Departed the Twin Cities on Friday, 12 June 09 and after a last minute stop for my brother-in-law hiking partner, Brent, at REI, we hit the highway north. Made it to Rydens for check in about 5:30pm. We dumped some gear in the motel, found out breakfast opens at 5am, and then headed down to the GPIR dock to meet up with Capt Don. Brent, Don, and I caught a mediocre dinner at the casino, and headed to the bar to catch the final game of the Stanley Cup. Great company and great stories – I think Capt Don’s done it all!
Awoke around 4:30am CDT on Saturday (all times will be CDT) partly because it was getting quite light out and, well, those of you who’ve stay at Rydens know that the walls are a bit thin. Two older gents from a fishing party were having an animated discussion about abortion. (I kid you not! 4:30 AM!) We got dressed and walked over for a great Ryden’s breakfast. Finished packing off things, and then drove down to the parking area. Wow.. The first year in several that it’s not sprinkling on our start – In fact, beautiful skies. We walked down to the dock and Capt Mike and First Mate Matt were ready for folks. Being McCargoe drop off, we waited while the Windigo packs were loaded, and chatted with folks on the dock. A fair number of return hikers, a few newbies. Finally, it was time to board- The boat was fairly full. As I sat down, I noticed a man across the center from me..He looked familiar, so I took the opportunity to introduce myself. Yep – It was none other than Rolf Peterson. He was returning from a conference at the International Wolf center in Ely. I could sense it wanted to keep it on the down low (as the NPS staffer I talked to on the boat comment, “Wow. That’s like having Mick Jagger on the boat”) and so let him be… For now.
Chatted with an NPS guy – I forget his name but he’s based out of Grand Portage, and is a regional supervisor or similar in charge of archeology. He was coming out to lead a team to get started on studying some ancient pit mines off the Minong between Todd and Little Todd. (Another TR indicates they met the team as well – Same folks!)
We docked at Windigo and Ranger Valerie provided the LNT talk. A good number disembarked for Feldtman and other Western sites, and the rest of us were back on the boat for McCargoe or RH. Had a great conversation with a guy from the western suburbs of Minneapolis who was coming back after years away from IR, and was planning to solo the Minong. I provided what tips I could from my memories of that trip last year. I decided to leave out the part that it was because of last year’s wet and rough trip that we elected for a short and sweet trip over the backbone this year. (McCargoe – Moskey – Chippewa)
Now that the boat was lighter I took the opportunity to talk with Rolf. I think he knows each wolf and moose personally. We talked about the East Pack, current issues (it helps to read up!) and I even comment how I saw twins at Rock Harbor two years ago. Rolf commented, “Must have been the second week of June or so.” I was astounded, wondering how he knew my itinerary, but then he continued.. “Yeah, one of the calves died about a week later..” He then proceeded to recall that the other grew to be a yearling, was cast by mom when a new calf arrived out on one of the Islands, but then with the loss of the calf the cow took the yearling back. Geesh this guy knows stuff. Finally we pulled into McCargoe Cove, where while we were talking about the “Stanley Ridge” I noted to Rolf how I’ve heard (via the forum) that it’s the only place poison ivy is found. Mr. Peterson kinda pish-poshed that idea, indicating that a long time ago there was a mapping confusion over what to call Stanley Ridge, and that the only place there was poison ivy is a fair distance NE of there.. And that was after a fire and he’s really not sure it’s there anymore. I also asked him about the “West Chickenbone Incident” that we heard on this forum, where someone had left a note about aggressive wolves last year. Rolf indicated (quite interested in this “forum” BTW) that after some additional vetting, they don’t believe the story to be true. There apparently were numerous “holes” in the story.
Finally, Capt Mike brought the boat into the new McCargoe pier, and four parties got off – The two of us; the soloist; another soloist heading toward Hatchet; and a group of three guys from WI who planned to tackle the Minong in the morning. The soloists were hitting the trail, and so we laggards went looking for a shelter. Not hard, since after the boat left, we were it. Not a single other hiker in camp, but our two parties. I was hoping to catch up with DQDave from the forum, as he and his son were going to also be at McCargoe today and we made plans to socialize.. Hopefully everything is ok.
20 minutes after arrival, the showers hit, and it rained fairly well for 30 minutes or so. The skies cleared and so we decided to hike over to Chickenbone East to stretch the legs and get a few pictures. (I have them posted for those who want to see how really bad that camp is..)
