launch and set up the tent in an exhausted stupor.  It feels so good to be back in the Copper Country and to have paddled here this time.

Marquette, MI to Big Bay, MI: Daily miles 31.1, Total miles 1103.4

We drove down to Negaunee last night and stayed at my brother’s place.  This morning we loaded up the boats and he gave us a ride down to where we took out last week.  The water was perfect, flat calm, and the sky was sunny.  The first mile or so around Presque Isle was fun because my brother ran along the shore and tried to get some photos of us together. It has been nearly impossible to get any shot of both of us on this trip.  After we said goodbye to my brother we got down to the business at hand. We were like unstoppable machines all day.  The weather was good and we only took a handful of breaks in the entire 30 miles.  Early on in the day I realized I had forgotten our maps so were blind as to what shoreline lay ahead but it didn’t matter much as we were on a mission.  We cruised by Granite Loma, a giant castle built on the shore. It is left over from the days of this area being the place to be if you were super rich. It was really cool and seemed to fit in nicely on the shore.  The shore was pretty easy all day with scattered beaches and  little development.  When we pulled into Big Bay we set up on the first sand beach we found that didn’t have a house on it. We got in about 6PM which was really early given our late start and over 30 miles of paddling for the day.  We wanted to go further but the no landing zone of the Huron Mountain Club was looming in front of us and we figured we had better play it safe.  We hung out for a while, ate dinner and set up the tent to try to get to bed early.  Just as we were laying down we heard people and a dog walking down the beach toward us.  We were concerned that it was the owners of the beach and we were about to get kicked out. Turns out it was the owners but they were super welcoming and really nice about letting us camp here. I love the U.P.  I am so excited I can hardly contain it. I am two days from the end. The actual end. Not any of the false summits we have had to endure.  If the weather is good we should be able to see the Keweenaw tomorrow. This is the only place I want to be in the world right now.

I didn’t write anything during Hannah’s first week of class so the actual details are a little fuzzy.  There was nothing for me to actually accomplish so I just sat around and obsessed over finishing the trip.  I cleaned and reorganized our gear, got food together and played around the house.  I remember sitting at the Keweenaw Brewing Company and talking to friends a lot.  We dealt with the business of getting a new cell phone package. I can say I am proud to join the ranks of iPhone users. It should help us be more prompt about getting our journals online. I started to arrange my work schedule for the fall and just generally enjoyed being off of the lake.  The anticipation of being finished was almost too much to handle.  It was really weird sitting around the house while there were still 100 miles separating me and my goal.  Physically I felt finished. I had all the comforts of home, friends, food and a comfy bed. But mentally I was still on the lake. I needed to be finished.  I both couldn’t wait for the week to end and never wanted it to be over. It was a weird dichotomy. But as Friday neared my mind state fell into place and I wanted nothing more than to paddle the last hundred miles.

Shelter bay, MI to Marquette, MI: Daily miles 27.2, Total miles 1072.3

Today was a big paddling day but it went fast and felt easy. We cruised past house after house and rarely saw a bit of shore that wasn’t developed.  It is unbelievable the size of some these houses and they look like vacation homes that only get used a few times a year.  If I had the money to build a house like that I think I would spend it actually taking vacations instead of building a place to house the idea of my leisure.  Around lunchtime we were nearing a roadside park and I was hoping to make it there so I could use the bathroom. Hannah wanted to stop earlier and we got into a pretty hefty argument that resulted in us not speaking for over an hour. We ended stopping early as well as at the park.  After our short lived feud ended we started looking for the easiest and fastest way to get into Marquette.  The bay isn’t that deep but it would have added an hour or two too paddle in so we decided to shoot right across and make the big open water crossing. It went off without a hitch and we cruised around the break wall and landed in upper harbor on the nice sand beach.  We ate, relaxed and waited for my brother to come pick us up. We hung out for a bit and played with Rainy and then the three of us headed home again so Hannah could start class. I hate breaking up the ending like this. I know it will ruin the grand, triumphant return to home but there isn’t much we can do about it.  We will be back in a week and finally finish this thing.

