Sleeping Bear, Hiding Lake



Large dune in fog on the shore of Lake Michigan 
at Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore

Anishinaabek Indian legend has it that long ago, in the land that is now Wisconsin, a mother bear and her two cubs plunged into Lake Michigan to avoid a raging forest fire.  As they swam and swam, the cubs became tired and lagged far behind.  Mother bear finally reached the opposite shore in Michigan and climbed to the top of a bluff to watch and wait for her cubs.  But the cubs didn’t make it.  Today “Sleeping Bear,” a solitary dune over-looking Lake Michigan, marks the spot where mother bear waited.  Her lost cubs are the two Manitou islands just off shore.



Crazy people crawling up the really steep dune in the fog

 

This American Indian story may have been the first explanation of how the large sand dunes and other features of the land near Sleeping Bear were created.  In more recent times scientists have followed geologic clues to explain the complex landscape.  First, shallow warm seas covered the area followed by the powerful earth-moving forces of glaciers, wind and water.  Glaciers left behind a sandy coast on the windward side of Lake Michigan and the prevailing westerly winds and lake waters did the rest.

 

Basswood tree struggling to keep rooted in the ever-shifting sands

 

Much of the land around the Great Lakes has this ‘dune and swale’ landscape formation of beach dunes with narrow swales separating the dunes.  The swales are wetlands containing pools with grasses, sedges and ferns.  This is ideal habitat for migrating and nesting birds. 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, managed by the National Park Service, has some of the largest dunes in the Great Lakes.  The park’s namesake, Sleeping Bear Dune, is actually a glacially formed bluff topped by sand that towers over 400 feet above Lake Michigan.

 

Young and old alike enjoy the 'Dune Climb' in their own way

 

We learned all this cool stuff on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive that we took our first afternoon in the park.  It was still cloudy and foggy with visibility only about half a mile or less so Sleeping Bear Dune and Lake Michigan were nowhere to be seen.  But we could learn about them, imagine what they would look like and see some of the other sites on the scenic drive.  One spot in the Sleeping Bear Complex of dunes, the Dune Climb, was easily accessible so we could see all the people climbing that dune.

 

Lake Michigan with Sleeping Bear Dune in the distance
Sun makes all the difference!

 

The next morning David came in from his early walk with Maya and woke me with the news that the sun was out.  We quickly had breakfast, fixed a lunch to put in our packs and headed out for a hike to Lake Michigan.  It was a glorious day – crisp, clear and cool.  We hiked through shady beech-maple forests to the open, sunny dunes and yes, a view of deep blue Lake Michigan with Sleeping Bear Dune in the distance.  I guess there is nothing like a few days of damp foggy weather to make a clear sunny day seem even more beautiful.

Lake Michigan in fog



Same place, next day -- what a difference!

We have one last stop to make on the shores of Lake Michigan at Wilderness State Park on the very tip of the ‘mitten.’  A few days in this park near Mackinaw City and then it is on to the U.P. or Upper Peninsula to spend a couple of weeks.

Dune erosion at work
Pyramid Point

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  1  
Total Miles Hiked:   5.64  
Total Elevation Gain:  967