Gitche Gumee

(Hiawatha Series #2)

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water.
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha’s Childhood

This is an ongoing series of letterboxes themed around Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The boxes will be placed at various locations in or near the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Named after Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha, the Hiawatha National Forest is located in the central and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The forest encompasses approximately 880,000 acres, and receives over 1.5 million recreational visits per year. The forest affords visitors access to white sand, scenic beaches and relatively undeveloped shorelines along three of America’s inland seas — Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. From scenic and historic lighthouses to Great Lakes islands, from spectacular shorelines to the Midwest’s finest winter playland, the Hiawatha National Forest brings to life a myriad of fascinating and exciting natural, historical, and unique recreational opportunities.

Letterboxes in this Series…

• Song of Hiawatha
• Gitche Gumee
• Daughter of the Moon
• Nahma, King of Fishes

Background Information…

The Northwoods Indians called Lake Superior “Gitche-Gumee,” meaning “Big Water.” Longfellow references Lake Superior by this name also in his poem, The Song of Hiawatha.

Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes. It is 32,000 square miles in area, which is comparable to all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire combined, and contains 3 quadrillion gallons of water, that is 3,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of water! That’s ten percent of the world’s fresh surface water and one half of the water in the Great Lakes. Lake Superior contains enough water to flood all of Canada, the United States, Mexico and South America with one foot of water.

One of the best places for an awesome view of Lake Superior is from the Spectacle Lake Overlook. High up on a hill just outside of Bay Mills, MI, the Spectacle Lake Scenic Overlook is located across the road from the Mission Hill Cemetery, which contains the graves of many of the area’s early settlers and Native Americans. The overlook provides an outstanding panorama of Spectacle Lake, Lake Superior, the entrance to the St. Mary’s River, and the Laurentian Hills in Canada.

Getting There…

Heading west on Lakeshore Drive through the town of Bay Mills, watch for the Veteran’s Memorial located along a small lake on the south side of the road. About 1/2 mile further up the road, you will see the sign to Mission Hill Cemetery/Scenic Overlook. The road is very steep and narrow — probably not a drive you would want to do in the winter. Follow the road as it winds up the hill, with a sheer drop-off on the right side of the road. Reaching the summit, across from the main entrance to Mission Hill Cemetery is the scenic overlook, complete with a hitchin’ rail for your horse.

Be sure to bring the camera and enjoy the awesome view of Spectacle Lake, Lake Superior and the Hiawatha National Forest before setting out to find the box.

Note… There is no railing at the overlook and the trail to the box is very narrow and follows the edge of the cliff — you will probably want to leave young children and pets in the vehicle for this one.

Clues…

1. Follow the way of the otter 22 paces to a leaning dead tree
2. Proceed 24 paces to Lance looking at the lake
3. Half as many paces to a two-trunk oak
4. 200 degrees to the undercover box