This was about an actual waterfall in the western Upper Peninsula--Bond Falls. The previous September, we had gone to a football game in Ontonagon and got the notion to stop there on the way over. I took some pictures that went with the blog entry. It was early fall ...
In comments made later, Lady Visine (I think) asked for photos of the waterfall in winter, when much of the water freezes. I couldn't get there last winter--winter ended too soon, and basketball season lasted way too long.
This winter, it's been the opposite, so I've had a little time. Last Sunday morning, I drove west to Watersmeet and then north to Bond Falls. I was pretty sure I would still see a lot of ice--we got well below zero F the night before.
I had no way of knowing the conditions there. My last long winter hike was with S in southern Ontario during December 2005, when we visited a nature preserve located nearby. That day was cold but sunny with about six inches of fresh snow on the ground. I had no idea what conditions would be like this time.
After all, Bond Falls is a lot closer to Lake Superior and its lake-effect snowstorms than we are. How much snow do they have? Was anyone going to the park and looking at the waterfall? How far would I have to hike in? Most importantly, how deep would the snow be? Two feet? More?
There was just one way to find out, so I dressed for deep snow, putting on my heavy boots and socks. The weather would be relatively mild--close to 20F--and no wind was forecast. So I didn't have to dress for an Arctic expedition. But still ...
It's about 45 to 50 miles away, as the crow drives. I found the road that leads to the falls. The sign has pointed the way for a long time ...
Four miles later, I came to the park entrance. As I suspected, it was blocked off--hadn't been plowed for a while ...
But that doesn't mean the road wasn't being used. I quickly noted the snowmobile and cross country ski tracks.
Near the entrance, a family was putting on snowshoes. Snowshoes would have been nice, but I don't have any. I waved at them and started walking down the entrance way, following the many paths through the snow ...
As it turned out, it was an easy walk--plenty of people had been there before me. The trail leading to Bond Falls itself was just as easy a hike ...
It wasn't long before I heard the running water, and then I was looking at Bond Falls in winter ...
There was another photographer there--he said he was from Ann Arbor, about 500 miles away--getting some pictures. (Well, what else do photographers do?) He pointed out an ice cave visible in the ice on the waterfall. You can't get much closer in summer--but now there was a nice frozen walkway in front of the main falls. He walked over there, and then so did I.
My trip down the steps was a little more spectacular than I planned. A lot of ice had accumulated on the steps, and my old boots don't have much tread left in them. As I tried to climb down, one foot slipped forward, and I rode down the rest of the way on my backside.
No damage done, and a minute or so later I was at the ice cave ...
There is a walkway up the right side of the falls. It's old and narrow, and the concrete steps are chipped. Most people going up the hill walked along its side, using bushes and tree limbs for balance and support. As did I...
I climbed about halfway up and got a few more shots of the rushing water ...
I didn't climb to the top. The hill was pretty steep in that area. And those concrete steps ... well, they didn't look very safe to me ...
I also walked that walkway at the bottom, to get shots at the eastern end of the falls. On the other side of the walkway, the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River resumed its journey towards Lake Superior, about 40 miles away ...
The hardest part of the trek came right at the end. That hill I climbed down earlier from the road now had to be climbed. It took a while, and I rested a bit, but I made it OK. No problem.
By 1 p.m. I was back home. My arctic expedition was now behind me, and I finally have the photos Lady Visine wanted to see.
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