Photo: Au Sable lighthouse.
It took a bit longer to drift off to sleep last night than I would have liked. In fact I don't think I got the best night of sleep I have had which is a bit disherartening. Maybe the moon was shining on in or, more likely, the chill breeze disturbed me. Hopefully tonight will be better. The camp really got itself moving around 07:00 and just after 08:00 under clear sunny skies we were heading out towards breakfast at the Au Sable Lighthouse. Last year the lighthouse was shrouded under rainy skies. Today there was not a hint of rain and the white and red lighthouse stood out wonderfully along with its many out-buildings. You actually felt like you were baking on the porch as you ate breakfast. Wonderful.
We headed down to the beach which was a real treat for everyone this year. The lake was a deep blue and little whitecaps broke against the rocks and shipwrecks alike. The scene was gorgeous. I had missed the shipwrecks last year so was really happy to see what was left of these once proud boats. We ambled along the beach skirting the surf line and enjoying the morning air. No one was in a hurry.
Photos: The shipwrecks between the lighthouse and Hurricane River. Not much left after 125 years and more. Between the cross bracing you get little pools that wax and wane with the waves.
I believe Andy considers the trail from Hurricane River to 12 Mile campground his favorite stretch. While I will grant the forest is nice I don't think it is my favorite potion. Perhaps if I could see the variety of flowers and trees better I'd have a different opinion. Like yesterday the trail had several blowdowns to contend with though I do think they were less numerous.
The excitement of the day would come when we arrived at 7 Mile after our rather languid lunch at 12 Mile. When I arrived, several minutes after the lead group, I had missed the excitement. There is a fire ban in effect. It has been in effect since at least the 25th. It is very dry out here and there have been many fires. Andy and others found a group who had a roaring fire going in a fire ring. No one seemed to want to douse the fire (and they had been told by others it was wrong). Luckily for them no ranger had come by yet to see this illegal fire. Andy couldn't find anyone in charge so he doused the fire himself. That caused a bit of rancor with the guy that might be that group's leader and I suppose he felt Andy was being presumptuous but really a fire ban is not imposed because people don't like fires but because a fire can so easily get out of control and cause massive damage. I hope those folks understand what the real issue was but I admit I'll never know (and doubt they do).
After taking a pleasant break on the 7 Mile beach
Pictured Rocks Lakeshore Trail Day 2 - May 26, 2012: I eish i had a series of photos tracking how this aging wreck of a Plymouth has changed over the years. I'm sure the graffiti is far you ger than the car.
We pushed on the last 4 miles (12.1 mile day) to Trappers Lake. Again the trail had some blowdowns to deal with but it also passed through some lovely hemlock forest and through other pleasing areas. By 18:15 everyone had arrived at the camppground as clouds completed taking over the sky. Now a little before 21:00 it is overcast with clouds that look marginally threatening. It feels more humid than last night and the temerpature now is about 63. I think it will be cooler tonight and I expect it will rain. That'll help keep unwanted fires out (someone was here last night and they had a fire that we found the remains of this afternoon and the ashes were still warm).
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