Saturday, July 26 — We awoke to our 7 a.m. alarm and the pitter-patter of rain – not what we wanted to hear. We had planned to do some nice hiking at Pictured Rocks and were hopeful that the good forecast predicted for today would hold up, but the sound of the rain wasn’t promising.
Deciding this wouldn’t deter us, we grabbed egg sandwiches at Subway then made our way to our first destination – Munising Falls. The short little walk up into a canyon paid off and we were rewarded with a beautiful waterfall. Rangers at this location helped me identify a couple of the wildflowers I kept seeing – bunchberry and cow parsnip – and after visiting a bit more with them, we hoped the rain would hold off and went for it!
A short drive up the road then down a dirt road brought us to the trailhead we were seeking. We had been advised – and everyone was right – that the best way to enjoy Pictured Rocks if we had the time and stamina was to hike a 10-mile loop that took us a couple of miles out past Chapel Falls then another mile or so on to Chapel Rock right on lake Superior, then along Chapel Beach and about three more miles along the shoreline with the pictured rocks actually below us out to Mosquito Beach, then a couple more miles back inland to the trailhead.
That’s just what we did, although the rain did catch us a few times. We stopped to take shelter the first two times, then decided we’d just keep going. By the time we got around the 10-mile loop with many stops for pictures (and how could you not stop and snap photos of all of this gorgeous scenery?!?) the parking lot was overflowing with cars and hikers who waited out the weather. We paid a small price and got a little wet, but the prize was that we were virtually the only people on the trail and got this beautiful place nearly all to ourselves!
Post-hike re-fortification included Fred’s first pastie – a ‘must-eat’ turnover filled with beef, potatoes and carrots.
[Trivia for Mom: Pasties originated from immigrants of Cornwall, England, who came to work the mines of the U.P. The miners’ wives baked these large, sustaining turnovers for men who often spent up to 14 hours in the mines.]
Hover your cursor over the photo and click on the arrows to scroll through photos of our day at Pictured Rocks:
This bit of trivia I did know! Remember, I grew up in Michigan even though I claim Ohio as my home. Loved your pictures as always. Mother