Yesterday was still winter-like with temperatures in the low to mid 30s and light snow, but we decided to hike across the dunes. The road commission has plowed the snow, so we were able to drive all the way to Sable Lake. So up into the dunes we went.....
We saw lots of animal tracks in the dunes including deer, mice, seagulls, and what we think are wolf tracks shown below.
As we climbed to the top of the first big dune, I turned around and took a picture of the still frozen Sable Lake.
Throughout the dunes, there is evidence of spring. Below shows moss and lichen already turning green.
The photo below shows a plant starting its spring growth. We used an online plant ID app which identified it as a couple of different plants. We think it is snow plant.
The large mushroom below is an old puff ball. It is around 9" in diameter.
The following photo shows one of the telegraph poles still standing after around 140 years. The telegraph line connected AuSable Lighthouse with Grand Marais.
Finally, after around 75 minutes of hiking we reached the bluff over Lake Superior. The view with shelf ice mounds, floating ice on the lake, and pools of water at the base of the dunes was absolutely beautiful and dynamic. These photos do not do the view any justice.
We spotted a couple of male merganser ducks swimming off shore. The zoom on my camera allowed me to get a few photos.
We sat near the bluff for a long break that allowed us to take in the view.
The photo below shows a close up of melt water coming off the face of the dunes.
After an hour break, we headed back across the dunes.
We looked up this scat online and determined it to be porcupine scat.
After another hour, we arrived back to Sable Lake. In total we hiked 3.5 miles.
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