Pictured Rocks Waypoint Grand Sable Visitor Center 0 miles 05-MAY-08 10:30:15 This was the start of our hike. The ALTRAN shuttle dropped us off at the trail-head, and from here we headed south.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Masse Homestead Campground This was located via GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. We did not actually hike through this campground because it was slightly off the main trail.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Logslide 5.3 Miles 05-MAY-08 13:14:16 Segment Speed: 1.93 mph Average speed: 1.93 mph Beautiful lookout over Lake Superior from atop steep sand dunes leading down to the water. There's a little bench here where we took a break and ate a lunch of tuna and crackers. Prior to this waypoint, we started at the Grand Sable Visitor Center, hiked through a nice meadow and thin forest, then walked along Highway 58 for a while on the north-east shore of Grand Sable Lake. From there the trail headed east behind large sand-dunes to the north. We decided not to expend energy or time trying to climb to the top of these dunes and focused on getting to Logslide.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Au Sable Point Campground This was located via GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. We did not actually hike through this campground because it was slightly off the main trail.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Au Sable Lighthouse 7.5 miles 05-MAY-08 15:01:44 Segment Speed: 1.23 mph Average speed: 1.66 mph This is the Au Sable Lighthouse. The area was deserted at the time of year we came by. There was a picnic table and a drinking fountain, but the drinking fountai didn't work -- probably because it was the off season. Between Logslide and here, there was more hiking along the tops of the dunes then a long, relatively steep wooded descent. Lots of tree roots and wet leaves on the descent forced us to take our time.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Shipwreck 05-MAY-08 15:17:05 The trail from the lighthouse to here was a small, one-way dirt road. We could see to the beach, revealing the first of many wrecked ship carcasses. By now, there's not much more left to see than a few beams sticking in an unnaturally ordered pattern out of the water. There was also an informaitonal sign at the roadside here that alerted us to the wreck and told its story.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Hurricane River Campground 8.7 miles 05-MAY-08 15:38:23 Segment Speed: 1.97 mph Average speed: 1.69 mph This was the northeastern extent of the Hurricane River campground. It spanned some distance along the shore. We took a short break on a bench here and saw a park ranger idling in his truck. Sara was already having a tough time, and we considered asking the ranger to drive us out. Sara decided to forge on, however, so we continued. We also ran into a drive-in camper at his campsite. The trail from the lighthouse to here was a continuation of the small unimproved road that led from the Au Sable lighthouse.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Benchmark Campground 11.2 miles 05-MAY-08 17:09:42 Segment Speed: 1.64 mph Average speed: 1.68 mph The hike from Hurricane River CG to Benchmark CG was primarily trail in moderately dense forest. It was rather uneventful and easy to follow.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Twelve Mile Campground 1 11.5 miles 05-MAY-08 17:17:07 This was the northeastern extent of the long, sandy drive-in Twelve Mile campground.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Twelve Mile Campground 2 This was the southwest extent of the long, sandy drive-in Twelve Mile campground.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Seven Mile Campground 14.4 miles 05-MAY-08 19:00:00 Segment Speed: 1.74 mph Average speed: 1.69 mph The last few miles of the first day were pretty rough. I actually didn't mark the waypoint here, but got it from the GPS brochure. Our site was northeast of the river. We set up camp near one of the fire pits and easily started a campfire. There was plenty of dry wood and birch bark around, which made it pretty easy. We roasted some bratwurst over the fire and ate dinner. This rid us of our heaviest and perishable food. We then had time to go out and watch the beautiful sunset before falling asleep to the sound of the waves lapping up against the beach. The next morning we ate fresh scrambled eggs which rid us of more heavy food. We packed up and headed out by about 0900. Unfortunately, by this time Sara was sure she couldn't go all the way, so our plan was to hike to Little Beaver Lake campground to see if anyone could drive us out.