|
TRIP REPORT (Part 4 of 4). Day # 5 of Hiking. In Part Two, I told of Hiking Day # 1 & Hiking Day #2--and crossing the Island on the Greenstone Ridge Trail from Windigo to Rock Harbor on those two days. In Part Three, I spoke of hiking from Rock Harbor to N. Desor (via the Minong Ridge Trail)--on Hiking Day # 3 and # 4--and stopping at N. Desor on hiking day # 4--primarily because of approaching rain. (This was instead of hiking all of the way to Windigo late in the day in rough conditions and in approaching rain and eventual darkness.) I spent the night (of Hiking Day # 4) at N. Desor. It rained off and on for much of the night and into the afternoon of the next day. I started out hiking in the somewhat early morning hours (of Hiking Day # 5) from N. Desor toward Windigo. This was my fifth time hiking the entire Minong Ridge Trail. Thus, I knew that today would be a long 13.5 mile hike --on a trail that crossed at least three beaver dams, There would also be hiking on the ridge early in the day--and lots of ups and downs (from hills and ridges down into the woods and back up to the ridge) for much of the day. I disliked this particular day of hiking. It couldn't end soon enough (in my opinion). It was rainy, misty, hazy. Thus, there were no grand views to see. The rocky surfaces and the muddy areas were both very slippery....and they were a potential accident waiting to happen. I had to walk through wet, muddy, and rocky areas for much of the day. In short, it was a long, wet, miserable day, with no magnificent views--but with plenty of places to potentially slip, trip, or get injured. I just wanted to get to Windigo and be done hiking for this day--but that didn't happen until mid to late afternoon. There are no fast ways to hike this section in the rain (when you are age 60 and have eyeglasses with a "complex" prescription). You simply have to hike slow and carefully watch where you are placing each step. And, EVENTUALLY you will get to Windigo. Other than being wet, rainy and "miserable" for much of the day--a couple of other things stand out from this day. I saw a big "mattress bag"--with stuff in it--either abandoned or accidentally dropped on the Minong Ridge Trail. It was huge. I wonder what prompted someone to carry something that big. (See the photo). The other big "event" of the day .... I got "lost". (I wasn't fully lost. I always sort of knew where I was--in a general sense). I was following a trail. I could clearly see the trail--but IN RETROSPECT--I believe that I somehow got on a false trail in the rain. (I ran into at least four other parties who also got off of the official trail in this same general area. --near the first beaver dam--coming from the N. Desor toward Windigo). I started across what appeared to POSSIBLY be the first beaver dam area and quickly found myself bushwhacking through a swamp/bog. When i turned on the GPS on my phone--it showed that this false "trail" was about 1/8 of a mile away from where the actual Minong Ridge Trail was supposed to be. After exiting the swamp, I bushwhacked up and over a small ridge--following my GPS readings--and I easily rejoined the Minong Ridge Trail. I got to Windigo (safe, sound, but wet) late in the afternoon. It had been a long, wet, dreary, and hazy day of hiking. In five days of hiking (at age 60) I had backpacked from Windigo to RocK Harbor (via the Greenstone Ridge Trail) and from Rock Harbor back to Windigo--(via the Minong Ridge Trail). It had been roughly 85 miles of backpacking. I spent the next day and a half cleaning up me and my gear--and waiting for my boat back to the mainland (Voyager II). I also spent that time enjoying the people and sights of Windigo).
0 Comments
TRIP REPORT PART 3 of 4. (Hiking Days # 3 and #4): I had crossed the Island (Windigo to Rock Harbor) on the Greenstone Ridge Trail on hiking days # 1, and #2. I woke up before dawn on Day # 3 in a shelter at the Rock Harbor Campground--with a goal of crossing the Island (Rock Harbor to Windigo) in two days using the Minong Ridge Trail. (It ended taking me a total of three days RH to Windigo--primarily due to rain). By the end of the day--I covered over 22 miles. The next day I covered 11.4 miles. (Note: This was my FIFTH TRIP covering the entire Minong Ridge Trail between McCargoe Cove and Windigo--and I have covered smaller sections of the Minong many other times. So, I am very familiar with this trail). I started this part of the hike at the Rock Harbor dock probably about a half-hour before dawn. In the attached photos, you will see a really neat looking moth that I encountered in Rock Harbor as I started my hike. (It was resting on a light). The first part of my route took me down the Tobin Harbor Trail to the Mount Franklin Junction (near three Mile Campground). Then, up to Mt. Franklin. The views along the trail were nice--but the hike itself was mostly calm and uneventful--except for me stirring up a resting or sleeping young bull moose on my way up to Mt. Franklin. He must have heard me approaching and he stood up with quite the rustle and crash of the surrounding foliage--and within several seconds he had galloped off into the woods. (This was moose # 4 on my trip--I had seen a bull and two cows at Rock Harbor). The views from Mt. Franklin were nice (as is usually the case). I am the pastor of a small rural congregation and I