It had been 13 years since my last visit. This makes my 8th trip over 38 years. I lost my wife of 28 years in May and needed to get away. I could think of no better place to get some kind of piece of mind. My wife hated camping but I did get her to spend one night in Rock Harbor in a tent in 1985. We came over on the Ranger and returned the next day. Wednesday the 4th would have been her 64th birthday.
My feet and hips prevent me from hiking the way I used to but I felt compelled to return to The Island this summer. My trip was planned to be 4 nights staying at the Rock Harbor Lodge. I was going to hike as much as I could but also participate in the other activities offered by the park and concessions. I would have stayed at one of the housekeeping units but the thought of sitting on my private front porch; right on the shore of Rock Harbor, with the crashing waves lulling me to sleep added a certain excitement I could not resist. The rates are kind of pricey but cheaper than you’d pay in downtown Chicago and of course a far better location.
Lakeside Lodge
Room #27
I bought a new pack for day hiking. It was difficult to pick a small one and keep the weight down. I found myself not wanting to leave anything behind that I used to carry. I felt compelled to include things I knew I probably wouldn’t need. About the only things I ended up not taking were a sleeping bag, tent, stove, boiling pot and water filter. With water and lunch food it still weighed over 15 pounds. I did bring extra camera equipment. For the lodge room I also brought a thermoelectric cooler (12 Vdc or 115 Vac) that held a 12 pack so I could bring some nice lunch stuff and beverages I knew the lodge did not carry.
After Labor Day the Queen IV is down to running Mondays and Fridays only. A pretty strong storm on Sunday led to 8 to 10 foot seas and the cancellation of Monday’s run (the first cancellation of the season). I spent the day tooling around the Keweenaw, photographing some pretty exciting waves. I was imagining what it might have been like at Todd Harbor, my favorite CG.
Monday waves on Keweenaw causing cancellation:
I was staying at the King Copper motel in Copper Harbor. Very convenient as it is only steps from the Queen dock but only one of their 3 buildings has WIFI service. The white building right on the water has service but the 2 brown ones do not. You have to sit in the office to use their service.
We left a little after 8 am (EDT) on Tuesday. There is a new bakery right on the dock with excellent fresh items and coffee. The ride over was fairly calm, down to 1 to 3 foot seas but we were heading into them so they weren’t felt too much. I was fortunate to be sitting with an excellent fellow making his 31st trip. He’s written several books, some about IR and his company made for great conversation. We arrived about 11:30.
Unloading the Queen
I had hoped to take the Sandy tour to Passage Island on Monday afternoon. I later found out it too had been canceled due to rough weather. I also discovered that two of the Queen Captains (Don and Ben) attended the same high school as me 40 years ago during the same years, small world.
At Rock Harbor they announced separate orientation talks for lodge guests vs. everyone else. I hung around the boat too long making sure my gear was unloaded OK and got lost from the rest of the lodge guests. So I figured listening to the wrong orientation was better than no orientation so I stuck around for the hiker's talk. They did announce that Rock Harbor guided talks had been recently canceled for the rest of the season due to lack of personnel. After checking in the lodge and unpacking some of my stuff it was getting into the afternoon. I heard there was going to be an unscheduled Sandy tour to the Edison Fishery. It was already 1:30, closing in on the departing time of 2 pm so I got a quick Tuna sandwich to go from the grille and headed to Sandy Dock. For $41 it is a 4 hour round trip to the Edison Fishery, the Peterson’s summer home and the Rock Harbor lighthouse. Captain Ron was in charge of the Sandy, who is a long time Island employee and a good guy.
The Sandy
Captain Ron and First Mate
On the way down Rock Harbor we met the Ranger III coming in.
Across from Daisy Farm, Ron circled around the bay for a few minutes so people could get shots of the lighthouse. After docking at Edison Fishery we were greeted by a volunteer husband and wife who lived there during the summer. Most people headed to the lighthouse but I took out for the Peterson’s even though I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to be home. The 0.5 mile hike to Peterson’s is along a very narrow trail, almost a tunnel carved out of very dense balsam fir. I would not take a pack of any kind as it will surely get hung up.
