Why Isle Royale?

Questions on general information and things that do not fit into any other categories.

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spmoore
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by spmoore »

The only thing I can add to all of theses messages is that on my first trip the line from a song kept running through my head. " Coming home to a place he'd never been before." It just felt right!
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by johnhens »

MikeW wrote:As for the raised eyebrows and confused looks? I’ve come to accept one thing about Isle Royale. You either get it or you don’t….and how sorry I feel for those who don’t.

Amen!!!
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Ingo »

Folks, this thread has been killing me! Haven't been out since '05 and this year is looking less likely by the day. I worked the store and docks in R.H. the summer of '79. We only had 1 day a week off so there wasn't much opportunity for backcountry trips, but I did what I could--day hikes including Hidden Lake to R.H., took a rental boat to Chippewa Harbor a couple times (don't tell anyone I went out of R.H.), towed a canoe to Moskey and portaged in and out of Richie, and several overnight paddles to Belle Harbor and back. I spent many evenings sitting on Scoville Pt and witnessed waves washing over the point in one incredible storm.

It took almost 20 yrs of dreaming to get back, and there's been a few trips since with accompanying memories. While most of my immediate and extended family members I've been out with have enjoyed the trips and like the island, no one seems to have the bug like me. Except maybe my youngest daughter who wants to get married there and made me promise to spread her ashes there (I pointed out that I hoped it would be the other way around). So I continue to dream, remember, and live the island thru y'all and this forum. And plan, of course!
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Backpacker534 »

You know something Ingo, that is one of the great things about this web forum...you can rekindle the memories of your experiences through the postings and memories of everyone else until you can return there yourself in the future.
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by moss13 »

Ingo,
I would love to hear some more stories of what it was like living and working on the Island. What was a typical day like for you? Did you have a room at Rock Harbor or where did you bunk for the night? How many months out of the year were you on the Island? Ever run into any wolves? Did you work with the park service? Hope you can get back to the island soon. Did you see the Northern Lights much?
Last edited by moss13 on Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Backpacker534 »

I will "second" moss13's questions. I'd love to hear more as well. :)
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by johnhens »

Backpacker534 wrote:I will "second" moss13's questions. I'd love to hear more as well. :)
Indeed, Ingo please share!!!
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Hikerken »

I would have to say that it's the build-up of anticipation for the trip(months ahead of time), the 16 hour drive to the ferry, the isolation on the island (most trips I have been on I do not see a single soul for a couple of day), and the solitude of hiking. I usually come home having lost 5-10 lbs and my clothing fitting a bit better. Then the fun of remembering every moment of every trip for years to come.
Life is short so try everytihing at least once, If you like it do it again.
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Ingo »

Backpacker534 wrote:You know something Ingo, that is one of the great things about this web forum...you can rekindle the memories of your experiences through the postings and memories of everyone else until you can return there yourself in the future.
Absolutely :D
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Ingo »

moss13 wrote:Ingo,
I would love to hear some more stories of what it was like living and working on the Island. What was a typical day like for you? Did you have a room at Rock Harbor or where did you bunk for the night? How many months out of the year were you on the Island? Ever run into any wolves? Did you work with the park service? Hope you can get back to the island soon. Did you see the Northern Lights much?
I worked for the concessionaire at the store, which included minding the store, renting boats, working the gas dock and collecting slip fees. There's a dorm for employees and I shared a room with 2 guys. I arrived the 1st week of June and while most of the "old-timer" staff was already there, I was one of the earlier new ones. Everyone had to work thru Labor Day, and a few later. The summer of '79 there were still remnants of snow drifts all over the place into June. The U.P. got 400" that winter.

Working the gas dock was the best, except when the hose for pumping out boat holding tanks got clogged. We also filled up white gas bottles from 1 gal cans in a little shed on the dock (couldn't bring any fuel on the boats). The worst part of the job was cleaning the showers (I'm sure it still is). There were no tokens, so we'd have to go knock on the doors and chase people out some times--didn't make you real popular, except with the line of folks waiting.

It's not a very romantic job. Typical days were work all day, then drink beer and play hearts all night. I was also the student minister, so my personal drinking was pretty minimal, although I shocked a few by having an occasional beer at all. We worked 6 days a week, so I'd try to work the early shift the day before my day off, to get off by 4 so I could to get somewhere that night. Most employees just slept and drank more on their day off. (get the drinking picture?)

It was hard to get away from R.H. but I usually tried. We could take a rental boat, when available, and so I got to Chippewa Harbor a couple of times. Only told 1 or 2 people where I was going, since we weren't allowed out of R.H. in the little boats. On one trip back I decided to "cut the corner" outside the outer islands. I was a couple miles off-shore and the shear pin broke for the prop. Started rowing, but gave up on that pretty quickly--the wind was out the north and those aren't very rowable boats. Managed to haul the motor into the boat, and fabricated a shear pin out of pen parts and tape. Worked good until I decided to go "just a little bit faster." On the 2nd try I used 2 of the 3 pieces of the broken pin with tape stuck between them, and that got me back. Couldn't really tell anyone the story since I probably would have been fired!

