Isle Royale - A Fourth Visit to the Island

Scrapbook Adventures
Isle Royale - A Fourth Visit to the Island
Text and photos by Kip Ladage

Friday (9/8/2000)
It happened again . . . another week of vacation began today at 8:00 a.m. After working the overnight shift, I knew the beginning of my time off officially started when Darrin (my hiking buddy) and 10 students from his Environmental Science class at an area college picked me up en route to Isle Royale National Park. It would be the fourth visit to the island for Darrin and me, and the first for his students. In fact, this was the first backpacking trip for all of the kids. It was sure to be an interesting adventure for them and us!
Our route took its usual course -- a stop in Owatonna, Minnesota at Cabelas and fast food places. Then we drove another hour and stopped at REI in Minneapolis to pick up last minute supplies. From there we had the long drive to Grand Marais, where we stayed at Trails Edge Cabins (#1,7, & 8). Of course we devoured plenty of good pizza at Sven and Ollie's before retiring for the night.
Saturday
Our wake up call was around 5:00 a.m. We wanted to enough time for showers and breakfast before driving the 35 miles to the Voyager II at Grand Portage. The ferry was scheduled to depart at 8:00 a.m. and would not wait for us if we were late.
The sunrise was pleasant -- a few clouds and a big bright sun. Then it happened . . . rain-filled clouds arrived just as we left the dock. First it was a light drizzle, followed by periods of heavy rain. I guess I should have expected the wetness. It has rained on every float to the island I have endured.
Most of us slept during the five and a half hours of ferry travel due to the effects of Dramamine, a necessary evil used to prevent motion sickness. By the time we reached Windigo, the rain had nearly stopped. After the additional two and a half hours needed to reach McCargo Cove, the rain had completely stopped and great conditions existed for our first day of hiking.
Our gang of 12 divided into two groups to minimize impact on the trail and surrounding environment. I had Scott, Kory, Emily, and Nicole hiking with me. Darrin hosted Beau, Wes, Carley, Sarah, Johanna, and Kris. Both groups followed different itineraries across Isle Royale.
According to the topo map, my group had a hike of 6.6 miles to reach our first campsite at Todd Harbor. However, after wandering around the spoil piles and the mine shaft of the Minong Mine, I'm certain we exceeded 8 miles of hiking for the day.
The trek to Todd Harbor proved to be challenging for all of us, particularly Nicole and Emily. Both girls described the hike as far more challenging than either had expected. For a brief period of time I thought the girls appeared ready to quit, and it was only the first day! Emily made it quite clear she was out of shape; Nicole expressed similar thoughts. Kory and Scott made the hike without any trouble but were disappointed they couldn't do any fishing at Todd Harbor (it is a part of Lake Superior).
Regardless of any plans we may have had for activities at Todd Harbor, they didn't matter since we did not reach our camp until it was nearly dark. We stayed in a shelter which saved us tent setup time, but still ended up cooking our first supper as the sun was setting. This hike was also somewhat slower due to the frequent water quality tests we conducted at each lake and stream we encountered.
Although we crawled into our sleeping bags rather early, none of us went to sleep quickly. Instead, we laid in the shelter talking about all those odd thoughts that enter your mind when you are hiking.
Sunday
Sunrise arrived with a strong breeze and the rhythmic crashing of the waves of Lake Superior. Following a quick breakfast of pop-tarts, we organized our gear for the supposed 4.1 mile trek to Hatchet Lake. As we loaded our packs, Kory spotted a cow and calf moose near the dock at Todd Harbor. We weren't able to capture good images on film, but all of us will clearly remember the moose in our memories.
Before beginning our daily hike, we added more mileage with a brief hike to the Haytown Mine and the waterfall nearby. Low water levels had a dramatically negative impact on the fall's normal beauty. We still enjoyed the hike and beauty of Lake Superior.
The trek for the day was uneventful . . . one foot in front of another as we covered the miles needed to reach Hatchet Lake. Every now and then glimpses of autumn were evident as the birch and aspens were beginning their gradual color change to a golden yellow. When combined with a clear blue sky, the trees and surroundings were stunning.
Throughout the day, we saw only a few other hikers. One in particular was a lone woman hiker from Texas who was on day five of a ten day hike on Isle Royale. Her ambitious goals made our trek look like a walk in the park.
Reactions from my group for the first full day of hiking were much improved over yesterday's thoughts. The guys were able to fish (unsuccessfully) and the girls were certainly happier. Nicole enjoyed herself and Emily thought the trek "was better than yesterday." Our early (pre-noon) arrival at Hatchet Lake allowed plenty of time for research work, journal entries, and Emily's nap.
As our day progressed, we realized a couple of minor difficulties had developed.
#1.   Darrin forgot to give us the quarters we would need for showers at the end of our hike. After all, we were scheduled to reach Windigo one day earlier than his group and we knew we would really need a shower.
