Porcupine Mountains | Day Four

North Mirror Lake Trail, Lake Superior Trail
(Mirror Lake to Buckshot Cabin)

Sunrise and fog on Mirror Lake

I reluctantly left my warm sleeping bag at 7 am on the fourth day to make coffee and put on a few layers of warm clothing. It felt like temperatures had dropped into the low 40s during the night, and we were in for a cold start to the day. The wind had stopped, so I followed the path to the lake hoping I would be able to take a decent reflective photograph. Mirror Lake was almost completely hidden in fog, but with the sun rising above it, the effect was just as amazing. I lingered at the water's edge for a few minutes, then returned to the cabin to eat a quick oatmeal breakfast, pack up, and get ready for the day's hike.

Mirror Lake

I overheat easily while hiking, even in winter, so I usually wear the lightest clothing possible. When we left the cabin at 9 am, however, it was so cold that I wore a fleece pullover over a long-sleeved hiking shirt for the first hour. North Mirror Lake trail follows the northwest edge of the lake, and we passed two other cabins situated off the trail. A few people were up early, enjoying cups of coffee and the beautiful view of Mirror Lake, which was finally beginning to emerge from the fog just as we were leaving. We crossed a stream that feeds into the lake before the trail veers north, heading toward Lake of the Clouds.

The trail descends steeply along the edge of an amazingly green and very scenic stream valley. I had developed some pain in my left knee, so this long descent was as torturous as it was beautiful. The steepest stretch of this segment descends about 500 feet in ½ mile, and in a particularly interesting spot, the trail becomes a gnarled network of tree roots that tangles its way down the valley.

North Mirror Lake Trail

We stopped partway down to look back the way we had come. Like something out of a Tolkien novel, the trees looked like they might start creeping in on us using their tentacle-like roots. We were very glad to be traveling north on this trail instead of climbing it in the opposite direction.

Lake of the Clouds

At 11:45 am, we arrived at Lake of the Clouds and the end of Mirror Lake Trail. Before reaching the scenic overlook, the trail crosses a stream via a long footbridge, then climbs steeply through a series of switchbacks. The clouds hung low in the overcast sky, which gave credibility to the lake's name. We took advantage of this highly visited spot by emptying our garbage, using the nice bathroom, and taking a long lunch break at a picnic table. We decided to live a little and mixed gatorade powder into our water and made a few quick dehydrated meals instead of peanut butter & jelly. At 12:45, we left Lake of the Clouds and walked east on M-107 for a mile until we found Lake Superior Trail.

The three miles from the trailhead to Buckshot cabin include a lot of steep terrain, much of it a fairly sharp descent. The trail itself consists mostly of loose, jagged hunks of shale, which makes for a somewhat slow progress. Only a few times did the trail break out of the trees to provide views of Lake Superior. For the most part, the big lake was just beyond view. A sign marks the spur to Buckshot Cabin and warns hikers to stay away from the structure unless they are staying there, as paying guests make their reservations well in advance in order to enjoy the quite, private setting.

Lake Superior Trail

A rare glimpse of Lake Superior on its namesake trail

We arrived at the cabin just before 3 pm and found about 15 college-aged kids in front of it, their pack contents spilled out everywhere, a fire burning in the ring, and even more kids in bathing suits coming up the short path from the beach. We asked them if they had stayed the night before and were getting ready to leave, and were informed that, no, they had not used the cabin and they planned to hang out for the afternoon.

We want to be cool to anyone we meet on the trail, but this was very bad etiquette. Hikers do not invade others' campsites, and this was no different. The situation was extremely awkward. We unlocked the cabin, and Craig let them know that we preferred they didn't stay long. After about 15 minutes, the cabin crashers packed up and left, apologizing on their way out (past the previously ignored sign telling them to keep away from the cabin).

Buckshot Cabin

Bad start aside, Buckshot Cabin was the best location of the whole trip. In fact, someone had written “Best Place Ever” on the cover of the cabin logbook. Windows along one side look out onto the lake, and the cabin is open and spacious inside. Since it is located at the edge of the forest and close to the lake, the windows let in plenty of sunlight, delaying the need for headlamps and candles. A short path leads to the rocky shore, where large slabs of rock provide excellent spots to lay in the sun. We soaked our sore feet in the freezing cold water, and Craig was actually brave enough to go for a very quick swim.

The lakeshore in front of Buckshot Cabin

Buckshot Cabin would be the perfect spot to spend a whole week, and I knew that I was going to be very sad to leave the following day. If we could do the trip over again, we would plan to stay here for more than one night. The woodpile in the corner to the left of the door was a mess, so Craig spent some time cleaning it up and re-stocking it while I started a fire in the wood burning stove. After dark, we walked to the lakeshore to lay on the smooth rock under a black sky filled with an unfathomable number of stars.

Miles: 7.5 (approx)
To be continued in: Day 5 - Buckshot Cabin to Lake Superior Cabin
The video below is of Lake Superior just after sunset.

