Mount Arvon, Michigan 1,979 feet

Climbed 9/2/2019

One major benefit of our highpointing hobby is that it inspires us to travel to places we might otherwise never visit. Mount Arvon is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The UP, as local "Yoopers" call it, is a popular vacation destination for Michiganders from "the mitten" (Lower Peninsula), but is off the beaten path for the rest of us.

Mount Arvon is remote if you measure remoteness by distance from a city large enough to have an airport; it's a 4+ hour drive from Green Bay, WI (to the south), Duluth, MN (to the west), or Sault St Marie, Ontario (to the east). It is much less remote if you measure remoteness by distance from the trailhead; here is a photo that captures the entire hike.

You can see the edge of the blue summit marker behind the crooked tree

We approached Mount Arvon from the east, flying into Sault St Marie (pronounced Soo St Marie) and crossing the international bridge over the St Mary's River. As we ate lunch on the Michigan side, we watched a 1000 foot ship pass through the Soo Locks into Lake Superior. We spent the afternoon driving west across the UP to our hotel at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Woods, woods and more woods, unfortunately a few weeks too early for the fall colors.

The next morning we navigated the maze of logging roads outside of L'Anse Township, watching carefully for the blue highpoint signs to keep us on course. We reached the summit area after about 10 miles.

Highpoint # 46 for us

After conquering Mount Arvon, we wound our way back down the logging roads then headed to the shores of Lake Superior. Our hotel in Munising overlooked Grand Island and Pictured Rocks National Seashore.

Enjoying the view

We took the evening tourist boat out to see the colorful cliffs of Pictured Rocks. However, Lake Superior lived up to its reputation for "lumpy" sea conditions and the boat turned back at the mouth of Munising Bay.

Lumpy seas

By the time we arrived next day at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, the weather had served up a thematically appropriate thunderstorm. The lighthouse keeper's house at Whitefish Point kept us cozy and dry while we learned about the many ships that went down in "the big lake they called Gitche Gumee."

Evelyn coveted the lighthouse keeper's built-in wall units

The weather cleared nicely overnight, giving us a beautiful day for our ferry ride to Mackinac Island. Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) occupies a strategic position in the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. In addition to its historical significance, it's a delightful tourist destination with a state park, a grand hotel, Victorian bed-and-breakfasts, and fudge shops. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island, so you get around in horse-drawn carriages. Even the workers transporting goods and visitors' suitcases from the ferry use horse-drawn vehicles.

A step back in time

Back from Mackinac Island, we returned to Sault St Marie and flew to Toronto for the start of the 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival.