Day 16: Saturday, June 26th
Losing a bit of sleep from overnight t-storms with heavy rains kept me in the sack until around 6:00. When I got up it was 62, humid and the mosquitoes were up as well.
I fixed my coffee using Quick Method No 1: boiling water the night before and then storing it in the $1 yard sale stainless steel thermos overnight. When put back on the stove the following morning the water is at the boiling point in just 2-3 minutes. The sooner I get coffee in me the better!
I took a short walk down the road and to the picnic site and back. I then set up my chair at the edge of the site to have my coffee and fig bars. From this vantage point I could see just a bit of the pond through the trees. The frogs (Bull and Leopard) were still calling so I decided to take my chair down and sit pond side to see if I could spot any of them.
Click on the photos below for a larger image.
The view from my coffee perch. I was a few frogs moving about, but most were hidden in the tall grass.
At some point Betsy arose and I set about the task of making breakfast: good old bacon and eggs.
Betsy took this shot of me fixing the scrambled eggs with diced, pre-cooked bacon. The skeeters were pesky, especially around the warmth of the stove. I used an old t-shirt to try to keep them off my ears and ever expanding bald spot.
Note the cooking rig: a propane tank I got out of my neighbor's trash and a Coleman stove with a locally made hose all connected with plumbing parts I got at Hughart's Supply in Morgantown.
For todays hike we had chosen the "Trap Hills Loop" from Eric Hansen's hiking guide to the UP. It sounded perfect. 6.1 miles of hilly solitude with great views from rocky promontories.
Why the Trap Hills?
As for the geologic history, the story begins about 1.1 billion years ago, as a great rift opened in the area now home to the Lake Superior basin. Molten lava flowed from the rift and across the landscape, and streams from surrounding highlands carried sediments into the rift basin. When the lava cooled and the sediments of sand and cobbles were cemented into rock, they formed layers of basalt, sandstone, and conglomerate, respectively. That the Trap Hills are here today is due largely to the hard, erosion-resistant nature of the basalt and conglomerate, which cap most of the ridges, and are also well-exposed where the ridges are cut by streams to form falls and gorges.Another name for a basaltic lava flow is Trap Rock, or Trap; hence the name Trap Hills.
Most cliffs are found on the south-facing sides of the ridges. This is because the rock layers have a northward dip (i.e., the tops of all rock layers slope toward the north). The dip is usually about 10 to 20 degrees. The north-facing slopes of the hills usually slope northward at a gentler angle than the dip of the rock layers that underly them, but the south-facing slopes are steeper (occasionally vertical) because that is where the rock layers are truncated by erosion.
The Trap Hills Loop trailhead was about 7 miles north of Bergland and somewhere along the way we spotted these two Sand Hill Cranes. It was probably along the very scenic Choate Road, south of SR 28.
The last section of road (Forest Rd 326) to our starting point was narrow and a bit on the rough side.
Luckily, all the big puddles had solid bottoms to them.
It was now about 10:30 and we are on the North Country Trail and ready to start our hike.
In his hiking guide, Eric describes this first section of the trail: "Steadily climbing, the path passes a curious reddish boulder before approaching the top of the knoll. Could this be the very same boulder?
Not far up the trail we saw some nice specimens of the Male Fern (Dryopteris felix-mas)
This fuzzy shot shows the sori where the spores are contained.
Because of the very low light and not wanting to bother with a tripod (too time consuming) many of the photos on this hike were barely worth using.
Our first vista point on this hike revealed the Porkies off in the distance.
One of the many beautiful Sugar Maples (Acer saccharum) we saw on this hike.
We saw a number of interesting and beautiful fungi on this hike. Not knowing much about them, I asked local expert MycoMan Bob Burrell to ID them. His comments are below.
A species of Hygrocybe, probably cuspidata.
Also a Hygrocybe, most likely flavescens (need to see the gills on these two and to know if the caps are slimey).
A coral; does not look like it is growing from wood; very close to Ramaria formosa.
Turkey Tails, Trametes versicolor.
Tough to say without seeing the gill surface and stem. These characteristics are just as important as the cap. Try to shoot from the side or else lay one specimen on its side next to the cap view. I would guess a Collybia, but I am not sure.
Lycoperdon perlatum, Gem-studded Puffballs.
Struck out here.
(Note the feasting slugs. -mb)
There were several small stream crossings which we had to negotiate. Here Betsy uses her walking stick for balance.
While Betsy was crossing, I waited on the opposite bank. As I stood there waiting for her, I looked down at my feet. Low and behold there were two plants of the tiny Lance Leaf Grape Fern (Botrychium lanceolatum). I had come close to squashing them both! I think this is the first time I have ever found this plant on my own. Groovy!
Not a great photo, but good enough considering I was using my little Canon SD970 point and shoot.
The woods were lush and quiet.
Another grape fern with Ostrich Fern as a background. This one is Rattlesnake Fern. Rattlesnake fern gets its name from the fertile section of frond, which is reminiscent of a rattlesnake's rattle.
Ramps! In West Virginia, harvest was over. Here in the UP they are still in flower.
Crossing No 2.
Granny is pretty nimble for an old gal.
