Back After A Long Time - A Trip To the Pictured Rocks

   

 

Excited To Be Back!

                Dear Diary,                                                                                                     7/14/2021

                        It's the next summer in 2021! Conditions have gotten way better since last time and there are barely any cases in my town! As the quarantine was over, I already had been enrolled in many classes, school started, and homework made me so busy I couldn't tell you anything! But luckily it's the next summer and I can share some newer stories with you. By the way, I'm now 13 and very happy to be a teenager! I had a great party and got amazing gifts from my parents. And since it was Summer Vacation, I went somewhere with my parents. Below is today's writing piece.

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A Trip To The Pictured Rocks

A Brief Intro

Did you ever think nature could paint? If so, you are 100% correct! Nature has everything it needs to paint: A canvas made of rocks, water, and a palette with organic colors made of iron, copper, calcium, and manganese. Some of nature’s best paintings can be found in the Pictured Rocks found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This is a must go destination for tourists who love hiking, kayaking, cruising, and sightseeing.

Destinations in Pictured Rocks

The Pictured Rocks are located in Munising, a small town located in Pure Michigan(The Upper Peninsula of Michigan). The Pictured Rocks are actually part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, including over 40 miles of trails which lead to amazing falls, beaches, and structures. The Pictured Rocks touch the biggest of the five great lakes, Lake Superior, which is also  the cleanest of the great lakes. Lake Superior is a great sight to behold with different shades of blue that get darker as the Lake gets deeper. 

As mentioned earlier, there are many falls in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Miner Falls (Photo next to the Title) is one of the larger falls that can be found in the Lakeshore. There is a half mile wooden trail leading to the far view of Miner Falls, which can then be climbed over to go down a harder hiking trail to get to the falls. The falls covers a small cave that is reachable to brave people who have an extra pair of clothes handy. Another large fall is the Spray Falls, which doesn’t drop its water into an ordinary pool, it drops it straight into Lake Superior! This fall is harder to see and can only be seen from a distance from a long hike through Little Beaver Lake Campgrounds. Other relatively smaller falls include Mosquito Falls, Chapel Falls, Munising Falls, Wagner Falls, and Sable Falls. These all can be reached through smaller hikes and are good for people who want some amazing pictures. 

Beaches are another sight in the Pictured Rock National Lakeshore. There are many beaches in the lakeshore and it would be hard to mention them all, but a few of the beaches that are going to be mentioned have great views and are closer to Munising. First on the list is Twelve mile beach, which is one of the rockier beaches and showcases the different shades of blue in Lake Superior. Another beach is Chapel Beach, which is a very popular beach, and worth the hike of 3 miles. Chapel Beach has Chapel Spring, which is a good natural waterslide, and Chapel Rock, which I will talk about later. A good beach in the Chapel Beach area is Mosquito Beach, which is rocky instead of sandy. The trail is 3.9 miles long, and is very muddy, making it a must to wear some durable hiking boots. Finally,  we have Miner Beach, which is very sandy and showcases a very beautiful sunset around 10:00 P.M. EST.

Not only are there beaches and falls, but many other structures are part of the pictured rocks. One such structure is Chapel Rock, which can be seen as a face from the side. It is located within Chapel Beach, making the trail to get there a 3 mile walk. Chapel Rock has a lone pine tree on top of it which gets all of its water and nutrients from one hanging root in the adjacent forest. One more structure that can be seen through cruise or from a far distance is Miner’s Castle, which is good for people who don’t want to walk too much, and/or to learn about the hiking terrain they will be walking in. There are also some lighthouses in the lakeshore, but they are not too important in my opinion.

Last but not least, there’s the actual Pictured Rocks! It is a line of rocks colored  by elements that make it look like there are pictures on the rocks. The best way to see the Pictured Rocks is by a cruise through Lake Superior. There are many available cruise services that show all of the Pictured Rocks and some extra things in a period of about 2 hours. Some even provide supper while you enjoy the awesome view! Things that you can see on the cruise are Grand Island, Chapel Beach Area, Mosquito Beach Area, Miner Beach Area, Bear’s Leg Rocks, and different colors on the rocks that look like paintings.

As you can see, there are many things that you can do at Pictured Rocks. Below are some photos to accompany the descriptions above.

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        That was my little essay of the Pictured Rocks, and I hope you liked it, diary. I'm going to leave now because it's gotten late. Hopefully I will see you next week!

Sincerely,

Shubh Varshney

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   Thank you for reading 

Please make sure to look at my newer blogs and my older blogs if you haven't read them. Bye!