Union Bay Campground, MI to Little Carp River, MI: Daily miles 14.3, Total miles 86.7

All in all it was a discouraging day and frustrating day. It was hard to leave the luxuries of the state park campground despite my general distaste for the can-of-sardines-nature-experience. The food mishap made all of our stuff disorganized leaving me feel fairly scattered. Packing up and moving out was slow and once we got on the water there was no improvement. We had 2-4 foot waves and a strong headwind for most of the day which made me feel like I wasn’t getting anywhere and I was just wasting my energy and strength. Progress was ridiculously slow. We had to stop for about 2 hours in the afternoon because a thunderstorm rolled in. We pulled up on the nearest cobble beach to wait out the storm and bumped in to a herd of boy scouts who were out getting their backpacking badges or something. When the weather cleared we got back on the water and paddled the rest of the way to the mouth of the Little Carp River where we decided to call it a night because it was almost 8 p.m. On top of all the other little irritating things that happened today, the black flies were out in force but lucky for me Badger Balm’s bug stick was by my side. It’s a pretty lame day when the best thing that happens is that your bug repellent repels bugs (and doesn’t include scary ingredients that eat through plastic and make you have babies with 3 eyes).

Little Carp River, MI to Little Girl’s Point, MI: Daily miles 25.0, Total miles 111.7

Once again we started the day slow and easy. Ate Breakfast, packed up camp, loaded boats and headed out around 9 a.m. It was a gorgeous day to be out on the water with waves less than 1 foot, barely any wind, and hardly a cloud in the sky. We paddled about 9 miles from our campsite to Black Bear River Harbor with no stops in a little under 3 hours which was considerably faster than we had expected. At Black Bear Harbor we used the bathrooms and filled our water bottles in the pretty little park they have there, then relaxed on the beach and made spaghetti for lunch. After lunch we paddled the long featureless stretch of rocky shore to Little Girls Point, making a couple short stops along the way. At the second of the 2 stops we made, both Matt and I were getting tired and frustrated because the day while very successful, was getting to be a bit long. We spent a little extra time at the last stop looking for cool rocks on the beach and snacking on granola bars and peanut butter. When we arrived at Little Girls Point we discovered that the 1.5 mile stretch of cobble beach was all a county park campground so we decided to stay here rather than get back in our boats and find some free camping. The guythat runs the campground asked where we paddled from and where we were headed and it took us a few tries to explain that we were going around the entire lake. As I’ve been writing this the sun has sunk low in the sky leaving a deep red haze over the opposite shore of the lake, and the peepers have been singing their little hearts out – a fitting end to such an agreeable day. I feel much better than yesterday. I think I’ll just have to remember not to let the day to day frustrations get me down because every day will end and every discouragement will pass.

Little Girl’s Point, MI to Long Island, WI: Daily miles 26.3, Total miles 138.0

Slept pretty well. There were a whole bunch of high school kids partying on the beach last night but they left before 11 p.m. This morning we were tired after our long day yesterday so we took it slow again starting off – a habit we’re soon going to have to break. We hit the water at about 10 a.m. and paddled about 9 miles across to the next point, skipping Saxon Harbor. We took a short break there then paddled on toward Chequamegon Point – a very long, narrow, marshy sand spit that runs toward Bayfield, WI and creates the Chequamegon Bay. We stopped a few times along the point. While we ate we saw 5 eagles and an otter. Matt was super excited about the otter and kept jumping up and down and pointing every time the otter rolled in the water – it was pretty cute (it’s okay to be pretty cute when you’re doing something as manly as paddling around Lake Superior). We spent the last bit of our paddle playing around on 3 foot surf. We’re camped on a nice big beach with somebody’s dugout beach shelter on it. The sunset was nice and we ate burritos for dinner which made for an excellent evening. Big miles mean sore muscles and tired eyes so it’s off to sleep.

Long Island, WI to Bayfield, WI: Daily miles 9.1, Total miles 147.1

Took a short day into Bayfield so we could spend some time with my friend and teacher, Jeff Rennicke. The paddle into town was calm and sunny. The water was busier than anywhere else we’ve been so far with sailboats, speedboats and ferries. We pulled our boats ashore next to the ferry dock and spent the next hour or so running errands and eating sandwiches from the deli. Jeff picked us up from the ferry dock around noon and we spent the rest of the day talking, reading, eating fish fresh from the lake and checking our emails so that we could reply to the many people who have shown interest in our trip. We are staying in Jeff’s writing cabin for the night. It’s a great little place with a view of the lake – when Matt saw it he said to me “now this is what I want my man-fort to be like”. Spending time talking with friends was refreshing after many days without seeing familiar faces. Many thanks to Jeff and his family for their hospitality and good conversation. It will be difficult to leave in the morning, but I know we have many friends and adventures ahead of us.

