A Springtime Bushwhack
With spring taking hold here in the Keweenaw, our focus turned to getting our cabin ready for the Airbnb season. Deck scraping was the primary activity this past week. I swam 2,500 yards to start Monday and Friday, but attended the Chamber breakfast on Wednesday morning. Over breakfast I talked with Stephen Bosio from Bosio Biscuit Company in Tapiola. It was a good opportunity to discuss the progress on our effort to re-establish a snowmobile trail connecting Chassell to the Nichols Trail via Tapiola. The speakers that morning would be focused on tourism. Visit Keweenaw and the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR) had partnered with the University of Michigan’s Economic Growth Institute on a study of the economic impact of tourism in the western Upper Peninsula. Representatives from the institute presented the results of the study. One highlight noted that the median trip by visitors to the region is four days (with three days spent in Houghton County) with most of these visitors coming from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This finding is completely consistent with the experience we have with our guests both with where guests come from and the length of stay. Also consistent with our experience were the activities tourists are coming here for, with hiking and waterfall viewing being the primary interests during the times of year that we are open. The total economic impact of tourism was estimated at $357.8 million per year supporting 3,060 jobs earning $99.2 million. One Million Cups followed the Chamber breakfast where Jason Mack introduced us to Curt from U.P. Boxes who presented on their gift boxes for fishermen that include lures produced in the U.P. and also includes jerky from Vollwerth’s. If you are looking for a unique gift for the fishermen you know, check them out at UP-boxes.com.
Thursday evening I stopped in at the Keweenaw Chamber’s Business After Hours event with TV6 at the Observatory Lounge at the Hampton. I spent time talking with Steve Mintz who is a Communications Director at MTU and James Marusich with Northern Lights Architecture. I even scored a basket of TV6 swag in the drawing.
Friday morning, Brian Waters, Steve Spahn, and I got together at the Fire Hall to have a Recreation Committee meeting to discuss a handful of topics ahead of our regularly scheduled meeting the first Monday of May. That evening Julie and I would meet up for dinner in Hancock at Nutini’s with our friends John, Cheryl, and Steve.
Saturday morning Julie and I volunteered at the Chassell VFW Post 6507 & Auxiliary/Chassell Lions pancake/french toast/sausage breakfast and bake sale. This community benefit breakfast would support the Chassell Historical Organization’s effort to rewire and retrofit the Chassell Heritage Center’s lighting from fluorescent to more energy efficient LED lighting and to bring power to our proposed chairlift to help with accessibility at the Chassell Heritage Center. I would help out in the kitchen by spending two and half hours flipping pancakes.
Saturday afternoon, Julie and I headed down to Baraga County with our friends Mark and Steve to seek out a route between Alberta and Canyon Falls. The idea was to find a potential path for the hiking group to take since parking is limited at the Canyon Falls roadside park since it does not open until May. We were not successful finding a good direct route, but we did end up going on an enjoyable bushwhack that took us over the highest point that you see to the west of US 41 as you drive between Alberta and the Canyon Falls roadside park.
The hike started out with some decent two-tracks.
To reach the highest point we needed to get off trail. One thing nice about getting out to hike this time of year is that there is a lot less forest undergrowth to encounter. This particular area would have been much tougher to navigate with summer foliage in place. Once we reached the top, we found some really cool outcroppings covered with a lichen called rock tripe.
At one point along the way we went through a hemlock stand where recent snow still maintained an accumulation on the ground.
After over two miles of up-and-down hiking, we finally reached the Sturgeon River at Canyon Falls.
The river was swollen, but nowhere near the crazy level it was at last spring after the late large snowfall that hit the area around Herman last spring.
After exploring the canyon for awhile, we hiked back to Canyon Falls where we met some kayakers from Chicago. We stuck around to watch them taking the plunge over the falls which you can get a feel for by watching my GoPro video from the hike on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:
Sunday, our hiking group would go an adventure near Copper City to see Queen Anne’s Falls and Scales Creek Falls before hiking to the top of a bluff at a former copper mining site.
You can see my GoPro video from this hike on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:
Do you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely? Consider locating in the Keweenaw where you will find ubiquitous natural beauty, no congestion, and lower crime! Not sure? Come UP for a workcation to check it out! Learn how at Visit Keweenaw at https://www.visitkeweenaw.com/plan/trip-ideas-itineraries/workcations/ Visit Remote Workforce Keweenaw at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com. Learn about those making the decision to locate here by following the Remote Workforce Keweenaw Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.