#2 One of our water filters had a bad element. Fortunately, I was carrying my water filter as a spare and we decided I would filter all water for the remainder of the hike.
Our day ended with all of us gathered around the cook stove chatting and watching the sun go down.
Monday
We woke to a clear blue sky and calm conditions. The visuals of the area included the birch tree lined shore of Hatchet Lake reflecting on the smooth water's surface. For reasons unknown, Scott and Kory chose not to begin their day with a bit of angling. Instead, they joined Nicole, Emily and me as we broke our campsite to begin our 8.1 mile hike to South Lake Desor.
As always, the climb from Hatchet Lake to the Greenstone Ridge was a challenge. The first half mile was probably the most demanding stretch of trail for the entire day. Still, we all made the climb in a relatively short amount of time, even with our breath-catching breaks.
Once on the Greenstone Ridge, we began our up and down trek toward the halfway mark of the day -- Ishpeming Point. This section of trail also marks the transition from aspen and birch trees to the colorful maples. Although the aspen and birch are still dominant, the maples are clearly increasing in numbers. I didn't notice any impressive autumnal color displays, just the subtle golden yellows of birch and aspen trees and the occasional red/orange glow of the maple trees. Many wildflowers were still blooming -- asters, goldenrod, joe-pye weed, and a handful of others I could not identify.
Fauna was limited to the same species we had observed during the previous days (and previous trips) -- woodpeckers (hairy and pileated), black-capped chickadees, ravens, loons, and red squirrels. One surprise was the red fox that met us on the trail near Lake Desor. First the animal approached me cautiously, then it noticed Nicole and Emily. The fox was not the least bit concerned about the girls and we finally resorted to threatening the animal with raised walking sticks and tossed chunks of birch logs. Interestingly, there were also several bee's (or wasp) nests on the trail and many yellowjackets enjoying the sap on aspen trees along the shore of Desor.
We met several other hikers on the trail, especially at Ishpeming Point. We even relieved one woman of her bag of chocolate-filled caramels. Apparently her pack weighed more than she liked and she considered the caramels to be disposable. (Thanks . . . they were great!)
As we continued our hike westward, one thing was very noticeable -- there hadn't been much rain in recent weeks. In places where we usually pumped water, there often was only mud. I was growing concerned about the water situation at Island Mine.   (There is no lake there, only a small stream.) One hiker advised us that he didn't trust what little water remained in the pool near Island Mine.
Our hike to South Lake Desor was finished by 3:30 in the afternoon, a short seven hours, including breaks. We went through our typical ritual of setting up tents and filtering water. We even played a quick game of leech ball along the shores of the lake (using dead leeches). Time was also spent doing more water, weather, and GPS research, and making journal entries.
As the afternoon progressed, the skies clouded over and a brief light rain began. We snuck supper in just before the rain became serious.
Words cannot express the excitement we experienced after our suppers. Shortly after the rain stopped, we were all near the shore of Lake Desor enjoying a splendid sunset. Loons were crying their mournful song while we were quietly soaking in the ambiance of the evening. Then we heard it! The single crack of a branch being snapped. Our relaxation was interrupted when a cow and large bull moose passed through our camp!
We more or less ignored the cow while focusing our attention on the magnificent bull. His low-level grunting made following him easy. We always maintained a safe distance between him and us, and we were careful to keep a stout tree between us and the animals. Several pictures were snapped as the moose slipped into the darkness of a nearby bog.
After twenty minutes or so, his grunting indicated he was no longer very close to our camp. Each of us began to settle in, sharing our thoughts about our exciting experience when we realized his grunting was again quickly becoming closer. A scan of the area with the help of a headlamp revealed two glowing eyes between a huge rack. The bull was back, only 30 yards away and appearing to have every intention of crashing our camp!
At first we all just stood in awe of the animal, each of us behind a tree.   Then we realized the potential danger of the situation. A bull in rut is nothing to mess with. Nearly as soon as we began talking and clapping our hands, the monstrous bull ambled back into the darkness of the bog. Needless to say, we all slept at a somewhat heightened level of attention, just in case the grunting bull reappeared. We later measured how close the bull had approached and were surprised to learn he was only 19 yards away from us.
Tuesday
The two young men of our camp woke us at 6:30 a.m. thinking we should hit the trail early. All four members of the college group were hinting at bypassing Island Mine if the water situation was as dire as expected, and hiking the remaining miles to Windigo. We decided to make our final decision at the Island Mine intersection after we had assessed the water conditions at the camp.
We finally began hiking at 8:00 a.m. at a rather determined pace -- fast enough that we reached the Island Mine junction (5.1 miles) by 10:45 a.m. Following a short rest and munch period, Scott, Kory, and I hiked to the campground and water source. What normally is a flowing stream was nothing more then a small, leech-filled puddle slowly fed by a spring. We took our water samples and technical measurements and returned to Nicole and Emily. The group's decision was an easy one -- we were going to hike the final 6.9 miles to the Washington Creek campground near Windigo.
