From 56d58b54589cd9b2d7015208478d09339e4136dc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Blaise Thompson Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2021 16:49:14 -0500 Subject: porcupine tills --- memories/porcupine-tills/index.md | 180 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 180 insertions(+) create mode 100644 memories/porcupine-tills/index.md (limited to 'memories/porcupine-tills/index.md') diff --git a/memories/porcupine-tills/index.md b/memories/porcupine-tills/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e98112d --- /dev/null +++ b/memories/porcupine-tills/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,180 @@ +title: Porcupine Mountains with The Tills +start: 2021-07-20 +end: 2021-07-24 + +_This memory is written in first person from the perspective of Blaise Thompson._ + +In summer 2021 Claire and Ralph Till visited me for a vacation to the Porcupine Mountains wilderness. + +# 2021-07-21 Wednesday + +On Wednesday morning the three of us packed and headed north from Madison. +It was a 5 hour drive. +Along the way we stopped for breakfast at the Broadway Diner in Baraboo. +It was fun to see Minocqua, a town I vacationed in many times as a child with my parents. + +
+ + Most of our food (minus snacks) laid out for packing. +
+ +
+ + Claire tries out her newly packed backpack before leaving Madison. +
+ +
+ + Route driven from Madison to Porcupine Mountains. Copyright Open Street Map. +
+ +We arrived at the Porcupine Mountains wilderness center around 7 PM Eastern time, just in time to check in and get our paperwork. +We headed directly to the Lake of the Clouds parking lot. +Immediately upon seeing the lake, all travelers knew this was going to be an awesome trip. + +
+ + Claire and Ralph pose at the Lake of the Clouds overlook. +
+ +Traveled about a mile from the parking lot to our first campsite near lake of the clouds. +Since we were returning to the car the next morning, we packed pretty heavy and brought the big stove. +We enjoyed quesadillas and a great camp fire. +The campsite was private with good lake access. +Hanging our pack on the bear pole took some effort. + +
+ + We begin our official trip backpacking the short distance to our first campsite. +
+ +
+ + Claire and Ralph enjoy camp life. Note Claire's mosquitto mask. +
+ +
+ + Food and trash are kept in my bag on the bear pole (picture taken Thursday morning). +
+ +# 2021-07-22 Thursday + +Thursday morning I woke up early and swam for a while in Lake of the Clouds. +Once Claire and Ralph woke up we ate breakfast, tore down camp, got water, and headed back to the car. + +
+ + I enjoy an early morning swith in Lake of the Clouds. +
+ +
+ + We gather water from Lake of the Clouds. +
+ +Once we made it back to the parking lot it was raining very hard. +We decided to drive the the short distance from the Lake of the Clouds parking lot to the Lake Superior trailhead. +We started our multi-day walk in the rain, headed towards lake Superior. +By the time we saw Superior the first time it was calm. +We were able to make it down to the water for lunch. + +
+ + Much of the trail was marshy. Luckily wooden planks were laid down over long sections. +
+ +
+ + First glimpse of Lake Superior. +
+ +
+ + Claire and Ralph wash their feet in Lake Superior during lunch. +
+ +After lunch we walked for a few more hours along the Superior coastline. +The trail never got far from the lake, but sometimes we lost sight of it due to the density of the plant growth. +This section of trail was sometimes overgrown---we got the feeling that not many took this route. +We enjoyed many flowers, snakes, birds, and insects, including a few wild grouse that were scared out of the bush by our travel. + +
+ + A blue blaze along the trail, with Claire and Ralph in the background. +
+ +
+ + I walk along the trail. Note all of the things strapped to the outside of my bag. +
+ +
+ + Detail of rocks seen alongside our walk. +
+ +Our Thursday night campsite was stunning, right on the lake. +We arrived around 3 PM and had a full afternoon to enjoy ourselves. +The water was very cold. +We cooked dinner by the lake and enjoyed watching the sunset. +The mosquittos were pretty bad, so we cheered for the local dragonflies which ate them. + +
+ + The firepit at our campsite. +
+ +
+ + My hammock set up next to Lake Superior. +
+ +
+ + Claire and Ralph rest on the lakeshore. +
+ +
+ + Snake seen near the campsite. +
+ +
+ + Crawdad seen near the campsite. +
+ +
+ + We play cards. +
+ +
+ + I cook dinner. +
+ +
+ + We relax as the sun sets. +
+ +
+ + Lake Superior sunset. +
+ +# 2021-07-23 Friday + +Carp river. + +# 2021-07-24 Saturday + +Back to Madison. + +Farmers market. + +Lake loop. + +Biergarten. \ No newline at end of file -- cgit v1.2.3