A Perfect Day in Sturgeon Bay

September 23-2005
The trip started of course with a heavy fine assessment before we even left the driveway. As is our habit we levy fines for various perceived crimes so that we can tease hell out each other and crank the fun up a notch. We all had yellow kayaks on the roof and mine didn't match the yellow of the others. Too much orange in the yellow they declared - a $25 fine.

This year's trip for the staff of QWS would have to be fast and light as we all had tight schedules. Mike was gracious enough to offer the use of a family cottage in the Petoskey area and we jumped at it. From there, the possibilities for paddling were indeed endless including paddling the Crooked River chain of lakes right from the front door. Without camping gear we each scaled back to our favorite day touring boats-Mike in his Tampico 136S, Todd in his new Palmetto 129, Lazlo in his Tampico 136L and me in the Saranac 14.6. Light and fast were we with no boat over 41pounds. Good thing too since we ate so well we all must have gained a few pounds ourselves. Especially Lazlo who attacked chocolate like the Chicago Bears did the Detroit Lions last week. Not a pretty sight.

The weather in northern Michigan was phenomenally splendid this late September as it was last year at this time. Todd feels the hurricanes down south have changed our weather pattern in September with far more sun than normal. It was sobering to be paddling in all this crystal clear, glassy water with the sun shining down when those in the Gulf were flooded without potable water or power.

If you go about 20 miles as westerly as you can from the Mackinac bridge you will end up in Wilderness State Park. Known as a true jewel in Michigan's park system it really does offer true wilderness with excellent camping, hiking and IF you are skilled and prepared-kayaking. . But before launching any vessel into the cold waters of Lake Michigan, especially a kayak, one needs to really understand the risks at hand in these waters. The bony spine of rocky islands arcing out into Lake Michigan were so treacherous to mariners that the first light ship (before there were lighthouses there were light ships anchored in treacherous waters) ever placed in the Great Lakes was at Waugoshance Island Shoal in 1832. In any storm blowing from the west or northwest ships had no chance of escaping the shoals and then the icy waters. And in 2002 an experienced kayaker died in these waters when his kayak was cracked open and took on water. So vicious are the winds and waves that the lighthouse had to be rebuilt over and over again in the 1800's. We had tried to paddle these waters twice before on separate trips but had to change plans as the bay was too rough to risk.

But when the winds come from the mainland and are a general easterly direction you can paddle along Sturgeon bay's shore and in among the islands while gliding over incredible rocks just inches below your boat. As we neared the rockiest area and made our way through what we called the Toma Straits, Todd did a superb job of finding a path through the rocks and we only scraped rocks a few times even though we were rubber-necking a great deal. Once we reached the main waters of the Straits of Mackinac we were still caressed with light breezes and calm waters out there. It's not often that waters on both sides of the park are flat and calm. The Mackinac Bridge beckoned down the shoreline but we knew it was miles and hours away. As weather can change so fast we wove our way back through the Toma Straits into glassy Sturgeon Bay. I was assessed a $20 fine for having a skeg even though I never used it. Lazlo was nailed $30 for singing Buffet tunes brought on by the Caribbean nature of the waters that day.

We sighted the largest rock near the tip of Waugoshance Island and headed in for lunch and a stretch. An iron cross had been erected with concrete on top of the huge boulder which we climbed up and prepared our meal. We believed it was in remembrance of the kayaker who took on water, became hypothermic and lived his last hours in these same waters. All jesting stopped as we re-fueled and each of us had his own thoughts about how beautiful but remote the area was and how quickly things could turn deadly for the unprepared. We spotted eagles cruising the shorelines and saw some scat from something large and wondered if it was a bear way out there. All of us had seen so much coverage of the turgid, killer conditions in the hurricane areas down south that the incredibly fair conditions we launched in seemed almost surreal. The area had a tropical look at times with the crystal clear water and the trees along the shore at times looked like non-native species for Michigan due to the severe beatings they take in winter's storms.

Finding the truck and our launch site nestled along the shore of Sturgeon Bay proved to be amazingly hard even with ample light and the flat waters. Every group of rocks and every mini harbor looked very much the same and we admitted that GPS would have been welcome. Mike was fined $20 for having drip rings weighing almost as much as his carbon paddle and I was zapped another $25 for using the word "specious" too many times in one day. Finally we located the truck and walked the kayaks the final few yards into the beach. There were still three hours of golden daylight left but we were pleasantly tired. And we were mindful of how impossible it would be to find our truck in the dark without a shore light to guide us. And there is thankfully zero in the way of any civilization on the western shore of Wilderness Park so we wisely packed up and drove back out on the lone road to the pavement of 131.

There are several remote and wild inland lakes in or near Wilderness State Park that provide a perfect alternative to paddling in Lake Michigan should the waters prove too challenging. These shallow lakes will offer great bird watching opportunities and allow less skilled paddlers to enjoy the area. With Mackinac City and Mackinac Island nearby there is a plan B for bad weather days and of course Legs Inn in Cross Village and the Tunnel of Trees drive down to Harbor Springs are considered absolute must-do experiences in the tip of northern Michigan.