Guys. I’m issuing a time-out from our regularly scheduled programming here on the blog. Today the blog serves as one part trip report and one part photo memoir.
Last month, Eric and I traveled up to Isle Royale National Park which was something I had wanted to do for the better part of (at least) ten years. It just always seemed so elusive given the ten-hour car ride followed by the several-hours-long boat ride. But this year we made it a priority and so a place I’ve only ever been able to imagine is finally real in my life. It’s pretty spectacular.
We were incredibly lucky with the weather – sunny skies every single day and cool, crisp sleeping weather every single night. It was cool in the shade and warm in the sun which is some of the best weather you can ask for when you’re living out of a backpack for five days. Sadly, we never saw a moose but we did see a great variety of wildflowers and birds each day and stayed at waterfront campsites each night. The place was just incredible.
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Day One: We took the Isle Royale Queen IV from Copper Harbor to the island. The water was calm and the ride was smooth.
We had lunch here in Rock Harbor before we set out for the day. Before we arrived, I had no real idea what things would look like in Rock Harbor but it was much more civilized than I’d imagined.
And then we set off for our first day of hiking along the Tobin Harbor Trail which followed the water (and the mosquitoes) for a quite a while. Off the Tobin Harbor Trail and after a two-mile decent we were at Lane Cove, our first home on the island.
Day Two: This was our longest day as we headed up and over the Greenstone Ridge. I never expected the island to be so rocky and exposed but most of this day was spent walking along rock in the full sun.
We thoroughly enjoyed McCargoe Cove for our second night. There was a great group of people there and we all spent good amounts of time by the water and on the dock at the campsite. We were surrounded by oregano plants which made me wish I had some crusty bread and olive oil… you know, not trail mix.
Day Three: We stopped at Lake Richie for a nice lunch break and Eric played photographer. Later that day we arrived at what turned out to be our favorite campsite. Moskey Basin was a true gem where we had a shelter all to ourselves that sat on a private little nook along the basin. It was a warm sunny day so we dropped our packs immediately and waded into the freezing cold water for refreshment. This was the life…
Day Four: We stopped at Daisy Farm for a morning snack and ended up at Three Mile Campground for our last night. Our shelter had direct access to the dock and the water – along with some beautiful light – so we spent a lot of time soaking in those views.
Day Five: On our last day, I was more vigilant than ever in our search for a moose. I didn’t want to leave the island without seeing one but, alas, no moose. And Eric did succeed in getting me on the boat out of Rock Harbor and back to Copper Harbor.
It was an epic trip and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested. While I am ready to go back at any time, for now I am just grateful for the opportunity and thankful for our luck with the weather and experiences. Once we made it back to the Upper Peninsula, we took a few days to travel around so hopefully I’ll be able to share another time-out here soon. Cheers!
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