Thunderstorm Hiking on the NCT and Art in the Park in Copper Harbor
When I left you last, Mark, Jennifer, Julie, and I were heading out for a hike to Tibbets Falls on the North Country Trail from the eastern boundary of the Ottawa National Forest. This particular area was impacted by the Baraga Bump Fire where a controlled burn got out of control and burned over 1,000 acres of forest. Over the last nine years of hiking in this area, it is remarkable to see the extensive re-growth that has taken place.
Located on the Baraga Plains, the initial portion of this segment is actually easy to maintain with a large brush mower. Mark had recently been involved with cutting this portion of the NCT so, unlike some of our recent hikes along the Sturgeon River farther to the east, the close cut made traveling it like hiking on a super highway.
More and more of the trees killed by the fire have fallen, but it is interesting to note the good number of scorched survivors.
As the trail gets closer to the Sturgeon River, we noted the thick re-growth of aspen to which the beavers have taken a strong liking.
As we descended toward the river we came across a significant bramble of blackberry bushes intermixed with thimbleberries and raspberries. These presented excellent opportunities for snacking along the way!
We would soon find ourselves at the Sturgeon River where some majestic white pine survived the fire. The nearby Oren Krumm Shelter was not so fortunate and needed to be re-built after the conflagration.
We would soon find ourselves at Tibbets Falls beneath rumbles of thunder.
As we made our way to our two-mile turnaround point, the rain began to fall. Unlike the previous Tuesday when Julie and I only encountered showers, the rain began falling with great intensity, the thunder became louder, and sky-to-ground lightning entered the picture. We stopped briefly to put on our rain jackets. Since Jennifer did not have hers along, Mark provided her a trash bag that she cut a hole in and pulled over her body. At that point we hiked as quickly as we could toward the Oren Krumm Shelter with the hope of waiting out the storm at that location. Before we could get there we had a lightning strike come perilously close to us. I happened to have my GoPro running when that happened and you can check out the experience in my video from the hike on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:
Fortunately, we made it to the shelter without further incidence and waited for a break in the weather. Watching the NOAA radar, we caught a gap in the storm and quickly made our way back to the truck where Julie and I would find ourselves within four miles of reaching the #hike100NCT Challenge.
After enjoying a post-hike cold one at the truck we headed back to Chassell where we had dinner with our friends Steve and Lisa.
Julie and I would head up to Copper Harbor on Saturday morning so Julie could participate in a book signing at Grandpa’s Barn in conjunction with Art in the Park. If you find yourself in Copper Harbor, Grandpa’s Barn is a must stop if you enjoy reading. Julie was there to sign her new children’s book “The Adventures of Hairy the Hare and the Yooperlites”.
I would stop by the Copper Harbor Trails Club table at Art in the Park to buy a t-shirt as an extra layer from Nathan Miller and then head down to Jamsen’s on the harbor for coffee and a thimbleberry glazed donut!
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.