Despite the craziness of this year, another September rolled around and it was time to continue our fall tradition of visiting Lake Superior (i.e., Superior September). It started unintentionally with some early tourist visits during our first few years in the area, and now it can't be missed. This was the 7th Annual Superior September trip- hard to believe!
Camping was the name of the game this year due to COVID, so the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were on tap. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (locally referred to as "the Porkies") is a wilderness area in the western part of the UP of Michigan. Designated wilderness describes an expansive roadless area where only light impact outdoor recreation (and non-motorized) is permitted in order to promote solitude and protect the natural resources. The Porkies are located in a remote portion of Michigan as well, so we had planned to bring all of our food and mostly just relax and enjoy the sights and sounds as a last hurrah before winter.
I found out that Porcupine Mountains is also a frequently visited park despite it's remoteness- especially this year when everyone decided to go camping. The only time I could reserve two nights at a campsite during a period that worked for us was beginning on Sunday, October 11. Usually that second weekend in October is your last somewhat reasonable option to get to the northern climes before winter weather becomes a factor. I jumped immediately when I saw there was one campsite left at the campground that was right on Lake Superior!! Considering the late season, I remember thinking this is either going to be really awesome or I'm going to regret it...
We decided to extend the trip to one night earlier (Saturday) by booking a campsite in the Northern Highlands- American Legion State Forest in northern Wisconsin. This way we already had the park pass for WI state parks and would be in a good position to get to the Porkies earlier the next day. We got a later start from home thanks to a mouse in the garage situation, but the day was nice and sunny with pretty mild temperatures. The leaves along our route north and west were absolutely fantastic- probably just at or just past peak. We made a couple of stops to drop off some things to Scott's coworker, fill up on gas, and grab some last minute supplies before heading to the campground. While in Woodruff we stopped at Rocky Reef Brewing Company for a drink on the patio. Our campsite was located only a few miles away on Carrol Lake, which according to the state forest website was a great area for fishing. We also had a campsite right on the lake which was beautiful. We cooked a pasta dinner and enjoyed a campfire (and impromptu concert from the next campsite- which was really good, actually) before bed. Temperatures dipped into the upper 30s and it was moderately windy, but it was comfortable with our winter bags. The next morning we had breakfast, packed up the site, and Scott did some fishing before we hit the road.
Next we made our way to Ironwood, MI the last town we would encounter before the Porkies. We also stopped for a patio drink at Cold Iron Brewing- great berry shandy! There wasn't much around as far as local restaurants so we brought camping food in to make lunch. Then it was on our way to the Porkies and into Eastern Time (i.e., "real time"). We hit the Visitor Center first to get some information and a map and viewed their exhibits. One described how Aldo Leopold, a prominent figure in the conservation world, advocated for this area to be designated wilderness for the American people in his essay The Last Stand. Pretty cool.
We stopped at an outpost to buy firewood and arrived at the campground to set up- it was really busy with check ins. As we drove in we realized the campground was largely an open field layout without too many trees. Different, but okay- I was expecting a forest! We eventually found our campsite right on Superior as described. The winds were starting to pick up but the temperatures were really mild- in upper 50s and comfortable. We cooked dinner over the fire and enjoyed that until dark. Time for showers and bed- definitely listened to Lake Superior all night long.
We returned to the campsite and asked for the weather report at the check in station since we couldn't get data service on our phones. Rain all day, which was also confirmed by my dad via text. We sat in the truck for awhile and debated what to do. We had the campsite for another night, but we were already soaked and expecting 6 more hours of the same. We wouldn't have enough time once it ended this evening for a hike as we had planned to do for the day, and no way to dry clothes and other gear. Based on the forecast, we probably would have a hard time getting a fire going for dinner as planned too. Also there wasn't much to do for indoor alternatives in the area instead, plus of course COVID. The winds were still pretty wild and we had to jump out of the truck and into the rain a few times to hold onto the tent as it bent over sideways. So, we made the tough decision to leave early and make our way home. We were both so disappointed, but it seemed like a better option than being miserable for most of the day. It rained the entire 4 hour drive home too. At least we got to see the Porkies, although hiking will have to wait for another time.
A memorable Superior September indeed. Northern Wisconsin just received snow a few days after we visited! The Lake does it's own thing, and you can take it or leave it. That was my first time leaving a camping trip early and now our second trip of the year (2 out of 2) that was shortened due to weather issues (Winter escape that went south).
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