July 26, 2010

July 26, 2010

I am glad we didn’t kayak in Pictured Rocks because Apostle Islands National Lakeshore turned out to be a much better venue. After picking out our equipment, our group of paddlers and kayaks are transported across the peninsula to a beach access point. The sun is out and Lake Superior feels unusually warm, so we ditch the wet suits. We kayak several miles along thirty-foot sandstone cliffs. I was expecting the sea caves to be some water-eroded indentations in the bluffs. We got just the opposite. The sandstone looks like Swiss cheese. The caves vary from mouse-size to ones that could hold the Queen Mary. Along the whole length, we paddle under numerous arches, some we have to limbo under and thru cracks barely wider than our kayaks. We also kayaked into a couple caves deep enough to need a flashlight and tight enough to cause a case of claustrophobia. After a couple hours we arrived at a sandy beach where lunch was prepared for us. After all this paddling I am starved. My hunger satisfied, we retraced our path back. Along the way, we spot two bald eagles flying past us. Apparently we are expert sea kayakers now because we made the return trip in half the time.