belong to Protestant monastic group as well. We devote much of our time to prayer. For some reason, Isle Royale has become my "special" spiritual place for prayer and getting close to God--and Mt. Franklin is my EXTRA special place for prayer and meditation on all of Isle Royale. On at least two occasions, I have even privately celebrated the Lord's Supper (communion) on the rocks at Mt. Franklin. Today, because of my planned high mileage day, I just enjoyed the views on Mt. Franklin and did brief mid-morning prayer--then it was time to move on. The next stop was Mt. Ojibway and the fire tower there. For some reason, this section of the hike seemed to take "forever". Even once I saw the fire tower in the distance, it seemed like it took me quite a while to get there. I finally reached the Mt. Ojibway fire tower. I took off my pack and rested for a while--I drank a lot of water and had a snack--and spent my time climbing the fire tower and enjoying the views. (Unlike many people, I personally refuse to take my cellphone off of airplane mode and check for cell service at Mt. Franklin or Mt. Ojibway. I come to Isle Royale to cut myself off from the outside world. I use my phone for GPS, as a camera, and maybe for some occasional reading material. I never check for a cell signal). After Mt. Ojibway, It was a long walk toward East Chickenbone--and then on toward McCargoe Cove. There were some good views along the early portions of this segment. However, there is not much to report--with one MAJOR exception. As I was crossing a bridge/boardwalk between East Chickenbone and McCargoe Cove--I saw a cow moose and her calf in the water. I have encountered hundreds of moose in the wild and know how to respectfully keep my distance. It seemed as if the cow and calf were far enough away--enjoying a meal of water foliage in the beaver pond. They were looking away from me and paying no attention to me. AND, part of the boardwalk/bridge was located BEHIND a tall beaver dam and dwelling. So, I started out across the bridge/boardwalk. Mama and baby seemed to pay me no attention as I slowly made my way across the planks. As I passed BEHIND the beaver dam/dwelling--I even heard mom and calf quickly trotting away. All the better! Well, Mom and baby HADN'T walked away. In those few very brief seconds (when I was behind the beaver dam/dwelling), they had walked CLOSER to the beaver dam/dwelling. As I emerged from the other side, I was now probably no more than 20 feet away from mama (in her new location) and she was looking right at me and was apparently startled by seeing me so close. She did not "attack"--but she certainly did go into defensive / protective mama mode. I hustled the final feet off of that boardwalk (even stepping in muck) and quickly got a cluster of trees between me and mom. She was definitely snorting and pacing back and forth looking for me and making her presence known. She soon called out to baby--baby responded--and mom wandered off back to her baby. (After she walked away, I figuratively changed my Depend undergarments and walked away myself when I thought all was clear and safe). I made it to McCargoe Cove. I rested. I ate some food. Refilled water containers. Chatted with delightful people. After maybe an hour-and-a-half, I headed out again toward Todd Harbor. Once again, the second half of this particular segment seemed to take an eternity. I seemed to be "close" to Todd Harbor--but the walk took forever. I got to Todd Harbor as the sun was setting. I sat down with wonderful people at the "community" picnic table near the group fire ring and chatted and ate. (I had covered over 22 miles today). After everyone else left the picnic table area, it was now "late" and dark--so in the interest of being quiet, I just "cowboy camped" --under the stars--right on the picnic table. I didn't go to a campsite and set up camp. The next day, I woke up long before down. I placed the few items that I had taken out of my pack--back into my pack. I filled my water containers in the lake.(after filtering the water) and got on my way while it was still a bit dark. Today's route had two parts (Todd Harbor to Little Todd and Little Todd to North Desor.) I even had the hope of possibly going on to Windigo if I covered this section fast enough. I ultimately stopped at N. Desor around 2 p.m.--for the sake of safety--because I was a bit tired and hungry. I needed to refill my water containers--and it looked like rain. (And rain did start--maybe a half hour or so after I got to N. Lake Desor Campground). Not a whole lot to report fro this particular day. It is just a lot of difficult walking. Some stream crossings. (See the picture of the twisted log that I used as a bridge--as I approached Little Todd.). The terrain in this section is often rocky and rugged (and hot and dehydrating) up on the ridge. Then, the trail drops back down into thick and overgrown trails in the woods--and sometimes swamps--then back up to the hot, rocky, ridge and then back down into the woods and swamps (repeat again and again--all day). This is the slowest and (arguably) "toughest" segment on all of isle Royale. It took me (the world's slowest hiker) probably 8-9 hours to cover the 11.4 miles from Todd Harbor to N. Desor. As noted above, I reached N. Desor in mid-afternoon ...and I decided to stop for the day--for many reasons--the