So first, Isle Royale.Like I said we got up before the sun because we had to be at our ferry dock in Grand Portage at 6:45 am. Our ferry was the Voyageur II, and I think it was similar size to the one I took with my family when I was younger when we went from the upper peninsula to the east side of the island (Rock Harbor).
The ferry when I was younger took over four hours, this one took two. We went from Grand Portage to the western side of the island - Windigo - and you could see the mainland (Canada) the whole time because it was so clear. It was also a very calm day, even in the middle of the lake there weren't waves and it's the calmest I'v ever seen Lake Superior.
So we took the obiligatory picture with the sign, moose antlers lined up along the bottom. We look so cheery and less apprehensive then I probably felt :)
Our first day was an 8.5 mile hike south and east from Windigo on our way to Feldtman Lake for the night.
Early on we stumbled upon a moose carcass. I'll spare you the gory pictures and just send one of the hair. It was actually almost all the way decomposed but still stinky. They think it was old or sick and has been scavenged by the wolves. Fun fact - there are over 700 moose on the island, but only 8 wolves. This is the lowest the wolf population has gotten since then first arrived in 1949. They are traveling in pairs and trios around the island which isn't helping because they need a whole pack to take down a moose.
If you are wondering, backpacking is hard :) My pack weighed somewhere between 30 and 40 lbs depending on how much food, water, and clothes (dependent on how many layers I was wearing at the time) I had in there. This was a fake break, but we probably stopped every 30-45 minutes to take the packs off and have a snack.
One of the first ridge lines we came too looking east at the island and south to Lake Superior.
The first day I occupied myself while hiking by counting the piles of moose scat we passed on the trail. I counted 68 before we saw our first moose. We were on the trail when we spooked a calf that ran to the right. We heard something large (momma) to the left but never saw her. Occasionally there would be moose sheds left along the trail and here I am posing with one (actually pretty light).
I thought I'd never make it, but then we made it to Feldtman Lake. No one else was there so we chose the best campsite which was about 10 feet from the lake.
One of the first things up was my hammock to take a nap in.
We filtered water then took a walk along the lake and saw moose tracks that were just gigantic. Since the water was so calm that day we could also see their tracks under water as the walked in it.
My view of Danny making dinner while I was lazy in the hammock :)
After dinner we took a mile hike to Rainbow Cover to watch the sunset. The short hike without our packs felt so great and the sunset was perfect. We had a flock of a thousand (I don't actually know how many) geese fly over and heard sandhill cranes as well (they make the funniest noise so look it up).
That night we were almost trampled by moose...
So as we were laying down to sleep we hear something huge walking within 15 feet of the tent ( I start freaking out) then we hear in clomp clomp clomp into the water. We both scurry out of the tent (I'm still scared of getting trampled) and by the time we got off it was to the right a bit along the shore trying to get away from us. Later after I'd dozed off I heard another monster move through the woods then into the water on the other side of the tent.
The next morning we had a cooking disaster...it was suppose to be pancakes....but so many things went wrong. Thank goodness for granola bars.
Day 2 started with a steep climb to a ridge, which was really rough, but then we got this view of all of Feldtman Lake. For reference we camped on the left side. And it continued to be uphill for most of the morning.
Isle Royale is full of wetlands (that's why moose like it so much) and Danny enjoyed the frogs....actually I think this was a toad....
We finally reached the end of the uphill at lunchtime which we had atop a fire tower.
Lunch everyday was a pita pocket stuff with peanut butter and an apple, supplemented with trail mix.
Panoramic from the tower - shows where we were coming from - Feldtman Lake is all the way to the left....
...and then where we were going for the night - Sisquit Bay. We were close to the middle of the 10.4 mile hike for the day.
The last four miles of day two were a mind game because it was flat, straight and everything looked the same. If you can remember Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail, the part where they keep coming over the hill and the castle never gets closer...that's what our afternoon was like with the treeline ahead.
So I amused myself with taking pictures, of butterflies...
...and wildflowers...
and moose rubs.
The campsite for the night was right in Sisquit Bay. After dinner we went for a little hike again to stretch out. We headed over to a creek to try to find the moose.
A picture of marsh marigolds which are just so pretty.
We decided to sit patiently and quietly for 10 minutes to see if the moose would come but they didn't, it was starting to be crummy weather. But we did see river otters. We watched three of them swim around and play a bit with each other. They finally noticed us and one starting grunting at us in anger which was adorable.
It started raining lightly on and off throughout the night. Then as we are eating our oatmeal it starts pouring and continues as we pack up our campsite. And so we set off for day 3 drenched within 5 minutes. Ok fine I had a rain jacket, rain pants, and a rain cover for my pack, but they aren't perfect when it's pouring. My shoes and socks were drenched right away too.
This was also the day with just straight uphill for the whole morning. It was brutal. It was twice as brutal because the wet weather. It was three times as brutal because it was the buggiest time we had to deal with. Every time we stopped to try and take a break the mosquitoes were covering you. You may ask 'where was your bug spray?' Well my bug spray was broke as I discovered the first night. Nothing came out of the pressurized can when you pressed down. And the mosquitoes were actually not a problem till this particular morning.
After dealing with these things all morning I reached a breaking point. Danny will say I was deranged, I will say I was determined. The story involves me taking a knife to a pressurized can of bug spray...and I want you to know I won. I shaved the tip off a bit and was able to soak a handkerchief with chemicals that I then dabbed around my face providing immediate relief.
An old well from the short lived mining days on the island.
We had lunch by the most beautiful thing I'd seen all day, a sign saying Windigo (our destination for the night) was only 6.5 miles away.
From then on out it was just about getting back to Windigo. It was pretty but just woods the rest of the day. Here is a cool moose track that shows the dew claws.
And we made it!!!!
Everything got hung out to dry at our final campsite. We got water from a spigot instead of filtering it.
The campsite was right along a creek so we set up the hammock to nap with a view.
The next morning was very relaxed as we were right by the dock and the ferry didn't leave till noon. We had a relaxing breakfast and a short interpretive hike before packing up and meeting our ferry.
This is what you look like while leaving an island after 4 days.
The trip back was very foggy....as in you couldn't see after 10 feet off the boat. It was freaky but we made it back ok :)
So the end of the story is backpacking was hard but rewarding. There were downs but there were more ups once I broke the bug spray open :)
