| Palisade
Head.
MN: Frelich |
le-@goldengate.net |
| Sep
23, 2005 06:37 PDT |
Ernie, Bob et al.:
As long as were are talking about favorite tree places, I
mention one that
few if any ENTS have visited, namely Palisade Head on Lake
Superior north
of Two Harbors. Palisade head is composed of remnants of ancient
volcanic
lava flows that now consists of a dome of rock projecting about
350-400
feet above Lake Superior. On the side facing the lake, the
glaciers
plucked the side of the dome, creating a vertical bluff 300 feet
high that
plunges into the lake, which is 900 feet deep within a short
distance off
shore.
Clinging to the top of the dome in crevices in the rock are
numerous
mountain ash trees about 15 feet tall that are full of bright
orange
berries at this time of year, and the sloping sides of the dome
are
covered with paper birch forest with white spruce projecting
above the
birches. Looking to the north, one can see shovel point, another
dome of
rock that is not as high and lowers gradually into Lake
Superior, and is
covered by a white spruce forest. Looking east, on a clear day
one can see
the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore with 22 large islands
covered with
yellow birch, sugar maple and hemlock forest.
Lee |
|