Great Lakes Grooving: Day 6 Porcupine Mountains - and bugs!

CrispyA · 5 Sep 19, 09:01 PM

Friday 12 July

We all slept REALLY well and none of us were in any hurry to get out of bed this morning. In fact, Evan had to come and get us up, which is almost unheard of!

We had our breakfast of cereal and toast, with juice and coffee before making up some sandwiches for our walk. The main reason for staying in Ontonagon was to explore the Porcupine Mountains State Park which is nearby and so we were soon on the road there.

We stopped off at the Ranger Station to get a Michigan State Parks pass - it was $31 for out of state residents but covered all the places we wanted to visit and was pretty good value. We got a state parks map and some trail recommendations while we were there.

The rangers also asked if we had bug spray as there were reports that the bugs were pretty bad at the moment. I knew that Blackflies could be a real nuisance in the UP but their season had finished and I wasn't expecting any particular problems. We did have bug spray but it was back at the cabin so we decided to get some from the shop - unfortunately they only had a "natural" repellent - which turned out to be utterly useless. You need 40% DEET in these parts!

But we didn't know this at the time, so dutifully smeared ourselves in the stuff and headed off to Mirror Lake. The walk itself was not great, mainly through woodlands so not much to see, and as we set off, a huge thunderstorm started. Fantastic.

The rain came down and the bugs came out. It wasn't cold but it was damp and we were being continually bitten. The occasion huge crashes of thunder certainly weren't helping, giving the hike a real "Scooby Doo" atmosphere - any minute now we were expecting to meet the undead in the woods.

The Lake itself was not much more than a swampy pond and we were just being munched ad nauseum by a huge variety of evil fanged insects. You could feel some of them biting through your clothes and you just couldn't stop as they would surround you and chomp away.

In the end, tired of being a walking bug buffet, we decided to run the last 1.5 miles. Paul took the lead and as we all jogged along the trail we must have looked like an insane military family, where the Dad couldn't never quite get over having been in the Marines and would insist that every walk had to be a boot camp! We certainly got some strange looks!

But with nothing to see and the horror of the biting buggers, the run was the best way to get it over with.

After the disappointment of Mirror Lake in Yosemite and now the extreme disappointment of this one, we have vowed never to walk to anywhere called Mirror Lake again.

You can see what we thought of this trail.

We did try to visit a waterfall afterwards but that was no better.

In the end, we had our lunch back at the ranger station, which was slightly less infested than the trail. If you haven't already realised, this was the worst walk we have ever been on. There wasn't even the benefit of a nice view. Everything about it was awful!

Back at Ontonagon, we called at Pat's Foods for some supplies and then went back to the house to chill for a little while. Evan did try to have a shower and couldn't get any hot water, so we decided to go to the lake for a paddle and then see if it was better when we came back.

We did have a nice stroll along the beach which was so peaceful - and bug-free!

We were fascinated by the size of the logs that had washed up here - it's a haven for beachcombers.

Back at the house, there was still no hot water so I messaged our AirBnB hosts who were fantastic and replied immediately to apologise and assure us that it would be fixed. Within half an hour, someone had been round to sort it out and they were able to get access to the basement without coming into the house so we didn't even realise they were there! It was a really quick response and it was good have the problem sorted so quickly.

Now we had hot water, we had showers and inspected our bites, which were plentiful. We had been bitten EVERYWHERE - including our scalps which was just horrible. Everyone had an antihistamine which fortunately Evan had brought with him in case of hay fever and we tried really hard not to scratch. Wow, that was tricky!

We cooked some hotdogs for tea and then settled down to watch Stranger Things on Netflix. Having a smart TV was another cool thing about this AirBnB!

**Loopylooloo** · 5 Sep 19, 09:07 PM

Am sorry about the bugs! thats not good, you did well to run through it! The beach looks lovely though. We are just watching the final episode of Stranger Things season three. Its epic.

Melbatb · 5 Sep 19, 09:24 PM

We have had walks like that. Bugs are no fun at all! Though I am impressed by your running!

