"A Superior Shore"

By Aubrieta V. Hope, originally published on Northland Adventurer's Website

"Those who have never seen Superior get an inaccurate idea, by hearing it spoken of as a lake. 

Though its waters are fresh and crystal, Superior is a sea."   

Reverend George M. Grant, 1872 

Lake Superior is vast, inspiring and inviting.  It is a place of quiet beauty, and it is a place of dazzling transition.  Sometimes Superior is still, and sometimes it curls into massive waves that thunder against sand and rock, carving mysterious caves into sandstone cliffs.  On stormy days, the light changes quickly, with dark clouds yielding to double rainbows, here and gone in a flash.  On sunny days, when the wind is calm, diamonds glitter across its surface and its coves are Caribbean blue.  Superior has a way of holding your gaze, whether the day is mild or freezing.  Within a stone's throw of this great lake, the land is surround-sound glorious.   

As a landscape photographer, I am naturally drawn to Lake Superior, especially near Munising in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  I travel with my tent and camp at water's edge, listening to the waves at night.  On clear mornings, I rise before dawn, photographing the sun as it washes the shore with warm light and casts Superior's diamonds into gold.  I breakfast on wild blueberries, and  hike miles along the shore, just to discover what it looks like around the next bend.  Most nights, I stay out late, long past sunset.  One August evening, I saw the sky brighten moments after darkness fell, then watched the northern lights dance above Superior for hours.  

There is no better place to experience Superior's shores than the area around Munising, Michigan.  Located at the very heart of U.P. adventure,  Munising is the gateway to dramatic scenery and family fun.  With Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the Hiawatha National Forest, and Grand Island as neighbors, the possibilities for recreation and renewal are almost endless.  Miles of hiking trails, towering colorful cliffs, more than a dozen waterfalls, several historic lighthouses, and thousands of acres of forest beckon.   

Launch a kayak, sling a backpack over your shoulders, strap on snowshoes, catch a boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, lift a pair of binoculars, or just spread a picnic blanket on the beach.  Munising has everything (except crowds and traffic jams) and offers small-town hospitality year-round.  To plan your visit, check out www.munising.org or www.exploremunising.com.