Wednesday August 30, 2017

She is Still Sleeping

Sometime last night, we both knew we made a solid decision in choosing to sleep in the shelter. Not only did we have room to ourselves in sleeping but no mice made it into our roofed domain. But wait, there’s more. Because it absolutely poured during the night. Full blown thunderstorm, lightning, and heavy rain. We have been in the tent before in storms and survived but this was an unexpected luxury. After the harder than expected hike in, another demoralizing event would not have made us happy. It is actually still raining lightly when we awake. We stay inside our sleeping bags a bit longer and the sun starts to poke through the clouds and into our shelter. Drops dripping from trees are no worries, as we are able to cook our breakfast inside. Can you say biscuits and gravy? Nice warm stick to your ribs way to start a cool, wet morning. We enjoy hanging out after breakfast and before we know it, it is after 10 o’clock. We talk about our long mileage planned for today and decide to cut off some by hiking straight from the campground up to Greenstone Ridge and then to Chicken Bone Lake, our planned destination. That decision made, we pack up and start our hike up to the ridge.

Signs of Fall

It will be all climbing for the first few miles. The trail is a little wet from the rain and we still have to be careful when stepping in the Michigan mud. The good thing is as we get away from the shore, the constant boulders and rocks we had to navigate last evening become more occasional. The skies have cleared up and the temperature is nice for hiking. As we get closer to the top, the trail levels out in spots making for an easier go of things. We stop by a reflective pond area where one tree has decided to show off its red leaves. It is a nice spot for a snack with a sitting rock included free of charge. Clif bars and some nuts are the snack of choice today. Rested and nourished with calories for fuel, we start out on our way again. I probably should mention that I did manage to slip and slide on my backside before our break. I wouldn’t want you all to think that it only happens to Carol, although she is a member of the frequent faller club.

Green Lushness

We enter a beautiful thick green forested area. Most of todays hike has been in thick forest, but this area is really carpeted in green foliage. It is quite nice to walk in with the sun dappling through the tree canopy. We finally reach the intersection with the Greenstone Trail. Chicken Bone Lake is to the west, but I have been thinking. My brain never stops. With the conditions that we are encountering, we can hike to Lane Cove today for a total of about 8 miles. Then tomorrow we can hike around 5 miles to the 3-mile camp and only have 3 miles back to Rock Harbor on our last day. This sounds better than 8 miles today, 13 tomorrow and 7 on the last day. We can enjoy the island more leisurely and not arrive exhausted at our destinations. Compared to the PCT, these mileages seem so small, but than we are not in PCT shape and getting to enjoy the island and relax a little seems right. The decision is made to head east along Greenstone Ridge and then down to Lane Cove.

Ojibway Lookout

Although there was no rain in the forecast, it has clouded up quite a bit as we hike along the high point of the island. We reach the Ojibway Lookout Tower (1132 feet) and it provides enough of a wind break for us to have lunch. Even though we can’t get in the tower, I have to brave the wind and climb the stairs for the best view around. Carol just settles in for lunch below. The views are nice but hazy with clouds. I can see that we will be hiking quite a distance along the ridge top before we head down to the cove. I climb down and join Carol for lunch, our old standby of PBJ. It is a late lunch at 2:00 PM but that’s what a late start causes. Happy with our meal break and our changed plans, we pack back up and head on down the trail.

What Flower is This?

It is a much more pleasant walk up here than along the shore or climbing. Good trail and a very limited number of boulders most of which are not slippery. We spook a flock of cranes or maybe it was them that spooked us as they take off in front of us making crane noises. I spot some strange looking cone shaped velvety red flowers that I do not recognize. Good thing I just ate. We can see the light house that we passed on the boat yesterday.

Prickly Mushrooms

  More flowers, this time white, a red mushroom, some blue berries that are not blueberries. We reach a point by Mount Franklin where we can see our destination far below. We are about 950 feet above the level of the lake. We talk to a nice group of people from Michigan and swap some hiking stories before heading on. In just a short time, we reach the intersection of the Lane Cove Trail. It immediately starts a fairly steep descent. Back to watching our feet. More mushrooms, this time a funky prickly grouping growing from the ground about three feet up the side of tree. I am being consumed by mushroom mania.

Walking the Plank

  Finishing the descent, we start walking the plank, literally crossing long sections of plank placed above the marshy and watery ground. We finally reach the Lane Cove camp just about 6:00 PM. No shelters here but we find a great camp site right on the Lake. We set up camp and get to cooking. Chili Mac and Beef, one of our favorites, and a few Oreos for dessert. Then we get to watch the sun set over the water. A nice finish to our day. Time to settle in our tent, a little cozier than last night’s shelter. Hope the sound of the water doesn’t make me have to pee. Good night.