Bayfield, WI to Little Sand Bay, WI: Daily miles 18.2, Total miles 165.3

Woke up early at about 6:30 a.m. but laid in bed for almost an hour before getting up to soak up the morning sun from the balcony of Jeff’s writing cabin. Slept pretty well last night, but as we were going to bed we discovered that a bat had found its way into the cabin. We tried to let the bat out for a few minutes, but it didn’t go so we let it be. We had breakfast and a nice chat with Jeff then loaded our gear into his car and he took us back to where we stashed our boats near the ferry dock. After getting our gear packed into our boats and some goodbyes we were back on the water. It felt good to be on the water once again. The half day off was relaxing, but I feel like it is too early in the game to be taking time off. Forward progress felt good. We paddled about 8.5 miles before we took a break on a tiny sand beach for lunch. After we were finished eating lunch a tour boat came by and its wake nearly pulled our boats out to sea and came within a foot of soaking all our gear. We paddled the rest of the day with no breaks, arriving in Little Sand Bay around 4 p.m. We would have gone farther, but this was one of the only designated camp areas for many miles. Every night I spend in RV Campgrounds makes me dislike them more.

Little Sand Bay, WI to Bark Point, WI: Daily miles 21.8, Total miles 187.1

We actually got up and going at a reasonable hour this morning. We were on the water by 8 a.m. The day was gray and there was a bit of wind in our faces, but we made good time all day, stopping only once when we came to the end of the national park for a granola bar. The morning portion of the paddle was pretty uneventful until we got to the sea caves. The caves are carved by the water into the sand stone cliffs, varying in height, depth, and width – some navigable by kayak but most too narrow, too low, or too shallow to explore. It would have been nice to have a little more time to explore and I’m sure we will return with the sole purpose of seeing the Apostles and caves. We pulled into Bark Point around 1:30 p.m. and decided 22 miles was enough for the day because we were both sore and feeling lazy. The only place to camp was the public boat launch which, while probably not legal, has been quite comfortable. We set up the tarp because it was suppose to rain and tried to lay low so as not to draw attention to ourselves. Around 4:30 p.m. we set up the tent and settled in a bit. In the early evening we met a couple who was putting their fishing boat in so they could get to their cabin across the bay. They were very friendly and even came back later when they heard it was going to thunderstorm to offer us a place to stay for the night which we politely declined because we prefer not to be an imposition (and we didn’t feel like taking down the tent). Spent the rest of the evening reading and eating dinner. At a whopping 9:30 p.m. it is getting late and long past bedtime.

Bark Point, WI to Port Wing, WI: Daily miles 14.3, Total miles 201.4

Slept really well, didn’t get hassled. We woke up pretty late and took our time getting ready to leave. The morning was foggy and calm. We took out time traveling the short distance to Port Wing because we were meeting our friends Kendra and Jon there but they were not coming until the evening. As hard as we tried to go slow, the paddle did not last long and we arrived in Port Wing a little before 1 p.m. After pulling up on the beach and claiming a picnic table, the first order of business was finding two big greasy cheeseburgers for lunch. Town was not on the water so I had to ask a couple guys who were hanging out at the marina how to get to the nearest place that served food. As it turns out there is really only one such place in town and it was about 1.5 miles down the road. The walk to town was pleasant – it was warmer and sunnier inland and it felt good to use my legs a little after days of sitting in the boat. I saw two fawns walking down the side of the road together, neither were afraid of me so I watched them for a few minutes from a respectful distance of 6 or 7 feet. At the diner I ordered two bacon cheeseburgers with all the fixings and when they were finished I walked back with the burgers and Matt and I ate on the beach in the fog. Lunch really hit the spot but it wasn’t quite enough so Matt took a turn walking into town while I read a book. He returned a while later with juice, cheese curds and chocolate. We spent the afternoon snacking, reading and hiding from the cold wind and fog. I finished the book I was reading. “Out Stealing Horses” by Per Petterson, and decided it was time for dinner. I walked to town again and found the diner closed so I went to the gas station which seemed to double as a grocery store and got some stuff to make sandwiches. Dinner wasn’t very satisfying and the night got very cold, but we couldn’t set up our tent to snuggle down until until dark because there was a fair amount of traffic on the nearby road. Around 9:30 we sent Jon and Kendra one last message to tell them where we would be camped and went to bed.

