August/Sept. 2009 late report

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jerry
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August/Sept. 2009 late report

Post by jerry »

Isle Royale NP 2009 (4th solo hike)

August 25-26

Drove up from Ohio leaving at sun down. Got to “The Bridge” to the U.P. just before sun up. Got gas and ended west on US2. Took Mi.117 north to Mi.28. When I was on Mi.117 for about five minutes I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid hitting a wolf. We looked at each other for about 5 or 10 seconds. It headed west toward a farm. This was just after the sun came up. It was a beautiful drive to Copper Harbor from there (I even averaged 51-m.p.g. with my little 4 banger).

August 27 (Thursday)

It was 59 partly cloudy and breezy when I arrived at the Queen IV’s dock in Copper Harbor. The trip was slowed down a little by the wind. We arrived at Rock Harbor at 11:45. The temperature was in the mid 60s with partly cloudy conditions. As usual I was picked for the LNT event. The ranger that gave me my permit indicated to several of us that a storm was on the way. I was on the Rock Harbor trail by 12:05. The destination was Daisy Farm (7.1 miles). I was passed several times by a mother and her 3 children. About 13 or 14 people passed me that were heading towards Rock Harbor. I saw and heard a bunch of loons and mergansers during the hike and once I got to Daisy Farm. I made it to the 3-mile campgrounds by 1:29. I made good time getting to Daisy Farm, arriving at shelter 19 at 3:30 pm. It had become cloudy and was in the upper 50s. I filtered some water and ate my evening meal. We had light rain at about 7:30 for about 10 or 15 minutes. I didn’t have a lot of sleep the night before, so I was able to sleep about 7 or 8 hours. Thank God for the shelter because the wind and rain woke me up during the night.

August 28 (Friday)

It was 52, cloudy with a mist when I got up. I decided to head up to the fire tower at Mount Ojibway. Left the shelter at 7:52 and arrived at the tower at 8:39. I made good time since I was day hiking and left my backpack in the shelter. Heard some songbirds on the trail. I couldn’t see much when I got there. It was very foggy with drizzle and sometimes a good rain. I headed back to Daily Farm at 8:54. I met a couple that was heading up to the tower on my way down. I had originally planned on going to Moskey Basin, but decided against hiking on the Rock Harbor trail with the storm picking up. Three hikers arrived at about 11 and took the next shelter over from me. They looked very wet. I had a Nevada Barr book to read, so that kept me busy during the rainy afternoon and evening. I definitely was thankful that I wasn’t in my tent out in the rain. All night long there was an extremely heavy rain, especially from midnight until about 1:30 am. The winds were so strong that I could hear the surf from Lake Superior (shelter 19 is back in the woods). (I was told the Queen IV and the Ranger didn’t venture out on the lake.)

August 29 (Saturday)

Due to the storm I only slept about 5 hours. It was again in the low 50s, still raining and lots of wind when I got up. I decided to spend another day in the shelter (actually I had a picnic table up against the front of the shelter). I sat at the table, ate and read. The rain only hit the other side of the table. Most of the folks took a down day just as I had. I did filter some more water during the day. I started thinking about going home. It looked like I would have to stay a third night here (and I actually did). The reason I didn’t head back to Rock Harbor I figured there would be a lot of folks trying to leave after this storm. Shortly after lunch even though it was still windy, the rain turned to drizzle. During the early part of the afternoon the rain/drizzle actually stopped. There were rivers of rain coming off the hills and the trails around the campground had lots of water flowing through them. A pretty yellow bird with some tan feathers and the size of a sparrow visited me at the picnic table. The sun came out at about 5 and it warmed up into the upper 50s. I walked down to the dock and about to get some exercise. I was really bored.

August 30 (Sunday)

Decided to go to the 3-mile campground. Left at 7:42 am, it was sunny with a 50 degree temperature. I think I was the only one up early at Daisy Farm. A hiker arrived at Daisy Farm from the east as I was leaving. The Rock Harbor trail was mostly covered with water. Some places had 2-3 inches on it, other areas more. It took me longer then Thursday to cover this part of the trail due to the wet conditions. The Ranger left today, a day later then the schedule. The delay was caused by the 10 to 12-foot waves that had been on the Lake. There were also issues with the Queen and the V2 due to the storm.

I arrived at 10:03 at shelter 2 at 3-mile. I was able to dry some of my wet stuff on the grass and picnic table. It was a beautiful day. A magnificent hare visited both shelters 1 and 2 all afternoon. At 1 pm it was partly cloudy and 60. I went down to the dock, where I found 2 garter snakes sunning themselves. My neighbors in shelter 1 came in on the V2. They’re from Idaho (a married couple who are both retired officers from the USAF). I’ve always pleased with the folks you met at Isle Royale. (He shared some liquid refreshment that was great to taste in the outback.) It was 58 at 6 pm, the sky had cleared up, there was no wind and the water was calm.

August 31 (Monday)

Woke up to clear skies and some wind. It was 52 at 7 am. The squirrels were not happy with me. To keep them happy I left for Rock Harbor at 7:45. The trail was better then the day before. I arrived at shelter 2 at Rock Harbor at 9:31. The couple from Idaho took up residence in shelter 1. After cleaning up we all headed to the grill for food and some brews. Everything tasted great. Talked to a guy who used the same shelter (Sunday evening) that I used at Daisy Farm. He was sitting at the picnic table and a wolf walked by with an apple in its mouth.

I came across some guys in the harbor who had just circumnavigated around Isle Royale in their kayaks. The storm slowed them down too. I hiked out to Scoville Point in the afternoon. It was mostly sunny and in the upper 60s. A number of families were out with the children. Tried a dinner in the dining room for the first time (again the food and beer was great). We had a beautiful star lit sky that evening.

September 1-2

The Lake was down to 2-4 foot waves on the way back to Copper Harbor. It was partly cloudy and in the 60s. Didn’t sleep well at Copper Harbor, so I got up and headed back to Ohio. When I got about an hour east of Marquette I slowed down when I spotted a big wolf along side the road on my right. Didn’t want to hit it, if it decided to cross the road. They’re back in the U.P. no doubt about it.

This trip was not as pleasant as the others have been. I did enjoy myself once the weather cleared up.
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Midwest Ed
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Re: August/Sept. 2009 late report

Post by Midwest Ed »

Oh, you bring back memories of solo hiking. I always found it curious how I enjoyed both the solitude of spending miles and hours (and even a day or two sometimes) all by myself and also the camaraderie in camp, exchanging stories of the day with complete strangers; strangers until we started conversing.

Bad weather. I hate bad weather. Maybe it’s because I never brought a book. Thinking of bad weather reminded me of the winter camping we used to take on in the Keweenaw peninsula in January and February (I was a student at Michigan Tech, 35 years ago). Of course in the winter there is not as much boredom. Solitude yes, but in winter camping it seemed like almost every waking minute is spent doing things with the goal of just staying alive. I exaggerate but only slightly.
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Re: August/Sept. 2009 late report

Post by Tom »

Thanks for the report, Jerry! I've been waiting for folks to start posting some reports - This year, last year, ten years ago, doesn't matter. They're all fun to read!
At least you had access to a shelter during the rainy days, I find that helps (if only a little) in giving some stretch out room while the rain falls. Even then, after a day in a shelter, I find myself going a little stir crazy..
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Re: August/Sept. 2009 late report

Post by jerry »

3 nights in the same place did make me want to get out of there (the island too). Thank goodness the weather changed for the good. I was actually very lucky to have a shelter. I came across some folks who were out way beyond the shelters. Their equipment was still wet on the way back to Michigan.
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