Archive for the ‘Trips’ Category

Isle Royale Trip: Playing Leapfrog on the Minong Ridge Trail

May 18th, 2012 / 0 Comments

Paper birch forest along Minong Ridge Trail

Hiking along the Minong Ridge Trail has been a pleasant stroll through attractive forests thus far. So, there is absolutely no reason to contemplate my last opportunity to bail out on the trail at the intersection with the Hatchet Lake Trail.

After a fifteen minute break at the Hatchett Lake intersection, I continue hiking through the same aspen/paper birch forest. The sky begins to darken though, while before it was merely overcast. Is there more rain in store for me today? The weather forecast from this morning was not optimistic, and meteorologists are never wrong. Right?

The wind picks up some, as I continue hiking through the aspen/paper birch forest. The combination of the white and grey mature tree trunks as far as the eye can see, mixed with the light green foliage of the many saplings in the understory, makes this a very pretty stretch of trail. A red-eyed vireo flutters above my head in the young aspen trees, enjoying the ample supply of insects attracted to structurally diverse forest.
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Isle Royale Trip: Last Chance to Bail on the Minong Ridge Trail

May 16th, 2012 / 0 Comments

Minong Ridge Trail

Today is the last possible opportunity to bail out on completing the Minong Ridge Trail. After reaching the Hatchet Lake Trail, which should be early this morning, there are no other opportunities to exit the Minong Ridge Trail. After this the only choices are to hike all the way to the end at Windigo, or turn back. Not that turning back allows for an escape from the backcountry, since it is a several days hike back to Rock Harbor regardless of the route taken.

Not that I have any intentions for turning back now. Not unless I sprain an ankle, or lose a leg. Unfortunately, this is not an unlikely scenario, given the continuous ups and downs along the Minong Ridge Trail.

The early morning at Todd Harbor is not unlike that of most the other mornings on Isle Royale. Except this time the many chattering red squirrels and the urgent need to relieve myself are accompanied by the indiscriminate notes of an unidentified thrush near my tarp. In other words, it is the start of another wonderful day on Isle Royale.
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Isle Royale Trip: Exploring a Wet Todd Harbor

May 12th, 2012 / 0 Comments

Todd Harbor shoreline

By the time I arrive at Todd Harbor Campground the light rain is a full-on rain. Not a down pour, by any means, just a steady rain. Even suiting up in my North Face rain jacket and Golite Tumalo Pertex rain pants earlier did not do their magic to hold off the rain. So now I am given no choice but put up my tarp in the rain.

Maybe it is the rain and the dark clouds, but I am less than impressed by Todd Harbor, especially given the lauds attributed to it from Jim DuFresne’s book. Perhaps it is more attractive without a low hanging fog obscuring much of the view out into Lake Superior, along with some nearby shoreline.

The dock is on the opposite side of the harbor, closer to the group campsites. The trail to the dock goes through some tall herbaceous vegetation just off the water’s shore, now most certainly soaked. A rocky shoreline curves around to the dock, giving a much drier option than taking the trail, when, and if, I choose to explore the opposite shoreline later.
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Isle Royale Trip: Hiking the Minong Ridge to Todd Harbor

May 9th, 2012 / 0 Comments

View from Minong Ridge Trail

What is the chance of returning to the Minong Ridge Trail at a point with a dazzling view of the Canadian shoreline across Lake Superior?

Obviously, the odds are pretty good. That is exactly where I arrive after bushwhacking up from the Minong Mine site. The upslope climb leaves me a little winded, so a short rest is in order, complete with a snack and pleasant drink of nutty flavored water from McCargoe Cove.

Admiring the fine views of Canada beyond a stretch of Lake Superior lengthens my rest beyond its appropriateness given the effort to regain the Minong Ridge Trail. Without even realizing, my Olympus camera and Leica compact binoculars make an appearance, allowing me to enjoy the views in the future, as well as the present.
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Isle Royale Trip: Exploring the Minong Mine

Apr 30th, 2012 / 0 Comments

Second pit at Minong Mine

The night at McCargoe Cove, Isle Royale is anything but a quiet one.

At some point in the night, a light rain falls. Light in the sense than it is not enough to soak the dry ground, but just enough to dampen the foliage and the seats of the picnic table. Unfortunately, it is hard enough to sound like a deluge on my tautly tied tarp.