Port Wing, WI to Beach a few miles out of Superior, WI: Daily miles 19.1, Total miles 220.5

When we woke up we found another tent set up beside ours. Jon and Kendra had arrived in the wee hours of the morning. There was a fishing tournament in Port Wing so there were tons of people milling about. We left town about 7:30 a.m. and paddled out on the flat water with the sun shining upon us. It was a gorgeous day and having good company made it even more enjoyable. We paddled the 19 miles at a good pace and spent a leisurely evening on the beach. The sun was blazing and the air was still making the beach ridiculously hot, so we we made a beach shelter out of driftwood, our tarp, and a piece of Tyvek we use as a ground cloth. After taking short naps Jon and Kendra made us some pizza and took the prize for best back country food so far. We finished out the night with a small fire.

Beach 10 miles from Wisconsin Point, WI to Wisconsin Point, WI: Daily miles 10.6, Total miles 231.1

The morning was chilly and the wind and waves had picked up since the day before. We packed up camp and hit the lake. Our only meal plan for the day was to get to where our friends had left their car. We took one break on our way to Wisconsin Point. While we were stopped we did some beach combing and played on the piles of driftwood. When we got to Wisconsin Point, Matt and I stayed and kept track of the boats while Jon and Kendra drove back to Port Wing to get their other car to haul their boats home. While they were gone the weather turned foul – the wind picked up, the waves grew, and it started to look like rain. After helping them load up their gear and saying goodbye, Matt and I decided we’d probably spend the night on the beach (despite the no camping signs). We snuggled under our piece of Tyvek like two hobos until the picnickers grew weary of the weather and packed up, then we set up our tent and called it a night. We spent the rest of our awake time playing cards and reading.

Wisconsin Point, WI to Suites Hotel, Duluth, MN: Daily miles 10.2, Total miles 241.3

It rained all night and well into the morning. We hung out in the tent reading, sleeping, and playing cards until about 11 a.m. when we decided we had to start making a plan if we were going to get moving. We called Matt’s parents and they helped us look up places to stay in Duluth, which wasn’t to far away but was a logistical nightmare with the kayaks.The first place we called was the Suites Hotel at the Waterfront Plaza, which sounded way beyond our means, but the manager turned out to be incredibly helpful – not only saying it was ok for us to bring our kayaks into our room, but also went and measured the room to make sure the boats would fit. So, with a place to stay ahead of us, we packed our gear and headed out into a 5 foot surf (the biggest waves we have seen yet). Matt launched his boat first. It was probably one of the least successful surf launches in history as he got repeatedly tossed back into shore. We both laughed very hard and it was a good time. Eventually he made it out passed the breaking waves and it was my turn to launch. Having watched Matt’s numerous failures I was able to gather that you shouldn’t just try to go crashing out on the largest wave so I watched the water and carefully timed my entrance which was successful on the first try. The big waves were fun to paddle on, but it felt good when we finally reached safety of the flat water in the shipping canal that runs through Superior – Duluth. When we got to Duluth it was a pain trying to figure out how to get our boats out of the water because there were no beaches or ramps anywhere in town – just mile upon mile of break wall. I called the hotel again, thinking we were going to have to cancel our reservation and feeling so bad about it because they had been so kind and gone so far out of their way for us, but the hotel manager had a solution to our problem. We paddled into the tour boat marina and hoisted our boats awkwardly to shore via the weird metal raft they used to put their docks in. We then hauled all of our gear and boats into the Suites Hotel, causing a bit of a spectacle as we tramped through the lobby and pool area with two 17 foot kayaks. The boats fir perfectly in the room as promised. Once we were all settled in we got straight to showering, changing into clean cloths, and checking out our sweet hotel suite. The hotel room was awesome – not only did it have all of the things you would expect, it also had a fully equipped kitchen complete with range, dishwasher, and full sized fridge. After getting cleaned up we headed down the street to Red Lobster where we had shrimp fondue and giant shrimp sampler platters. Full and happy with leftovers in hand, we returned to the hotel where we soaked in the hot tub and relaxed for awhile. I am just waiting for our laundry to be done and then I will retire for the evening to a big, comfy, non-inflatable bed.