» kai hit a tree
One of the most memorable moments of this trip came when a strange car pulled aside Tyler and I and said "Do you have a friend on a snowmobile?...he hit a tree along the side of the road...he's okay, but he hit a tree." At that point Tyler was probably really regretting his decision to sign the damage waiver. Tyler and I wondered about what circumstances could involve Kai hitting a tree on a snowmobile without injury. I assumed it had something to do with Kai trying to make a quick turn when he saw a sign for a sauna (he's Finnish). When we found Kai we at least expected to find the snowmobile wrapped around a tree, but no, it was just NEAR a tree, harmlessly stuck in the soft snow of a snowbank (common rookie mistake according to the laughing passerbys). So, nothing really dramatic had happened, Kai was just trying to turn around after he missed a turn and got the snowmobile stuck in a pile of soft snow. After we failed to pull it out of the snow by hand, Tyler hooked it up to his truck and got it out no problem. We had only rented the snomobile as an easy way to access an ice climb, but this is not the last drama that it would cause.

Okay, so an atheist, a Christian, and a Mormon walk into a bar after ice climbing. This is not the start of some bad joke, but what ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Unfortunately, nothing funny transpired.

More to come...

Tyler on Bridal Veil, a 140 foot waterfall (tallest in Michigan) that slides down the cliffs into Lake Superior.

This is a photo of a climber on Bridal Veil from last year.

Iced cliffs.

Getting near the steep part.

Bridal Veil as seen from the lake ice. If you look closely you can see Kai at the top just to the left of the ice.

Tyler's feet and me near the bottom of Bridal Veil (Photo by Kai).

Looking towards Mosquito Beach.

Almost up (Photo by Kai).

An ice cave below Bridal Veil.

Kai on the ramp.

Tyler on some ice column.

Ice cave under the cliffs.

It's hard to appreciate the scale without seeing it in person, but maybe a video will help.

Cliffs and the frozen Lake Superior.

Tyler.

Looking up in an ice cave.

Looking out over the frozen surface of Lake Superior.

Icicles on an ice column.

Tyler.

Miners Castle at dusk.

Kai on MNA Memorial Falls.

Bridal Veil as seen from Miners Castle.

...

Me waiting to be lowered the rest of the way down (Photo by Kai).

Bridal Veil is just around the corner of that slanted cliff.

Where Bridal Veil meets Lake Superior (the very bottom of the climb).

Ice cave.

Icicles.

Me on Memorial Falls (Photo by Kai).

Our paths and the locations of the ice climbs.

 

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» all photo reports from michigan's upper peninsula

Thinking about traveling to Pictured Rocks yourself? You might want to read my guide to Pictured Rocks.

Ice Climbing, Michigan
March 4 - 5, 2011
Ice Climbing at Pictured Rocks with a side trip to Miners Castle.
Ice Climbing, Michigan
March 4 - 5, 2010
Ice climbing in the Sand Point area of Pictured Rocks.
The Upper Peninsula, Michigan
October 2 - 11, 2009
Enjoying fall in the Upper Peninsula from Pictured Rocks to the Porcupine Mountains to the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Mackinac Island, Michigan
October 3, 2009
Spending a short day on the island and enjoying the views, even without the influence of fudge.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
March 7 - 9, 2008
Skiing & snowshoeing in the Miners Castle & Grand Sable Dunes areas. We also checked out the ice in Grand Marais & Mackinac Straits.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
March 17, 2007
Hiking along the ice shelf from Twelvemile Beach to Spray Falls.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
January 27, 2007
Skiing & hiking the Chapel Loop in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on a stormy day.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
March 2 - 4, 2006
Ice climbing and skiing in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
January 7, 2006
A backcountry ski trip to the remote lakeshore cliffs of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
July 3 - 4, 2005
Hiking in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and checking out some of the other sights in the area.
 
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
February 25 - 26, 2011
Backpacking the Chapel Loop in winter, with a side trip to Spray Falls.
Bare Bluff, Michigan
October 8, 2009
A fall hike to Bare Bluff, one of the more scenic areas of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
October 4 - 11, 2009
Some stormy fall weather along the Pictured Rocks lakeshore.
Ice Climbing, Michigan
February 25 - 27, 2009
Ice climbing in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
August 30 - September 2, 2007
Back to the Great Lakes with a rare summer visit to Pictured Rocks to see what it all looks like when it's green.
Mackinac Straits & Pictured Rocks, Michigan
March 16 - 18, 2007
Skiing to Miners Castle, lingering in the Straits of Mackinac, and some other stuff.
Pictured Rocks in Fall, Michigan
October 7, 2006
Hiking the Chapel Loop & checking out other sights like Spray Falls, Miners Castle, Miners Beach, Munising Falls, Grand Sable Dunes, etc.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan
February 19 - 20, 2006
Skiing & snowshoeing the Pictured Rocks backcountry. Areas visited include: Miners Castle, Miners Beach, Twelvemile Beach, and Spray Falls.
The Upper Peninsula, Michigan
December 26 - 28, 2005
Winter pictures from Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
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