The beach looks lovely!

katiebaz · 7 Sep 19, 08:31 AM

Oh no your walk sounds rubbish with all the bugs and the bites sounds rubbish. Am impressed with your running though

DisneyDaffodil · 7 Sep 19, 08:44 AM

Oh no, such a shame the walk was ruined by bugs. We have also had walks ruined and we have abandoned walks because of bugs too (never ran though, far too energetic for us 😂 )

The walk along the beach looks beautiful though. Good news that the Airbnb host fixed the water issue quickly too. Our hotel in October has a smart tv, handy if we want a lazy evening as you found 😀 Hope your next day was more successful for you all xx

CrispyA · 13 Sep 19, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by Loopylooloo

Am sorry about the bugs! thats not good, you did well to run through it! The beach looks lovely though. We are just watching the final episode of Stranger Things season three. Its epic.

The bugs were really awful but at least while we were running we didn't seem to get as badly bitten - or at least we didn't notice! Stranger Things was awesome!

Originally Posted by Melbatb

We have had walks like that. Bugs are no fun at all! Though I am impressed by your running!

The beach looks lovely!

Beach was really lovely, we enjoyed our time there so much.

Originally Posted by katiebaz

Oh no your walk sounds rubbish with all the bugs and the bites sounds rubbish. Am impressed with your running though

The running was okay and at least we were concentrating on that and not on being munched!

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

Oh no, such a shame the walk was ruined by bugs. We have also had walks ruined and we have abandoned walks because of bugs too (never ran though, far too energetic for us 😂 )

The walk along the beach looks beautiful though. Good news that the Airbnb host fixed the water issue quickly too. Our hotel in October has a smart tv, handy if we want a lazy evening as you found 😀 Hope your next day was more successful for you all xx

We've never experienced bugs that bad - apart from midges in Scotland! The Smart TV was great and our AirBnB hosts were fab.

**WileyCoyote** · 14 Sep 19, 08:28 AM

Oh my . Biting bugs. Not fun. The thought of you running along like that boot camp family did make me chortle ... because you know somewhere that will be true. You do all look pros in the pic.
So not good about the swampy pond and beastly biters. Worst walk ever does seem to sum it up. Scratch that off the places I must visit list !

Lol reading that Evan couldn�t have a shower so you then all went for a paddle I am assuming he didn�t take his Lynx shower gel with him. It did make me laugh . Glad the water got sorted and hurrah for anti histamines. Hope none of you suffered too badly. Itchy bites are the pits.

Well quite the unexpected adventure today 😳

CrispyA · 14 Sep 19, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

Oh my . Biting bugs. Not fun. The thought of you running along like that boot camp family did make me chortle ... because you know somewhere that will be true. You do all look pros in the pic.
So not good about the swampy pond and beastly biters. Worst walk ever does seem to sum it up. Scratch that off the places I must visit list !

Lol reading that Evan couldn�t have a shower so you then all went for a paddle I am assuming he didn�t take his Lynx shower gel with him. It did make me laugh . Glad the water got sorted and hurrah for anti histamines. Hope none of you suffered too badly. Itchy bites are the pits.

Well quite the unexpected adventure today 😳

It really was such a terrible walk - one to go down in history I think!

We didn't make Evan wash in Lake Superior but that would have been really funny!

**smithlane** · 19 Sep 19, 07:18 PM

Not such a good day with the bugs. I'm a human dinner plate for any kind of biting insect so I know how miserable it is.
Lovely photos of Evan and Hannah on the beach though!

CrispyA · 19 Sep 19, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by smithlane

Not such a good day with the bugs. I'm a human dinner plate for any kind of biting insect so I know how miserable it is.
Lovely photos of Evan and Hannah on the beach though!

Me too. I can almost see them with knife and fork in hands as they zoom towards me, licking their many lips!

