Pictured Rocks July 27

 

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was probably the part of the Upper Peninsula I was most excited about. The picture-perfect postcard views promised colorful cliffs, cascading waterfalls, mirrored surface paddling, emerald green waters, sun, and remarkable water clarity. What we got was a bit...moodier...than that. I was most excited to do a packraft+hiking loop, paddling north 7 miles from Miners Beach to Chapel Beach, then returning via a 8.8 mile inland past Chapel Falls and Mosquito Falls then along the cliff edge. Despite researching months in advance, we could not find a single campsite available for us to do this as a pleasant overnight trip so we were locked in to seeing as much as we could as a long day trip. 

The previous night (morning really) had us waking in the Tahquamenon Falls campground to a thoroughly loud, bright, and wet thunderstorm and then later to an unsettled forecast of borderline lake conditions, low visibility fog, and roving thunderstorms. Not only were we at the mercy of campground reservations but also the weather. Wanting to give ourselves the most options, we left the campground about 7am (nice how easily the campervan can convert to drive mode!) for the 2 hour drive to Miners Beach. We arrived at the empty parking lot at the east end of the beach under dark skies and rain. Between the weather and hoping it would improve, we decided to wait it out. So we had a lazy morning napping in the van until the rain finally stopped and a brief window of sun finally appeared. We suited up and readied our boats in the nice gravel lot as drizzle continued, then carried the 600 ft to the water edge. It was 12:45pm (!) when we finally pushed off from sandy beach near the quaint Elliot Falls and paddled through the minor shore break.

Elliot Falls at our Miners Beach put-in

Almost immediately the sun disappeared behind building clouds and we turned the first point to surprisingly sloshy waves. These were obnoxious short period chaotic waves that that rolled in every direction, further complicated by their reflection off the lakecliffs. I struggled and rarely succeeded to take photos with flat horizons, nearly working myself nauseous a couple times. The photos I took really can't do justice the rough conditions we had- not unsafe but also not comfortable. At least we had no wind fighting us. Enormous tour boats passed at intervals further offshore but generally things were quiet with only one group of a couple kayakers seen at the start of our paddle and another at the end. The second point we reached had the whispering stream of Bridal Veil Falls tumbling down. With the chaotic waves it felt like we were making very little progress so I was relieved and frankly surprised that it had only been a half hour and we had made a respectable 1.8 mph of progress..

Bridal Veil Falls in shadows at right

At the fourth point was the most picturesque cliff we had seen yet with fantastic multi-colored water streaks barcoding the bottom half of the cliffs. I was well accustomed to these mineral stainings from rain and seeping springs in the Southwest but never so colorful or intricate, including unique blues and greens from copper. I had Heather paddle into the sloshwater at the base of the cliff to model as I did my best to take photos.

We had gone nearly 1.5 miles along the coast without seeing any beaches or even shore-level rock ledges to beach our boats on so when I spotted a small pebble beach around the next point I suggested we get out for a brief break, unknowing how frequent they may be ahead. It was the smallest little beach but such a welcome break to stand and restore our equilibria. Above were overhanging cliffs and roosting seabirds, while below us was a perfect pebble beach of colorful quartz, jasper, agate, and granites. It was such a neat little cover I could not resist beaching again on the bedrock ledges at the far end for a further photo.

Refreshed from the break we continued on. Quite abruptly the weather turned cold and foggy on us with visibility often less than the height of the cliffs. We only went another half-mile further down the coast when I suggested one more brief break to look at more pebbles at a beach with interesting rockfall blocks leaning against the cliffs. Behind one of the was a neat drippy grotto of sorts. The sloshy swell was not getting any better but at least When I consulted my map I could see we would have a half-mile more of cliffs and then the long Mosquito Beach that we could pull into wherever if needed. The sloshy swell was not getting any better but at least we were getting the hang of it and finding it much less intimidating than when we first set out. 

Not exactly the postcard view of Pictured Rocks!

The visibility dropped to less than a hundred feet at one point, turning everything a colorless grey, which began to feel like a pointless exercise in further paddling the coast. We skimmed the shallows off of Mosquito Beach, gliding over the jointed shore platform of the Munising Formation sandstones, pulling ourselves ashore at Mosquito Creek around 2:45p. 

