Moseying and Munching in Munising

Hiking is a bit different in Munising than other destinations I tend to prefer.  Mostly you're looking at the fairly flat North Country Trail which I took part of the way from Miners Castle to Sand Point.

This section is carpeted with spring wildflowers in May, but at the end of July it's full of ferns and this other bloom I'm not familiar with.

A little less than 1/2 mile in there was an overlook.  Watch your step, you don't want to be famous for falling off the cliff into that turquoise water.

A very careful look around at the rock edge revealed lots of orange lichen enjoying the views too.

While I was standing there munching on raspberries from the bushes on the sunny exposed ledge I noticed someone else enjoying the view.

Also on the trail were a couple of does and a couple of these fliers who were better at posing for pictures than the ladies were.

 The next evening I went to the other end and headed from Sand Point to points east.  The spur trail to the North Country Trail is about 8/10 mile long.

lichens love the sandy soil

This is the section of trail where the mosquitoes were hanging out because even though there was lots of sand to the north there was nothing but bog to the south of the path.  It should be named the Berry Country Trail instead, blueberry bushes ran the length of it for at least 1/2 mile, but they'll take another week to mature.  Also making an appearance were a few early Bunchberries (Crackerberries to you Newfies!) which I crunched into just to say I did and some Wild Sarsaparilla berries.

Tempting as they were to the eye, my research tells me that while they are technically edible they are astringent and can cause sickness in some instances.  However the leaves apparently make a nice tea but I didn't bring a kettle in my fanny pack so I'll have to trust the internet on that one.

Since so much of the trails here are flat I took the presented opportunity after 3/4 mile to climb the stairs up to the clifftop and the junction with the North Country Trail.  Mosquitoes chased me and I was not up to the task of staying ahead of them for 99 steps that were awkwardly placed as if for someone 7 feet tall.  Or maybe for a Wendigo?

I love the colored sand at Sand Point!

The NCT looked the same as it had where I left off the other day so I just scampered back down to the beach and splashed the cool water of Lake Superior on my arms and face to wash away the heat and sweat that were attracting the pesky mosquitoes.

Back at the campground I was at a loss for what to do so I pulled out my colored pencils and coloring book.  Turns out I bought the watercolor pencils instead of the waxy ones which isn't very productive when the paper is too thin to get wet.  Guess I'll be buying some more pencils, and maybe some watercolor paper?  Who knows.

I don't talk about what a gal does about feeding herself when she's scooting around with her tent in the back of her car.  Mostly my meals consist of some combination of items shown above with the occasional chocolate or cupcakes thrown in to keep me at menopausal weight.

But since I'm on Lake Superior I couldn't resist buying some fresh whitefish which meant I had to go to Shopko and buy a one burner propane stove and a small frying pan.  Not a bad deal for under $40 including the two bottles of propane.

And so today I got to eat something freshly cooked for lunch, and I'm wondering if I can make that pan work for toast?  I do have jam in the cooler after all.....