More Marathon Exploring
July 5, 2000

First I saw a bear grazing along the side of the road on the drive to the park, the first bear I have ever seen in the wild.  There was not much to see by the time I got the camera out, but the bear was only 30 feet away and only ambled back into the woods after I sat watching him for 20 seconds or so.  I got a real good view.  About 3 miles down the road I had to stop the car and wait for a porcupine to cross!  The only major creature I have not seen so far is a moose.

I did some minor rock climbing/bouldering along the shoreline, putting up several new routes.  This route I named Pukaskwa Pastime.  It's about a 5.5, easy approach, good handholds, OK protection.

As you can see, it's not the easiest thing to do rock-climbing photos with a self-timer!  I really should take a photographer along next time!  But I got some genuine practice in, mostly in traversing and finding handholds and footholds.  I obviously did not want to climb very high without a spotter!  Real rock is amazing to climb on--I hope you can try it yourself soon.

Look closely at the trees in the picture above.  The perspective is deceiving--that tallish tree behind and to the right of me is no more than 6 feet tall.  But it has the proportion of a much taller tree, like a bonsai tree.  The harsh weather along the shore of Lake Superior stunts the growth of trees and they take years to grow even a little.  There are flowers and plants that are usually found on the tundra hundreds of miles to the north.  They can live in this area because the harsh climate is so similar to the arctic.

This route is called Tar Paper Tears.  It's pure vertical and a nasty landing.

Melanie's Revenge.  About a 5.4, with a nice landing and great footholds.