Thanks for the insight! If I ever try… it will likely just be the stretch from Munising to Grand Marais… during warm summer months (late June - early Sept). I worry most about screwing up and ending up in the water for hours. On that stretch it can be a long way between beaches! High traffic that time of year boosts chances of help… and problems. Well… Thanks Again!
The problem with Pictured Rocks is not just water temp, its that waves are chaotic. The the ones that bounce back at you from the cliffs are no smaller than the incoming swells. Personally I would only run that stretch during a good weather window, good meaning wind from the south.
Thanks for more good insight! Do you wear a drysuit or wetsuit on Superior regardless of air temps? I went with Uncle Duckies (Paddling Michigan) one day (a few hours) along there in late September… it was choppy but not too bad. The cruise boat wakes were the biggest challenge that day… along with cool temps and light rain. That day a dry or wet suit would have been nice. But the days I was hiking along there it was hot and calm… and I fear baking in that heat. Yet I jumped in the lake after one of our longer days of hiking… and started getting numb in 10 minutes. That water is cold!
A good quality drysuit (meaning one made with a reliably breathable fabric like GoreTex) is not all that “hot” – it mainly keeps your skin dry to prevent evaporative cooling and retains some body heat. If you are paddling and feeling overly warm due to the exertion of paddling in colder water, you can just drag your wrists in the water for a minute or splash your face.
Paddling around coastal Superior solo is risky. Personally, I would want to be in the company of at least 3 other paddlers with assisted rescue experience and be comfortable with my own skills in that (and self rescue) to boot.
I admit I’m biased as far as caution, having seen how violent the Big Lakes can become during any month of the year during the years I lived in Michigan and having visited the GL shores regularly for most of my life. We also lost 2 family members (both strong swimmers) to drowning in northern Lake Michigan when an unexpected cloudburst storm came up while they were swimming off their home beach.
Great advice! People forget the great lake have strong currents… even rip currents when conditions are right. I have honestly never tried a good dry suit… as most of my paddling is on rivers in the Michigan’s LP where I live… and typically when water are air temps are warmer. Maybe I will try some more runs around Turnip rock and over on the west coast to gain more experience in the waves… while I ask more questions. I appreciate any advice I can get on the bigger water.
PS. In June my brother, a cousin and I are going to try a test stretch on the Missouri River (Yankton to Sioux City) . My brother has caught a Lewis and Clark infection… and is passing it on!
Thanks for the great info! Noted and filed away in the “Get the Heck Out of Town” folder.
Hope you don’t need the tarp or repair kit in a hurry. Probably why canoes were invented.
Just maybe she was replying to mjack’s ? about kayak camping…
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Of course
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Pack the heaviest stuff up front to balance the boat fore and aft.
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Maybe an alligator got the paddler.
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Where is the snake?
Lisa saw the head of one go under. We also heard a big splash not far from us but didn’t see what made it. I had one large longnose gar pass within touching distance with 3 smaller courters up close in escort. It’s impressive paddling through large trees.
