Do deer talk?

The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park was established in 1945 to protect the last large stand of uncut hardwood - hemlock forest remaining in the Midwest. It is a wonderful recreation area for all seasons.

There are 3 key things to see here in the "Porkies". The first is the Presque Isle River area at the far side of the park, so off we went.

On our way to the river area we took a side road that lead to Summit Peak Scenic area. Now I should know when it says "summit" it means climb... but we got out and headed up the trail for a "short" hike (ha). The sign said it was a 3/4 mile hike each way, it didn't say it was all stairways! The stairs led to a tower with lots more stairs, so Ken climbed to the topof the tower to take pictures, while I waited at the halfway point (for those of you who don't know - I don't do heights!). It was a pretty view at 1,958 feet above sea level.

Back on the road to Presque Isle again. This area runs along the Presque Isle River and is loaded with hiking trails. We strapped on our hiking boots and took the east/west trail that runs along the river. We followed the boardwalks and came to the first set of stairs that led down into the 1st gorge to see Manido Falls. The falls were pretty but were smaller than expected. Continuing down the trail it became very steep and was washed out in places so we turned back and followed another route to the next falls. The path lead along the river and the air was much cooler as we came to the next set of stairs and went down again to the Manabezho Falls. From here we followed the trail back to the parking lot.

We left the Presque Isle area and took the scenic loop down Rte 5A to Rte 28, to Rte 107 and back to camp. We stopped on the way to shop at Nordines Foodmart. Part of the fun on this trip has been grocery shopping in all of the little markets and adjusting our menus to use what is available. Tonight Shrimp Fra Diavolo for dinner.

After dinner we took a scenic ride to the Lake in the Clouds. This is one of the most pristine places I have ever seen. The lake is set along the escarpment in the middle of the mountains. There is nothing around it (human wise). We walked the short trail (no stairs!) to the overlook and it was breathtaking. The lake is probably about 1800 feet above sea level.

It was dusk as we started back and a deer ran across the road in front of us, there was a second deer that stopped at the edge of the road. We stopped and watched. As we sat in the car we heard a noise like a crow from the trees where the first deer had gone. It was the 1st deer communicating with the 2nd one that was standing in the trees near the road. The 2nd deer turned and ran away. We waited for a while and then we heard the noise again. Neither of us had ever heard a deer make a noise, and it felt strange to hear them.

Back at camp we got ready to leave in the morning.

Note: We loved the UP and almost hate to leave the area. If you have a chance, you definitely need to spend time appreciating a the real wilderness.