Chief54 Prelim Report

Reports or links to reports on trips.

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Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by chief54 »

After 10 glorious days on the island here is a prelim report, I will post full one as soon as possible. I see Torpofied has posted her report and as always very well written. I was lucky enough to meet her on the Ranger on the ride over. As well as a great writer she is also a pretty good hiker as you can see from her report. I want to thank her for her kind words and to Tom that was me, Alaska. I was able to capture around 4000 stills and 100+videos from the massive, Milky Way(6 clear nights) to the tiniest, Calypso Orchids and pretty much everything in between loons, common and red breasted mergansers, golden eyes, mallards, bald eagles, pileated woodpeckers,the ever present blue jays of Daisy Farm, moose and many different landscapes, sunrise/set. In all my years there were many more loons than I had ever seen before and a lot of bald eagles.
The weather was just about perfect with only 2 days of rain. Was cool at night but made for great hiking. the first couple of days the flowers were no where to be seen but then the rain came and after orchids everywhere along with many other wildflowers.I saw the biggest beaver dam and pond I have ever seen on the way from Daisy to Ojibway. A boardwalk went right across middle at height of around 6 feet and the water was even with it. a couple days later I came by again and the trail crew was in water up to their waist dismantling it, those folks certainly earn their money. Pretty impressive. I also had a couple of good conversations with Rolf Peterson whom I have gotten to know over the years about the new wolves, nice to get the story right from the source.
It was one of my best trips out there, right up there with my first trip as a 10 year old boy which started me on this life long journey of discovery on this most sublime place in the world. Pictures to follow as I review them.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by newb2019 »

Can't wait for your photos! I've been looking forward to them for a while..
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by Midwest Ed »

I'm glad to hear you had so many clear night skies. I was watching the NOAA hourly forecasts while you on the Island and their published odds for clear night skies did not look so good. I'm not surprised they got it wrong. It's some of the hardest weather to predict. I await further published results.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by torpified »

Welcome back, Chief! It sounds like I left just before the bloom got serious. Number me among those eagerly awaiting photos!
chief54 wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 2:44 pm I saw the biggest beaver dam and pond I have ever seen on the way from Daisy to Ojibway. A boardwalk went right across middle at height of around 6 feet and the water was even with it. a couple days later I came by again and the trail crew was in water up to their waist dismantling it, those folks certainly earn their money.
Dismantling the beaver dam? Are the beavers OK with that?
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

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The trail crew told me the beavers would fix it within a day. I am of two minds about this, I like the trails and this pond was starting to flow over the boardwalk that the trail crew had raised once. As I said this was a huge dam and biggest pond I have ever seen. From the fire tower Lake Ojibway looked really low towards the end where creek flowed into the lake but had pretty much stopped because of dam. See the pictures,the boardwalk image is looking south you can see part of dam in right of image but it was as long as the boardwalk. the peepers were really loud also On the other hand its what beavers do. when I first came upon this I almost decided to turn around. So I'am not sure where I am on this.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by chief54 »

here are some more of pond.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by Midwest Ed »

I'm confused. It looks and sounds like the beaver dam was being altered? Really?
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by chief54 »

Yes it was, after watching trail crew at work I continued up to the fire tower, on the way down crew was getting ready to head back down trail and water in pond dropped around a foot below the boardwalk and water was flowing with force out of the three breaches the crew had made. I am not sure whether I agree with this or not I would love to hear any future reports about this section.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by dcclark »

I'm not clear about the purpose of altering the dam. Was it to lower the water enough for the crew to fix up the boardwalk, and then they assumed beavers would restore the dam to its previous state? Or were they trying to permanently lower the water (to avoid changing the boardwalk)?

In either case, I'm envious of you, Chief! I may need to take an all-photo, base-camping trip one of these years.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

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It was to lower the water it was starting to flow over boardwalk, I was told previously the trail crew was in water up to their necks with chainsaws to raise the boardwalk. The never ending cycle of beaver vs. trail crew. My money is on the beavers.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by Midwest Ed »

Seems to sort of fly in the face of the edicts of the Wilderness Act (and Biosphere adherence), but I think the wolf reintroduction already crossed that rubric. Actually I'm in favor of the trail crew's (most likely temporary) action so I guess I'm just making somewhat of a rhetorical point.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

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I agree with you Midwest Ed, I am and was always for the wolf reintroduction. Its kinda like the Prime Directive from Star Trek, do not do anything to alter natural or internal development of a alien society, non interference. But as in Star Trek they violated the Prime Directive all the time. always for the better good, but whose better good was open for argument.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

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Here is how much water dropped in beaver pond after around 2 hours
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by Gigrantor »

We also came across a pretty crazy beaver dam on the Ishpeming trail (Picture below). The boardwalk was completely dismantled by what I can assume to be the change in flow of the water and the beaver colony. Don't think they'll have to touch the dam to reconstruct the boardwalk, but I also think it'll be a never ending battle with them.
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Re: Chief54 Prelim Report

Post by bobcat »

Is the beaver population up with the wolf population being down recently? I saw more rabbits than I ever remember too, in 2016 and I was wondering.
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