Rock Harbor Lighthouse
Edison Fishery
I met Rolf Peterson working outside and had a very pleasant and informative 20 minutes talking one on one with him. I think he would have talked all day but I felt like I was keeping him away from his work. Moose antlers were on display from many years of collection and stored year round in a shed there. Other bones on display are from the 2013 study and were to be transferred to Michigan Tech in a few days. They have an unusual, low profile wind turbine to support their satellite internet connection. Candy Peterson invited me into their cabin where they have a guest book and were asking for email addresses in order to solicit opinions regarding the various plans for wolf DNA rescue. Her hospitality was excellent and showed me around their home. I spent all my time there and never got to see the inside of the lighthouse.
Rolf Peterson
Candy and Rolf Peterson
There was then a brief stop at Daisy Farm. I didn’t get off boat and spent the time talking to Captain Ron. I was surprised that what used to be about a 2 to 3 acre grassy pasture in front of the dock was now all over grown with trees. We returned about 6pm in time for a Lake Trout dinner. Portions were moderate but prepared very well (broiled with good seasoning), brown and wild rice with yellow squash and zucchini. I had gotten too much sun that day so after dinner I laid down for a nap.
After the nap I headed over to Tobin Harbor seaplane dock to watch the sunset. Very few clouds so it looked to be a disappointing but right after sundown, during the last few minutes a pretty good burst of color appeared. It was a new moon this week so I waited for maximum darkness to watch the stars but some clouds were at just the wrong altitude such that the lights of Thunder Bay created too much light pollution. It was quite dark when I left the dock so I turned on my head lamp to make my way up the trail to Rock Harbor. There were billions of gnats but they did not bite. I think every gnat on the harbor headed for my light and within seconds my head must have looked like a swirling mass of gnat fur. When I got back to my lodge room I sat on the porch admiring the vivid southern view of the new moon sky, much darker than Tobin Harbor. The Milky Way was absolutely brilliant. I was even able to capture it with just a 15 second exposure at 1600 ASA (max for my camera). The photo doesn't do it justice.
Tobin Harbor Sunsets
I’ve never been a sunrise guy so I slept in the next morning, especially since I'd stayed up past midnight watching the sky. It was another bright sunny day with moderate and very pleasant temperatures. I proceeded to pack a lunch of Summer Sausage, Swiss cheese, crackers and Kosher dill pickles. I then headed out to Scoville point via the Stoll trail. There are actually two trails rather than a true loop since they meet in halfway out, forming a figure 8. I had earlier asked a ranger if the trail on the Tobin Harbor side was easier than the one on the Rock Harbor side (like the trails to Three Mile CG). Receiving a “yes” I decided to use the Tobin Harbor side. This ended up being easier said than done. There is a trail-head marker post near the lodge, quite close to Rock Harbor so that’s not the one I wanted. I ended up walking around for 20 minutes looking for the Tobin Harbor side trail-head marker post. I finally found one and headed out but it eventually took me back to the Rock Harbor side. As it turns out there is no marker. The trail-head to the Tobin Harbor side is the one marked only as “Smithwick Mine”. I guess the park service wants everyone to travel counter clockwise to Scoville Point and back. By the way, the Tobin Harbor side trail is about 80% less rocky and “rooty”.
Since it felt like I’d already used a good piece of my energy getting started I decided to stick with the “designated” trail. I walked slowly and stopped many times to take pictures. The memories of past trips came flowing back, mostly from the smells I think. Aromas are a strong trigger for memories. Walking slowly and quietly offered a great solitude that allowed me to really soak in the sights, sounds and smells. I hadn't had breakfast so I was quickly anticipating a lunch stop. Just before the figure 8 junction, there is a bald spot with a good view. More good views were to come but I saw a large rock with my name on it. The lunch was great. Of course Murphy’s law of trail lunches was active. This states that as soon as you get underway after lunch you will very shortly find the perfect spot to stop for lunch. This trail must get enough old codger traffic like me because there are a couple of rustic benches installed along the way. There were lots of blue berries but only a few thimble berries as they were not quite ready yet.
Stoll Trail Bench
After returning, having a comfortable chair and a bed in which to rest was just what I needed. A little nap and I was ready for dinner. After reviewing the menu again I reaffirmed that I didn’t come to Lake Superior for shrimp pasta or pork. It was Lake Trout again. It was prepared the same but this time it came with asparagus.
There was a Sandy sunset cruise scheduled that night, going around Blake Point but I decided I would take my chances again with the Tobin Harbor dock. Again there were very few clouds but the sunset peaked very nicely at the end. A very large flock of geese flew through the sunset heading south. A single loud Loon flew overhead while calling out. I knew not to wait for the stars so I returned to my porch for some more sky watching to the dark southern view. This evening, in addition to another dramatic showing of the Milky Way, there were 3 meteors in a 20 minute period. I didn’t stay up as late since I wanted to get up in time to take the Sandy to Hidden Lake.