In addition to the rain, several great horned owls engage in a hoot competition during the early morning hours. At one point they make enough of a racket to pull me out of light sleep. Between the owls and the rain, it is a wonder that anyone got any sleep around the tenting sites at McCargoe Cove that night.
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Isle Royale Trip: Bullseye at McCargoe Cove

Apr 28th, 2012 / 4 Comments

McCargoe Cove

The expansive views of Lake Superior and Canada’s shoreline are behind me on the Greenstone Ridge, and there is little chance of them returning until tomorrow from the Minong Ridge. Instead, the Chickenbone Lake’s east end and a variety of small wetlands wait between the Greenstone Ridge/East Chickenbone Trails intersection.

From the intersection, I depart the Greenstone Ridge Trail and continue along the East Chickenbone Trail toward McCargoe Cove. I take a last look back at the Greenstone Ridge with some sadness as I would not return to the ridge, or the trail bearing its name, until the second half of my trip while on my return journey to Rock Harbor.
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Isle Royale Trip: Occasional Views along the Greenstone Ridge Trail

Apr 21st, 2012 / 0 Comments

Sargent Lake from Greenstone Ridge Trail

The Greenstone Ridge inspired expansive views of Isle Royale, surrounded by the rough waters of Lake Superior. These romantic visions were reinforced based on the surroundings along the Daisy Farm Trail as I approach the intersection with the trail bearing its name.

What I got when I arrive is trees. Not a mature forest, mind you, but enough to make a closed canopy, which provides some relief from the increasingly hot sun. Although welcome, this relief is not the breathtaking views I anticipated. Hopefully, the views are yet to come along the trail, otherwise I may not feel this trail lives up to all the hype.

Section Stats:
Date: August 30, 2011
Length: 4.2 miles (6.1 total daily miles; 14.3 total trip miles)
Difficulty: Easy
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Isle Royale Trip: Darkness, Diversity and some Wetlands along the Daisy Farm Trail

Apr 14th, 2012 / 2 Comments

Bog along Daisy Farm Trail

Darkness greets me as I wake on my first morning on Isle Royale. Darkness, and an intense urge to pee.

A quick glance at my watch indicates 6:30 AM. This surprises me, as I expect it to be lighter by this time in the morning. The lack of light is not due to a thick forest canopy either, as shelter #5 is located near the edge of the open meadow at Daisy Farm Campground.

Nature’s calling puts an end to my early morning pondering. I untangle myself from my sleeping bag, dress quickly and swiftly exit the shelter, taking great care not to let the spring-loaded door slam shut and wake the entire campground.

Section Stats:
Date: August 30, 2011
Length: 1.9 miles (1.9 total miles)
Difficulty: Moderate (due to climbing)

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Isle Royale Trip: A Squirrel, a Loon and a Camp of Bats at Daisy Farm Campground

Mar 24th, 2012 / 0 Comments

Daisy Farm Dock

The following is a description of a 19-day adventure to Isle Royale National Park. The trip includes driving more than 900 miles to Copper Harbor and back, a ferry over the rough water of Lake Superior and two weeks of hiking to one end of the 45-mile long island and back. Part four of the first day is about my evening at Daisy Farm Campground.

Section Stats:
Date: August 29, 2011
Length: 0 miles (8.2 total miles)
Difficulty: Easy

An empty Daisy Farm clearing stands before me under a clear blue sky, a dramatic contrast to the busier and overcast conditions I left behind at Rock Harbor. After hiking along Rock Harbor all afternoon, I find myself at my final destination for the day, and it is only a little after 4:30 PM.

A grassy field is the centerpiece of Daisy Farm. The knee-high grass stands brittle and brown from a dry summer, while many young aspens along the clearing edge appear to be slowly invading the clearing. Along the edges of the clearing stand a few medium-sized spruce trees, while larger trees tower over them farther back into the surrounding forest.
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Isle Royale Trip: Hiking the Rock Harbor Trail

Mar 19th, 2012 / 2 Comments

View of Rock Harbor

The following is a description of a 19-day adventure to Isle Royale National Park. The trip includes driving more than 900 miles to Copper Harbor and back, a ferry over the rough water of Lake Superior and two weeks of hiking to one end of the 45-mile long island and back. Part three of the first day is a hike along the Rock Harbor Trail to Daisy Farm Campground.

Section Stats:
Date: August 29, 2011
Length: 8.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate

With orientation and my other administrative activities at the “civilized” Rock Harbor behind me, it is high time I get on the trail and head for Daisy Farm, the first night’s campsite as stated on my Isle Royale itinerary.

As I climb uphill and away from the Ranger’s Office, I wonder whether I am on the correct path after passing what appears to be residential housing. I feel less unsure when the path becomes more gravel–like and shelters start appearing on both sides.
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