The calendar says April 4 but if I look out my window, I have the joys of seeing a fresh foot of snow. As someone who is training for a half-marathon, this is extremely annoying. Muster up a conversation with anyone in the tri-county or possibly tri-state area, and the conversation will likely turn to this unseasonably miserable winter. As a life long northlander, I get winter. I get miserable weather but honestly, enough is enough. On a side note, this winter will go down in the history books for more than just the longest winter ever. Around here it’ll always be remembered as the year the Sea Caves went viral. The social media, marketing, story teller in me couldn’t help but attempt to explore why this happened in this month’s Business North.
Of course, I didn’t draw any incredible conclusion. But, it was a fun, powerful lesson and reminder about the fact that television news isn’t dead, social media matters, people love selfies of themselves in front of cool things (which will cause others to long for said selfie), and there’s nothing like a Hail Mary Polar Vortex on your side to boost tourism in the northwoods. Here’s a link to the article.
If you stumble across any other recaps about the Sea Caves or want to share a post about your experience at the caves, send them my way. I’d love to share them here. In the meantime, here were a few of my favorites. Some make this list for incredible writing. Some make this list for great photos. And some make this list for over-the-top reporting that makes it sound like the Sea Caves are either a new thing or that hiking on Lake Superior (in the winter) is something incredibly unusual. I’ll let you be the judge…
The Surreal Apostle Islands May Only Be Visitable For Another Few Weeks: Huffington Post
Almost Otherworldly: The Sea Caves of Lake Superior, On Ice: NPR
Lake Superior Freezes, Revealing Ice Caves Blocked for Five Years: Esquire
Winter Gives Access to Dramatic Ice Caves Along Lake Superior: Pioneer Press
Our Morning at the Ice Caves: The Cookery Maven
Sea Caves Shrowded In Ice Open to Explorers: NBC News (local affiliate reporter)
Lake Sueprior’s Ice Caves Offer Glimpse of Nature’s Fleeting Beauty: CBS Evening News
Rare Frozen Path on Lake Superior Opens Dazzling Ice Caves to Hikers: LA Times
Guest Shots: The Sea Caves of Cornucopia: frankjhutton.blogspot.com
Exploring the Frozen Caves of Lake Superior: The Baltimore Sun
The Beautiful Ice Caves of Northern Wisconsin: Stonehouse Photo Blog
Extreme Weather Exposes Rare Ice Caves in US: Aljazeera