Apostle Islands Ice Cave Pictures

“Last week-end I drove up to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore along the southern shore of Lake Superior.
Apostle Islands Ice Caves
For a short time the lake is frozen enough to be safe and you can check out the fantastic ice formations along the sandstone caves and tunnels. In summer this is a popular kayaking site.

summer view

but, it looks like this now..

ice caves part 1

ice caves part 2

let's see if I typed these links correctly..wish there was an ability to edit when posting here to correct errors..”

“All links work. Beautiful photos, just like the camerawoman who took them.”

“now you've gone and got me blushin'..I won't be able to afford a fishing license in Iowa..will you share your catch? anything you suggest I bring?”

“I retired myself, with JimmyC, from Trailhead Register..I will still post occassionally on the other forums but am spending alot more time over here..takes time getting to know people and how to get around in here but hey, I like learning new things!”

“yeah i'm over here a little more, i was wondering what happened to jimmyc. cool pics, this fl girl has never seen anything like that before!”

“cool pics”

“Thanks for the great pics, mataharihiker. I'm kicking myself for not getting up there to see them in person. It's only a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive for me, and I love going to Bayfield in the summer. Gotta remember for a future excursion.”

“OMG mataharihiker! You were JimmyC? ;-)”

“gotta kayak? I'd love to go up there this summer to check out the sea caves in my Folbot but would rather not do it solo..I have great respect for Lake Superior..”

“StoveStomper..I wish I had half his wit..I miss both his posts and Prosecutor's..they, with Sequoia, were the main reasons I bothered looking at TR to begin with..now, why bother..”

“Gorgeous Matahari! Thanks for posting them.”

“gorgeous pictures..”

“someone say kayak?


very cool pics. that sunset is now on my background on my pc (if thats cool with you?)”

“Beautiful pics! That place is high on my list of places to visit.”

“great pics!! Thanks for sharing!”

“EXCELLENT pictures! I'd love to get up there with a kayak.”

“MataHariHiker, did you just call JimmyC a half wit? He posts over here quite a lot under a different name. With his life style, its no wonder that he is used to having more than one name.

I'll share any trout I catch with the group at Yellow River, no problem.

What to bring: Fresh lemon, sturdy hiking boots (some trails have lots of rocks), and your camera.”

“Great pictures. I'm probably closer to there than most and still haven't been. I have had a Folboat for about 2 years and love it. Can't remember what kind, but it's very small weighing about 38 pounds. BTW I see you're from St. Croix Falls. I used to play sports against those guys in High School.”

“I've got a Yukon last fall..I wasn't raised in Wisconsin..only came here in 1987..where've you kayaked in Wisconsin so far?”

“A fair amount on the Namekagon and the St. Croix. Neither are challenging, both are beautiful. One of my adventures last summer was to float the Namekagon to the St Croix and on to Danbury. I stashed my boat and hiked the 25 miles back to my truck. When I finally got back to my house, I stripped and jumped on the scale. I hadn't even lost a pound of water weight. This was the beginning of my weight loss/fitness endeavor.”

“Beautiful!

The pics, too.”

“Now, don't you go getting me in trouble with my favorite Texan..I only OWN sturdy hiking boots (LOL) and my camera is permanently attached to me on every trip..I'll bring fresh lemons, for sure..and my geeky camping pepper grinder..”

“Those caves look like kayak paradise!”

“Last fall I took a 2 day trip UP the St Croix..with a 20mph south wind I was able to hold my jacket over my head and sail as much as paddle..I was kicking myself for not bringing my umbrella..don't you live near Trego..I think I remember reading that somewhere..do you know about the Folbot Flotilla happening in Canada this year..I'm thinking about going..
folbot website

click on "user's forum" where you can sign on as a guest, if you wish. the info is under the thread "Rideau Flotilla 2004" on menu at left..excuse me if you already know this..but, I've never even SEEN another Folbot much less know of someone nearby who owns one..”

