Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area

Today we finally got a chance to visit the infamous Higbee Beach. I say infamous, because up until a few years ago it was known as the "nude beach." Not any longer though. Today its better known as a great place to do some birding. And so, even though we would be arriving much too late to see some good birds, we brought our binoculars along; just in case. It was a short walk to the beach on a sandy trail.

Noelle and I left Sierra with Pop Pop and Ta Ta to run around,

while we headed into the scrubby forest to walk and look for birds.

Unfortunately, we didn't see much in the forest. Still, it was nice to get out and walk.

Eventually we made a our way out to the beach

and walked the beach past some interesting looking maritime forest,

back to the rest of the family. We spent some time together enjoying the sand and wondering what the mysterious half-submerged object was just offshore.

Soon enough the Cape May - Lewes Ferry came in

and I walked over to the jetty to watch it come into port.

Then we headed out after a glorious morning.

Cape May National Wildlife Refuge: 2 Mile Beach Unit

It was a cool but sunny morning and Noelle, Sierra, Mom and I decided to take advantage by heading out for a walk at the Two Mile Beach Unit of Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. We made the short drive from my parents' house and headed out for our walk. We brought our binoculars along, just in case we spied some interesting birds.

From the parking lot we walked a short path through the dunes

to the beach and passed some pretty pink flowers in bloom along the way.

Then we retraced our steps and found another, longer trail. The longer trail also led to the beach,

but along the way we saw some goldenrod in bloom with lots of insects on it.

We retraced our steps back to the car where we ate a snack. Then we headed out on a boardwalk

that led to a wetland area.

We saw lots of aquatic birds swimming around in the waters of the wetland and got to use our binoculars a bit. Then we headed back

to yet another trail. This trail followed an old road through the dunes.

We passed several butterflies along the way,

including a beautiful common buckeye

and a monarch.

We passed an off-limits area used by the Coast Guard

and then hit the beach.

The beach is closed at certain times of the year to protect piping plovers, but its open right now and so we decided to walk the beach back to the car.

We saw lots of gulls on the beach,

but not much in the way of other birds. There were also some interesting shells. We found 2 whelks,

some razor clams,

jingle shells, and lots of others. It was a great way to spend a fall morning. After our walk we headed over to Wawa to get some lunch; hoagies and Tastykakes.

Hiking the Rainy Lake Nordic Ski Club Trails

Originally we had planned on taking the canoe out for one last paddle. It was pretty chilly this morning though, and so instead we opted to try hiking at some ski trails on the Fort Frances side of the international border. After crossing the bridge Sierra got to spend some of her Tooth Fairy money at Betty's. Then we got lunch at the Harbourage, before heading across the Noden Causeway to trailhead.

We didn't know much about the trail system here, so I was afraid that it would be a swampy mess. However, it turns out that the club maintains a hiking trail and that's where we started.

Right off the bat we saw a curious squirrel.

There were mushrooms everywhere!

The trail led to a photogenic beaver pond.

There was a picnic table there. Had we known we probably would have brought a picnic lunch with us. There was some aster blooming near the pond's edge.

After a short break at the beaver pond we moved on

passing a huge cairn.

Eventually the trail split. We took the branch to the right and shortly after intersected a ski trail. The ski trail was relatively dry and we hiked it

with a few views through the trees out to Rainy Lake. We stopped to rest on a big flat rock

and then hiked the ski trail back to the car.

It was an interesting hike and a place we hope to return to once snow covers the ground. They have both ski trail and snowshoe trails, so if nothing else we may come back to snowshoe.

Superior National Forest: Herriman Lake Trail

Little Vermillion Lake and Dovre Lake Loop

I've been wanting to go for a longer hike for a while now, and today was finally my chance. I made the drive down to Crane Lake and over to the trailhead for the Herriman Lake Trails. Today I would hike the remaining sections of trail that I had not hiked here yet.

I hit the trail which was wet as I had expected. I made quick time along the section of trail I had hiked in my previous visits to the area and soon enough I had crossed over the Echo River on the sturdy footbridge there. The trail crossed near to a beaver pond

and then I soon passed two guys who had spent the night at Knute Lake. Soon after I crossed into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

and headed in to the campsite at Knute Lake to take a break and eat a snack. Knute Lake is a very pleasant spot. I wouldn't mind spending a night there at some point.

Shortly after leaving Knute Lake I found the trail the leads to Little Vermillion Lake. It ascended to a rocky ridge where the trail was marked with cairns.

Colorful mushrooms

and maple leaves decorated the trail here and there.

There were even a few wildflowers in bloom,

including a seemingly confused bunchberry.

Soon I found myself at Little Vermillion Lake.

Despite its name, it is a fairly large lake. There is a nice beach there that I think would make a good place to swim in warm weather.

After some time relaxing on a rock at Little Vermillion Lake, it was time to move on. I backtracked to the junction with the Dovre Lake Trail

and made my way north. This section of trail seems to see lighter traffic than other sections of the Herriman Lake System. There were lots of green clubmosses along the footpath.

I passed a few glacial erratics along the trail

and a few beaver ponds as well.

Soon I found myself at the pretty Dovre Lake.

It was convenient timing given that I had to use the bathroom.

As nice as the view was, it did not look like a good place to camp as there is not really a flat place to set up a tent. I relaxed near the fire pit and ate a snack and then made my way back to the car. It had been a nice hike, and best of all I did not get rained on.