The first 10 miles were great...

Wednesday was our last full day of hiking.  We had a decision to make-- we could either spend the night at the Washington Creek campground near the ferry docks that is usually fairly busy or Huginnin Cove on Lake Superior known for being a favorite campground on the island.  Washington Creek would be a respectable 10 mile hike while Huginnin would be an optimistic 14.5 miler.  The ranger who set up our permit highly recommended trekking on to Huginnin if we could.  We decided it would be a game time decision but we both knew we would hate to miss out on a challenge or adventure with a big reward at the end.

That morning we woke up after a glorious night sleep in the shelter to a stunning sunrise.  We knew it was going to be a long day so we wanted to get an early start.  Packing up went fairly quickly since we had more space to maneuver in the shelter than our little tent and had a better idea of how to organize our packs.   We hit the trail at 8am with a nice layer of dew and mist on all the foliage that soon drenched us.  The first mile of the trail traced the edge of the bay for some beautiful views.  We did get off the trail in a few sections because the local beavers had made their own trails which were very misleading.  We continued to see sings of moose-- lots of tracks and scat-- but no moose.  However we probably walked by a handful we couldn't see because the vegetation was so thick.  The first trail we were on was an old mining road going up and over a few ridges.  At the turn of the century Isle Royale was home to a logging camp and a few copper mining operations.  It was also a private resort area for several well to do families and home to some fishermen.  Isle Royale is unique in that it is more "wild" now than it was 100 years ago.

Around mid-morning we turned onto the Greenstone Ridge trail.  This trail runs the length of the island and is the most popular with hikers traveling across the island.  We hadn't seen any other hikers in a day an a half and we began to see a person or two about every hour.  Many had just started their journey that morning at the ferry docks and had questions about what lay ahead.  We, having spent two days wandering around the forests and lakes, had street-creed and could give up-to-date trail reports.  The Greenstone trail was fairly easy going since it was gradually headed downhill and more importantly was more highly traveled and had much less foliage to fight through-- such a pleasant hike.  After lunch we were feeling pretty good so we made the decision to push onward to the cove.

A little more than 9 miles into the hike, it was decision time.  Sheltered campgrounds with potable water were only a few steps away, while the higher calling of Huginnin Cove beckoned the purer of heart.  Of course, we were going on, but I (Arthur) definitely found myself contemplating Paul's description of Demas in 2 Timothy 4.  We are told that Demas loved this present world and shake our head sadly at his foolishness.  I found myself sympathizing with him a little; poor guy probably just wanted a warm shower and a Pepsi while Paul was goading him to take up his pack and follow him. 

Once we were on the trail to the cove we were hiking by ourselves again.  With about 3 miles left in the hike, hiking started to become less enjoyable.  Arthur was battling some blisters and somehow despite the laws of conservation of matter, our packs were getting heavier.  The afternoon was fairly warm and we did see more bugs than we had previously.  (All in all there were minimal bugs through the entire trip to Isle Royale which is known for being plagued by mosquito and black fly in the early summer months).

Finally we dropped over the last ridge and the trail was on rock ledge along Lake Superior.  The park ranger told us that this section of the trail was breathtaking.  I'm sure it was but by this point in the afternoon we were out of breath.  Arthur was focused on getting to camp and putting this hike behind him.  I tried to take in as much of the rough, rocky shoreline with the deep blue green water of Lake Superior as I could.

Finally we rounded the edge of the cove and saw the sign post marking the campground.  We found a nice tent site looking over the small cove and set up camp with the energy we had left.  Arthur than took a swim in the cove to cool off and clean up.  We settled in to a wonderful dinner of chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy all mixed together into one mass of calories-- delightful.  Dessert was chocolate chip bar cookies that had held up pretty well jostled in our packs.  After dinner we were treated to a stunning sunset but frankly were so tired we were bedded down for the night moments after the sun sank below the trees.

It had been a long day.  We were hitting our strides finally and hiking 10-12 miles comfortably.  It was just that final three miles that ate our lunch.  We set a new personal record for miles hiked in a day while backpacking with our previous record being around 10 or 11  miles.  As trip planner and promoter of hiking and backpacking adventures, I am very thankful that Arthur didn't stop in the middle of the trail  and refuse to continue with this madness but trudged on without complaint despite large areas of raw skin developing between his toes.  He always says that the thing that first caught his eye about me was that I would be a gal who would go hiking or climb mountains and that was something he wanted to do to.  I wonder if he ever has second thoughts about this but he always hikes onward.  Omnia Vincit Amor.