Lake Superior - Pointe la Canadienne

Pointe la Canadienne is one of the most scenic of the harbors along Lake Superior's northern coast.  Ridges of colorful rock line the harbor.  There are small coves on the east and west ends of the harbor, providing anchoring options depending on wind direction.

The end of the western cove, where Last Dance was anchored, was circled by a rock beach over a half mile long.  Round rocks of differing colored granite are piled along the shore.

Makes for difficult walking, but makes for a beautiful setting.  The smooth rocks are evidence that the lake often brings rough waters into the cove, which have tumbled and polished the rocks.  It would not be good to visit here when the lake was angry.

The mouth of the harbor has a large opening to the lake.  A bit of a fog bank can be seen coming in off the lake, beginning to blanket the ridges at the east end of the harbor.

A Great Lakes fishing boat passes by the harbor.  Fishing was once one of the largest industries on the Great Lakes, but overfishing has reduced the fish population to the point that only a few commercial fishing boats ply these waters.

One part of this large harbor has a sand beach where a small creek empties into the lake.   A variety of landscapes inhabit Pointe la Canadienne.  The beach landing was appreciated more than a century ago when a logging camp was constructed here, housing 1500 men involved in harvesting trees for lumber.  Only one small, mostly fallen, log structure remains from that part of history.

Most of Point la Canadiene is part of a national park, protected to remain in its natural beauty.  The only structure place here by the park service is the pair of red chairs capturing a view of the harbor entrance.  Peace, quiet, solitude, beauty, only reachable by a long hike from an interior road or by boat.

Lake Superior - Simons Harbor

Simons Harbor has one well-protected cove and one somewhat-protected cove.  Above is the nicest of the two coves.  A stern tie was needed again to secure the boat.  Simons is one of the best harbors visited along Lake Superior's shore.  The inner cove has beautiful scenery and the coastal trail runs right along the water, giving easy access to this amazing hike through the woods and rocks.

A walk along the high peninsula separating the two coves provided a better view of the bottom than on the flybridge.  The rocky bottom and shallows are more evident from a higher vantage point.

The end of the peninsula had a different topography than most of Superior's rocky shore.  The sloping face was filled with hollows that had become gardens, planted in attractive ways.

The lower edge by the water had white rock stripes running through black granite with some red granite throwing in.  The rounded rock face denotes that the weather-driven waves can come into the harbor polishing the rocks smooth.

The smooth rocks do make for a nice dinghy landing and starting point for a hike up the rock face.

Hiking across the peninsula brings a nice view of the other cove at Simons, which is not as large and is more open to the big lake.  It was quiet and calm on this day.

Looking to the right from the above vantage point, the high peninsula that forms Simons Harbor is prominent.

Out into the lake, off the point above, lies a lumpy island with a stand of trees appearing much like hair on a head.  This island guards the entrance to Simons.  Navigationally, this island is a puzzle.  Simons Harbor has many shoals along its mouth.  In fact, the charts show a shoal in the exact spot where this island sits.  There is no island on the charts.  It is quite difficult to get one's bearings when looking for a shoal underwater and finally realizing that a 40' tall island is there instead.

The dinghy ride back to Last Dance brings a view how much farther from the lake the back of the nicer harbor lies.

The coastal trail has some challenging climbs, but the most interest comes from the rock formations and wide variety of plant life.  The images below provide a glimpse of a walk along the trail.

Lake Superior - White Mud River Rapids

Lake Superior's jagged, rocky shoreline again attempts to hide entrances to harbors and rivers.  After negotiating a number of underwater rocks and shoals to approach closer to shore, the mouth of the White Mud River is still elusive.  But, the promise of a great hiking trail, including crossing a raging rapid on a swing bridge, kept the crew focused on finding a safe way into the river.

Finally, an opening is spotted that should be the river's mouth, flowing into Lake Superior.

It is a tiny opening.  Even this close, it appears like many of the small, shallow, dead end coves that lie along the shore.

Once in the river, a spot wide enough to swing at anchor was found and Last Dance was secured to the bottom.  The trail and rapids were a few miles up the rivers, and while much of it is deep, there are reported to be some shallow, rocky spots that would put a cruising boat aground.  The river trip is best done by dinghy.

A beautiful, clear sky day occurred, perfect for exploring the river and hiking the coastal trail.

The river proved to a winding water road through tree covered rock walls.  The normally slow dinghy was further hampered by running against the current, but it only lengthened the time spent experiencing an untouched, natural wilderness.

The navigable section of the river ends at a set of rapids, but not The Rapids.

The coastal trail runs close to these rapids, making access easy by landing the dinghy along the shore.  The trail is well maintained, marked, with campsites along the river.

A good hike up the trail from the lower rapids leads to the dramatic rapids, crossed by a suspension bridge.

Although a new suspension bridge of steel and concrete has replaced the older rope and wood structure, it can be intimidating to  walk out high over the rapids on a walkway that is moving in the wind.

The spectacular view of the raging rapids is well worth the fear of swinging above them.  The sight is beautiful, the roar loud, and the spray reaches far above the bridge, wetting those who stand and view.