Hiking to Mosquito Beach

Miner's Castle

Hiking Lake Superior

     I almost got to say that we didn't get eaten alive while hiking to Mosquito Beach.  And then the wind died. It went from windy and no mosquitoes to no wind and being swarmed in the matter of about 10 minutes.  Luckily we had mosquito repellent  and the legs to our hiking pants with us.

     Yesterday's hike was a little longer than we had planned on. We accidentally got on the trail at the wrong trail head, which not only added about 4 miles, it meant that there was no way we could make it to the waterfalls that we wanted to see.  We started at Miner's castle, where the resident Bald Eagle hangs out.  Much to my disappointment, he wasn't around.  We did make it to Mosquito Beach, on a trail that  alternated between woodsy and open areas with amazing views of the water.  I was glad I took a lot of pictures on the way to the beach, since by the time we left there, the clouds were building up and the sun was pretty much gone, which changes the color of the water drastically.

    Once we got to the beach, it wasn't mosquitoes that were the problem, it was biting Stable flies. Insect repellent does not work for them, unfortunately.  We had our swimsuits with us, so we cooled off in the water for a while before eating our lunch and exploring the area a bit. I was so gooped up with sunscreen and insect repellent that I couldn't wait to get in the water.  With temperatures in the mid 80s, it felt pretty sultry. 

Mosquito Beach

      After frolicking in the water for a while we started the trek back to the truck. It was a 10 mile hike, all in all, which was a little longer than was comfortable for either of us, since we haven't seen a hiking trail in about 2 months. Walking on sand takes a bigger toll on my feet, and I hate to admit it, but I let Paul walk the last mile on his own and come back to pick me up.  While I was waiting for him, two kayakers pulled their kayaks out of the water, and attempted to bring them up the two sets of stairs to get to the parking lot. The woman dropped her end of the kayak 3 times and another couple offered to help carry it.  The kayakers admitted that they had been out on the (rough) water for 7 hours and were completely exhausted.  They welcomed the help. 

Upside down tent- they gave up and
packed everything into the car and left.

    We knew a change in weather was on it's way, since the temperature has been running 15 degrees above normal, and rain was in the forecast.  This morning it happened.  We woke up to driving rain and winds that had to be about 50 MPH.   I sure am glad we aren't in a tent.