Snowflakes over Piers Gorge

I was 50 feet above some of the fastest moving water in Wisconsin and Michigan, Class 4 and Class 5 rapids. Be it summer or winter, the flow is too fast for canoes and beyond challenging for most kayakers.

I'm usually uncomfortable on slippery slopes, yet this day I wasn't. I was so engrossed in the winter beauty that I forgot the little fears that usually emerge from my subconscious. Like a mountain goat I gripped the slope with Yaktrax on the soles of by boots. Slippery granite inclines with crusty snow seemed surmountable that day.

On the other hand, my partner, Dave Vieth, was less comfortable. Wearing only hiking shoes, he grabbed any tree limb or bush he could find. I loved walking behind him so I could enjoy his slap-stick comedy routine without laughing in his face. The next day he bought a pair of Yaks.

There are several unique miracles of geologic nature in the Upper Midwest and Piers Gorge ranks near the top any time of year, but especially in the winter. The part of the river that flows through the gorge is compressed by rock bluffs, creating a rage of whitewater that belches into the air alongside chutes that drop as much as eight feet. These dips and slides have attracted international kayak competition over the years.

The Upper Menominee lives a passionate life for most of its 118 miles until it finally gives up the ghost in the bay of Green Bay between the cities of Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan.

It is the river's adolescent years at Piers Gorge where its most rambunctious urges unfold. A natural levee of rock wall, upwards of 70 feet, keeps the rage of whitewater from spreading wide and losing its momentum. Ironically, a sandy beach can be found along shore, within a stomach's butterfly of an eight-foot spillway.

The massive bluffs are leafless and pure white with snow that starts its onslaught in November. They are also winter quiet, too, relegated to reflect and echo the roar of the river which it ensnares. The, "Caw!" of an occasional raven or the crunch of Yaks on hard snow provides the stream's only accompaniments.

Piers Gorge runs for about a mile. Owned by WE Energies and International Paper, is not a county park as such. The owners encourage its use and have left it in the same rustic state it was when its value as a tourist attraction was first realized.

There are four rocky piers that the river tumbles over. Pier No. 1 is gentle; a great warm-up act, and the furthest downstream. It is closest to the trailhead and hikers have easy access to its whitewater rapids, rocky outcrops that tilt 90 degrees. The casings of ice hug both shorelines. Ice curtains, formed by splashing water, cover many of the walls. Snow seems to have frozen in the shapes of waves along the shoreline as well. All this plus the crispness of a quiet winter day where the sun is shining through the trees, and I would never deny anyone indelible kinship with the surroundings.

Pier No. 2 is slightly upstream and a little more challenging to connect with. We negotiated rocky cliffs and worked our way down to the shoreline. We walked on the ice, near the shoreline, but left the edges for someone else's imagination.

Pier No. 3 is as close to winter ecstasy as anyone would ever need to get. We found ourselves on a cliff that was some 50 feet above the pier, which includes Class 4 and 5 level rapids. One drops eight feet through a chute known as Misicot Falls. This is where rafters scream and screech come summer.

It is in winter where Pier No. 3 Nirvana is reached, however. One can sit on the ridge top and watch the water rush down the chute, spray those curtains of ice crawling up the granite walls.

Pier No. 4 is a gentler expression about a half mile beyond Misicot Falls and negotiated via challenging hillsides and testy rock outcrops. Fallen trees complete the trilogy. The reward is a mass of rock outcrops that overlook an island surrounded by whitewater. This is where Dave and I decided we'd build a couple houses should the land ever come up for sale. Another fantasy in a gorge filled with many fantasies.

Jerry Harpt is a retired school teacher and coach who now bides his time as a travel and outdoor writer. He’s an avid silent sport enthusiast who cross-country skis, hikes, bikes and kayaks. For more info about Piers Gorge, go to www.piersgorge.com.