Next time you lose your internet...

We chose the title for this post sitting on the dock as Siskiwit Bay, about 30 miles from any resemblance of “human civilization”.  Ironically, as I am typing this up back at home our internet access is down which has thrown a wrench into several plans this afternoon because I needed internet access to look at reference pictures of my watercolor painting, YouTube for my workout, Netflix to watch TV, and Pinterest for my recipe I’m planning on cooking this evening.  My life has ground to a halt due to lack of internet today.  But these are my “first world problems”.  Or in backpacking terms—“frontcountry problems”.  In the backcountry you are prepared to not have these conveniences like internet but also potable water, sewer systems, electricity, and protection from the elements.   

On day 2 of our hiking trip I rolled out of bed to watch the sunrise as I squatted on the beach of Feldtman Lake filtering the water we needed for the day.  While the water was filtered and safe to drink, it did have a slight tinge of brownish orange due to elements in the area.  We ate our breakfast kneeling on the ground of the tiny mowed area that was our campsite not much bigger than our tent as we scarfed down oatmeal and pop tarts.  We then packed and repacked, organized and reorganized trying to get everything back in our packs in a somewhat comfortable manner.  It always takes a few days to get this routine down so you don’t pack the spork you need for breakfast at the bottom first thing in the morning only to realize that oatmeal isn’t a very good finger food.  We were off and on the trail by 8:40am.  

After an hour of hiking that morning we popped up on a ridge that gave beautiful views of the lake and other features on the little corner of the island we were exploring.  On the trail we trekked through ridgeline alpine areas, tall fir forest, mixed deciduous forest, marshy wetlands, and shrubby meadows.  There was a lot of vegetation that made the trail almost overgrown.  We wandered through stands of thimbleberry bushes that cover most of the island that were over my head, squeezing in on all sides.  All around us was great moose habitat, lots of moose hoof prints on the muddy sections of the trail, but no moose.  And goodness knows we were scouting areas all day as we traipsed through.  There was an old fire watch tower that was an excellent halfway point for lunch.  We climbed up and ate our tuna wraps looking over miles and miles of forests.  We could barely see the lighthouse that we saw from the ferry the previous day, Rainbow Cove where we had our private dinner on the beach, and Siskiwit Bay which was our destination.

At our next rest break we had to start addressing some blister issues that seem to plague us when hiking.  About 1:30 pm Arthur turned around and asks, “Should we be concerned that we have walked 8 miles and haven’t seen a soul?”  I assured him that wasn’t uncommon for this area of the island.  This was the beautiful part of Isle Royale.  We were hiking in a National Park and wouldn’t see more than 7 other people hiking on the secondary trails over our 4 day stay.  Many national parks you would be sharing the trail with a constant stream of hikers.  But it was just us…and the moose wherever they were hiding.  At times the solitude was almost a little frightening to me and hard to get used to.  I will admit that I felt more comfortable that every night there was at least another group at each campground we stayed at so we weren’t completely on our own.  

It was still early afternoon when we rolled into our campground at Siskiwit Bay which we had all to ourselves until another pair of hikers arrived in the evening.  This meant that we would be able to camp in one of the two shelters that were first come, first serve.  I don’t think we could have been more excited for a five star hotel.  These shelters where like a screened in porch—wooden floor, roof, and three walls, with the front wall and door being screen.  There was a picnic table and a few trees to hang up our clothes line.  About 100 yards away was a dock into the bay.  We quickly changed into our swimming suits and tested the water.  It was freezing but crystal clear.  We stayed in the water as long as we could handle to wash off some of the sweat and grime from the trail.  We then rinsed out all of our hiking clothes and set them out on the pier to dry in the sun.  We spend the rest of the afternoon filtering water (of course), lounging in the sun, watching the sea gulls, reading, and enjoying the view. 

This was living.  We were so excited to have the basics—relatively cleaner clothes, less sweaty bodies, cold clear water, and a spacious shelter to sleep in.  There were even picnic tables to sit and eat dinner like civilized people.  We decided to pull out our most elegant backpacking meal—salmon with alfredo noodles and a side of thimbleberries from the bushes around our area.  Later in the evening we had the entertainment of watching a fox try to stalk some sea gulls. 

