Yes, Taana Kalliainen was actually out kayaking this past Saturday. It was a beautiful sunny day, as you can see from her photos and she said this is the earliest she's ever been out on the water before. Taana lives not too far from the Portage Lake Lower Entry Light (also known as the Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light), so she and a friend paddled out past the light and snapped some photos. Looking at most of them here today, you'd think we didn't have any snow left on the ground. We still do, although it's been going fast. You can see in Taana's photo with the deer on the shore, that there's still a bit of the white stuff on the ground there.

In Taana's last two photos, her friend decided he was going to get out of his kayak onto that large, flat ice floe in the channel and do some ice fishing. My question is how on earth did he get out of the kayak onto the ice? Too bad Taana didn't have a video of that to share. I think it would not be the easiest of transfers, so let me end with my usual admonition: Please don't try this at home or anywhere else, unless you're an experienced kayaker/swimmer and make sure you have your lifejacket on like the gentleman in the photos. That is all!

Love the lighthouse pictures! It looks like May out there!

Great advice, Mary, about the lifejackets; that water is still mighty cold right now!

Nice set!

Blue is such a Superior color!

AWESOME!!!

TERRIFIC PICTURES! C'mon Summer!!!

Great pics, especially the lighthouse ones.

Really cool pics today, although if it were me I would have a dry suit on just in case.

In the last picture, it looks like the ice was actually cut square.

Janie T. (Bobbysgirl):
"Blue is such a Superior color! "
Beautiful "wordsmithing"! I couldn't have said it better!

Thanks Mary! My boyfriend and I had to get out on
the water on Saturday since it was such a nice
day. We went about 4 miles total. Saw the deer,
a few bald eagles and even a golden eagle on the
ice on the Bootjack side. The bf managed to
paddle up on top of the ice floe from the water
and we figured that it was break-up from the
Sturgeon River since it was almost 6 inches thick
on the edge. The water was nice and calm but
cold! :)

Amazing pics! Makes me want to get out kayaking!

I just love these pictures. It looks like
so much fun (for an experienced person)
and I wondered how in the world be got out
of his kayak also. Thanks for sharing
this great adventure with us. Hurry up
summer is right.

These pictures are great. What fun (if
you're experienced). I was wondering how
on earth he got out of his kayak also.
Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
Yes indeed, hurry up summer.

Sorry about the second post. I thought I
lost the first one.

Excellent and beautiful pictures but I'm compelled
to comment or ask about the apparent lack of cold
water exposure clothing. Even considering the
relative calm and closeness to shore, a potential
capsize could all too easily end badly. I don't
know all the circumstances of Taanya's or her
colleague's situation but I am offering a simple
warning to others of the potential dangers.