The other scary boat experience was moving one of the rental boats from the Tobin around to R.H. These are 14-15' foot aluminum with 9.9 hp motors. Everthing was fine until I hit Scoville Pt. Before I knew it I was in very steep 5-6 ft waves--I couldn't see anything but water when in the troughs. They were so close together I couldn't safely turn around, so I kept going. As I came off the top of each wave the whole boat and motor were completely out the water, then slam, into the trough. Over and over again. It took an hr to go a few hundred yards, but once around the point the conditions were fine again. Caught hell for taking so long...

My parents and sister came out for a canoe trip around the 4th of July, and left our canoe for me. We call it "The Whale". Cedar strip, 16', 40" beam, flat bottomed. 80 lbs easy. So I started going to Belle Isle whenever I could. I'd leave after work and usually get to Belle Isle before sundown. I'd spend the next day there (usually writing sermons), then back to R.H. One time I hit a good north wind coming out of Lane Cove and had to resort to paddling from the bow. Watched the sun set from the water and got to camp in the dark. Always asked myself why I didn't stay at Lane Cove--probably because I didn't have a tent and I'm just plain stubborn. But going back was fun, since it was still blowing good from the north!

The manager had an obnoxious 14 yr old son who harassed me into taking him fishing on Lake Richie. We borrowed an aluminum canoe from another employee (they didn't have any for rent then), and towed it with a rental boat to Moskey. Discovered that a towed canoe does not like to track very straight so it was slow going. Portaged into Richie, got devoured by mosquitoes, fished for maybe an hour the next day, then back. Did I say it rained the whole time? Swore I'd never do that portage again! The kid was a PITA the whole trip, complaining about everything, not helping with anything, etc. But when we got back he started working on me to take him again (I didn't cave in). But maybe I did a good thing, even if it was one of the more miserable experiences of my life!

One benefit working the store is that we had the freezer where we kept the lake trout that guests caught on the fishing charters. The possesion limit was 3, so if they went out the next day and caught more we'd get the smaller ones. Then we'd cook them in a campfire at night. Put a big slab of butter in them, wrap in aluminum foil, and cook in the coals. Eat with fingers when done, hmm hmm good!

Never did see a wolf, but heard them of course. There was silver fox on Scollville point and one day walking down the trail I spotted him coming straight at me down the trail. I stopped, he kept coming. He got to within a couple feet, trotted around me, and kept going! Wow! I was wondering if he was going to attack me he got so close! Saw moose regularly around R.H. When my parents came to visit they didn't believe the moose berries on the doorstep to a lodge room were deposited by a moose. There were a pair of yearlings that were always around. One very dark night a very drunk ranger literally ran into the rear end of one on the trail up to the dorm. Hard to believe, but if you saw his white face as he came running in you would believe it--like I do!

My own close encounter with a moose happened at Chippewa Harbor. I was sleeping under the stars and was woken up in the morning by this girl gently shaking me. At first I thought it was a dream come true :o (but don't tell my wife as we were dating at the time). She whispered "sorry to wake you up, but I thought you should know there's a moose right behind you." I looked over my shoulder and here's this big bull moose with a full rack no more than 15 ft from my head, just chomping away. Lying on the ground and looking up at it was rather frightening. She quietly left and I VERY slowly rolled over and over in my sleeping bag until I was behind a tree (at the time there were pine trees in the C.H. campground). I got some clothes on behind the tree and got ready to run, but he paid absolutely no attention to me and just wandered off eventually.

Hope that gives you a taste. Working there you really have to want to get out to see more of the island than just R.H. but it was worth it. I'm still planning the next trip (hmmm, take a weekend, fly into Houghton/Hancock, then to the island, rent a canoe, paddle to Belle Isle, then back the next day????) BTW, I'm pretty agnostic these days, a lot due my experiences that summer, for whatever that's worth--sounds like thread on a psych forum :)
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by johnhens »

I bet you weren't agnostic going around Scoville Point in 6" waves in a 14' boat!! :)
Good account of your adventures, I am jealous!!!
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by fonixmunkee »

Very good read, Ingo, thanks very much. Being in Rock Harbor and seeing the people working there, I've always wondered what it would be like to live there. Are the employee dorms still the same ones as back in '79?
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Backpacker534 »

Very cool. Thanks for sharing that with us. You're right, it does sound very romantic or easy, but it is cool nonetheless.
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by philranger »

Thanks Ingo. I hope you get a chance to go back.
Isle Royale Trips: 2005-RH to Windigo via Greenstone. 2006-McCargoe Cove to Chippewa Harbor. 2007-RH to Daisy Farm and back. 2008-Feltmann loop. 2009-McCargoe Cove to Chippewa Harbor. 2013-Minong Ridge. 2014-Windigo+Huginnin Cove. 2015-Lookout Louise to LC to DF to MB. 2018-McCargoe to Todd to HL to Malone Bay. 2021-Windigo/Huginnin. 2022-RH-DF-MB-CH
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Re: Why Isle Royale?

Post by Ingo »

johnhens wrote:I bet you weren't agnostic going around Scoville Point in 6" waves in a 14' boat!! :)
Good account of your adventures, I am jealous!!!
You have a point John!
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