This was our favorite campsite of the trip and we were so glad that we put our miles in early so we could enjoy our afternoon at the edge of Siskiwit Bay.  We found it very enjoyable to just sit and watch what happened around us over the course of the afternoon and evening.  We watched a duck and ducklings bobbing up and down to dive to get minnows.  There were two sailboats anchored in the bay for the night so we watched their coming and goings.  One sea gull sat on the end of the pier all afternoon, practically without moving.  The loons called occasionally as night set in.  A foggy mist moved in and out of the bay.  The sun set casting pinks, reds, and oranges into the mist.  The sly fox on the prowl was a highlight.  We even noted how the light and color of the water changed too.  We couldn’t remember the last time we had sat and immersed ourselves in an area and just observed for several hours.  It was rewarding to think that we were some of just a handful of people this summer who have escaped into the wild to the calm of Siskiwit Bay.  It is at least a 15 mile hike from the ferry dock so only those willing to put forth the effort get this reward---another case of high hanging fruit. 

 

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. 

Low Hanging Fruit

This day of our vacation was dubbed “Low Hanging Fruit Day,”  the idea being that today we were going to see a lot of cool things that didn’t require a great deal of physical exertion.  Since we’ll be hiking the next three days, this seemed like a reasonable idea, and the Minnesota Park Services certainly aided our endeavor.  With awesome visitor centers, well paved trails, and sturdy staircases, we were able to walk to some amazing waterfalls and get some amazing pictures. 

After visiting two state parks, we headed to Grand Portage National Monument.  Grand Portage in its hay day was an important trading post for the Ojibwe and European fur traders.  This history is enshrined in its museum and “living history” village exhibit, which was fascinating.

In the village, we met a canoe maker who was incredibly knowledgeable and fascinating.  Talking to him later, we learned that he was a retired electrical engineering professor. He and his wife have been a volunteers with the park services for the past two years, traveling around the country and working at different parks.  The man now is knowledgeable in technology through about four different centuries!  Alex now has aspirations for what our retirement will look like.

After visiting the monument, we made one more stop at the Grand Portage Waterfall on the Pigeon River that separates the United States and Canada.  We were a little concerned that we would inadvertently cross the border, but we successfully made our way to the most wondrous of the falls we saw all day.

We finished our day at Grand Portage casino.  Before our Baptist readership flip their wigs too far, this was purely for their hotel services, not a cent of the Lord’s money we have been entrusted to steward wisely was spent in vice.  With a 6:45 departure tomorrow and no hotel this side of the border for 60 miles, this seemed a reasonable expenditure.

It was a truly marvelous day of picking low hanging fruit.  We waited with anticipation climbing for the more difficult, higher quality fruit the next day would bring.   

Roll Out

Somewhere north of St. Paul on I-35 Arthur was flipping through radio stations and landed on one playing a mix of hip-hop and rap from the 1980s and 90s.  While driving he was bebopping around repeating the lyrics “Roll out, Roll out”.  He had definitely switched in to road trip/vacation mode.  Which was good since it was a long first day of our vacation. 

The alarm went off at 4:30am and we “rolled out” of the drive way by 5:15.  We had a 12 hour drive ahead and had to get an early start.  We were on our way to Minnesota’s North Shore along Lake Superior.  We would end up within spitting distance of Canada.  This trip was going to included 4 new states for Arthur, his first experience with large bodies of water and boats, our first true backpacking endeavor, and a test of Alex’s travel agent skills.  

Saturday did include a lot of driving but we tag teamed the driving well and had a lot of entertainment.  Once again our usually Saturday morning NPR favorites—Car Talk and Wait, Wait followed by Prairie Home Companion with the News from Lake Wobegon  as we cruised past some of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.  We also were content listening to our audiobook for this trip, Boys in a Boat, about the story of the 1936 Olympic gold medal crew team from Washington.  It seemed fitting with the recent Olympics and to prepare us for our own boating adventure later in the week.  

We did stop for lunch in St. Paul at the Machine Shed.  This was a favorite from my family road trips growing up and I think Arthur gave it his stamp of approval.  He had the sirloin tips and I had pulled pork with sweat potato fries—it was all delicious.  We kept “rolling” to Duluth—the gateway to our adventure- and stopped at the visitor center so I could be armed with the best maps and travel guides since we are still existing in a pre-smart phone age and depend on paper documents.  Arthur was excited to see sea gulls and the view from the visitor center was a great view overlooking the river and harbor in Duluth.  Duluth is an industrial port that ships minerals like coal and taconite was well as having a paper mill.  

The last hour of our drive was along the scenic shore of Lake Superior.  Our initial impression is that there is a whole lot of water in the world’s largest freshwater lake.  No moose sightings yet but we did see a deer and then a herd of elk at an elk farm along the interstate.  We finally “rolled in” to the Lax Lake Resort about 7:30 that evening.  We settled into our room just in time to see a rainbow over the lake since it had been lightly raining most of the evening.  After 12 hours of driving I think we will be ready for the change of hiking over hill and dale with everything on our back.  Omnia Vincit Amor.