At this point we stopped for a breather and immediately started being scolded by a bird which kept circling then perching over heard then scolding and circling some more. We finally got the glasses on it and were then pretty certain it was a Oven bird.
At one point it dropped to the ground and started doing the broken wing act. Then something off to the side of the trail dropped to the ground. I went over to investigate and then saw what all the ruckus was about. It was a juvenile Oven Bird, still unable to fly. When I approached it took off through the undergrowth. I followed and it ran like crazy! I finally left it alone.
Along with the Hermit we also heard the Swainson's thrush and the Veery.
This wild looking Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) probably started its life up on a stump. As the stump decayed, the Birch roots where exposed and layed bare.
As the roller coaster trail continued we got occasional glimpses of the distant mountains.
Not a sound to be heard but the singing of the birds. Heaven.
As we approached the top of the view, the vistas became more sweeping and expansive. Here, we see Lake Gogebic nestled among the hills.
Oh, how I was wishing for one of those days with clear blues skies and big puffy clouds! The humidity and haze did not make for very good picture taking. But, the views were breathtaking nonetheless.
Here we can see the distant ridge of the Porkies.
Time for lunch now and we devoured what we had. PB&J, sausage, cheese and crackers.
This fern was growing on the rocks below where we sat for lunch.
It is one of the Woodsias. But, which one I would not decide. I should know it, but I just can't place it. My first guess was Rusty Woodsia (Woodsia ilvensis). But, it just did not look right.
A rose between two Woodsia clumps.
Still more Woodsia!
After lunch Betsy and I had a Cuddle Moment and I was able to grab this shot.
We then continued on up the trail to a point mentioned in Hansen's book. At that point we were to count off 165 paces and then look for a faint trail with white blazes on the left. This was the so called "hack trail" which would take us back to Forest Rd 326 and then back to the car thus completing the loop.
Betsy counted off the paces. We looked and looked. We went further down the trail. We back tracked. Then I counted off the paces. We looked some more. No sign of the trail or any white blazes. Shit. Now what? We knew backtracking the way we had come would add another 2 miles to the hiking making it just over 8 miles. Also, I was sure the hack trail was going to be not quite so hilly as backtracking on the North Country Trail. Neither of us wanted to make the decision, but finally one of us did and we reluctantly did an about face and headed back the way be came. I was bummed. But, trying to emulate Betsy I said "Let's look on the bright side, now we get to see all those beautiful woods all over again." Detecting a slight note of sarcasm in my voice Betsy gave me the eye and said. "That's right."
The biggest concern we had was whether there was enough fuel to get me back to the car. Two additional hilly miles would burn up the calories. We took stock of what we had left: some cheese, sausage, trail bars. I scarfed down everything but one Cliff bar - holding it in reserve. Thankfully, I had filled my Nalgene hydration bladder so we had plenty of water.
It wasn't long before we were back at the root sprawling Yellow Birch.
At one point I exclaimed: How did we miss this!!??
"This" is a Large round-leaved orchid (Platanthera orbiculata). At least that is what I am calling it. I think it is the same species I have seen at Terra Alta and other places in the mountains of West Virginia.
A closer look at the orbiculate leaves.
Very nice specimen and I was now glad we had back tracked and seen it.
Over the years we had been on the NCT several times on several different trips. We have always found the trail well marked and easy to follow.
The North Country Trail — 4600 miles stretched across seven states all made possible by the hard work of more than 800 volunteers each year. This is the Great Lakes, the Northwoods, the path of westward expansion — a footpath linking communities from New York to North Dakota.
Source: North Country Trail Association
Another familiar plant we have a lot of while in the UP is Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus). Unlike most other members of the genus, it has no prickles. Good thing - the trail went directly though this patch of it.
It has fruits similar to raspberries which I am sure the bear take great delight in.
Hot, sweaty and tired - but we made it.
We had started at 10 that morning and it was now 4:00. What a great day!
Now all we could think of was some way to cool off. We decided to stop for a dip at Lake Gogebic at Bergland. Betsy changed into her swimsuit and I decided to just frolic in my undies when we got there.
We pulled into the Bergland Community Park. It was Saturday and quite busy - lots of tents, trailers and RVs. There were cookouts in progress and kids playing. We headed to the beach and found only an MILF and her two youngin's splashing around.
Betsy and I were barely in the water when we both looked at each other. What was that smell? PU! It smelled like well rotted vegetation and the water was murky and very funky. It wasn't long before we were out of there on our way to crystal clear Steusser Lake.
Our route took us back down the scenic Choate Road. The weather had now cleared and cooled and it was gorgeous out.
When I stopped to get this shot, Betsy looked at me quizzically. Then she said: "Bobolinks". We both got out of the car and sure enough, there were Bobolinks everywhere!
We had great fun watching and listening to them and we got some really good looks at males perched on fence posts.
Now, on to a refreshing dip!
It was hard to believe that on this gorgeous day we had the whole lake to ourselves.
Feeling refreshed and invigorated we headed back to camp.
On the way back I tried in vain to capture the beauty of the Paper Birch woods we drove through.
When back at camp we dined on canned chili and a salad then went down to talk to our neighbor for a bit. We finally found out his name was Keith. He told us it had been a busy day at the campground with 4 wheelers, a giant RV and all manner other curiosity seekers. Sorry we missed that...