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Porcupine Mountains | Day One

Big Carp River Trail

View from Big Carp River Trail

Monday morning we shuttled our car to Presque Isle campground – the finish line of the trip at the park's western end – then stopped at the park HQ to pick up keys for each of the cabins we would be using over the next six days. The park ranger on duty was surprised to find so many keys reserved for us. It is apparently not very common to hike cabin-to-cabin over so many days. He then gave me a heap of park information to take along, including a flyer about black bears. A bear had been sighted frequently along one of the trails we would be hiking, and he advised extra caution.

Enjoying the view from the escarpment

The hike would begin at Lake of the Clouds overlook, the most popular destination in the park. Our shuttle driver pulled away after leaving us alone in the parking lot, and we experienced that exciting moment of realization of what we were about to do. We now had no means of communication (our phones lost their signals as soon as we left the resort that morning), and six days of hiking stood between us and our car. We started up the path to the overlook to find the trailhead and leave the tourist scene behind. It was 11:30 a.m., sunny, breezy, and felt like low to mid 60's: perfect hiking weather.

Another view from the escarpment. Lake of the Clouds is in the distance.

After snapping a few photos at the overlook (including a shot of an interpretive sign that some insane creationist had defaced by scratching off each reference to the length of time it took for the landscape to form), we struck out on Big Carp River Trail. At 9.6 miles, BCRT follows its namesake river from Lake of the Clouds to its mouth on Lake Superior.

Geology - it's amazing what can happen overnight!

High above the river valley, BCRT starts out along the escarpment that is a geologic highlight of the park. The escarpment was formed by ancient lava flows. A tilted layer of basalt sits on top of a layer of sandstone, and as the sandstone erodes away, chunks of rock fall down the cliff's face and pile up as talus. The trail begins by following the edge of this steep ridge and offers view after view of mountaintops, endless forest, and the river valley below. If we would have been able to push our trip back a month, the fall color in October would have been stunning.

Frogs are awesome. (This might be a toad. Either way - still awesome)

About two miles from the trailhead, the trail descends into the forest. Here the shaded understory cools the air, and sunlight filtering through the forest canopy creates a wonderful green glow above. Car-sized boulders sit along the trail, and enormous hemlocks and pines, many hundreds of years old, tower overhead.

Big Carp River Trail after descending from the escarpment

For the next four or five miles, BCRT has a few steep climbs and descents as it follows the river valley. We passed a handful of very nice, spacious backcountry campsites along the trail. For our lunch break, we rested on a fallen tree and made peanut butter and jelly tortillas. We started eating this meal on our first backpacking trip, and it has remained our favorite trail food. The materials are very easy to pack, there is no mess to clean up, and peanut butter and jelly always tastes great after a few hours of hiking.

Best trail lunch ever

Shortly after lunch, we finally reached the river and came to the first of the day's two river crossings. A footbridge guided us over the first one; the second one came a mile and a half later and was a bit more interesting. Here the river had to be forded, but it was only about ankle-deep. Not wanting to push our luck with the waterproofing of our boots, we slowly made our way across, stepping from one slippery rock to the next.

Fording Big Carp River

We passed a few more impressive backcountry sites, the best of which was at Shining Cloud Falls. At this point, the trail follows a steep ravine, where a series of 2 cascades can be heard rushing down the valley. The campsite in this spot is near the river and within earshot of the falls. This would be a terrific place to spend the night, and if we hadn't made plans to stay elsewhere, we would have happily pitched our tent. Unfortunately, we were so tired at this point that the steep and slippery descent to the water in order to get a better look was not appealing. Continuing on, a few more small unnamed waterfalls provided points of interest along the remainder of the trail.

Lake Superior at the mouth of Big Carp River

We reached the mouth of Big Carp River around 5:30 p.m. Our cabin, Big Carp River 4-bunk, was located upstream, away from the lake. Because it was tucked back in the woods, not much light penetrated the windows, and it was fairly dark inside. The river bubbled past the side of the cabin, and a short walk from the front door led to Lake Superior's rocky shore. In the cabin log book, the previous guest left a note to “enjoy climbing Kilimanjaro” to go to the bathroom. He or she was not exaggerating much; the outhouse was located at the top of an extremely steep and intimidating hill. I had managed to develop a blister on my left big toe, which added a thrilling element of pain to the nearly vertical climb.

Big Carp 4-bunk Cabin

The previous guests had left a little firewood inside the cabin. We collected a bit more, but nearly all of it was damp, and we had some difficulty getting a fire going in the wood burning stove. We settled for a very small fire and made use of a few candles that had been left behind. Dinner was made and eaten quickly, and we went to bed soon after. The thin mattresses on the bunk beds were rock hard, which made us feel a little less like sellouts for not tent camping on this trip. High winds, rain and thunder woke me up frequently throughout the night, and I wondered what tomorrow would bring.

Interior of Big Carp 4-bunk Cabin at night

Miles: 9.6
Wildlife sightings: 1 eagle, 1 frog (or toad)

To be continued in Day Two:
Little Carp River Trail - From Lake Superior to Greenstone Falls