Paddling pics

[upcruiser]

Some shots from today... Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore, I paddled from Miner's Beach out Grand Portal and back.

Miner's Castle from overlook

sea kayakers down below, the water was crystal clear!

Bridal Veil falls

Approaching Lover's Leap sea arch.

This bad boy flew by, flying low and fast. The crew was hanging out of the side door and back hatchway waving, pretty neat.

Obligatory self portrait

 

[upcruiser]

The old indian face

Grand Portal, partially collapsed. Pictures don't do the size of these arches justice!

Taking a lunch break along the Mosquito River

 

[kerry]

Man, you are making me thirst for Superior. The last couple of years we've paddled or sailed around the Apostles while our daughter was at a canoe camp at the BWCA. We're not doing it this year and now I'm regretting it.

 

[Chriscanoe]

I would so love to make a paddling trip up to The BWCA, Quetico, or the Great lakes. Maybe when my girls get a little bigger. Thanks for the great Pics! Kerry, I had 2 probe 11's and then got a Maxim, which was just too small. I now have a Esquif Detonator, which I really like, but it is wearing out pretty fast. I may have to look at the Shaman for my next boat. BTW I am with you on the real edgy boats, I am just not really into pushing it that hard anymore.:coffeedrink:

 

[upcruiser]

Man, you are making me thirst for Superior. The last couple of years we've paddled or sailed around the Apostles while our daughter was at a canoe camp at the BWCA. We're not doing it this year and now I'm regretting it.

I really want to get over to the Apostles this summer. Maybe I can pick your brain about some must see spots. I am fortunate enough to live close to alot of great spots but it usually keeps me from checking out cool spots any distance away. I've been wanting to check out the Apostles and also some of the north shore along Ontario for some time now. Some of the provincial parks I hear are incredible.

 

[kerry]

I really want to get over to the Apostles this summer. Maybe I can pick your brain about some must see spots. I am fortunate enough to live close to alot of great spots but it usually keeps me from checking out cool spots any distance away. I've been wanting to check out the Apostles and also some of the north shore along Ontario for some time now. Some of the provincial parks I hear are incredible.

I'm pretty new to sea kayaking although I used to whitewater kayak back in the 80's before I took up C-1's, so I've been cautious in my Superior kayaking due to lack of a reliable kayak roll and the cold water. We paddled mostly alongshore but we did cross to Sand Island, which I think is close to the shortest crossing in the Apostles. We also paddled to the sea caves just a little west of the Apostles which were very nice. We were limited by a schedule which required that we pick up our daughter in Duluth on a specific day and time. We thought that given the unpredictability of the winds and waves, we didn't want to get a couple of islands away from shore with conditions that would have precluded us paddling for a day or two. We wanted to camp on Sand Island but campsites require advance reservation since they are in such high demand. We had a friend along who was an almost complete novice to kayaking although he took a one day course in Bayfield before we arrived. I didn't want to have to be trying to rescue him should he have difficulty. He was really nervous on the crossing, all tensed up and sweating the whole time. It would have been better if we had a tandem kayak at that point. The second time we went we only had one day to kayak since we took a sailing certification course for 4 days.

The north shore in Canada is definitely on my list of places to go.

 

[kellymoe]

Ha ha, I'm probably the only guy still using one, let alone using one for flat rivers and touring. I've had mine now for 15 years! Its a Dancer XT which just means it has more room to stuff crap in.

I did a few over night river trips with a regular Dancer and it was tough to shoehorn all my gear in the back. An XT would have made life easier.

The Dancer is such a classic shape and instantly recognizable. IMO it started the trend toward the boats we have today.

BTW you are an extremely lucky guy to live in a area like that. I consider myself lucky to live on the West coast with deserts mountains and ocean but you have it pretty good.

 

[upcruiser]

I did a few over night river trips with a regular Dancer and it was tough to shoehorn all my gear in the back. An XT would have made life easier.

The Dancer is such a classic shape and instantly recognizable. IMO it started the trend toward the boats we have today.

BTW you are an extremely lucky guy to live in a area like that. I consider myself lucky to live on the West coast with deserts mountains and ocean but you have it pretty good.

Thanks, I love it here. Its affordable, backcountry accesibility is super easy since the town is so small, and it has alot of paddling, skiing and biking possibilities. The mountain biking here is truly world class. Its unknown for the most part and I like that about it too. My biggest issues are the lack of proper mountains (though I spend upwards of 220 days a year in the mountains for work, so I'm not really missing any opportunities) and the fact that we don't get a ton of sun in the long winters. I wish there were more months of summer here to try to cram everything in!

 

[kerry]

Thanks, I love it here. Its affordable, backcountry accesibility is super easy since the town is so small, and it has alot of paddling, skiing and biking possibilities. The mountain biking here is truly world class. Its unknown for the most part and I like that about it too. My biggest issues are the lack of proper mountains (though I spend upwards of 220 days a year in the mountains for work, so I'm not really missing any opportunities) and the fact that we don't get a ton of sun in the long winters. I wish there were more months of summer here to try to cram everything in!

What's the price of real estate around there?

 

[robert]

UPcruiser,

That old Dancer sure brings back the memories. I have owned 3 or 4 and and one that same color blue. Thanks for jogging my memory banks.

