Pictured Rocks, Day 4: Murray Bay

Gratefully, I awaken to find myself still alive. We prepare breakfast, break camp, and load the kayaks.

The native Ojibwa called this place "Great Island", or "Kitchi Miniss", and the name forms the root of the nearby city of Munising. These original settlers cultivated crops on the southern portions of Grand Island, hunted and fished all around it, and harvested maple sugar in the early spring. Although voyageurs and other travellers passed through and camped here, the first white settlers were Abraham Williams and his family, who were invited by the local Ojibwa chief to build a trading post and a farm here. Williams also exchanged his blacksmithing skills for food and goods from the natives, and operated a fuel-wood station on Williams Point.

In 1873, upon Williams' death, most of the Ojibwa left the island for reservations, and the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company purchased most of the island in 1896. It was stocked with deer, moose, elk, and even antelope, and used for many years primarily as a hunting resort for the company's employees. Now a designated National Recreation Area, and part of the Hiawatha National Forest, Grand Island is an offshore gem of paddling, hiking, and camping.

We hit the water and, true to the NOAA forecast, round the point to face a strong 25-knot south wind. With only three miles of fetch in the lee of the Munising mainland, the waves haven't been whipped up yet, but the stiff wind slows our progress. We tuck down and dig in, our loaded boats nosing into the wind until we round Wick Point and swing southeast. We take the wind and the short waves broadside for another mile or so until we reach the Grand Island East Channel lighthouse, then strike out due east for the mile-wide crossing to Sand Point on the mainland.

First entering service in 1868, the Grand Island lighthouse was unusual in its use of a timber frame and wooden clapboard siding; most Great Lakes lighthouses of this era were constructed of the more durable stone or brick, to survive the harsh elements here. But this cheaper construction resulted in seemingly endless maintenance and numerous improvements over the years, and in 1908 a set of range lights was installed in nearby Munising, making the Grand Island light obsolete. It was abandoned and left to fend for itself.

Once in the lee of the cliffs of the Pictured Rocks, we are sheltered from the strong winds, and we pause to catch our breath and have a mid-morning snack while afloat. There are more sea caves and painted walls here, and it is only another couple miles back up along the coast to our landing on Miner's Beach.

In only a few short paddling days, we've been humbled by ancient, towering painted cliffs, inspired by the flight of the eagle, and terrorized by a ravenous chipmunk. Most importantly though, Lake Superior has seen fit to spare us an eternity in the vast underwater tomb of her "Graveyard Coast". With a couple of sweep strokes, we come about and whistle eastward.

Daily Distance: 7 miles
Total Trip Distance: 32 miles

Jeffrey Lee paddles and writes in the Upper Great Lakes region. For additional photos from this kayak trip, please visit the COMPANION PHOTO GALLERY >>

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