Muskrat Point, Grand Island, MI to Shelter Bay, MI: Daily miles 17.1, Total miles 1045.1

A pretty uneventful day.  The lake was calm and the shore was generic and heavily developed.  We stopped in Au Train bay for lunch and cooked ourselves a good, hot meal.  I have been worried about this bay since we began planning this trip.  During our travels around the U.P we have seen it have some of the the biggest surf and it is regularly pretty nasty as we drive by. On our trip to our parents houses downstate Michigan right before we launched this bay had waves breaking almost to the road in places and I was certain that we would never be able to make it through this trip. The bay was pretty calm today, with an easy 3 foot surf and a fun landing on the beach.  We paddled into the evening but weren’t in any rush because we have to pull out again tomorrow in Marquette so Hannah can start class at Michigan Tech on Monday.  No point in pushing hard with so few miles to go.  We set up on a nice stretch of sand but we are awfully close to a small resort and I think this might be there beach so we are going to wait until after sunset to put up the tent.  It is an amazing sunset.

Muskrat Point, MI  to Muskrat Point, Grand Island, MI: Daily miles 0.0, Total miles 1028.0

I really didn’t want to spend another zero day out here.  Such is life though.  The wind is howling and it rained on and off all day. Hannah’s shoulder is still sore and the lake shore is really developed over the upcoming miles. All this combined to leave us sitting in the tent all day listening to the stupid glass bottom tour boat come in and out of the harbor.

Twelve Mile Beach, MI to Muskrat Point, Grand Island, MI: Daily miles 27.9, Total miles 1028.0

Excitement woke me up at 6AM but I managed to convince myself that few more minutes couldn’t hurt and got up promptly at 8AM.  We started the day on gorgeous flat water, paddling the remaining miles of beach and getting more and more excited for the cliffs.  We stopped on the last bit of sand beach before the cliffs rose up and we met two paddlers who were in for a day paddle.  It was really nice to talk to other paddlers and I enjoyed talking to them and paddling with them for a bit.  The cliffs were amazing.  We paddled up under Spray Falls, which falls a hundred feet or so from the cliffs right into the lake.  The base of the 200 ft sheer sandstone walls were full of small caves and indentations we could explore.  Chapel rock and beach were crawling with people but it was still cool to see such a unique rock formation. The next mile was amazing with huge amphitheaters, deep sea caves and the legendary Grand Portal.  The cliffs kept going with huge views, streaked with many hued mineral stains. I have hiked here many times and love the view from the top but nothing compares to seeing it from a kayak.  As we neared Miner’s Castle we were nearly swamped by a tour boat who veered closer to give the people on board a better view of the weird people in the tiny boats.  The cliffs began to deminish after Miner’s Castle and so did our energy.  Unfortunatley this was the time of the day when the wind began to pick up. We battled our way to Sand Point where we rested, snacked and ate some wild blueberries.  The crossing out to Grand Island was a little dicey. It is a narrow channel with a reasonable current and the wind was funneling down the channel bring some medium sized chop and reflection with it. I was having fun playing in the surf and was really enjoying it but Hannah was really tired and her shoulder was still bothering her despite our rest break so she had a lot less fun.  We snuck into Murray Bay and found a nice campsite and respite from the wind.  The Hiawatha Water Trail runs from Grand Marais to Big Bay and we are crashing at their Muskrat Point Campsite.  It is pretty nice and really sheltered.  Some boater’s showed up and gave us their left over pizza and chatted for a while. It was really nice. After the pizza we cooked up some tortellini and settled down into the tent to escape the mosquitoes. Today was the best day of the trip. The scenery was far above anything else we have seen on the lake. The weather was perfect for once and everything just seemed to fall in line.  We took our sweet time, explored and played and still got in nearly 30 miles. I was just a perfect day.