“Good job. Yeah, the St. Croix can be funny. Sometimes it's easier to go upstream than down. I remembered what kind of Folbot I have: Aleut. I discovered the company maybe around 1992. I'd been reading a book about (I think) the Voyageurs and it discussed a type of "folding boat" that some of them used. Just for grins I did a google on it and came up with the company web site. From that information I sent an email and got a personal response from the owner...mostly because my typing finger stuttered and I incorrectly told them I had 200 cannoes rather than 2. Anyway, I got one as soon as I moved back to Wisconsin in 2002. I now have 5 boats but plan to sell 3 when the ice is out so I can buy more hiking toys. A guy doesn't really need more than a kayak and a cannoe. Besides, I need to get into my garage. The Canada adventure sounds like a lot of fun.”

“Really cool pics of really cool places!”

“25 years ago, we canoed the Namekagon to the St.Croix from Hayward to Trego. Mostly quiet water, and lots of good places to camp and fish. Upstream from Hayward, mostly between Seeley and Cable, the Namekagon is a world class trout stream. The name Namekagon comes from the Indian Ojibway, Num-a-kaug-un which means "Where the sturgeon are plentiful."”

“Beautiful pictures dude.
Those Sun Set shots are Awesome!”

“mataharihiker, I don't have a sea kayak, just a couple Kiwi Kopapas. My wife and I did an overnight on the Namakagon down to the St. Croix a few years back and the little Kiwis were perfect for carrying lightweight camping gear. But then we got our solo canoes and have put the Kiwis up at our place in Marquette in case we ever want to paddle there. And my sailboat is too small to take that far out along the Superior Coast.

But maybe we should look at a Namakagon or St. Croix paddle in the future with Snake Eyes and anyone else we can round up. It's a beautiful waterway, that's for sure.”

“Remember that point exactly where the St. Croix and the Namekagon merge? There's a little cabin on it. I could have purchased the whole thing in the summer of '63 for $800. Of course I was only making $35/ wk for 56 hours. River front wasn't highly regarded at that time. I always have liked rivers better; they come from somewhere and are going somewhere. Yes, a river trip is always great. I'll show everyone how to set illegal and highly effective set lines.”

“Snake Eyes, if you would have purchased the cabin at the confluence for $800 in 1963, the government would have condemned it in 1968 under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.”

“I remember that little cabin still being there when we went by. Looked to still be in private ownership. Is it like Isle Royale where certain landholders are granted lifetime rights?

The problem with the Namakagon Scenic River Corridor is just that, it's a corridor -- at our lovely little riverside campsite, we went to sleep to the constant drone of an irrigation pump for a nearby farm, just outside the corridor. Well, that and the drunken buffoons in the floating party that we had to paddle through.”

“Hey Pekka, was that you that cut throgh our group?”

“Only if you are under 23 years of age or so, prosecutor. Nothing like seeing beer-soaked duffusses in inner tubes being run down by their mates in the aluminum canoe that has the giant cooler.”

“the land would still be mine unless they could prove I died. So far no one has been able to do so. A couple of employers tried, but when they waved that old paycheck in front of my face I instinctively grabbed for it and was officially declared living.”

“an old fart thread. Don't you think there ought to be a place where people of a certain aged status could, with feigned wisdom, discuss matters of dubious importance. Male, female doesn't matter. We would have to establish a minimum age limit. When one of us croaks we could dip into the pool of available tt'ers (much like scooping from a toilet) and select a replacement. Any thoughts?”

“Fantastic pix, MataHari. We don't see anything like that here in 'Bama.”

“Wow, matahari hiker, those are beautiful!”

“Snake Eyes, there's a fair number of geezers on TT, myself included (is 52 really geezerville, you may ask -- had a student today refer to lp records as "those vinyl kinda things" and I knew I was a geezer) though they certainly don't have a corner on the feigned wisdom on things of dubious importance. And that's a nice variation on the "cream rising to the top" analogy you have for choosing new members, lol.”

“Visiting the Apostle Islands Ice Caves made the front page of the latest edition of the Bayfield County Journal. The article touted the beauty of the caves in the winter, but the photos in the newpaper were pale in comparison with the one hat MataHariHiker posted.”