First Boat, Minong to Malone Bay

[Kevinl]

First, I did not make it to the island last year, so I am grateful to the good folks on this forum for helping me daydream. Second, the window for this trip popped open quickly, so there was little planning involved, although I had been considering doing this route for awhile.

Pictures are here: http://community.webshots.com/slideshow/580190070sSKHDc

The first boat was awesome, festive, all that. The water was calm and the air was not too cold. There were many people (that's relative) going to the island to do research, moose bones and botany. The cake was great. At Windigo, Ranger Sean jumped off the Voyageur onto the dock and turned around to welcome us. We were told that wolves were being trapped and collared on the Feldtmann Trail that day, or at least that was the hope.

My plan was to get from Windigo to Washington Creek for the first night, so I headed out. After a long and scenic journey (no blisters!) I had my pick of shelters. I unloaded my pack and went off on a trail run/walk with only my camera in hand to the Hugginin Loop, starting with the east side. I scared up a moose on the trail, with mostly a view of its hindsides. Close to Lake Superior, I encountered an otter. I paddle the local rivers often, and have seen many otters, but this thing seemed huge, and it was walking right toward me. Maybe it just seemed bigger because it was out of the water. When it got about ten feet away, I was getting weirded out and said,"Hey!" and it froze, then scuttled off to hide in some rocks. I didn't get a picture of either of these critters, but the rest of the hike was good, and the weather was great. Back at my shelter, I ate and took a two hour nap and enjoyed the view. It rained some Saturday night, good sleeping music.

On Sunday I hiked to North Desor Lake. The trail here was hard to find at times, leaf covered, and often, as all the trails were, strewn with blown-over trees. With the trees down, my chances of losing the trail increased, and sometimes I would stop and spend a few minutes looking for it only to realize it was 5-10 feet away. This leg seemed to be hardest for finding the trail, and maybe as my time went on through the week my eyes got better at reading the signs. I even got confused looking for the campground, and felt relieved when I spotted through the trees the campground map. Of course, a wind that can topple so many trees (I can't imagine how freaky it would be to be there when this storm happened in October) can also topple cairns, so the ridgetops here were a bit slow too. I tried to rebuild or add to the piles as I went along. The views of Canada's shoreline were incredible.

My plan on Monday was to hike from N. Desor to Little Todd Harbor. I have always liked that campground. And I absolutely love the hike between these two spots. It is my favorite hike of the island, and it didn't disappoint this time either. I always feel like a kid unleashed at the playground here. When I got to the Little Todd Junction, I was having so much fun I decided to keep going. I had forgotten how relatively flat and straight this section is and after jumping over rocks earlier, this part felt like a breeze. At the next junction, I considered heading to Todd Harbor, but decided to shorten the next day's hike by turning south to Hatchet Lake. Shortly after this, I scared a moose off the trail. It ran about thirty yards, then we looked at each other for awhile while I snapped a couple quick shots, and moved on, grateful for the encounter but not wanting to bother it more. I had never been to Hatchet Lake and found it a very beautiful and peaceful site. About sundown it started to sprinkle so I climbed into my tent.

On Tuesday I hiked from Hatchet Lake to Malone Bay. The rain from the previous night was finished. The short climb up to the Greenstone was a great way to wake up, better than caffeine. The four miles I did on the Greenstone were the worst I saw for blowdown. Going around, under, and over trees beat me up pretty good, left some scrapes and bruises, but added to my adventure. My hiking poles were useful getting through the trees and brush. I was thankful to finally see the old fire tower appear, signaling my turn down the Ishpeming Trail (after break time). This is a lovely hike, and I never had any issue finding the trail through the birch forests or along Lake Siskiwit. I did encounter the first people I had seen since leaving Windigo, a couple guys working trail crew (Thank You!). I also noticed that on the south side of the Greenstone I first spotted fungus in a few places, different kinds of mushrooms, though no morels yet, and less patches of snow. Malone Bay was colder than on the other campsites. When I got there, I smoked the last of my tobacco, a wonderful place to quit smoking. Shelters are generally colder than tents, so I put my tent up inside the shelter, but the tent is stuffier, so I placed the rainfly across the shelter's screen, hoping that would help, ready to pull it down and climb in the tent in the night if I got too cold. Luckily, I was able to sleep with this set up, with two pair of socks and a jacket tied around my feet.

Wednesday was my zero day. It was much warmer than the day before. I walked down the shoreline of Lake Superior all morning and into the afternoon. I followed the creek to Siskiwit Lake and explored there. I ate a lot. I noticed my stink. I did not smoke! I watched gulls hover and weather fronts roll above.

Thursday, the Voyageur came early and I was almost ready. The ride home was calm and warm, with only six other passengers aboard. I was missing my honey and my dog, so it was nice to get home.

The weather out there was mostly overcast, with little rain. The trails were full of blown down trees, but the crew I met is working on that. If you go soon, you will encounter trees on the trails, expect it and give yourself some extra time, but don't let it deter you. I can't believe that in my entire time hike I met no other campers. But those I met on the first boat were a fun bunch of people and I hope they all had as good a time as I did.

Also, I brought a brand new pack, the Osprey Exos 46, something I picked up cheap, and loved it. I did not bring a fishing pole, because there wasn't room in there for it and all the warm clothes I would need.

Questions?

[head2north]

Thanks for the trip report and the quick post

It's amazing how open the forest is without foliage - it looks like an entirely different
landscape.

[jerry]

Enjoyed your report and the pictures. Do you remember about how long it took you to do the Hugginnin Cove trail?

[johnhens]

Thanks for the quick TR!!
Did you hear any more about the trapping/collaring near Feldtmann?

[Kevinl]

jerry: I ran/walked it. And stopped for pictures and enjoyment. I'd guess two hours. Give or most likely take an hour.

John: I didn't hear anything more. It made me curious to what kind of trap is used. I glanced briefly through Wolves of Isle Royale this morning and only saw a brief reference, no picture.

[Tampico]

Sounds like you had a close encounter with the Killer Otter of Caerbannog.

[Tom]

WooHoo! First TR of the season.. And I still have to finish one from last year, too. Darn you Kevinl, over acheiver!

Great photos. I'm somewhat jealous. We had such an earlier spring last year, some of the understory plants were budding out, so things were starting to green on the first boat trip. It looks like this year things are back to normal, with little of anything greening out. Looks like you found a few snow piles, too. Amazing what kind of views you can get.
I seem to recall the hike down to Desor North being almost 100% maple. I could see how with all those leaves on the ground, picking up the trail could be a little tough.

Thanks for the TR, and good luck with that new job!

[Midwest Ed]

Looks like a very interesting and wonderful time of year to be there. Great photos as well.

Where was picture #60 taken? That bluff looks familiar.

[johnhens]

Kevin, what was the difference in temps say between The Greenstone and Malone Bay?

[Damon S]

Kevin...great trip report and very nice pics.

[Kevinl]

Thanks guys and John I don't think the temp difference was much of anything until I got right by the shore. But the next day, again right by the shore, was absolutely beautiful, until a front blasted in.