This weekend the Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior turned on the weather machine and brought us cold temperatures and coated the area with up to 15 inches of beautiful powder.  It finally feels like winter is here!  The ice in Munising is also starting to come around with true waterfalls finally becoming solid enough to see their first ascents of the season.

With all of the fresh snowfall if you are planning a trip into the backcountry it may be a good idea to pack the snowshoes or skis.  As of last Thursday there was a boot packed trail to Mini Me and Sunny Day out along the Lakeshore Trail.  Since Thursday the Munising area has been hit by a significant amount of lake effect snowfall so plan on snowshoeing in.

 

 

 

 

While at one point this season, most local climbers thought that accessing Grand Island this season was out of the question. Now there is a slight chance that Munising Bay will freeze enough to allow passage to the Island and some of the country’s most unique ice climbing. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

While seeps seem to be pretty darn solid, some of the waterfalls are very thin as they have only recently formed.  Please use your best judgement when selecting climbs right now.  As always, patience now will mean more and better ice for the next few months!