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Pine Bluff Campground 18.9 miles 06-MAY-08 11:14:44 Segment Speed: 2.00 mph Average speed: 1.76 mph This is the location of Pine Bluff Campground that I marked with my GPS. We had a difficult time staying on the trail northeast of here. It was pretty dense forest and there were many large downed trees that made us veer from the trail. At one point we went a few hundred yards off-trail before scouting in directions perpendicular to the direction of the trail (toward the shore in a northwestern direction, then away from it in a south eastern direction). This landed us back on the trail and made our progress easier. Soon after we were back on it, the trail changed from a one-person wide winding trail to a two or three-person wide straight trail that made me think it had once been a road. We also traveled somewhat faster on this segment both because we were well rested and because I had taken the majority of the weight in my pack, leaving Sara lighter and faster to keep up with me.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Pine Bluff Campground This was the location according to GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. I did not locate this waypoint with my own GPS device

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Coves Campground This was located via GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. We did not actually hike through this campground.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Chapel Rock 25.7 Miles 06-MAY-08 15:29:48 Segment Speed: 1.60 mph Average speed: 1.71 mph We stopped here for a break and took a bunch of pictures of the very scenic rock. The plan didn't unfold as we'd hoped it would. We hiked a half-mile down the trail toward Little Beaver Lake CG before we realized that we would be going a long way out of our way for nothing if we found no one at the campground to take us out. So we doubled back on our track and changed our plan and decided to hike to Chapel or possibly even Mosquito campground, camp there for the night, and leave Sara at the campsite while I hiked to Miner's Castle to find a ride out. This was a rough hike for me because I was disappointed with myself that I hadn't realized that the Little Beaver Lake plan was a bad idea until we'd already wasted 20 minutes hiking toward it. It was also tough for me because I was carrying almost everything in my pack, and I had to frequently take breaks to rest my back and shoulders. During these breaks, Sara continued and I would hike faster to catch up with her, so our average speed wasn't reduced. None-the-less, I was too pre-occupied to mark out waypoints on my GPS when I ran into all the markers and campgrounds on the way.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Chapel Beach Campground 26.0 Miles 06-MAY-08 17:20:05 Segment Speed: 0.16 mph Average speed: 1.54 mph We rested at the beautiful Chapel Beach for almost two hours to relax and take lunch. This was our best meal of the trip. It's for home-made dried beanless chili that only needs boiling water for reconstitution. Sara found it at http://hikingwomen.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/02/favorite_recipe.html She took a nap while I walked down the beach to Chapel Creek to refill two Nalgenes, rinso my smelly base-layers, and ice my feet. Although the outside temperatune was 65, the water was very cold. Sara was in good spirits at this time, and she decided to soldier on for the last four miles to Mosquito, which was the campsite we'd originally planned to stay at. I didn't realize as we left that my GPS track-log was full, so there is no track from here for a while. I've included another posted track (in gray) to cover for the missed section.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Chapel Beach Campground This was the location according to GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. I did not locate this waypoint with my own GPS device

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Grand Portal Point 06-MAY-08 17:53:18 This is a nice look-out. We stopped here for a while to enjoy the view of the miles of shore we'd just hiked.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Mosquito Campground 30.4 miles 06-MAY-08 19:16:25 Segment Speed: 2.27 mph Average speed: 1.62 mph When we got into camp, we were primarily focused on setting up camp and eating, so I again forgot to record the waypoint on my GPS device. Instead I got the coordinates from the GPS brochure. We chose the same site we picked last year, number five, primarily due to its proximity to the bear locker. Bear lockers are so convenient, and this one was even more so because we were the only ones there. We didn't have to worry about removing all the scented stuff from our packs and placing them in a bag to hang because both of our packs fit in the locker. Anyway, we ate a terrible freeze-dried Pad Thai dinner, and we separated all the gear. All the heavy stuff would stay with Sara at the camp site, and I'd only take my pack, my first-aid kit, my rain gear, and 3 liters of water. We did run into two other groups, both of whom were parked at the Mosquito/Chapel access lot, about a two mile hike from the Mosquito campground, but the first was a large group of seventh and eighth graders with their chaperones hiking north on their way to the Coves campground to stay there overnight. They didn't plan to leave until late the next day (5/7). The other group was a group of older teens with their chaparones staying at the Mosquito Group site, but they too were not planning on leaving until the afternoon of the seventh. We wanted to leave earlier, so the plan was for me to wake up at 0300, pack up, and leave by 0400 to hopefully catch somebody to give me a ride back to my car in Munising Falls.