Friday July 23

Friday morning we decided to go kayaking. We put in first in Lake Fanny Hooe, a small lake that is right in the center of the tip of the Keewanah. It had a stream that ran thru to to Superior, so we figured that would be a good access point. When we got out there we found the stream was way to small, even for kayaks so we paddled back threw the kayak's back in the truck, and went to the big lake. We had a great time, and proceeded to paddle out around the lighthouse.
When we made the turn around the point you see in the picture, I looked down, in water that -by kyak paddle measure - was well deeper than 4', and saw veins of copper and quartz running through the rock on the lake floor! We both shouted out at the same time!
We then learned quickly how fast the weather changes on Lake Superior! Again at about the same time, we both felt the wind change and become offshore, blowing us out in the lake! That ended our excursion for the day, and left us a long paddle back into the wind to the truck. Great fun.
Later that afternoon we took a walk through the fort. It is staffed by students from area universities acting the role of Army staff and family in the late 1800's. They did a good job of depicting the life in a fort of this type. Ft. Wilkens was not a Protection garrison for the country, but kind of a "peace keeping" garrison to maintain order among the prospectors. It was staffed for a few years, abandoned, then staffed again. Not the difference on the joint technique in the two buildings.
A little later we went down Brockway Dr. an old road that runs down the "spine" of the peninsula. It takes you to the highest peak between the Alleghenies and the Rocky's, 1328'. It was beautiful. In the photograph, you can see Lake Superior on your left, the village of Copper Harbor, and Lake Fanny Hooe on your right. The fort and our campground is right between them, hidden by the trees. Our canoe route is out around the lighthouse you can just see on the left. Look closely, and you'll see the Lake is now in whitecaps, and it only got rougher!
In this photo you may notice some notably taller trees sticking up out of the other forest. These are the virgin growth trees we saw yesterday. When we got to the top, there was a sign and a single lonely souvenir stand. What a view of Lake Superior however!