National Park Mystery Photo 22 Revealed: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on April 29, 2010 - 1:45am

Some of the "sea caves" to be found at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin. National Park System photo.

There are many great places to paddle in the National Park System, whether you choose to go by canoe, raft, or sea kayak. And, there also are many park shorelines that are dotted with caves and grottoes.

This particular shot was taken at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin. The "sea caves," as they're called, are tempting to explore via watercraft, and again in the winter when Lake Superior freezes over and you can actually walk into the caves.

Comments

Submitted by Bob Mackreth (not verified) on April 29, 2010 - 8:37am.

Thanks for posting this picture. As a former district ranger at Apostle Islands, I have fond memories of the sea caves.

Back in the mid-90s, there were a couple of winters when the park was faced with all-too-typical staff shortages, and I would have to tear myself away from planning and budgeting to spend Saturdays and Sundays on foot at the frozen caves, handling crowd control as the Lone Ranger.

It was rough duty, I tell ya- enjoying the outdoors in one of nature's beauty spots, sharing the visitors' awe. The cave interiors would be festooned with millions of icicles, giving one the impression that you were walking into the world's most spectacular crystal palace. The ice formations would be different every time I went out: temperature fluctuations meant that one week there might be delicate needles, sturdy stalactites the next.

Sometimes being short-handed wasn't a completely bad thing.

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on April 29, 2010 - 8:48am.

Bob, I almost used a shot of the caves in winter for the Mystery Photo, but figured it'd be too easy.

I've got APIS on my to-do list....sounds like a great escape!

Submitted by Hannah Higney Huskins (not verified) on August 26, 2011 - 5:34pm.

This is a picture of my family and I!
My father is in the orange craft on the left, my uncle is in the blue out front, I'm the blonde in the front double and my friend Beth is behind me. This photo was taken without our knowledge about 6 years ago and the National Park Service used it on their brochures about kayaking in Lake Superior. The brochures were circulated all over Wisconsic and Minnesota and we didn't even know it until we stumbled across one of them in Bayfield county a year later.
As far as we know, this picture of us, and a few others like it, are still in circulation in brochures and books. Even though no one except us knows it's us in the photo, we've enjoyed our "15 minutes of fame."

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 26, 2011 - 5:41pm.

Hannah, fame is fleeting. My guess is you got much more than 15 minutes of enjoyment paddling around Apostle Islands!

That said, thanks for identifying your family!

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