Grand Island - August 2015
Summary
Grand Island was the first backpacking trips I ever took. We were very inexperienced, but this trip opened my eyes to the possibilities that existed if you could handle living out of your backpack.
Where
Grand Island is located just outside of Munising, Michigan. It is a relatively large island that has a circumference around ~10 miles.
Logistics
Getting to Grand Island requires taking a ferry outside of Munising. The ferry runs periodically throughout the day, and the ferry ride is very short. Once on the island, there are a number of two track routes and trails within the island. You can see a map of the island below.
Hiking
With little experience (virtually none) we decided to hike counterclockwise from the drop off point and try to find a site. We eventually trekked through the center of the island west to the western shore. We spent some time swimming in Lake Superior, as August is one of the few months the temperature is bearable. We were unable to find a designated campsite on the western shore, so we ended up “random camping” inland. This was quite an experience as we had no backpacking experience, let alone experience picking a site on our own. Our campsite was not going to win any awards for perfect pitch or placement as seen below.
This setup was a cheap “2 person” tent I found on Amazon. My friend slept in a sleeping bag as you can see on the right. Thankfully it didn’t rain as our rain fly would likely not have been very effective.
Photos
I didn’t take many photos and I can’t remember what phone I had at the time, likely a popular Android phone at the time.
My first time seeing a sunset on Lake Superior!
The banks of Grand Island.
