The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands off the south shore of Lake Superior. All of them except Madeline Island are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and were named for the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ (or at least the twelve largest of them were). And they are a premier sea kayaking destination. We have a home in Cornucopia, Wisconsin that is only about four miles from the Meyer’s Beach entrance to the national lakeshore, so I make several kayak trips there each summer.
The waters of Lake Superior are clear and cool, and the crossings from one island to another in the Apostle Islands are mostly under three miles–perfect for kayaking. And the south shore of Lake Superior, where the Apostle Islands are located, has many deep, sandy bays, which warm the frigid waters of the lake enough to make swimming possible. Bald eagles soar over every bay and black bears and foxes inhabit most of the islands. Plus, there are old brownstone quarries, fish camps, and farms that remind paddlers of the islands’ history.
While Lake Superior is spectacularly beautiful, she can also be ferocious. In a storm, wave heights can build to over thirty feet. And while summer water temperatures can be pleasant, a pneumonia front can quickly drop temperatures into hypothermia range. Kayakers die almost every year. In 2018, a family of five set out on a kayak day trip in the Apostles. When a storm blew in, only the mom survived.
There are historic lighthouses on a number of the islands. My favorite is the brownstone lighthouse on Sand Island. It was built in 1880, with $40,000 appropriated by Congress. A quarter of the budget was to purchase the fourth order fresnel lens, that was manufactured in Paris and installed by a specially trained technician from the manufacturer. A substantial portion of the remaining budget was to quarry and ship brownstone blocks from the quarry on Basswood Island, but when masons arrived on the north end of Sand Island, they saw that the tip of the island was all brownstone. They quarried the tip of the island down to the waterline to supply the blocks necessary to build the lighthouse, bringing the project in well under budget.
Whether it’s a daytrip to the mainland sea caves or a weeklong expedition to the far reaches of the archipelago, a paddle in the Apostle Islands is always a pleasure.
Geezer Adventures 