North Woods Adventure

Trish and recently returned from a week in the north woods of northern Minnesota (for canoeing). I have many stories to share, but today I'll start with a hike we took in Superior National Forest in Minnesota between our paddling adventures.

We pulled over at the trailhead of the Magnetic Rock Trail. The trail is only three miles, and was supposed to be an easy hike. Well, it wasn't quite as easy as we imagined, and three miles can seem like a long distance when you are stepping over countless boulders and bushwhacking around fallen trees. So it ended up taking more than three hours.

The destination was an odd sixty-foot-high rock that glaciers had deposited in this vertical position instead of flat on the ground.

And the rock is magnetic. We took compasses with us, and when we held them up near the rock's surface, the needles went wacky.

How does such a magnetic rock form? Some rocks contain minerals that contain iron and act like tiny magnets. A LONG time ago, these minerals began to form as the lava (or magma) cooled. While the molten rocks had not yet solidified, the magnetic minerals floating in it became aligned to the Earth's magnetic field. Then, as the rocks solidified, these aligned minerals became locked in place. This can also happen with sedimentary rocks, but instead of floating in molten rock, the tiny minerals are deposited at the bottom of a body of water, and while they are still loose, they become aligned to the earth's magnetic field. Eventually, these sedimentary layers solidify into magnetic rock. Rock on!

As we hiked back to our vehicle, we noticed two ruffed grouse (grouses?) feeding on plants beside the trail. I only had my phone for a camera, so I crept closer. And then closer. And even closer. For whatever reason, these birds seemed totally unafraid of us. Finally, I held my phone about two feet away from one to take this photo.

Ruffed grouse don't live in Missouri, so this close encounter was rather exciting to me (it doesn't take much to excite me). Ruffed grouse are perhaps best known for the "drumming" behavior of males. Male grouse are aggressively territorial, and to proclaim their ownership of a section of forest, they stand on a log or rock (which is usually about twelve inches off the ground) and beat their wings really fast. So fast, in fact, that the motion creates a vacuum with each beat (as lightning does when it creates thunder). This makes a series of surprisingly loud drumming sounds.