So last year we went up to the North Shore around this time of year with some great friends and we had 70 degree, sunny, beautiful weather. We just returned from that same trip today and had the complete opposite. The weather wasn't horrid...in the 40's on Saturday, sunny, and the lake was calm but yesterday? Oh my!
We awoke to rain/snow, and wind. I'm not 100% sure what the temp was but it certainly wasn't 70...I would say maybe upper 20's to mid 30's but who cared! It was that wind that set the mood for the day. By 9:30am we all pretty much knew the lake was going to be spectacular and it was. We went out earlier in the day to check out the situation and P saw a wet clay and rock trail down to a cove area that was level with the smashing waves and said he was going later....I was of course all for it--him and I live for days like that on Lake Superior. And I must say it was so worth the slips and slides and wet foot I got.
I'm not really sure what time we took the trip down but what I do know is it was slippery, loud, and amazing!!! We--P, F, and I,--got down to the rocky ground below and were stopped in our tracks...the waves were right in front of us! Crashing into the rocks and the point to our right...they must have been 6-7 feet high and were rolling in fast and hard! The noise was deafening. Pictures were taken, and then we moved on...around a little corner into another cove where a flat rock juts out that we had been watching all morning from the window to gauge the intensity of the waves. It was that rock that provided the most amusement from where I stood...
P and F were standing on this rock while I stood back watching. The rock is quite a few feet higher than the water so the water was slamming into the side of it creating that spray only large waves can create. Some of the splashes were above their heads and at times they had to move quite quickly to escape a Superior shower of ice water! I stood there laughing and then I suddenly realized just how high those splashes were getting. The waves seemed to be quite a bit larger than when we first got there about 1/2 hour before. I looked over to the first cove we were in and saw how high the water was coming up the rocks....and then at the tiny narrow trail we took to get to the spot we were in....water was lapping up on the trail.
Yeah, I got nervous and just wanted to get back to where we came down the hill. Of course the guys said I was being silly and we would be fine...probably right but the element of caution in me won....F said we could find another way up but that way looked pretty steep and was very icy...if it were all that muddy clay I wouldn't have thought twice actually...it was the steepness but mostly the ice.....our choices to reach the ground that held the condo we were in were pretty limited .... hmmmm.
The thought of having to get wet wasn't really something I wanted to do considering the water temp and the air and the only option up from the spot we were at was ice....we could have made it up but it would have been interesting to say the least.....but I really didn't want to leave either! I could have stayed there all day long! And I did ultimately decide that if the guys thought they would find a way out of that spot and help me out then screw it, so I stood watching them for a bit longer and then maybe ten minutes later they came off the rock. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen on Lake Superior!
Obviously we made it out but getting around that little corner to the other cove was a race for me....the waves were coming fast and water was continuing to splash up on the trail so I panicked and tried to beat it...probably didn't need to...but I ended up getting my foot wet..not from the waves of course but from a dumb puddle of standing water..and then stepped on a sloped wet rock that I thought was just wet but there was a thin coat of ice on it and yeah, well, I slipped....that's what I get! But it was so damn worth it!
We went down later that evening one last time to get a look to see if the waves were bigger....and they seemed to be about 8 feet high and rolling in faster than before. The noise was insane and all I could think about was how powerful these small waves are...imagine that of a tsunami. That lake was angry last night....it was something I won't soon forget! I have a ton of pictures but of course they're on film so it will be awhile before I get them posted but I am excited to get them.
The rest of the weekend was filled with many laughs, strange conversations, and really, really, good food cooked by F. Can't remember when I ate so much in three days! We're hoping to make that trip again next year around the same time. So far the memories of good friends and great scenery have made this a trip I hope we can do a for a long time as a group! Hopefully I'll have pictures to post real soon....until then, we're home now and we must decompress and get back to reality. Could be a very stressful week ahead but I really hope not.....
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