Grand Marais, MI to Twelve Mile Beach, MI: Daily miles 15.1, Total miles 1000.1

Left home around 9AM and met my brother at his house in Negaunee so he could come down to Grand Marais with us and take our truck back to his place.  It was a long three hours down and I had a lot on my mind.  As driven as I am to finish this trip I don’t feel like getting back on the lake. It was so nice being home with all it’s comforts and I hate to leave Rainy again.  But such is life and I knew this would happen if we had to get off the lake during the course of the trip.  When we got down to Grand Marais we were hesitant to get started so we ate lunch at the brewery and walked the dogs around on the beach.  Eventually we ran out of excuses and started hauling gear down to the water and suiting up.  We said goodbye to my brother and Rainy and paddled away from the beach at about 4PM.  The sun burst through the clouds with our first paddle strokes and the weather turned amazing.  The massive dunes that rose up to our left were some of the coolest things we have seen on this trip.  Hundreds of vertical feet of untouched, golden sand with faint lines showing the patterns of flowing water and an occasional tree tucked into the beach where a seep runs. It was awesome.  We paddled until near dark and made better miles than I expected.  I am happy to be out here now. It is a nice change from the weariness I felt before our break. I miss the dog and am still anxious to finish but I feel like this is where I want to be.  I am really excited to see the cliff of Pictured Rocks tomorrow.

We woke up after one of the best nights sleep of the whole trip. We watched a serious meteor shower as we fell asleep and woke up early to a beautiful sunrise over the bay.  We called Hannah’s parents and found out they would be here in the evening so we had a whole day to relax. This seemed like a great idea until after lunch and then we just started getting bored.  I even went for a short paddle to relieve the boredom.  After 2 months in my boat and I went for paddle.  I showered at the local campground and waited to head back home. Hannah’s folks showed up with Rainy just as the sun was starting to set.  It was so good to see them and Rainy could not have been happier to be back with us.  We headed home to Houghton in the dark after loading the boats. It was the first time I had really been in the car since we left home over two months ago. After the 4 hour drive I was exhausted and could barely enjoy the fact that I was home. The house was still the dump we left but it was nice to fall asleep in a real bed with our dog snuggled in between us.

On Friday morning we got up early and I started in on making the presentation we were supposed to give that evening.  I spent most of the day hanging around at Ladies of the Lake working on the slideshow. Our friends and Jon and Kendra, who paddled with us in Wisconsin, came up to see us and it was great to have a few faces we new in the audience. Hannah presented to about 100 women and it was fun to relive the trip while it was still so fresh and unprocessed in my mind.  The presentation went great and was really well received. It was a load off to be done with it and we went home to relax.

The rest of the weekend we just hung around Calumet and relaxed. It was nice to have Hannah’s parents around.  We saw the other presentation at Ladies of the Lake and I felt like it validated our trip and made me feel like a real kayaker.

When the weekend was over we made plans to head back to Grand Marais and get back on the water. Our friend Dan Graham offered to ride down with us and drive the truck home when we hit the water.  The weather forecast wasn’t great but we were antsy to get out again and didn’t want to get to comfortable at home.  When we got there we found 10 foot waves crashing on the beach so we decided to camp for a night and see if it improved. It didn’t and the weather forecast said it wouldn’t for 3 days. So we decided to go home. On the way we dropped our boats off at my brother’s house in Negaunee and bought a refrigerator at Lowe’s in Marquette.  We needed one and couldn’t imagine getting through 3 days at home without some good food.  We also bought a deep fryer because after 2 months deep fried food is good food.

We spent the next 3 days gorging ourselves and playing with Rainy.  We made plans with my brother to pick up our boats and drive back to Grand Marais again. He was going ot take the truck back to his house while we paddled.  We only had a few days until Hannah started school so we knew we couldn’t the remaining miles in one go and we were going to have to split it into two 100 mile chunks.