Trying to figure out what direction the weather was headed, we hiked up the terraced bedrock of Mosquito Creek, walked through the campground, then returned to the shore just to the north. Here there was a prominent ripple-marked layer in the Cambrian sandstone that we both enjoyed. As we returned along the coast I climbed to the back of a small alcove for a neat reflection view out at Lake Superior. 

A 500 million year old beach juxtaposed against a modern one

We snacked at the water's edge trying to decide our next move. The weather did not improve so paddling another 4 miles to Chapel Beach did not seem like the right thing to do for the day we were dealt. With little enthusiasm, we decided to paddle a further half-mile to the prominent headland of Lover's Leap and then return back to Mosquito for our hike out. I'm very grateful we did this as it added a lot more appeal to the trip. We paddled past some interesting alcoves and sea caves and then a quarter-mile away we spotted the dramatic arched headland of Lover's Leap (frontispiece). Somehow I had totally forgot about this arch, shameful since it towers over 200 ft and one year was featured on the federal lands park pass. I was in awe at this distance and with every paddle stroke towards it. This was more a feature for a rough exposed ocean and I had to keep reminding myself I was on a lake! We paddled through the arch and I took many a photo. Further we could see plenty more fog shrouded sea cliffs that looked fascinating but this was very obviously our turnaround point. On the way back we detoured to pull boats up onto the bedrock and walk the shore shelves around the corner to one of the neat sea cave alcoves. At 4:30p we pulled ashore for the final time at the ripple-marked bed, which as I suspected made a perfect clean surface for us to change and pack gear. 

The hike back took us 1hr 10min to go 3.3 miles. There were very few views for being a stone's throw away from the cliff for most of the hike, but the open forest was quite pleasant to walk through and the trail mostly flat. It began raining halfway through but between the humidity and the umbrella canopy of leaves overhead we continued on without rainjackets. 

We made it back to the parking lot around 5:45pm so we decided to make a brief detour to the Miners Castle viewpoint before our half-hour drive to our campground. As if to tease us it turned sunny with views up the coast we paddled! How changeable and teasing the weather was! 

With that we drove to Colwell Lake Campground. I spread some gear out to dry and almost immediately it turned foggy and moist again! Heather and I were thoroughly impressed with the tidy campground and our campsite. Sites were huge and nicely spread with forest between each, and ours even had a lakeview and its own little beach. 

So our Pictured Rocks experience was not exactly what we hoped but it was nevertheless still a special day out and made for a solid second day of our road trip. It really makes for a nice stretch of coastline. I would not be opposed to revisiting it in better conditions to see more coastline and snorkel when the visibility is high.

Mineral King June 23-26

Spending a few summer days at a rustic Silver City cabin in Mineral King is one of the more quintessential family traditions from my childhood. At the end of a long and very curvy road is Mineral King Valley. Once nearly a Disney ski resort, the valley instead is outpopulated by marmots and the occasional hiker willing to brave the drive over the nearby highway through the core of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The valley always fascinated me with its interesting metamorphic rocks, minerals, mining relics, caves, karst, and top notch trails. My parents, aunt, sister and her family rented a couple cabins. Heather, Claire, and I opted for the budget option of camping 5 minutes away at Atwell Mill, a fantastic spot among ferns, middle-aged Sequoias, and giant tree stumps of the big ancients that were logged. My most recent trip to Mineral King might have been 2015 so it was nice to have a family meet-up excuse to spend a few relaxing days.

Heather, Claire, and I stopped in Visalia for lunch then drove on past the park entry gate, stopping just beyond the Marble Fork for a couple hour detour to one of my favorite Sequoia swimming holes. Despite the low snow year, it was suitably early season that my favorite swimming hole, the "toilet bowl", was too rambunctious for swimming so we instead carefully clambered down to the calm pool below the gauge and low head dam. The water was cold, not quite frigid with a wetsuit top, refreshing for the heat of the day. We played in the small hydraulics, climbed slippery rocks, and snorkeled to check out all the fish. After we drove further to Hospital Rock to briefly check out the grinding stone platform and pictographs.

Despite recent improvements to the road, the road into Mineral King still took longer than I expected, as is typical. As we drove through chapparal,  oak woodlands, and burn scars, Claire became disillusioned as we promised trees and forest. It was not until we were nearly to the campsite that she finally became convinced, jumping out of the car the second we arrived to climb up the nearest large tree stump. We ended up having nearly the most idyllic campsite (#13), about as far from the road as we could get, overlooking a sloping meadow, tent site intimately surrounded by Sequoias, ample shade, and our own private tree stump to climb. As an unexpected bonus, the mosquitoes were nearly nonexistent. After setting camp we drove up the road to catch up with my family in the cabins. I enjoyed watching my niece and nephew instantly get wet and dirty in the small creek, followed by a nice family dinner on the patio and then a campfire complete with smores.

