Nomad Life - Day 318

After my paddling adventure yesterday, I knew it would be hard to do anything else in the area that was as exciting.  Still, there were hiking opportunities and more beautiful views to find!  This morning, I woke up at 0430 (not intentional) but managed to fall back to sleep until my alarm (0700).  A little sluggishly, I started teleworking.  At 0800, I got breakfast food in the lobby of the Superior Motel (Munising) before going right back to teleworking.  I did take another break (at 0900) for a virtual medical appointment (that ended at 0930).  The rest of my morning was filled with meetings.  At 1145, I ate lunch (leftovers) in my room.  Shortly after that, the room cleaners started opening the door (no knock) but, fortunately, we had a nice exchange.  Other than that, I teleworked until 1800 (a call with colleague ran very late).  After that, I tried to catch up on some blog entries (I'm still falling very far behind...).  I also checked the North Country Trail Mileage that I hadn't fully calculated from the previous few days.  My intention had been to depart the hotel by 1845 but then I got a call from Mollie.  After chatting with her for a little while, I finally left the hotel (for the first time all day) at 1900.  Even that late, the temperatures were in the low 70s and the clear sky wonderful.  Hoping to get a pasty, I looked around in downtown Munising for the places I'd heard about - all were closed by then.  Instead, I went into Pictured Rocks Pizza, hoping for a slice.  They didn't offer those, though, so I settled for a custom pasta dish with lots of cheese and protein (it was good).  While I was eating, Mollie called me back and we talked briefly.  I was finished eating by 1930 and left Munising on my way to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Visitor Center at Munising Falls.  To reach it, I used CR-H58 - when I got to the junction with Washington Street, I started my odometer for some NCT (driving) mileage.  By the time I reached the Visitor Center (closed), I'd logged 0.5 miles.  I didn't have a particular plan at that point but had hoped to hike down to the Falls (which I had never seen unfrozen).  Unfortunately, the trail to the falls was closed.  Undeterred, I started walking on the NCT as it made it's way towards the northeast (1935).  Almost immediately, I was climbing the bluffs and started to see views of Lake Superior from much higher ground than was available in town.  There were very few blue blazes - instead, I had to carefully watch for brown signs with arrows that appeared along the way.  It was clear that I was walking in an extensive cross country skiing zone (lots of signage).  Despite my higher elevation, I got no clear viewpoints of the East Channel but I did get to watch the sun setting during my outbound leg.  At right about that point (2035), I reached the Sand Point Connector Trail Junction (2.8 miles from my car) and started my backtrack in the growing darkness.  Fortunately, I'd brought a flashlight... There were times when I needed to be very careful because the little waterways that crossed the trail turned into deep ravines (or outright cliffs) to my right.  Lucky me - I never lost my way or footing...  My walk was completed at 2135 and my pedometer told me I'd covered 5.6 miles total.  What a nice hike!  Back in my car, I drove back into town and stopped again at the East Channel Brewing Company for one beer.  Like last night, I had the same bartender lady; unlike my last visit, though, the venue was VERY busy.  Not only were there some lines but there was a group of loud locals singing in the outside courtyard; I learned later that they were an official "Sea Chanty Club".  They seemed quite competent and enthusiastic.  When the bar closed (2200), I left with the bar still very busy (I'm sure that the bartender was NOT happy...).  As I drove back to the Superior Motel, I encountered lots of people (including kids) walking in the street (yikes!).  Once I reached my room, I spent more time catching up on my blog, reading and doing Duolingo exercises.  Bed time was at 2300.  Very glad I managed to get some trail time today after a long day of work in the U. P.!  North Country Trail Today = 3.3 miles / Grand Total NCT = 190.6 miles (over 100 in 2026!)