A day Up North

Amy and Ashley, my adventure buddies

Ashley had never seen Duluth, so we stopped to see the lighthouse, gulls, and a glance at the marine museum.

 Then we headed further north, and loaded up to hike into our campsite

 Thanks to Will, who let me borrow his gear, I got to just pack all my stuff in one backpack and stay mobile! And that's the view from our campsite--Split Rock Lighthouse, just across a small cove. It was an ideal spot. We scrambled down the ridge and explored the cove, finding smooth stones, and little pillars where others had piled them up. We scrambled over stones, and found places to sit among the rocks and watch the lake rush toward us and slap the rocks at our feet. The breezes brought white-caps to the surface, and the broad expanse spread deep blue to the horizon.

Then we headed back to campsite, set up hammocks and made supper on our little burner since we were to late to get firewood. The evening was chilly, but we bundled up and stretched out on the ground to watch the stars and talk. The sky was breath-taking. We could see the milky-way clouding behind the myriad of stars, brilliant and clear, and a few shooting stars into the bargain. No Aurora Borealis this time. Maybe next time.

Hammocks were cold too, to be honest, but I was well wrapped and morning came bright and brilliant. I ran about a bit to warm up the toes, and I had these happy faces to chat with.

and we woke up to this, I mean...

As in, first try, crackling, lasted the morning