Higher Hanging Fruit

The first fact most people know about Isle Royale is that it is the least visited national park.  Only 18,000 visit each year and this includes the ranger station on the mainland.  At some of the major national parks, they have more visitors in a single day than Isle Royale have annually.  Isle Royale is the only park that is accessible by only boat or sea plane.  When finding Isle Royale on a map it is in Lake Superior and the US-Canada border juts around the island so it is included in the US.  While technically part of Michigan it is only 22 miles away from Grand Portage, Minnesota.  Originally while I was planning our vacation we were going to explore northern Minnesota.  When my boss found this out he suggested going to Isle Royale.  At first I blew this idea off since Michigan would be a big detour because I had no idea how close it was to Minnesota.  I’m sure glad I checked a map and reconsidered.  This led us to the location of our first “real” backpacking trip.  

We woke up fairly early to light rain as we gathered our gear to be at the ferry by 6:30am.  Arthur had never been on a boat of any size before so this in itself was an adventure.   He got a big kick out of the captain's instructions, "If somebody falls in be sure to make a fuss about it."  It was about a 2 hour journey across to the island.  Most of the trip we could see the outline of Isle Royale as well as the Rock of Ages lighthouse which guards the rocks a few miles off the coast of the island.  As we got closer we went out to stand on the stern deck to get a better view as the ferry weaved in and out between the small islands leading into the harbor at Windigo where the ranger station was located.  While we didn’t get sea sick we wouldn’t consider ourselves huge fans of the rocking of the boat out on the lake.  Once we were in the protection of the islands the water was smooth as glass.  There was still a few sprinkles and everything else was a deep green.  Once the ferry dock we had orientation with a park ranger and then headed up to the ranger station to get our backcountry permits.  

We were more than excited to hit the trail and start the adventure of our first backpacking trip.  Last year we did go on an 8 day backpacking trip in New Hampshire however we stayed in huts each night with full meals provided and a spot in the bunk room.  We loved the experience so much that we got a tent and cooking supplies so that we too could carry all of our possessions on our back and sleep in the middle of nowhere.  While we realize the idea of backpacking seems miserable to some, the only way to see many amazing places in our country are further than a day hike from the closest lodging.  Case in point: on Isle Royale the only accommodations with indoor plumbing on the island is 60 miles away.  Therefore there is no way to go where we were going without a backpack.  And this is why we found ourselves walking miles upon miles with 35 pounds on our back.  

With permits obtained and water bottles filled, we started down the trail and promptly walked out of civilization into a magical and wild wonderland.  The rain had stopped but everything seemed to glisten.  The trail started out along the shore line in the forest before rising up over a few miles to a ridge overlooking the interior of the island.  We decided this was a great vantage point for lunch.  As soon as we had grabbed our lunch sacks a red fox steps out from the brush behind us and is fairly interested in getting a bite of our grub.  We had been warned in the orientation that the red foxes are looking for a handout and will run off with almost anything that isn’t tied down.  After a little bit we tried to shoo him off and he scampered down to some rocks about 50 yards away and flopped down with his head resting on his paws looking mournfully up at us and our tuna salad wraps. 

After lunch we hiked on and I became more and more aware of how heavy my pack was on my shoulders.  Last year I carried 25 pounds and now had at least 10 more pounds of gear, if not more.  Also we hadn’t put in a lot of time with our packs on training for this trip.  I’m not sure that would have helped but the last two miles of the day was the most miserable for me of the trip.  We were walking through really thick brush and was eagerly watching for any sign of the campground.  

 Finally there was a lone sign post in the forest indicating the trail to the Feldtman Lake campground.  We found a vacant tent site, not much bigger than our tent surrounded by more dense foliage.  A red squirrel was pretty upset that we had intruded into his territory and scolded us.  After setting up the tent we donned our swimming suits for a dip in the lake.  We rested for a few hours and then gathered up what we needed to cook dinner and hiked about a mile to Rainbow Cove for dinner.  We stepped out of the forest onto a stretch of rocky beach of Lake Superior that we would have all to ourselves.  We got the mac and cheese cooking and settled back to watched the waves crash in.  Nothing like fine dining at sunset on a private beach.   

 The beach was covered in smooth, flat rocks that we tried to skip across the waves.  Arthur picked up on the size of a dinner plate and tried to launch it into the water like he would throw a discus.  His spin overspun on the rocks and stumbled, almost falling into the cold Lake Superior water.  We didn’t wait for the sun to dip below the horizon completely because we needed to hike back to camp before it was dark.  Back at the lake we watched the shadows grow long over the lake with a pair of loons cruising near our shore.  We settled down to sleep with the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks in the distance.  What an example of the higher hanging fruit-- our hike was tougher than the smooth state park trails of the previous day-- but the rewards were sweet.  Of course we joked that just like Eve talking Adam into eating the forbidden fruit, Alex was the driving force to push Arthur into taking hold of "backpacking fruit".   Omnia Vincit Amor.