Under Lake Superior’s Spell

Posted byKathleen Cassen MickelsonPosted innature, travelTags:, , ,

A summer weekend in northern Minnesota is a time-honored tradition. There is always a lake nearby, with Minnesota’s more than 10,000 lakes. Lake Superior is my favorite, its water never completely still, its laps against the shore the best kind of late night lullaby. Loons call to each other, their eerie songs blending in with early morning light or late night campfire sparks. Boats, small and large, appear on the horizon, look to be headed toward the end of the earth on a lake so large that the other shore is not always visible. The spell of Lake Superior affects everyone who gets near her.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world with a surface area of 31,700 square miles. She is always cold, causing a shiver to anyone who dips their toes into her. Tides move the water, waves sometimes big enough for surfing. She tosses rocks until they’re smooth as glass, rounded and perfect for someone’s pocket where they become a reminder of the big lake’s power.

Respect is a must. Lake Superior is not a lake to go boating on unless you know what you’re doing. She reaches down as far as 1,300 feet and her sudden storms can be violent. In winter, ice shards get pushed up onto the shore and wind howls, helping to coat nearby trees and bridges in ice. In summer, her morning calm can be deceiving. Fog softens her.

Lake Superior has many names. The Ojibwe call her Gitchi-gami. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called her Gitche Gumee. So did Gordon Lightfoot. Early French explorers called her Le Lac Superieur. I call her Magnificent. I call her Powerful.

No matter what, she is beautiful. On a perfect summer day, Lake Superior’s magnetism is strong, and this year, I heeded her call.

All photos by kcmickelson 2023

Published by Kathleen Cassen Mickelson

Kathleen Cassen Mickelson is a Minnesota-based writer who has published work in journals in the US, UK, and Canada. She is the author of the poetry chapbook How We Learned to Shut Our Own Mouths (Gyroscope Press, 2021) and co-author of the poetry collection Prayer Gardening (Kelsay Books, 2023).

16 thoughts on “Under Lake Superior’s Spell”

  2. I’ve never been to Lake Superior, but your description reminds me of hanging out at Adirondack lakes when I was a child. Something about lake water is magical. Relaxing. Glad you got the time to unwind.

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  7. We visited Lake Superior yesterday. Your lovely words are correct, she is powerful. The waves, the winds, the rocks, the ebb and flow, the calm – she is spell-bindingly beautiful. ❤️ I hated to leave her shores.

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