Less -- Is More

MY PERSONAL OPINION: Trying to do too much stuff -- in too little time -- can negatively impact your Isle Royale experience.  Slow down. Relax. Cover fewer miles. See fewer places. Do fewer things.

Here is the big irony regarding an Isle Royale visit --- doing less usually means that you will experience more.

I tend to read many online posts from people who are planning Isle Royale trips.  I also (free of charge) help many people plan their Isle Royale trips. In the vast majority of instances, what I observe are people who are trying to cram more "stuff" into a limited time frame. They want to cover longer distances. They want to see more things. They want to hike across the Island (on a limited time schedule). They want to visit more places on Isle Royale.  Sadly, the harder they push--the less they really experience.

In my opinion, Isle Royale is NOT a place that you should merely SEE or VISIT -- and faithfully check items off of your "to do list" as you see them or as you do them.  Rather, Isle Royale is a place that you need to fully EXPERIENCE---with all five senses (and with that inner "sixth sense"). That full experience cannot usually be achieved if you are trying to do too much in too little time. 

If you want to fully experience Isle Royale, you need to slow down--savor each moment --and take it all in.

Inhaling Fast Food--or Experiencing Quality Dining?

It is our tendency in the U.S. to try to eat our meals almost as quickly as possible. We often view mealtime as a necessary imposition that pulls us away from doing the "really important" things.  Even as people are "inhaling" their fast food--they tend to multi-task and "inhale" their food while driving and/or while staring at their mobile phone or while staring at a computer screen (or a television). We rush through mealtime and fail to fully experience the food (and the people around us).

I once went out to dinner with a fairly new military colleague who was quickly becoming a good friend. We went to an Indian restaurant. We consumed lots of great food (and beverages) in a very relaxed way. It was essentially a multi-course meal. We were at the restaurant for over four hours (and, we paid and tipped the staff appropriately for all of their time and efforts). It was the most enjoyable and relaxing meal that I have ever had in 62+ years of living. 

The restaurant was not busy--and it was fairly quiet. Some Indian music -- that was relaxing and practically meditative -- played softly in the background. The lighting in the restaurant was soft and low. Thus, our senses were not overly bombarded by loud noises and harsh lighting. There was considerable time between courses for us to simply relax and chat--while we waited for more great food to be prepared and brought to our table.

The taste, smell, and texture of the food was out of this world. We ate slowly and we fully experienced and enjoyed each morsel --- using all of our senses. After most of the meal was done, we continued to relax. We ate desserts and chatted some more while we sipped our after dinner coffee (or similar beverages). We never once looked at our cellphones. For over four hours, we were completely absorbed in the conversations, the friendship, the relaxing setting, the restaurant staff, and the fabulous food.  We dined using all of our senses while fully enjoying each moment.

Isle Royale As a "Quality Dining Experience"

How do you want to experience Isle Royale?

Do you want your Isle Royale experience to be similar to  going through a drive thru (and inhaling your food while you multi-task)  --- OR --- do you want your Isle Royale experience to be similar to the quality (4+ hour) dining experience (that I described above)?

In order for my military friend and I to have that quality dining experience, we had to slow down and forget about the clock, our cellphones, and all of our "to do lists".

We were two very busy Army Captains attending an academically intense military course for many weeks. There were thousands of pages of reading. There was research to be done and papers to be written. There were many hours of classes to attend. And, it was still the Army. We had uniforms to iron and press (and obtain sharp creases using starch). There were boots to polish (to the point that you could see yourself reflected in them). Physical training started at 5:00 a.m. each morning--(meaning that we had to be on the drill field at 4:45 a.m).  There were inspections of our uniforms and our grooming. We were busy Army officers and students at an advanced  military "school".   We had sergeants, senior officers, and instructors "breathing down our necks" and who were pushing us almost every day (7 days per week). We were extremely busy and we had much to accomplish.

Yet, we took that night off. We slowed down. We essentially said "to hell with it all"  -- and we enjoyed a long (relaxing) meal and we enjoyed each other's friendship.

Part of fully experiencing Isle Royale will require a person to do what my military friend and I did.  You ultimately have to say "to hell with it" all.  You have to set aside the schedules, the itineraries, the "to do lists", the cellphones, the text messaging, and all of the things that are going on at work and at home (and even set aside the things that you want to accomplish while on Isle Royale). You have to consciously decide to  "live in the moment" and enjoy every single second--utilizing all of your senses. Toss out the plans and simply "go with the flow".

If (on Isle Royale) you are focused on reaching a certain destination and accomplishing certain tasks on a particular day (by a particular time) ... then you will have likely failed to fully experience the Island. Your focus will NOT have been upon "the Island" and "the moment". Rather, your focus will have been on your plan, your schedule, and the clock (and/or on things "back home").

It is one thing to SEE a few otters swimming in the water as you hike or paddle. It is another thing to pause and to just sit there and watch the otters for 15-30 minutes.  It is one thing to reach a scenic overlook--snap a few photos--and then move along.  It is a totally different thing--to STOP--take off your pack (and maybe even take off your footwear and socks) -- and eat a meal at that scenic overlook--as you fully use all of your senses in order to fully "take in" that moment and that place.  If you think that you see great things at a scenic overlook --when you pause there for 3-5 minutes. Imagine all that you can experience (at that same scenic overlook) when you stay there for 30 minutes and utilize all of your senses.  It is one thing to exchange some pleasant "chit chat" with a fellow Island visitor  (as you filter water side-by-side at the shore line). It is another thing to fully engage in an actual conversation with that same person -- learn about each other -- and maybe even become long-term friends.

