Jack and the Coyote

Today Jack and I walked all the way to Queen Ann Falls--about a 2 mile hike from door to falls. The weather was beautiful: sunny with a slight breeze and pushing 70 degrees. Everything is just starting to really bloom this far north so apple blossoms and cherry blossoms and not-yet-open lilacs are plentiful. The perfect day for a really long walk. Perfect, that is, until we saw the coyote.

I'm the sort of person who hates suspense so I'll tell you right up front that everyone is fine: Jack, me, the coyote, Queen Ann. I'll also say that honestly I'm not keen to be a stones-throw from a coyote while on foot with a goofball dog two miles from my house ever, ever again. I'm thinking Jack might have to settle for fetching sticks in the back yard for a while.

So, here's what happened...

Jack and I headed out for our favorite trail around 11:30 this morning. On our way we passed a neighbor fishing on the banks of the turtle pond. She'd driven there on her 4-wheeler (and I'll admit I had a weak moment when I felt morally superior for having walked there instead of driven there) but we had a nice chat about the big snapping turtle that lives in the pond, what few, small fish there were, the weather. Jack got a chance for a drink and then off he and I went. Another mile or so up the hill to look at the falls.

On our way we were passed by two rugged individuals on yet more 4-wheelers (and yes, I went from feeling morally superior, to mildly annoyed by the noise and the dust). Jack and I were not to be deterred. We were on an adventure, so on we went. By the time we reached the top the men who'd passed us had pulled off the trail to have a beer. We had a nice chat about the weather, the falls, and the spot with the best view. Jack and I proceeded down the narrowing trail to a good perch just above the river.


I've been there before and thought the greatest danger was the steepness of the trail and how well I can control Jack on a walk. (The headlines I envisioned were "Woman Falls to Death at Queen Ann Falls" or "Dog Walk Turns Tragic.") The idea of packs of coyotes did not enter my mind.

And alright, it was just one scraggly coyote trotting along the rocks at the river's edge not "packs of coyotes!" But Jack and I didn’t stick around to find out where the rest of the pack might be. The coyote was a lean fellow, moving quickly, his nose to the ground. I suppose he was on the scent (not of us thankfully). I was impressed by how quickly Jack went back up that steep hill without so much as a growl. Apparently he knows when to beat a retreat. And I have to admit I was relieved to see the fellows with the beer and the 4-wheelers were still there, just in case I needed to hitch a ride.

Jack's Summer Vacation

Admittedly, every day is a vacation for Jack, but this summer we all enjoyed playing tourist with visiting friends. The Keweenaw is such a great place to while away a summer day, even if you aren't a pampered hound dog.

Here, Jack enhances the view from the top of Brockway Mountain. If I had not been so intent on capturing his mug (and getting both my daughter and her friend in the photo) you would be able to see Lake Superior stretching out, seemingly forever, beyond the tree line in the background. This is a favorite spot to bring visitors because you get such spectactular views of the lake and surrounding countryside. On a clear day you can even glimpse Isle Royale in the distance. There is also a very nice gift and book shop on the spot which Jack did not visit, but our friends did. (I suspect there will be some northern Michigan books and crafts under some Christmas trees in New Jersey this December.)

Another favored spot for tourists, and now hounds as well, is the boat ride to Copper Harbor Lighthouse. We were really surprised when we arrived with Jack and the very laid-back Captain and the patient and accommodating passengers welcomed him on board the tiny lighthouse keeper's boat used to ferry visits from the mainland to the point. Jack LOVED it. Wind in your face. Spray up your nose. Kids fawning over him. New paths to snuffle along. For those of you more interested in history than rabbit trails it is a fun and educational two hour expedition. Be sure to bring a jacket. Rain gear provided by the captain for those of us "voluneered" to sit in the back of the boat.

Bracing for November, and December, and January...

Just surviving winter feels like an accomplishment up here. I know, I know, it is only late October. Halloween is not quite here. I shouldn't go around looking for trouble, and today was spectacular--bright sunshine burned off the morning fog and glowed through the yellow leaves still hanging from most of the birches and maples.

But it is hard not to anticipate the cold that is soon to come, even on a warm, sunny day. The fog was the soft blanket that followed last night's hard frost.

And while the fog gradually burned off, I helped my sister and brother-in-law stack more than a cord of wood in the barn behind their house. That cord was less than half the mountain of wood they will move and stack in neat rows in preparation for the worst of the winter months.

Even with all our modern power tools and conveniences, winter is a lot of work. Living where living itself feels like the achievement is a challenge to my middle-class sensibilities. A good thing, I think, most days.

Dog Days of Summer

Jack and I recently started a new route for our out-of-town walks. For this trek we get to pass a large pond full of water lilies and also cross a stream with the ubiquitous beaver damn partially blocking the way. Here Jack is on the scent of something, most likely the beaver who built the damn. We're having glorious late-summer weather mostly in the 70s with the northern sun's intensity making it feel like the 80s.

Such a cold, wet summer followed by such an unseasonably warm September is causing later berries in places and fall foliage coming on while gladiolas are still in bloom right under their branches. Fall is always a wonderful time of year on the Keweenaw Peninsula, but I suspect this year will be spectacular.

Jack at the Big Lake

Finally, the end of May and it is just warm enough for me to leave the woods and walk along the shore of Lake Superior again. For Jack the sand and waves were a novelty and the drift wood was too large for his usual grab-and-run-with-the-stick game, but the sniffing was glorious. He barely got his nose up off the sand.

For this walk we went by car along 5-Mile-Point Road to the beach at Eagle River. Jack and I walked this beach back in January when there was so much snow and ice you couldn't see where the road ended, the beach began and the lake met the beach (see the bottom photo taken in January of the same beach). Unnerving if you don't want to find yourself on ice that might give way under foot (at this point any long-time residents of the Keweenaw feel free to laugh at my timidity, but really, frozen waves are a daunting sight!).

I don't know if it was the temperature of the water or the movement of the waves, but there was no swimming for Jack today. As things warm up maybe he will take to chasing the waves and swimming in the big lake instead of scaring the turtles in our little pond near home.