Hiking McLain State Park ahead of the Snow!
After closing down our cabin for the season, we hit the road for a little over a couple of weeks to see family. We traveled down to Florida to spend some time with my Dad who turned 97 this past summer. A really cool part of the visit was being able to attend a large Veterans Day celebration where he was the only WW II veteran present. He spoke about the day in the North Mariana Islands while preparing for an expected invasion of Japan when they learned that the war had ended. There was silence followed by pandemonium. He also spoke of his continued service which would take him to the South China Sea where their ship would weather a typhoon and then going on to sail up the Hai Ho River in China to deliver supplies during the revolution. Just a sliver of incredible experiences for a teenager who graduated from Chassell High School in 1944 and went right into the Navy. It brought me a great deal of pride to see the many younger military veterans who came up to him afterwards to shake his hand in reverence for his service.
Our travels would also take us to Kansas where we had the opportunity to see two daughters and four grandsons. Like the week in Florida, we enjoyed very meaningful moments with family. We also were able to reconnect with many friends, particularly with those who we used to run, swim, and participate in Dog Days workouts with before moving to the Keweenaw.
Our travel back north took us through Des Moines where we spent a very nice Thanksgiving with Julie’s brother and his wife. As with any time we travel out of the Keweenaw once snow is a possibility, we kept a close eye on the forecast. With snowy weather on the way, we jumped on the window available to us and had ten clear hours of travel back into the region.
There were all kinds of errands to be run the morning after we returned, but we still found some time to get out for a walk on the Chassell Fitness Trail where we picked up sticks and branches to help prepare the trail for the upcoming cross country ski trail grooming.
The following day would find us on a 4.9-mile hike at McLain State Park on Lake Superior with our Sunday hiking group. We met at the parking area along M-203 where we started off on the Bear Lake Trail.
There are some nice interpretive signs along this trail which will help you identify the wide variety of trees found in the area. Bear Lake would be covered in ice, but not quite enough to venture out on its surface.
The more interesting ice would be found along the Lake Superior shore where the combination of waves and below freezing temperatures had created some amazing works of art.
Lake Superior has presented an ongoing challenge for the park. A road that once provided access to cabins at the park has lost its battle with the lake.
We would walk all the way down to the breakwater at the lighthouse where we would find more interesting ice sculptures long the shore created by Lake Superior’s waves.
As we left the beach and started heading back westward, the snow began to fall creating beautiful scenes along the way.
You can check out my GoPro video from the 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