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Potato Patch Campground 33.5 miles 07-MAY-08 04:55:44 Segment Speed: 2.84 mph Average speed: 1.69 mph This was located via GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. I did not actually hike through this campground. I did hike by it, but I was focused solely on progress at this point, not on marking waypoints. It was still dark, it was pouring rain, it was cold when you stopped for even a minute, and I still had a long way to go. Because I was hiking by headlamp, I couldn't see any of the beauty of the trail, but I had already seen this section last year, so I just put my head down and hiked through. From what I remember, this segment is a moderately dense deciduous forest with a well worn trail sometimes passing close to the cliff's edge. After Potato Patch, the trail goes down in elevation, past a large rock formation on the east side (a great place for lunch last year) to Miner's Beach.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Miner's Castle Parking Lot 35.4 miles 07-MAY-08 05:33:34 Segment Speed: 3.02 mph Average speed: 1.73 mph The hike along Miner's Beach is very sandy and takes a little extra effort. This was the first time I had any hint of dawn, however, as I could just barely see a difference between the pitch-black of the lake and the slightly lighter sky to my right. After the beach, the trail takes you over Miner's river and through the most picturesque pine forest imaginable. I remember this from last year's hike because I flew through it at 3mph this year. It was still dark, cold, rainy, and muddy. I knew I was walking through beauty all around me but just couldn't see it. After this forest is the climb back up what I like to call "Miner's Mountain" from the beach to Miner's Castle. It was still dark, and I had seen Miner's Castle the year before, so I skipped it and went right to the shelter with restrooms that they have near the parking lot. I ducked in for a while after finding a dry place to rest. I thought about staying there until someone drove up to visit Miner's Castle, but it was still only 0530, and I only had seven miles left, so I decided to leave after about 10 minutes. It sure was cold when I got back to the trail, but I warmed up quickly.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Cliffs Group Campground 36.0 miles 07-MAY-08 05:53:26 Segment Speed: 1.76 mph Average speed: 1.73 mph This was located via GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. I did not actually hike through this campground.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Cliffs Campground 37.3 miles 07-MAY-08 06:17:08 Segment Speed: 3.33 mph Average speed: 1.76 mph This was located via GPS data from a Pictured Rocks pamphlet which can be found at http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/upload/GPSCoordinatesPIRO.pdf. I did not actually hike through this campground. The trail from Miner's Castle to Cliffs was a somewhat dense deciduous forest. The trail was very wet with lots of little streams and small wood bridges to cross them. It was still early in the morning, so I didn't have very good light to see all the surroundings.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Munising Falls Parking Lot 42.4 miles 07-MAY-08 8:01:13 Segment Speed: 2.85 mph Average speed: 1.95 mph The final segment of the hike had similar terrain to the wet forest near cliffs, but there were many beautiful waterfalls to see. I was trying to move fast, and I did fall once on a very slippery board-bridge. The last two miles were through a large network of nordic ski trails and involved a lot of elevation. This really tired me out at the end of a 42 mile hike, and I was really glad to finally see my car. I ended up taking off my rain coat, rain pants, hiking pants, and hiking boots before driving back to pick up Sara. I put on my sandals and drove back in my soaked boxers and Cap 3 shirt.

Pictured Rocks Waypoint Chapel/Mosquito Parking 07-MAY-08 8:51:08 This is where I drove to and parked at to pick up Sara from Mosquito. It was still a two mile hike to and from the car, but it was better that than twelve miles for Sara. I first hiked from the parking lot with an empty pack to the Mosquito campground, then we packed up all that was left there into both packs and hiked back to the car. That added an extra four miles for me, but with half of it being no more than a walk in the woods (with essentially nothing on my back) it was easy. After we left, Sara made up some more tuna and crackers to feed me while I drove. We stopped at the Melstrand general store to pick up some candy bars, which we were both craving and some cough drops for Sara's cold. From there we headed back to Munising where I got a Z-pak for Sara's sinus infection, and we paid ten bucks for two showers at the Alger Falls Motel. We changed from our hiking clothes into comfy dry jeans and started the long trip home. All-in-all, it was a wonderful trip.