FEBRUARY 13, 2005 — MARQUETTE, MI
A storm came through Grand Marais on the night of February 7th, and the temperatures dropped. This was actually good news for Andrew since he found it hard to hike through the wet and slushy trails that resulted from a week-long thaw. The temperatures during the week of Feb. 7th were in the teens at night and the 20s during the day. This enabled the top snow layer to crust over, providing relatively solid footing for snowshoeing. Because the hours of daylight have been steadily increasing, Andrew is able to complete 20 miles per day with ease. Thus, Andrew is ahead of schedule.
The trail between Grand Marais and Munising follows the Lake Superior shoreline, through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which features 200-foot high sandstone cliffs. Despite and 20 mph wind that was coming off the lake, Andrew really enjoyed the 50-mile stretch because of its amazing vistas and frozen waterfalls; and he felt fortunate for having it all to himself, since during most months there are throngs of visitors.
Andrew reached Marquette on Friday evening, February 11th. Kim Prohaska, the public relations person for Balance Bar, had arranged lodging for Andrew along with television and radio interviews. This was exciting for Andrew. He met up with Chad Larsen and fiance Suzanne, who have been following his trip in the media and on his website; they gave him a tour of the city, took him out to dinner, and brought him to Jean Kay’s Pasty Shop, which apparently makes the best pasties in Marquette.
Andrew has hiked: 3,998 miles (52% of his 7,700 mile hike of the C2C Route).
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