biggest of which being the distinct possibility of lots of rain approaching. Shortly after I finished setting up my "tent" (Gatewood Cape--a combination of rain gear and shelter)--the rains started and continued off and on through the afternoon of the next day). I am glad that I stopped for the day at N. Desor. The next 13.5 miles to Windigo-- were tough and slippery in the rain and broad daylight of the next--even after a night's rest and eating lots of food. They would have been extremely dangerous if I was fatigued and if darkness was eventually approaching. TRIP REPORT--Part 2 of 4. (Day # 1 and Day # 2 of my 2022 Hiking Trip): I am "proud" to perhaps be the world's slowest hiker. Although I hike EXTREMELY slow--I have no problem hiking very long hiking days. So, that means than I can still cover "long" distances in a single (VERY LONG) day. I have a goal of (in my 60s) hiking across the Island (Windigo to Rock Harbor) in a single day--with a full pack. I have had that goal since 2009. I finally made the attempt this year--at age 60--but (for a variety of reasons) I fell short. I made it only to Daisy Farm from Windigo in a single day (34 miles). I will try again in future years. However, the key thing is that I had a good time with the attempt. The thing that was the most interesting aspect of the attempt, was the fact that I started my hike (using a headlamp) at 1:30 a.m. and hiked through the night. I was hiking in the dark until I caught the first rays of the sun from the Mt. Desor area. I wouldn't recommend solo night hikes (on isle Royale) for most people. However, this particular section of trail (Windigo to S. Desor) is fairly easy to follow. It is relatively smooth with limited trip hazards. I have hiked all (or most) of this section of trail probably 10 times before. I also had my phone's GPS running. Solo night hiking on Isle Royale is extremely serene and peaceful. There are almost zero human-made noises or lights during the overnight hours. Sometimes, I turned my headlamp off--stood still--and just tried to "take it all in". It was exhilarating. It felt like I had Isle Royale all to myself. I heard only a little bit of animal movement overnight (perhaps a wolf in the general Island Mine area). However, I did hear many other types of animal sounds (especially various birds). Most of the time, my mind was focused on "(Oh cool!) I'm all alone in the middle of the night on Isle Royale!". However, I must admit, that there were a few times when my overactive imagination caused me to think, "(Oh CRAP!) I'm all alone in the middle of the night on Isle Royale!". As I approached South Lake Desor Campground --and was in the general Mount Desor area-- I started to see orange and gold shafts of sunlight poking through the darkness and the trees. For approximately an hour (or more) before dawn, the singing and chirping of the birds started slowly and softly and eventually reached a fairly loud level of activity. It was fun watching (and listening to) the woods transition from darkness to full daylight. I don't think that I encountered any humans until I reached the general area of the Ishpeming fire tower. It had been a tremendous night and early morning of solitude hiking on Isle Royale. I continued Day # 1 of my hike as the day unfolded. I hiked past Hatchet Lake junction. I gathered water at a creek past Hatchet Lake (previously marked by me on my GPS on an earlier trip). I continued on past Lake Chickenbone--and continued on the Greenstone Ridge until late evening--when I decided to bring my attempt (to cross the Island in one day) to an early close. (I was having some minor equipment and physical issues and I refused to take any unnecessary risks). So, I slowly dropped down off of the Greenstone Ridge--and came to Daisy Farm as the shadows started to fall. I spent the night at Daisy Farm. I went to Rock Harbor the next morning. I spent the day at Rock Harbor "resetting" and recharging myself and my electronic devices. The next morning, i set out from Rock Harbor-- just before dawn--with the goal of crossing the island (via the Minong Ridge Trail) in just two days at age 60. (It actually took me three days to travel from Rock Harbor to Windigo via the Minong-- primarily because of rain and slippery trail conditions). TRIP REPORT: Part 1 of 4. I am still on the way back home after my most recent trip to Isle Royale. Here is the summary: Day #1: Took Voyager II (Grand Portage MN to Windigo). Spent night at Windigo. Day #2: Rainy, stormy, day. Stayed hunkered down in a shelter at Windigo. Day # 3: My goal was to hike from the Windigo dock to the Rock Harbor dock (41 to 42 miles) in just one day via the Greensone Ridge Trail (at age 60...and carrying a pack with all essential gear and 3 days of food). For many reasons, I only made it to Daisy Farm. (34 miles) Day # 4: Hiked Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor (7 miles). Day # 5: Rock Harbor to Todd Harbor (via McCargoe Cove) using the Minong Ridge Trail (roughly 22 miles) Day # 6: Todd Harbor to North Lake Desor. (10.7 miles) Day # 7: North Lake Desor to Windigo dock. Rainy. Foggy. Yucky day. About 13 miles). Day # 8: Hung out in Windigo Day # 9: Left Windigo via Voyager II to Grand Portage MN. |
AuthorJon Prain ("The Isle Royale Guy"). I have been to Isle Royale 18 times. Archives
August 2022
Categories |
RSS Feed