TR 5/25-5/30+1 2018 RH 3M MB WCB 3M RH

[Lane]

Arrived by seaplane and departed ranger station around 6. Filled up our water at the spigot before we took the TT to 3mile. First person I met was quite rude when I first entered 3M - "THIS SPOT IS TAKEN..." put up the tent and got some sleep - 1100 mile drive to get there.

6/26 - headed off to DF. Took a break and saw hiker back flushing filter complaining about the lake water... spent night at #8 shelter at end of MB. Set up camp and headed out to LR to see if I could catch anything. Caught my first pike ever on Lake Richie. - small one. Also caught a perch that was not much bigger than the lure I used. Beaver lodge across water to our right, 3 loon chicks with mama swimming around. Perfect full moon rising directly across water to south in front of us - picture perfect.

6/27 witnessed another gorgeous sunrise. Replenished water and headed toward CB. Met hikers about a mile out who told us to get site 6 - or 8?. Nice spot. Tried fishing with no luck from openings. didn't feel like wading. Walked around WCB toward MCC and discovered plank just before bridge submerged. turned back and went to Livermore, caught 3 pike - one nice one and fed 6 hikers fresh pike. Next morning we did see the moose swimming from west bank to the point at the Y of the bone.

6/28 Set out for Lane Cove. A couple miles out we were soaked from the dew on the veg. It's growing in pretty close in some places. At one point it turned into an 85+ degree day with clear blue sky and white hot sun. Took a lunch break at tower. Water low. Decided a few miles back to turn right to 3M instead of LC because the dogs were barking loudly. Found a shelter, 'made' water. I dangled my feet in the water at the dock - 43 degrees! cold! Relaxing night. Needed warm clothes, I could feel the temp drop as I got lower in elevation and closer to Superior water. Saw the best ever beaver dam on the way to 3M from MTFranklin.

6/29 Eat and get to RH. Another perfect morning. RH trail from 3M to RH was absolutely beautiful. Took our time and lots of photos, explored around Suzys cave. Got into RH early enough to have a choice of shelters. Hiked out to Scovil Point after trying my first and last pastie from the grill. And had a cup of coffee that wasn't made over a torch flame in 5 days. Wife took another trip to SP because the battery died in camera and there was a spare in the pack - I rested my feet for the second trip. Saw the resident moose by the water tank near the housekeeping lodges on the TH side of the loop on way out to scovil. Thunder, lightning and heavy rain for what seemed like 6 hours until about 7 AM.

6/30 I got soaked taking a 'short' walk to use a real flushing toilet for the first time all week thinking the rain was over. Made a cup of coffee, no breakfast, packed up and headed to dock to meet plane. Plane didn't come... sometime late morning plane showed up, we loaded and waited... until 7PM when pilot called it. Got us a room with a hot shower for a lot of money. Got up next morning and again played the waiting game with the fog. Took off around 9 I think. Big storm cell heading toward Houghton but we managed to go around and beat it. 2 days drive home.

To try to describe the beauty of the place would take some time. Ever changing scenery - discovering actually how big Lake Richie is as you ascend the ridge heading away, not to mention Lake Seargent from the Greenstone etc.- , wild flowers abound almost everywhere, lots of birds, hares and the red squirrels who think they own the place, a few cranes that make a noise like a velociraptor. Great variety of insects and plants, and the painted turtles guarding their nests around LR - must have seen a dozen turtles at nesting sights. It was good to see the squirrels were not looking for hand outs or sneaking around the camp hoping for a tidbit of hiker food. I was very pleased with this - they didn't see hikers as a source of food which is a good thing. The views from Greenstone, the water from Lake Superior splashing the rocks, sometimes crashing waves coming in, the skies at sunrise and at evening (always in bed by dark) and the loons calling out from almost everywhere was very stimulating.

oh, and the insects were not bad at all, a few mosquitoes at night, but we 'bug proofed' before we got there and did apply bug dope to exposed skin just a couple times.

[torpified]

Wonderful report---thanks! The best ever beaver dam on the way down to Three Mile, and the painted turtles swarming the shores of Lake RIchie (it didn't occur to me they were nesting!) made a big impression on me too.

[johnhens]

Over the years I have been asked "Why Isle Royale?" The beauty of the place continues to amaze me. I hope you can go at different tiems of the year to experience it all. Congrats on the pike, my girlfriend caugh her first pike in Ritchie (she eventually caught one that went 44" in Siskiwit!). I am a birder, have never seen loon chicks!! Try IR in the quiet seasons!! If you flew on the Beaver, what did you think? History!!

[Lane]

Over the years I have been asked "Why Isle Royale?" The beauty of the place continues to amaze me. I hope you can go at different tiems of the year to experience it all. Congrats on the pike, my girlfriend caugh her first pike in Ritchie (she eventually caught one that went 44" in Siskiwit!). I am a birder, have never seen loon chicks!! Try IR in the quiet seasons!! If you flew on the Beaver, what did you think? History!!

I said to my wife when we returned, "A week is not nearly enough time to experience this place." For a first timer on a "schedule" we did a very good job of not just running from one place to next - it would be shame to run through the place and miss it all. I discovered those tall ferns for the first time on IR. Not quite, but more 'jurassic' than any I've seen before. And they were tall and pretty much at their peak growth... that is, until we were hiking toward WCB out of LR. There is a section of the trail through an isolated little micro-climate where the same ferns were still tight fronds, some just beginning to branch, maybe for 50 meters or more, then, further down the trail and everywhere else, they were majestic again. The little things many people would miss, I (we) took the time to notice.

The Beaver - the only one I saw on this trip - history indeed. I am proud to have flown on one. They are a workhorse. Our pilot was top notch, and very conscientious - he had his parameters required for takeoff and wasn't going to risk anything less than required for safety.

[johnhens]

If you like plants try and get to the outer islands (Raspberry) as they have plants groing there that you would have to travle to the artic to find.I found my first Calypso Orchids on the Scoville Loop. Glad you had success fishing.