On my way home from canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Widerness (Minnesota) with friends, my flight from Duluth to Detroit showed me Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Some stories and photos from the week will appear here in the next few days.
Two shots of Superior from early in the trip:
Hey Steve – welcome home. Can’t wait to hear & see about the trip! The water you are standing in doesn’t look exactly balmy(in fact, I heard about scattered frost up that way last week). Your other photo looks like a postcard. Very nice.
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Response from Steve:
Thanks, Michael. It was cold in Lake Superior. And the rounded small rocks were hurting my feet…very hard to stand and walk on barefooted.
Are you sure that first photo wasn’t in some FL back yard? ;} The second is absolutely stunning! It’s wonderful to know that there are still some such scenes in America.
Contrary to your usual impeccable preparedness, you do not seem to be ready for a full body immersion swimming experience in Lake Superior?
I made several summer trips (canoeing and fishing) to the Boundary Waters while I was in college. Great fun, great fishing, and great scenery. I look forward to hearing about your trip, I’m sure it will bring back alot of memories for me.
Unlike Jeff, I seem to think you are ready. We’ve all heard of polar bears haven’t we. By the way welcome to the feet in Superior group.
“feet in Superior group”???
So this rugged individualism has a club?
Kimberlee,
While I have not heard of the “feet in Superior group”, having grown up in northern Michigan I have had first hand experience swimming, canoeing, and fishing in the greatest of the great lakes.
The “feet in Superior group” is a reference to the cold water temperatures. Due to the magnitude, and primarily depth (average depth of 482 ft, maximum depth of 1332 ft), of the lake, the surface temperature varies from 32F mid winter to 55F mid summer. The average temperature is around 40F. Consider the average swimming pool is around 80F, stepping into water in the upper 40s or even lower 50s is quite a shock.
There are obviously many beaches around the perimeter in which shallow water has an opportunity to warm up more than the temperatures listed above, but only when there is no weather moving the water around causing it to mix and stay colder. There is an island northwest of the northern most tip of the uppper peninsula called Isle Royale. It is a bit of an oddity in that it rises up from the bottom of the lake with very sheer cliffs, with only a very few shallow beaches. Having personally swam in the water while camping and canoeing around the island, I can attest to the frigid temperatures, which the body can only stand for a few minutes. In fact, considering the average water temperatures, hypothermia will begin to set in after only 7-8 minutes!
Canoe trip anyone?
Hey, thanks for the interesting information, Jeff! My comment about a club for rugged individualists was supposed to be a joke, but I really had no clue that the great lakes were THAT cold. Nor had I any idea that the coastline was so varied and beautiful. In spite of the risk for hypothermia, I think a canoe trip would be awesome!
Sophie, Jeff, Shareen, and Kimberlee:
Thanks for your conversation and comments. Lake Superior really was beautiful, and the water was plenty cold. A kayak trip out there would require real attention to proper dress to prevent hypothermia during a capsize.