Respite in Big Bay
After a night with the most mosquitos I’ve ever experienced, I woke up in a black mood. The next stretch was along the Huron Mountains. Unlike the Porcupines to the west and Sawtooths in Minnesota, the Hurons were entirely owned by the Huron Mountain Club. The club was old enough that it was said to have went directly from Native land to privately held. It was rich enough that it had presidents as members. It was exclusive enough that security had drones monitoring the water to confront you as soon as you stepped onto dry land. Their website had the audacity to gloat about being a world leader in conservation thanks to miles of untouched old-growth forest and pristine sparkling mountain streams.
It disgusted me an entire mountain range could be privately owned. The lake disgusted me as well. It sat placidly pretending it hadn’t just tried to kill me. I decided to head to a true conservation effort while daring the lake to come at me again. I’d paddle to the Huron Islands National Wildlife Refuge, a grouping of islands 7 miles east of Point Abbaye and 4 miles north of shore.
The islands were more beautiful than I imagined with towering 60ft stone ridges dropping through the waterline to great depths. I stayed away from the Huron Mountain Club. Their land stopped at the water’s edge. So, I stayed in the water. Needing to piss, I did it off the side of the boat and flipped them off just in case they were watching. That worked so well I never needed to stop for a piss the rest of the trip.
Two places on my trip that I’d go back to in a heartbeat. Big Bay was the first. Never have I come across more generous people.
My black had mood clung to me as I arrived. I’d wanted nothing to do with anyone. But then I met the harbormaster, Dan, a big, clean-shaven guy in his 40’s. He was a vet with PTSD from the war on terror and a smile that convinced you he couldn’t hurt a fly. He spent summers in Big Bay and winters racing sailboats in the Florida Keys.
I found myself making friends everywhere. An entire café full of old-timers chatted over homemade donut holes and a bottomless cup of coffee that I could have paid for with the change in my pocket …if they let me pay.
Folks invited me to make music at the park Pavilion.
Young girls in the site next to me tried selling snow cones. I went to make their first sale and gave a tip that I’d seen families down at the beach. They excitedly moved shop. When I saw them again, tolder sister’s eyes flashed excitedly as she began to grin. The younger sister just blurted out, “we made so much MONEY.”
July 5-9, 2023
Gallery - Big Bay
