SUPERIOR
SPRING May 2018
"How Wonderful Life is when you're in the Wild"
SCHROEDER, MINNESOTA: May 19th 2018 late Spring excursion to the North Shore of Lake Superior brought blue skies, cool temps, and a just emerging forest canopy.
The surf is rolling in; calming breeze and clearing cold sky after a storm passed through earlier in the day. Layer up and get an oak/birch fire burning. Not a leaf to be seen, not along the coast.
An evening marine layer settles in to blend sea and sky into an indistinct gray—white boundary. Fire consumes the coolness of the evening. At this 47.7 degree North latitude, daylight is long.
Mellow pastel afterglow, pink the color of a wild rose petal but much more diffused. It is a low saturation color band stretching across Superiors entire horizon coast. Below that an identical layer of muted violet which sat on a dim white layer above the steel gray calming Superior.
Crescent waxing moon looks to be 23 degrees above the western horizon. 4 fists and 3 fingers above the horizon confirms the 23 degree estimation. Jupiter is low in the East over the lake and bright Venus is sinking in the West. The temp drops to a crisp 35 degrees at midnight. Barometer is on the rise, blue skies ahead. Need a micro SD card, good luck on that.
The waning Superior surf and the surging Cross River falls provide a rhythmic contemplative background soundscape punctuated by the deep harried howling of a lone wolf well after midnight from up in the Sawtooth Mountains.
Cold morning and waning surf by the waning fire with a chunk of Cedar smoldering like a huge piece of incense. Walked the beach and made a rock cairn, my signature compass and animal footprint. Winter storms have pushed and piled the large rocks to the back of the beach.
The Cross River is surging with Spring snow melt from it's source from Cross Lake in the Superior N.F.
Grand Marais from Pincushion Mountain, Marais is always cool, best enjoyed tourist-less. Inspiring works to be found in Sivertson’s gallery, wild lake rice, huckleberry syrup, fresh caught smoked Lake Trout, and Maple Syrup (bad year for the syrupers, too cold too long).
Hike up the Superior Hiking Trail to White Sky Rock. This granite outcropping overlooks Caribou Lake and the emerging leaf canopy of the Superior N.F. A pastel mosaic of pea green, magenta, and silver leaves is unfurling.
A gap in the Sawtooth Mountains provides a glimpse of Lake Superior
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Cedars along Lake at CASCADE S.P.
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Cascade Falls is bursting
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Snow Patches along Cascade River
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Sublime Majestic Grandeur of big horizon Superior sunsets
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The days warm air cools quickly and flows downslope to the lake as evening falls. Jupiter lies low in the East and Venus shines bright in the West with the quarter moon high in the South. The Moon has phased into lantern stage; enough light is being thrown to be usable. It’s a 7 day old Moon and 45% illuminated.
A mellow Superior is lapping at the shore, the Cross River rumbles while the fire licks at the cool night and a lone Timber Wolf howls from high up in the Sawtooths.
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Logs pile up at Hedstroms up the Gunflint
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Marsh Marigold, one of the first blooms of Spring
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BEACHES: The North Shore sports some very cool beaches, mostly of red Rhylolite from fist sized to sand.
IONA Beach: Red Rhyolite rock with steep tall bands of rock pushed up into terraces by the waves. Retreating waves make a ‘tinkling, glass chime’ sound.
BLACK BEACH: Pulverized taconite dumped by the mining companies washed up on what was a private beach until 2015 in Silver Bay.
GOOD HARBOR BAY/CUTFACE CREEK: Could find semi precious gem Thompsonite and agates
5 MILE BEACH: Long crescent shaped beach and bay with 5 mile rock island offshore and a creek cutting through the middle of the beach.
MILE MARKER 121 BEACH: Up by Hovland, forest, stone, sea.
PARADISE BEACH: Boreal beach with marshes, ponds, driftwood, agates, and spiritual freedom.
At 1,526’ Carlton Peak is the tallest peak in the Sawtooth Range along Lake Superior. Superior’s elevation is 604’ – about the same as the Mississippi River at the Minn/Iowa border. The Sawtooths are part of the North Shore Highlands which run from Jay Cooke to Grand Portage.
They are composed of Basalt and Gabbro from lava which flowed from the failed mid continent rift which was centered down the middle of Lake Superior running to Kansas. The region is part of the southern reaches of the core continental bedrock of the Canadian Shield. Glaciers later chiseled away softer rock and reshaped the Highlands from the 30k range they were.
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Palisades
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Lake Trout has rebounded in Minnesota Waters thanks to a robust stocking program by the DNR. A fisherman from Knife River said the surface temp was 36 degrees.
Astronomical twilight follows nautical twilight and defines when the sun provides no illumination in the sky. Mathematically, it is defined as the sun being between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon. During this hour and a half time frame sky illumination is very faint to undetectable.
The darkness of an overhead sky is rated from 1 (darkest) to 5. Light pollution has all but wiped out dark sky viewing. The North Shore and BWCA are rated uncommonly dark; #2 on the scale. There is little air pollution, light pollution, and no pollen. Fire, surf, stars; the cycle keeps cycling. The Hickory Hiker keeps hiking.
On deck for June; half month around Salida, Colorado - whitewater rafting the Arkansas, soaking in natural hot springs, hiking in the tundra, exploring the tallest sand dunes in North America, local cuisine, fire, stars, comtemplation and imagination and freedom off leash.
MAY 19-26 2018 mef
Grand Marais from Pincushion Mountain, Marais is always cool, best enjoyed tourist-less. Inspiring works to be found in Sivertson’s gallery, wild lake rice, huckleberry syrup, fresh caught smoked Lake Trout, and Maple Syrup (bad year for the syrupers, too cold too long).