Do you want fast food from the drive thru (eaten while multi-tasking) -- OR -- do you want a four hour quality dining EXPERIENCE?

Slow down. Do less. Set aside your plans, your itineraries, and your agendas--and simply experience the days and the moments as they unfold. Intentionally take time to notice more things.

You will get to your campground whenever you get to your campground.  Who cares if you don't get a shelter and maybe have to SHARE a tent site?  Forget about racing to get to the campground before other people. Instead, stop and enjoy the otters. Take in the views along they way. Notice the flowers. Hear the birds. Smell the pines. Taste the thimble berries.  Feel the sun on your face, the wind blowing through your hair, and the icy (and soothing) water on your tired and aching feet was you wade in Lake Superior.  Don't strive to complete a checklist of items.  Instead, pause often and savor the experience.

Yes, you will probably get to the campground later and you may need to share a tent site. Heck, maybe that person (with whom you end up sharing the tent site) will become your new friend (and you may still be close friends 14 years later). Live in the moment. Use all of your senses ... and enjoy each second that you are on Isle Royale.

MOUNT OJIBWAY FIRE TOWER

I am constantly amazed at how different people experience the Mount Ojibway fire tower (and similar scenic places) on a clear and cloudless day.

Some people experience Mt. Ojibway as primarily a place with good cellphone reception. They reach Mt. Ojibway and get out their phones and start sending text messages. They check their emails, update their social media, and talk to people "back home" and people at work. 

How can someone fully experience Isle Royale and Mt. Ojibway when they are reading (and replying to) that email from "Mary in accounting" or when they are posting photos to Instagram or talking via cellphone to their significant other?  At best, their attention is divided.  They are not fully present at Mt. Ojibway. A part of them is essentially "back home". They are not fully experiencing Mt. Ojibway with all of their senses. Their eyes are staring at a cellphone screen. Their ears are listening to someone at the other end of the phone connection. Their brain is back at the office.

And, how can I (a fellow Isle Royale visitor) fully enjoy Mt. Ojibway --when someone is standing (just a few feet away from me) --shouting louder and louder into their cellphone saying, "Can you hear me now?"

Yes, such people will have visited Mt. Oibway. They will have photos from Mt. Ojibway. But, will they have fully EXPERIENCED Mt. Ojibway?

A Rabbi. An SUV. A Spider Web.

I was an Army National Guard Chaplain.  At the time, my rank was "Captain". I was working at an event with another Chaplain (a Jewish Rabbi).  He was a Major. Thus, he outranked me. 

Near midday, the Chaplain / Major / Rabbi said to me, "Chaplain Prain, let us go to the dining facility and get ourselves some lunch".  He was a Major. I was a Captain. Thus, we went to lunch.  As we walked across a parking lot, he said to me,  "Chaplain Prain, let us pause and ponder this wondrous thing that God has placed along our path".  He was a Major.  I was a Captain.  So, we both stopped to ponder.

What did we stop to ponder?  There was an SUV with a spare tire on the back of it (with no protective covering over the spare tire).  A spider had spun a web in the hub area of the spare tire.   The rabbi had stopped us--as we walked to lunch  -- in order to ponder a spider web in an SUV spare tire.

For at least five minutes we stood there.

Picture it --if you will.  Two Army chaplains. In uniform. A Major and a Captain.  Both staring at a spider and a spider web that were in the hub of a spare tire on the back of an SUV.  We stood there -- staring --  not just for one minute or for two minutes -- but for at least five minutes. 

At first, we were mostly in silence (which was even more awkward). Then, the Rabbi started to point out various details about the web. The intricate patterns. The strength of the fibers. The ability of the spider to move freely on the web--while flies and other insects became trapped on the same spun fibers. The list of what we observed and "pondered" went on and on.

Then, the Rabbi said, "Chaplain Prain, let us pray and give thanks for this wondrous thing--before we go and enjoy our meal.".  He was a Major. I was a Captain. So, we prayed and gave thanks to God for the spider and the spider web --and for all of the interesting things about the spider and the web. (The Rabbi also said a prayer for the meal that we were soon to eat).

On Isle Royale, do you ever "pause to ponder this wondrous thing that God has placed along our path"?  Have you ever stopped and stared at something (like a spider web) for many minutes -- contemplating all of the fine details and intricacies?  Do you stop and give thanks for it?  Do you engage all of your senses? (-- OR -- are you simply trying to get from Point A to Point B?)

CONCLUSION

What will you do with your Isle Royale experience?  Will it be like a speedy trip through a fast food drive thru (followed by multi-tasking as you "inhale" your food) -- OR -- will it be more like a 4+ hour quality dining experience --where you set everything else aside -- and "live (undistracted) in the moment" and fully experience the food, the friendships, and the setting ---utilizing all of your senses?

Will you rush from place to place on the Island--striving to secure a shelter and completing all of the things on your Isle Royale "to do" list -- OR -- will you be more like the Rabbi --who made me stop for several minutes to simply "pause and ponder this wondrous thing that God has placed along our path".

The choice is yours.