Water, Water Everywhere

"Water, water everywhere...."  So begins one of the lines in the Samuel Taylor Coleridge work, "The Rhime of the Ancient Mariner."  I often think of this line, and its following portion "nor any drop to drink" when we camp.  For you see, when we are camping we are, literally, the rainmakers.  The Coleridge line well fits the predicaments of water in which we often find ourselves.  When we had dry years while I was working, and the city was instituting an odd--even watering calendar (some people love to water their lawns), I noted they could send us camping and the rain would likely materialize.  The problem was we like to camp in northern Wisconsin, generally well out of the Madison climate zone.  The forests are larger and the lakes are more clean in the north woods.

On part of the Lake Trail, June 2018

During the first full week of July this year my spouse and I took a camping trip to Laura Lake.  It is our favorite campground.  It was supposed to last Mon to Fri, but a sever storm came through Thursday and the forecast was rain pretty much all day so we came home Thursday. On Monday we had a storm come through right after we set up, which would be mid-afternoon and again in the evening from about 6 to 10 pm. Our first trip to Laura Lake was in 2002 and a few years ago we made three camping trips there in the span of about six weeks.  That year, 2017, I wrote about a similar topic, which you can find here.  Over the intervening few years, from 2017 to today, the water level has not dropped and is even, we believe, higher.  The lingering high water is lasting longer than I would have thought it would when we first came upon it back in 2017.  That bullfrog, back in 2017 belching from what earlier would be an ephemeral like pond created by the excessive rainfall, is now more like a regular water feature. Vegetation in and around this new pond pond area is struggling to survive.  The lingering affects of the high water levels is, however, also showing up in the trees, and other vegetation, particularly those that line Gordon Lake.

Gordon Lake, note some lake edge trees dying in background, July 2019

Given that the trees at lake edge have been hampered by lake water levels, I think it safe to say that the water is abnormally high, at least for the past few generations.  The high water level has, of course, emboldened the mosquito population.  I suspect the black flies are a common problem in the north woods, at least for the early part of the summer. One other thing affected is the path around Laura Lake, the path also goes between Laura and Gordon lakes.  Since we encountered the high water in 2017 the pedestrian path around the lake has become more challenging.  there are detours, and where there used to be no significant water crossings there are now two.  Some old trees across the water assist in the crossing, but they are not the length of the crossing, and every year higher water makes for more and more mud at each end of the tree trunks.  For part of its way the pedestrian trail is near the lake edge, and it traverses between Laura Lake and its many lake side campsites.

Looking to Laura Lake from campsite, July 2020

My wife did not wish to hike the trail this year due to the high water, but on a hot early afternoon Tuesday I set out on the 2.25 mile excursion.  I had two significant water crossings, one shortly after I started at the west end of the Campground, and the other a few hundred feet from a dirt road serving the Laura Lake boat landing.  Both were easily traversed by use of hiking poles to maintain balance on logs, and large steps, or jumps, to find less muddy areas so as to not sink.   I get more water on my hiking shoes during my walk in town after a rainstorm than I did on that hike. Mud on the bottoms of the shoes would be a different story.

Sun setting on Gordon Lake, 2019

Yet, it was a relatively fast hike, as I accomplished it in about 50 minutes.  I did not realize how my heart rate was up until I got home and noticed I had 59 minutes of cardio that day, with most all the time corresponding to my hike around the lake.  It is not like I set out to do a strenuous pace, but I forgot to put bug spray on before starting, although I had some in my day pack with my water bottle, and realized that the mosquitoes were too bad to stop to even put on bug spray.  They did get sufficiently bad, that when I came across a small area of sun I stopped to put on the spray, with about 20 minutes left in the hike.  The mosquitoes were all over my legs as I sprayed first my arms, did my face and then my legs.  I am not sure how much it helped the rest of the way because I continued to move fast.  When I got to the Laura Lake boat landing, I texted my wife, yes I had my phone with me in case I ran into trouble (as if someone would be able to assist), at 1:37 to let her know I was at the boat landing which she would then know the most difficult parts were over and the remaining part we had done together.  The rest of the way would be back to our far campsite via a trail predominantly along the lake edge, except for a few detours due to high water.  The moral of the story is that if you want to get a good cardio workout find a trail with a lot of mosquitoes.

Google map photo of Gordon and Laura Lakes

Beyond the mosquitoes I am sure there are other effects on other wildlife of high lake levels. We did not see much in the way of wildlife this year, other than a couple loons.  In the past, beyond loons, we have seen otters, eagles, ducks, and some amphibians.  I did see some small fish in the water while swimming.  I am just glad I was not attacked by an otter.  A very good friend of my oldest son was swimming at a lake in a national park in California recently and was attacked by a river otter.  He is a very good swimmer and made it to shore, albeit with injuries that required significant stitching and staples, not to mention shots for rabies.  Unbeknownst to him, he was near the offspring of the otter who attacked him.  The news reports, doing what they like to do for sensationalism, made it seem he purposely did that, but I know the young man, I have been on canoe trips and hikes with him, and he would not knowingly do such a thing.

Gordon Lake looking west.  Notice green on trees
Photo July 2004

What is occurring is that climate has affected water levels.  It was but eight years ago and people were complaining about the historic lows of Lake Michigan, and now the lake is at or near its historic high levels.  Docks are underwater, and buildings are close to the water and in some areas houses have fallen in to the lake as the shore eroded.  Water is powerful, it has cut mountains down to monadnocks, and then to hills, and then to plains, it has formed V and U shaped valleys (U shape created by glacial melt water).  Every time man  tries to tame water, by use of rip rap or sea walls, the water can lead to problems elsewhere.  There is never any good answer.

Distant view of Gordon Lake west shore, July 2020

The beach at Gordon Lake saw a number of locals, and some who have been in the area for thirty years never knew of the beach.  Yet they came because the beach at Lake Hilbert, where they used to go, is underwater, as is part of the parking lot. The Gordon Lake beach has attracted a whole new set of clientele.  Given that I do not recall hearing about the high lake levels at Lake Hilbert last year, it is probably in keeping with our theory that the water has gotten higher around Laura and Gordon.

Closer shot of dead trees on Gordon Lake West Shore
July 2020

As the trees on the west shore of Gordon Lake die due to high water at some point they will fall in the lake perhaps creating more fish habitat.  It is but one parcel in the overall effects of climate on the natural environment.  Nature is adaptable, the questions are how adaptable can it be and for how long?  One thing is for sure, water, water is everywhere, and it does not seem as if Laura and Gordon will be seeing its old normal levels anytime soon.