The plan for the first full day was a family hike 1.5 miles to the waterfall and bridge on the Atwell Hockett Trail starting a couple stone throws away from our campsite in Atwell Mill. This was every bit as slow as expected, finally starting the hike at 11am with the pace largely determined by upset kids with one-foot strides. A standout large Sequoia marked the first-third of the hike and the Deadwood Creek crossing marked the second-third. Eventually we arrived at the bridge. I set up my hammock to provide some entertainment for the youngsters and Claire bravely went for a brief dip in the frigid pool beneath the bridge. We made it back shortly before 4pm, then had a nice family dinner at the restaurant. After, the kids were excited to go fishing so we drove on to the roadend, every bit as picturesque as I remembered it. Somehow I got roped into helping kids fish and so soon was coated in worm guts, fish blood, and even had to wade into the creek to retrieve a stuck fishing line. The kids had a lot of fun though and Claire was eventually satisfied with the three fish she caught, only disappointed they were not large enough to keep and eat. It was late by the time we returned back to Silver City so the campfire activities were brief. 

East Fork Kaweah from the bridge

The picturesque roadend fishing spot

For the second (last) full day in the valley my dad and I got an 8am start on the 3 mile hike into the White Chief Valley, one of my favorites. The creek coming out of the Tufa Falls karst spring was roaring near the start of the trail. A little further on we saw a pair of deer, otherwise we had the entire approach to ourselves and appreciated the shade. Once we turned the corner into the hanging valley of White Chief, past the sentinels of gnarled foxtail pines, we spotted flowers everywhere. There were carpets unlike I had ever seen here of more than 20 varieties - paintbrushes, lupines, columbines, shooting stars, daisies, and many others I was previously unfamiliar with like sulphur buckwheat and mountain pride (bright pink in frontispiece). Past the meadows, I detoured off the trail to follow the Bogaz stream, the little creeklet that cuts through the marble half as a cave but mostly as a filled in slot canyon. The scalloped marble and crystal-clear waters were stunning in the filtered light. We clambered up a nearby scree slope then followed marble bands covered in yellow columbine over to the higher portion of the White Chief Mine area. Here we enjoyed checking out some of the green garnets, colorful metallic minerals, and sugary marble before continuing on to White Chief Cave.

I first led my dad down the nearby Shower Cave, which required downclimbing around a plug of remnant snow. Beyond, we enjoyed the cool shadows of the unique skylight chamber with dripping water.

Next we went in the main entrance of White Chief Cave as a curious marmot watched on. I led my dad into the standard tilted room I usually go into, but on the way out I decided to detour down towards the sound of rushing water. I came to a sizable room, then the creek, then spotted an additional nice walking passage and prompted my dad to follow me in further. We checked out a little more of the upstream portion of the creek then returned back to the entrance, happy to see a marmot had not snacked on my salty sweat-soaked hat. 

We stopped a little longer at some of the lower mine tailings, then began our hike back through the wildflower meadows and then down the side of the main valley. We were the only car in the parking lot not to be diapered up with a tarp to protect from marmots. A marmot popped out of underside of the car but thankfully we did not see any damage.

Back at Silver City we found everyone else on the restaurant deck and I got a slice of fruit of the forest pie with ice cream. After, Claire and Noelle were itching for some more fishing so we drove back down to the road end, this time fishing at the bridge. Claire again caught three fish (and many near-catches) before losing her hook and us calling it good. We at dinner at our campsite then returned to Silver City for a nice final campfire until quite late. We said our goodbyes, with the plan to break camp and head out fairly early instead of more family shenanigans. 

On the drive out we stopped at the historic East Fork Bridge and did a short detour up the slope to walk a short distance along the log flume. The rest of the drive was fairly unpleasant, detouring us through Tehachapi and then backroads behind the San Gabriels, around the Cajon Pass, and back down into our local smog. It was fun to spend time with kids, my aunt, and even get a hike in with my dad. Thanks to Heather for organizing our food and camping gear. Thanks to my dad for the hike and family meals.