We made it back to McCargoe just as another rain squall arrived, so we stayed dry in our shelter. Soon the skies cleared, we had a nice dinner, and then socialized around the communal fire ring with the 3 guys from WI. Only one other hiker arrived, a gent named Don who was an elementary school principal from WI. About 9:30, we called it a night – But we still have some light. We fell asleep to the sounds of frogs and loons.
Sunday, 14 Jun 09 – After a lazy morning (we figured we’re only going to Moskey, so we’d let the trails dry just a little) we hit the trail about 7:15. We were the last to depart McCargoe Cove, but caught up to Don just before Chickenbone West. He was having a few feet/leg problems and was taking it slow. The trail was damp, but certainly not wet. It clearly has been fairly dry on the Isle, since many of the low spots were even pretty solid. Nothing like last year, at least. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, so I’m glad we didn’t get started too late. As we walked into Chickenbone West, it’s clear that a camp sheltered by the Greenstone (and thus the sunrise) wakes later. I swear, it seemed like we might wake people as we walked in. Camp was fairly full, surprisingly. We hiked up out of camp onto the Greenstone, and took a 10 minute breather. We then headed down off the ridge toward Ritchie. The trail has a few rock and root sections but overall is good on the feet. We saw two other hiking parties (going the other way) and then found ourselves at Ritchie camp. We dropped packs and changed socks, and even contemplated setting up here – With blue skies and no threat of foul weather, it would make a great campsite. We saw a pair of gals who were setting up some form of antenna. I elected to let them do their job instead of bugging them on what they were tracking..After 15 minutes or so, we elected to push on to Moskey. The trail is a bit rockier and a few ups and downs that earlier. We arrived at Moskey at 11:10am. We were fortunate to find shelter 3 open, which it turns out was the last shelter available. It’s a great shelter with a gentle, sloping rock face down to the water. It’s bare, smooth rock, so easy on bare feet, and is great for drying things in the sun!
Temps are in the low 70s, and with not a cloud in the sky, I’m afraid we’ll get fried if we stay out basking too long. We set forth for normal camp duties, getting water filtered, etc, and enjoyed a lunch. I kept off the feet for a portion of the afternoon, but as the sun angle started to shift it was easier to head down to the dock and hang about. We met the folks in shelter 2, the two gals we saw at Richie. One is a post-doc geneticist at Michigan Tech and works on the Moose-Wolf study. The other is a friend of hers who will be studying to become a Vet in the fall, and just came up for a visit. They are up for 5 days, performing a little locating for the study, and we talked about the various aspects of the study – Primarily the ability to use scat as a diagnostic tool – First you determine the gender of the poop – If it’s female, then you can determine if she’s pregnant. Fascinating stuff!
We had emailed the couple we met last year, Alfred and Sharon, to see when they were coming up. Turns out, Alfred was heading back on Sunday from Daisy Farm, but Sharon would stay up a few more days. Sure enough, we found Sharon at Moskey basin, and so had a lovely evening tea catching up with an ‘ol Isle Royale friend. It’s funny how that works! We watched a cow and calf run across the basin (it’s shallower that I thought in the tip), and met up with Principal Don on the dock. He was getting pretty worn down. As we were walking back from the dock, we encountered a rather boisterous fisherman. I told Brent, “I think I remember this guy” – Sure enough, as we talked with him, it was Jim, and fisherman we met at McCargoe last year who shared some Walleye with us our first day. He was looking for Don, since he heard that his feet were troubling him and so was going to offer to boat him back down the harbor. As many others have said, there is a great ‘team’ philosophy you find on IR. As we settled back into camp for the night, I think Brent said it best… “If you keep coming up here, eventually you will know everybody!”
Monday, 15 Jun 09 – I woke at 4:00AM to get some ‘classic’ sunrise shots at Moskey. With not a cloud in the sky, it was worth every minute. When back to the sack for another hour or so, but then woke and spent a lovely early morning on the Moskey dock. Quite, calm – Amazing. The gals next to us pulled out the tracking antenna, so I ‘visited’ on over. We picked up two brothers fairly nearby to camp (and each other) but couldn’t pick up their father – It’s somewhat line of site, so he could be over a ridge. They were going to head up to the Ojibway tower and get some more readings.
