We just can’t get enough of Copper Harbor! This time, we brought our teenagers.
We got in on Friday evening and camped at our usual place, Fort Wilkins State Park. This is one of the best state parks around. I have already covered this park in previous posts, but what was new this year was having Aidan and Ethan, our teenage boys, explore the fort with us. They were really interested in it, and we spent at least an hour exploring it during our first evening there. The buildings and rooms are laid out to demonstrate what life was really like for those living at the fort. The evenings are a great time for exploring these since there are very few people at that time.
After exploring the fort, we walked over to the rugged and achingly beautiful Lake Superior shoreline to watch the sunset. It is about a ten minute walk from the West Campground, where we stayed this year. Our family loves scrambling around on rocks and climbing things, so the Keweenaw lakeshore is one giant playground for us, as you can tell from Jeff’s photos:
Staying in the West Campground was new for us and a bit of a mistake. It was extremely crowded in the West, with families from Calumet and the surrounding area gathering for their Fourth of July week, but the families were really nice. There was no partying, and there were kids everywhere. We had site 133, and the playground was directly behind our site, with no way to access it other than to go on a small trail that was about five feet away from our camper. This would have been great if we had young children. However, the early morning energy of little ones was something we weren’t quite prepared for. The East Campground, which is less shaded, was also much less crowded and would have been better for our family at this time of the summer.
On Saturday morning, we took the boys mountain biking. This was Aidan’s first time out, so he and I took it pretty easy and stayed on Garden Brook, which is one of my favorite mountain bike trails of all time. Garden Brook has many small ups and downs, and the trail is dirt and flowy. It rides like a smooth roller coaster.. just AWESOME! Ethan has been a few times and he has already surpassed me in skill and daring. He and Jeff hit the big kid trails and rode all the way up to the top of Brockway. Copper Harbor is a silver level riding center, and they took full advantage of the many special built features. The riding has been covered pretty extensively by the mountain biking community in places like singletracks.com. Jeff (and now Ethan) really like to go for the adrenaline rush, so they had tons of fun. What’s nice about Copper Harbor is that there are also plenty of trail for the more laid back and less advanced riders, with trails for all interests and skill levels, including a paved trail that leads from Fort Wilkins into town.
After a few hours of biking, naps were required, but then we were up and ready to go for the evening, with a return to Brockway Mountain by car. Brockway Mountain is a short drive from town and well worth the drive. A short way up the mountain, there is a lovely look-out point for viewing the town of Copper Harbor and Lake Superior.
The drive to the top takes about ten more minutes. The mountain-top is expansive, with plenty of parking and wide views of the massive Keweenaw forests on one side and Lake Superior on the other. When I was young, there was a gift shop up here, but there are no longer any modern facilities. Instead, there are just a couple of pit toilets at the far end of the parking area.
On Sunday, we had reservations with the Keweenaw Adventure Company for a guided kayak trip. While we have done plenty of kayaking on inland lakes, this was to be our first time kayaking on Superior. Being raised in the U.P, Jeff and I are both appropriately respectful of the big lake and its dangers, so we chose an introductory sea-kayaking lesson and tour. The 2 1/2 hour Porter’s Island Paddle was perfect for our family’s skill level and stamina.
The directions for the trip indicated that were were to meet 1/2 hour prior to our scheduled 1 pm start time. We arrived at Keweeenaw Adventure Company at 12:30, and they told us they were running about 15 minutes behind schedule. They gave us directions to get to the trip starting place and told us to be there in about 45 minutes. The meeting spot for the kayaking trip was only a few blocks away, so we explored some downtown shops, including the Laughing Loon, which is chock full of Copper Harbor themed t-shirts and other fun touristy items. Then we headed over to the spot for the kayak lesson, which is right next to Jamsen’s Fish Market & Bakery. We still had time to kill and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so we got snacks from the walk-up window at the bakery. It was about 1 pm, and they were sold out of most items, but the boys and I were able to snag some large and tasty cookies, and Jeff had the panukakku. For my potential non-Yooper readers, panukakku is a Finnish pancake, made with lots of eggs and baked in the oven. Jamsen’s version was thick and fluffy at the same time; Jeff was very satisfied with his choice!
Then we headed over to the meeting spot for our kayak tour. Because our teens were under 16, they were not allowed to take a single kayak out, so we were required to put them in tandem kayaks. Again, Lake Superior is not to be trifled with and teenagers aren’t especially risk-averse, so we paired each teen with an adult.
Out guides, Jake and Matt, were wonderful. They managed a fairly good-sized group of inexperienced kayakers, promoting our feelings of confidence while also keeping us well-entertained.
The first half-hour to 45 minutes of the lesson was on land, getting us suited up appropriately with wet suits, spray skirts, life jackets, and stuff sacks, then teaching us basic moves, like how to get out of the kayak if it rolls and how to use the rudder for steering.
Then it was on to the water. This took quite a bit of patience for all since the guides had to navigate each kayak one by one onto the lake, getting people set up and making sure the spray skirts were sealed.
Finally, after about twenty minutes or so, we were all on the lake and ready to go. Matt and Jake gave us a bit more instruction on steering and using the rudder and then led us out onto the big lake.
The lake was getting choppy, so they didn’t feel comfortable leading us across to Porter’s Island, our original destination, so they took us along the lakeshore to a more protected area where we could cross to view the Copper Harbor Lighthouse. This was our first time viewing the lighthouse up close because isn’t accessible to the public by car because there is private property between the lighthouse and the highway.
After viewing the lighthouse, it was time to kayak back. Unfortunately for Aidan and me, our trip back was slow-going and we lagged far behind the rest of the group. Our kayak had a faulty foot-peg that kept coming undone. In a small lake kayak, this might not be too big of a deal; however, in a sea kayak, it is a problem. Matt and Jake had taught us that there are three points of contact for maintaining control: the butt and the two balls of your feet. Additionally, this foot peg was also the one that was connected to the rudder, so each time it let go, I also lost my ability to control the rudder. Matt noticed that we had fallen behind, and he came back to assist us. He had to bend way over into the pit of my kayak to fix it, turning his own kayak nearly over in the water. Thankfully he was a very experienced kayaker and he managed it brilliantly.
All in all, our kayak tour was a great success. While we were paddling and chatting, our guide, Jake, told me about another trip that the Keweenaw Adventure Company offers: the 4-6 day Isle Royale overnight trips that he leads. I feel ready for this next step and up for the adventure.. Unfortunately, I appear to the only person in my family that feels this way.
After a few hours of down time to recuperate from our afternoon of lake and sun, we were ready for another evening drive. This time, instead of going over the top on Brockway Mountain Drive, we took the long way around on Hwy 26, which winds through forests before coming out onto a long stretch of rocky Keweenaw coastline. I described parts of this drive in an earlier blog post, but this time, we discovered a waterfall we hadn’t seen before: Silver River Falls. There is plenty of signage and a small parking lot across the road from the falls… yet another Keweenaw treasure that was just waiting to be found.
The UPside 