5 Sep 19, 09:01 PM	#1
	5 Sep 19, 09:01 PM CrispyA Imagineer
CrispyA Imagineer Join Date: Oct 11	Great Lakes Grooving: Day 6 Porcupine Mountains - and bugs! Friday 12 July We all slept REALLY well and none of us were in any hurry to get out of bed this morning. In fact, Evan had to come and get us up, which is almost unheard of! We had our breakfast of cereal and toast, with juice and coffee before making up some sandwiches for our walk. The main reason for staying in Ontonagon was to explore the Porcupine Mountains State Park which is nearby and so we were soon on the road there. We stopped off at the Ranger Station to get a Michigan State Parks pass - it was $31 for out of state residents but covered all the places we wanted to visit and was pretty good value. We got a state parks map and some trail recommendations while we were there. The rangers also asked if we had bug spray as there were reports that the bugs were pretty bad at the moment. I knew that Blackflies could be a real nuisance in the UP but their season had finished and I wasn't expecting any particular problems. We did have bug spray but it was back at the cabin so we decided to get some from the shop - unfortunately they only had a "natural" repellent - which turned out to be utterly useless. You need 40% DEET in these parts! But we didn't know this at the time, so dutifully smeared ourselves in the stuff and headed off to Mirror Lake. The walk itself was not great, mainly through woodlands so not much to see, and as we set off, a huge thunderstorm started. Fantastic. The rain came down and the bugs came out. It wasn't cold but it was damp and we were being continually bitten. The occasion huge crashes of thunder certainly weren't helping, giving the hike a real "Scooby Doo" atmosphere - any minute now we were expecting to meet the undead in the woods. The Lake itself was not much more than a swampy pond and we were just being munched ad nauseum by a huge variety of evil fanged insects. You could feel some of them biting through your clothes and you just couldn't stop as they would surround you and chomp away. In the end, tired of being a walking bug buffet, we decided to run the last 1.5 miles. Paul took the lead and as we all jogged along the trail we must have looked like an insane military family, where the Dad couldn't never quite get over having been in the Marines and would insist that every walk had to be a boot camp! We certainly got some strange looks! But with nothing to see and the horror of the biting buggers, the run was the best way to get it over with. After the disappointment of Mirror Lake in Yosemite and now the extreme disappointment of this one, we have vowed never to walk to anywhere called Mirror Lake again. You can see what we thought of this trail. We did try to visit a waterfall afterwards but that was no better. In the end, we had our lunch back at the ranger station, which was slightly less infested than the trail. If you haven't already realised, this was the worst walk we have ever been on. There wasn't even the benefit of a nice view. Everything about it was awful! Back at Ontonagon, we called at Pat's Foods for some supplies and then went back to the house to chill for a little while. Evan did try to have a shower and couldn't get any hot water, so we decided to go to the lake for a paddle and then see if it was better when we came back. We did have a nice stroll along the beach which was so peaceful - and bug-free! We were fascinated by the size of the logs that had washed up here - it's a haven for beachcombers. Back at the house, there was still no hot water so I messaged our AirBnB hosts who were fantastic and replied immediately to apologise and assure us that it would be fixed. Within half an hour, someone had been round to sort it out and they were able to get access to the basement without coming into the house so we didn't even realise they were there! It was a really quick response and it was good have the problem sorted so quickly. Now we had hot water, we had showers and inspected our bites, which were plentiful. We had been bitten EVERYWHERE - including our scalps which was just horrible. Everyone had an antihistamine which fortunately Evan had brought with him in case of hay fever and we tried really hard not to scratch. Wow, that was tricky! We cooked some hotdogs for tea and then settled down to watch Stranger Things on Netflix. Having a smart TV was another cool thing about this AirBnB! __________________ West Coast July - August 2014, Howdy Texas! August 2015, Rocking in the Rockies July - August 2016, Bier, Bratwurst und Bahnsteige: Berlin 2017, Touring Tennessee 2017, Expedition East Coast 2018, Hola! Madrid 2019, Great Lakes Grooving 2019, It's Czech, Mate, Prague 2022, Veni, Vidi, Edi, Bibi Italy 2022