On to Wisconsin

Sunset on Lake Superior from the City Campground in Ashland

After an easy two hour drive from the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan we arrived in Ashland, Wisconsin which is nestled along the south shore of Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay.  We were lucky to get one of the last camping spots at the city campground right on the bay and just in time too, the rain had started.  It was a gentle rain, but cold, taking the temperatures down to the high 50’s.  We settled in and then went for a spin around Ashland grabbing some lunch and stopping at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, a very cool visitor center with nature trails and interactive exhibits about the ecosystems, history and culture of this fascinating area.   

 

Native milkweed, a Monarch Butterfly food

 

Armed with loads of information about the surrounding nature-watching opportunities, we spent the rest of the afternoon deciding what to do next.  With so many hiking trails, waterfalls, beaches and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore nearby it was hard to decide but we settled on moving about 30 miles south to Two Lakes Campground in the Chequamegon-Nicolete National Forest.

 

Looking out of our RV from our campsite at Two Lakes

Maya relaxes on the picnic table...

 

 

We have not been doing much ‘boon-docking’ or powerless camping this summer as we have been staying in state parks and city campgrounds and they usually have power.  So it was fun to be back to hauling water, going to bed soon after sunset because the only light is the campfire or your flashlight, limiting use of electronic devices because you can’t charge them and having no phone or Internet.  But the best thing was the dark skies with no lights around to dim the stars.

 

Sunset on Lake Owen, from our campsite

 

Our campsite at Two Lakes was just yards from Lake Owen, the biggest of the lakes.  There was only one other camper on our loop and he was a very quiet fisherman.  It was so peaceful and probably the most tranquil camping experience we have had this season.  Nothing but the loons to disturb us and we loved listening to them.

 

18 Mile Spring Pond in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness

 

There were two national wildernesses nearby, one being less than half a mile from our campsite with the North Country Trail traversing both of them.  We took a short ‘feeder’ trail just a few hundred yards from our campsite that intersected the North Country Trail and within three-quarters of a mile we were hiking in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness.  We didn’t see another soul on the trail and passed by several small lakes before reaching Porcupine Lake.  We enjoyed lunch overlooking the lake from a small hill we climbed.  Maya took a swim and then we headed back to camp for showers, dinner, a beautiful evening sunset on the lake and more loons.

 

Porcupine River flowing out of Porcupine Lake

 

Porcupine Lake with water lilies

 

 

The next day we drove about 15 miles north and hiked in the Rainbow Lake Wilderness, which was established in 1975.  Among the unique features of this wilderness are the numerous narrow gauge railroad grades that were used for log hauling in the early 1900’s.  We hiked on the North Country Trail which follows parts of these old grades.  You could almost hear the sounds of the log trains chugging up the grades hauling the timber to Lake Superior.  It was a little warmer for this hike and also the terrain was boggier so there were more insects.  The head nets came in handy once again.

 

North Country National Scenic Trail into Rainbow Lake Wilderness

 

After our wonderful time in the forest we had hoped to either stay a couple more days in Ashland or at the nearby Copper Falls State Park but both were filled up for the weekend.  We are finding that camping along Lake Superior is a little tricky on weekends.  Many places do not take reservations so you have to hit it just right as someone is leaving to get a spot.  The places that do take reservations are booked up months in advance.  Alas, we weren’t lucky this time and missed seeing Copper Falls.  But there are more things to see than we will get to anyway, so we just headed on down the road for the Apostle Islands.

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  3  
Total Miles Hiked:   19.77   
Ave. Miles per Day:    6.59 
Total Elevation Gain:   2,168 
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:  723 

 

Maya in Porcupine Lake