We were on trail about 8:15, and I think we’re one of the first to depart. Moskey is a sleepy place, and for good reason – It’s hard to leave. About 50 minutes later, we were back at the trail intersection for the Indian Portage Trail, and so dropped the packs for a quick breather. There we met an NPS Volunteer who has been coming up for 25 years to perform trail maintenance. He was out to finish some cutback on the trail in front of us, and to find a sharpening file he misplaced the other day. (Fortunately, he had a good idea where it may be.) As we followed him down the path, he stopped in front of us just as we climbed a small hill. He wanted to point out the tiny Calypso Orchid blooming right on the trail. He said it’s been in flower for almost two weeks, and he just loves showing it to people. We snapped a few photos, helped him find the file a short while later, and proceeded to Chippewa. It’s a great trail, and represents much of the terrain Isle Royale has to offer. We arrived at camp and settled into Shelter #1. (Wow. An all shelter trip. Can’t complain; it makes mornings easier!) We had lunch and a father/son duo just hiked in and grabbed shelter 3. Shelter 4 is occupied by a soloist. A hard-core soloist; he arrived in camp yesterday from Malone Bay. Hiking backcountry, around the South side of the lake, fishing in all the lakes along the way. It’s his fourth time to the Isle, the fourth time he’s decided trails are for sissies.
Maybe I’m getting old, but I just couldn’t see all of that bushwacking in my future.After a rest, we hiked around camp (down to the ‘school house’,etc), over to the Lake Mason outflow; and then up onto the ridge behind the camp. Some great views. We chatted with the father/son duo as they fished around Mason; he’s a doctor by trade and his father brought him to the Island when he was his son’s age. He’s hoping to provide the same experience, and I think the son was having a good time.
A small boat arrived and after four trips carrying gear, they arrived at shelter 2. A man and two daughters. In talking with the family, it turns out their last name is Gale – As of Gale Island, a 5 acre parcel of land that his Great Grandfather purchased in the 20s. With the passing of his father his past year, the final life-leasee is no longer around, so they’re working with the NPS to determine the next steps. He comes up once or twice a year (from Steamboat Springs, CO) to enjoy the family place.
As I was enjoying the Chippewa pier, a larger boat arrived. Can’t say I’ve ever watched someone more deftly dock a boat, even though I was ready to tie off a line just to help.. It was then I met Ron and Jackie of the Superior Diver. (The NEW Superior Diver; the old boat has been sold.) They ran one of the dive charter outfits for years that brought people to the Isle. They no longer run the business, it’s been sold, but they are active boaters and members of the IRBA. Great people. Brent and I are both divers, so we talked a little diving, but mainly just about life and the Isle. (In a matter of coincidence, both Jackie and Brent are Microbiologists, so there was SOME shop talk.) Ron and Jackie graciously opened up the fridge and we shared a beer with them while setting at the picnic table down on the dock. Not a bad way to pass the evening. They headed off on their kayaks to try some fishing, and we made dinner. A NPS boat (the Minong?) arrived with a pair of biologists who were coming to perform an early morning bird study at Richie. They went off to set up their tent at a site, and so Brent decided that camp was still empty, he’d set up a tent because “He has to tent at least ONE night..”
That led to some humor as the soloist hiker, coming back from a little hike, decided to play a joke on Brent around 9:00pm by shaking the tent and shouting “MOOSE ATTACK!!!” – Except it was the wrong tent, and the sleepy biologists were probably not as amused…
While days have been in the upper 60s and perhaps low 70s, the clear nights have been cool. It’s dropped into the mid-40s, which for June, feels pretty darn cool..
Tuesday, 16 June 09 –
We woke knowing that we’d have plenty of time to break camp before the Voyageur II arrived. We ate a leisurely breakfast, and said goodbye to our new friends and each of them went on their way. We brought our gear down to the dock, and the VII arrived right on schedule. We chatted with a couple scout groups, one coming off the Isle and another putting in at Malone. Everyone has been enjoying the blue-bird weather. It was smooth sailing around to Washington Harbor, where we watched another cow and calf frolic around the creek outlet. Brent grabbed a sandwich to go while I closed out our permit, and back on the boat for a return sail talking with many of our new found friends. Like all trips past, it always seems we spent the boat ride back planning our next trip…
Photos: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/573330444itgqKd
I just had to try to not look too excited or break his 'secret' as he travels incognito. I suppose a guy could get tired from all the moose/wolf groupies.