Tobin Harbor Sunset
The Sandy was leaving at 9 am. I had to hurry breakfast but was able to get an excellent omelet at the restaurant. A brief side story; I sat next to a young fellow named Jordan who was on his first trip to The Island and only his second back packing endeavor but his first solo. He was headed out on the Voyageur II that morning having arrived the night before from Windigo via the Minong (sort of). His interesting story was that he got lost, taking a wrong turn at a beaver dam he thinks. This was a little south of Lake Desor he said. The drama started when he spoke of throwing his pack over what I believe was Washington Creek and then wading across. His most impressive saga continued as he described rock climbing and tree climbing in order to get to the top of the Greenstone Ridge in order to finish the journey. I was living vicariously as it was clear from the expression on his face, his great sense of accomplishment. I invited him to join us here, to tell us his tales first hand.
The trip to the Hidden Lake dock on the Sandy, again with Captain Ron, afforded views of the many family cabins on both sides of Tobin Harbor. Some of the cabins appeared in excellent condition. Others should have fallen long ago. The day before I had bumped into a member of the Snell family (one of the original island residents) on the Rock Harbor docks. I didn’t get his name but he was very friendly and informative.
Tobin Harbor Structures
There were about 10 people ready to venture up the tip of Greenstone ridge to Lookout Louise, including myself and Ranger Emma. I know she had an exact head count as she kept re-counting us to make sure no one was left behind. Emma led the group past Hidden Lake and the approximate 1 mile out and 300+ feet up to a great view of the north side of the island. She stopped 3 scheduled times and several impromptu times either giving a prepared talk about various island ecology points or to answer questions. This tour was a convenient way of getting to the Greenstone Ridge but I wasn’t thrilled about hiking with so many people, yet there were additional advantages to the organization of the trip. Having that many extra sets of eyes allowed us to find somewhat rare species of plants, in particular an Indian Pipe. Of course all the noise and talking scared away any possibility of seeing moose and the limited time of 3+ hours only allowed for a few minutes at the lookout. One additional interesting feature of the trail is a large volcanic monolith called Monument Rock.
Indian Pipe
Monument Rock
Lookout Louise
It’s perfectly acceptable to not return on the Sandy and head out on the Greenstone trail. There was one couple that did this, planning to make the 10 mile return hike back to Rock Harbor. I knew after the previous day’s struggle this was not in my future. If you’re looking for a less expensive alternative to the water taxi and can work your schedule around it, the Sandy makes this trip twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for $41 per person. It can be a good way to start a trek from the very northeast end of the Greenstone trail.
I had planned to spend some time in both a motor boat and canoe (1/2 day canoe comes with each lodge stay), but the windy weather all week prevented their rental. Thursday afternoon in Tobin Harbor with a canoe would have worked but I was wiped out. After a nap I explored the Rock Harbor camp ground, talked to a few more people that had arrived for Friday’s boat and walked a little way towards Three Mile. For dinner I had, yes, Lake Trout. Today it was prepared the same as yesterday but it was still excellent.
More Tobin Harbor Sunsets
Friday morning I slept in late and then wandered to the grille for an early lunch so I’d have something in my stomach for the ride back to Copper Harbor on the Queen. About 10 am the only daytime rain of the week came gushing for a few minutes. It then rained moderately on and off for an hour or so. My new hooded rain coat worked great. The rain and influx of those waiting for the Queen packed the Grille so I shared my table with a couple from Chattanooga that travel the country working as contract nurses while using the travel time to visit all the national parks. After IR they were headed to Voyager and then only had 2 more to check off. It turned out they knew my relatives in their home area; another small world.
The return trip on the Queen IV was mostly calm; 1 to 3 foot seas from the south-southwest so there were a couple of rollers that rocked us side to side but I don’t think anyone on the nearly full boat “succumbed”. We got back to the mainland on schedule, we were greeted in the typical fashion by the Harbor Haus Can-Can dancers and I headed out in my car in the rain for the 9 hour return trip home.
Harbor Haus "Welcome Home"
It had been 13 years since my last trip. In addition to much needed rest and relaxation, I experienced The Island from a brand new perspective. I made some new friends and continued to say good bye to my very dearest one.
Foggy Exit
Additional photos can be found here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1021 ... 7160381137
