A light rain had drizzled down for most of the day. Still, when I got home Katie and Logan were a bit anxious to get outside after being cooped up. There were a few ambitious spots that I had in mind but we decided to keep it easy this evening and just drive over to Hungarian Falls. We had been here multiple times already but I hoped the steady rain would swell the creek's meager flow.
We headed out to West Tamarack after a light dinner. Golf Course Road was a bit rough to drive up with some deep watery cuts and sodden shoulders but we made it to our usual gate without too much trouble.
The rain continued to fall overhead as we headed into the woods. A few large puddles lay on the path that we routed around and Logan splashed through. Going to the upper falls beyond the reservoir first we were immediately disappointed. Despite the all-day rain and the large amount of water on the ground Dover Creek barely flowed, dampening the moss and trickling over a few channels.
Rain dampening the upper falls
Turning downstream we saw even less flow over the lower drops. Some small tributaries were flowing into the creek, little runs that had been dry on earlier visits this year, but they didn't sum up to much. We passed by quickly.
When we reached the final falls Katie stuck with me around the gorge's edge. On our last visit she had retreated here, driven back by black flies, but there were no flying insects out today with the rain. She stayed on the trail with Logan while I climbed and slid down the steep gorge, trying to get a good angle on the lower falls. The wall was still impressive, even if the rain wet the waterfall more than the creek.
Misty gorge towards Torch Lake
Rain-wet main falls
Overall we were at the Hungarian Falls less than an hour before driving back to Houghton. It was a fun excuse to get out of the house but the rain had added little, if anything, to the flow. I wondered how much it would take for this creek to really flow, be it a week-long storm or major snow melt.
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