Silver River Waterfalls Bushwhack
Last week started in the usual fashion with a 2,400 yard swim at the MTU SDC. I then drove Julie to her acupuncture appointment, then we headed over to Gay where our friends Maureen and Dan were staying at a short-term rental after their five-day stay with us.
Tuesday was somewhat dreary so I caught up on some Remote Workforce Keweenaw and Chassell Historical Organization contacts I needed to make. I would attend the Chassell Lions Club meeting that evening where we received a briefing on this past summer’s Strawberry Festival. Afterwards, I would help a few of the guys with assembling a new mobile chair rack.
Wednesday would start out in the pool where I would knock out a 2,200 yard swim. I would then be in discussion with Chris Holmes at U.P. Engineers and Architects about the bids received in response to the RFP for the waterfront boardwalk as part of our Spark Grant projects. We made the decision to re-bid the project as the bids received were not in line with the budget and it was clear that there was a lack of awareness about the addendum to the initial RFP.
Julie and I would then head out to the Keweenaw Land Trust’s Lily Creek Nature Sanctuary where her children’s book “The Adventures of Hairy the Hare and the Yooperlites” is being featured. The self-guided story trail is a great way for families to engage their young children with nature. You can learn more about the self-guided story trail at this link.
While hiking the trail we noted the emergence of mushrooms which clearly benefitted from the recent rains. The slugs were enjoying this cluster of newly fruiting mushrooms.
We also enjoyed the relaxing sound of Lily Creek as it flowed over its rocky streambed.
Red and Blue also came along for the hike. We no longer take them on our more adventurous hikes given the severity of their cataracts, but it was apparent they enjoyed being out on this easy hike through the woods.
You can see a GoPro Quik app take on the hike at this link. You can find Julie’s book on Amazon at this link.
We would flip over the cabin on Thursday morning and then head out for a waterfall bushwhacking adventure on the Silver River outside of Herman. This is definitely one of our favorite hikes. You are immediately rewarded shortly into the hike with Herman Cascades where the stream is split by a rock outcropping. The river’s flow was enhanced by the recent rains which exceeded a couple of inches in many places and would add to the beauty of the falls throughout the hike.
The foam on the pool below Herman Cascades often takes on very interesting patterns and we would not be disappointed on this day.
Mushrooms would abound throughout the entire hike!
There are also a large number of very tall trees to be found along the river which provide excellent photo opportunities.
Working our way downstream we reached Upper Herman and Herman Falls. On lower flow days, there are two really great swimming holes to be found below Upper Herman and above Herman Falls.
I consider the straight-drop at Herman Falls to be one of the most beautiful in the U.P. On this day, the tannins taken on by the river in the swamps well above the falls would provide the river a significant root beer color.
Near Herman Falls we encountered this very tall pine that somehow was finding a way to stand despite a significant hollowness and having had a large fork shear off of its trunk.
Upper Baraga Falls would be our next stop where we would have yet another opportunity to enjoy another drop in the river.
Being somewhat pressed for time since I would be volunteering from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. that evening at the Chassell Heritage Center, we turned and hiked back out. On the way, Julie would find a very large chunk of chaga. You can see it along with my GoPro video take on 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.