I had one myself back in the eighties when I was going to Clemson. Great boat, I wish I hadn't sold it. The only white water boat I've got at the moment is an older New Wave Mongoose which is actually a similar hull.

 

[T.Low]

At the threat of a major hijack, here's our Apstole Island itinerary from roughly 15 years ago. We found out that a low water level can expose even more routes to adjoining caves.

We put in at Meyer's Beach on the east side of Bayfield Penninsula. Paddled the shoreline in and out of the sea caves then crossed to Sand island to camp. That made a terrific day 1. Highly recommend it.

Day 2 we circumnavigated Sand Island. Tons of great caves to dart in and out of. Highly recommend it. Take your time and explore.

Day 3 we left our tents up on Sand again and paddled to Raspberry Island, toured the light house etc, then returned to Sand after stopping on a beach on the north side of York. It was fine, if you have that much time.

Day 4 we packed up and paddled to Devils Island and set up camp there.

Day 5 we broke camp early, circumnavigated Devils in the morning, then paddled to Oak and set up camp. I highly, highly recommend circumnavigating Devils. It has the best caves.

Day 6 we broke camp and paddled into Bayfield. Said hello to Grant Herman, and had an ice cream.

That was almost 15 years ago and its still one of my favorite trips, land, sea or air.

For reference sake, 3 out of 4 of us were BCU 4-5 Star paddlers in Romanys and a Nordkapp, with the fourth being a non certified experienced paddler also in a sea kayak.

That is the trip where I invented the infamous (in our paddling circles anyway) "Debrito". I always bring tortillas because they pack easier than bread. I was out of sandwhich food at our last lunch stop, but had one tortilla left. I put all my assorted left over food and snack debris from my food bag into the tortilla and rolled it up. Viola; a Debrito. Tastey.

I'll have to scan some of my hard pics and post them. We used The McGuffin's book and Craig Blacklock's book when planning our trip.
http://www.amazon.com/Lake-Superior-Images-Craig-Blacklock/dp/0963499181
http://photokayaker.fit2paddle.com/C1440587403/E20060918104913/index.html

 

[grahamfitter]

... 3 out of 4 of us were BCU 4-5 Star paddlers ...

Some terminology for the benefit of paddlers not familiar with the British paddling scene:

BCU = British Canoe Union. Does a lot of good stuff for the paddling community including top-notch certification for sea kayaking. A lot of very experience paddlers have failed the five star test. The BCU also tried to negotiate river access directly with the riparian land owners. (Most inland rivers in England and Wales don't have any right of navigation.)

CRACK = Campaign for River Access for Canoes and Kayaks. Took the "mass trespass" approach that successfully opened up lots of England and Wales to hiking in the 1960s which was not at all appreciated by the BCU.

Cheers,
Graham

 

[upcruiser]

What's the price of real estate around there?

It's pretty affordable. Marquette is more expensive in general then some of the other areas in the UP mainly because of the waterfront though. You can find a nice place for under $200k. Nice is all relative though but this is a random house from town I just plucked off of realtor.com

$159,000

Here's one in Ishpeming for comparison, ~12 miles inland

$75,000

 

[upcruiser]

At the threat of a major hijack, here's our Apstole Island itinerary from roughly 15 years ago. We found out that a low water level can expose even more routes to adjoining caves.

We put in at Meyer's Beach on the east side of Bayfield Penninsula. Paddled the shoreline in and out of the sea caves then crossed to Sand island to camp. That made a terrific day 1. Highly recommend it.

Day 2 we circumnavigated Sand Island. Tons of great caves to dart in and out of. Highly recommend it. Take your time and explore.

Day 3 we left our tents up on Sand again and paddled to Raspberry Island, toured the light house etc, then returned to Sand after stopping on a beach on the north side of York. It was fine, if you have that much time.

Day 4 we packed up and paddled to Devils Island and set up camp there.

Day 5 we broke camp early, circumnavigated Devils in the morning, then paddled to Oak and set up camp. I highly, highly recommend circumnavigating Devils. It has the best caves.

Day 6 we broke camp and paddled into Bayfield. Said hello to Grant Herman, and had an ice cream.

That was almost 15 years ago and its still one of my favorite trips, land, sea or air.

For reference sake, 3 out of 4 of us were BCU 4-5 Star paddlers in Romanys and a Nordkapp, with the fourth being a non certified experienced paddler also in a sea kayak.

That is the trip where I invented the infamous (in our paddling circles anyway) "Debrito". I always bring tortillas because they pack easier than bread. I was out of sandwhich food at our last lunch stop, but had one tortilla left. I put all my assorted left over food and snack debris from my food bag into the tortilla and rolled it up. Viola; a Debrito. Tastey.

I'll have to scan some of my hard pics and post them. We used The McGuffin's book and Craig Blacklock's book when planning our trip.
http://www.amazon.com/Lake-Superior-Images-Craig-Blacklock/dp/0963499181
http://photokayaker.fit2paddle.com/C1440587403/E20060918104913/index.html

Nice info! Thanks for posting that up, I'll be doing some more diggin on those locations. I have Great Lakes sea kayaking book that I reference for most of my new forays. I'll have to cross check it with your route.

 

[kerry]

My daughter, Jasper, and myself running Douglas Rapid on the North Platte river last weekend in Wyoming. It was running about 1500cfs and we were loaded for a 3 day camping trip.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=507714128&ref=profile#/video/video.php?v=130929139128