Kory reached the campground first and selected a shelter with a nice view of Washington Creek (shelter #7). The rest of us had all wandered into camp by 2:30 in the afternoon. We followed our normal routine of cleaning ourselves and cooking supper, only this time cleanup included a shower. The concessionaire was in the process of closing the showers for the season, but offered to leave them open a day or two longer to accommodate the incoming hikers. He also was generous enough to make change for us since Darrin still had our quarters. The evening's sunset was only average so we retired early for a much deserved rest.
Wednesday
Our morning began (around 6:30 a.m.) with much excitement. The easily recognized grunting of a bull moose in love startled each of us out of our sleeping bags and into a fully awake mode. The bull was quickly located, along with a cow, in Washington Creek very near our shelter. We watched in amazement as the bull thrashed shoreline trees, grunted, and repeatedly approached the unreceptive cow. She ignored the aroused bull and continued to feed on the nutrient rich vegetation growing in the creek. It was the first time any of us had witnessed first hand the intense rutting activity of such an impressive animal at such a close range. (Note: We had the protection of the steep shoreline and trees nearby, between us and the moose.)
After 45 minutes of intense photo making, both animals suddenly ran upstream to where two calves were waiting. Our group and several other hikers returned to our respective camps, thrilled with what we had just witnessed.
When we thought nothing else could surprise us, our camp neighbor dropped by with a pan of cinnamon streusel! It went down great with our hot cocoa. (Thanks Dave!)
The day continued with the girls relaxing, shooing away the camp fox, and doing research work at the shelter while Kory, Scott, and I hiked the trail back to Island Mine to inform Darrin's group of the water situation at Island Mine and the gathering of moose at Washington Creek.
We waited two hours at the Island Mine junction and never saw a member of the other group. Instead, we chatted with Ranger Dave who agreed to pass our messages to Darrin and his gang. Our return to Washington Creek and the early evening was uneventful as we showered, cooked, and made our journal entries.
Then it happened again -- the moose appeared! Several shelters away, the grunting of the same large bull moose could be heard. There they were, the cow, bull, and twin calves! This time their activities were limited to feeding in the stream and vocalizations -- no rutting activity was displayed. Then, for reasons unknown, the family decided leave Washington Creek and ramble through several camps. Nothing stopped them as they pushed their way through the brush along the camp trails. A few daring (careless?) souls took flash photos at very close range of the animals, but most of us respected the animals from a safe vantage point.
After the last animal finally ambled away, I made my way back to the shelter only to find I had been the victim of a thief. Shelter-mate Scott thought he could sneak my sleeping pad out from under my sleeping bag without my noticing it. He had no luck. We ended our exciting night with chatter about the wild day we had enjoyed while trying to drop off to sleep in the chilly shelter.
Thursday (Our final day on Isle Royale)
Wow! Autumn certainly came quickly. Overnight temperatures dropped low enough to challenge the warmer-rated sleeping bags. Except for Kory and me, the group was quite cold by sunrise. Oh well, a morning chill just made it easier to get the day started.
Our last breakfast of pop-tarts was devoured while drooling over the thought of bacon and eggs or buttermilk pancakes. We attempted to do a thorough sweeping of the shelter and packed gear away in preparation for the float back to Grand Portage on the Wenonah.
We still had many questions we were pondering about Isle Royale, so we casually made our way to the National Park Service Nature Center at Windigo. Ranger Mike shared his thoughts with us as fast as we could fire questions at him. Finally, after more than an hour of trail talk, we left the center en route to the dock. Much to our surprise, the first of Darrin's group began ambling into Windigo.
Their excitement and the satisfaction of completing the week-long challenge was evident on their faces. It's a sense of accomplishment that is difficult to explain, especially to those folks who have not attempted more than a weekend hike in a wilderness setting.
The group's pleasure was mixed with the message that Sarah had sprained her ankle at some point during the week. Having hiked before on a bad knee, I knew the best thing that could be done for her was to get the weight of her pack off her injury.
My group was organized for the trip back so I began the hike to Island Mine to carry Sarah's pack back to Windigo. It was my fourth and fifth trip between Island Mine and Windigo for this adventure, but it was necessary.
Sarah readily shared her pack with me as she, Darrin, Beau, Carley, and I hiked to Windigo. Their group shared a week's worth of hiking stories with me while I shared our numerous exciting moments with them. Each group seemed to have enjoyed many unique experiences during the past week.
Our day (and our adventure) ended with an extended period of showers and relaxation on the dock at Windigo. We boarded the Wenona at 3:00 p.m. to begin the return trip to Grand Portage. Each of us was ready to get home, yet the departure from Isle Royale was bittersweet.
For most of the group, the likelihood of returning to Isle Royale is unknown. For Darrin and me, we know it will be only a matter of months before we again set foot on one of the most beautiful locales on earth.

For more information about backpacking across Isle Royale, click here.

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