Sunrise at the Setting Arch

As many of you already know, the famous Tettegouche Sea Arch pictured above collapsed sometime this past August 20 or 21. Located on the shore of Lake Superior in Tettegouche State Park between Palisade Head and Shovel Point, it was shaped by and had survived countless violent Lake Superior storms and contrasting Minnesota seasons.

I took this picture at sunrise less than a month before its collapse. This sunrise was not particularly spectacular, so I was looking forward to photographing it again during a future sunrise; little did I know that the arch was in its sunset days and that this would be my final view of it. No unusual lake or weather conditions were present at the time of the collapse; it was just time for it to go. The unattached remains is now known as the Tettegouche Sea Stack.

Much like the arch, our lives are shaped by the storms of life. We are strengthened by many of them, but over time, they begin to wear on us. Eventually, we either succumb to a major storm or go quietly as in the case of the arch. The arch's fate serves as a reminder that everything comes to an end and we must be sure to make every day count.

Click here to see before and after photos of the Tettegouche Arch from the Duluth News-Tribune.