Trip Report: Aug 6-13, 2020

[tso972]

Aug 6: I went to Isle Royale a few weeks ago with my Army buddy from St. Louis. Steve drove up through Wisconsin to Houghton-Hancock, and I came across the Mackinac Bridge from SE Michigan. My uncle is gracious enough to put me up each summer in Ahmeek, MI when I make my trip to IR, and this year was the fifth summer in a row. We took the 2pm seaplane from Hancock to Windigo, and stayed in Shelter 13 that evening. Beautiful weather for the flight, and throughout the evening.

Aug 7: Windigo to Huginnin Cove.... We took the longer, northern arm of the loop to HC, and enjoyed a nice warm-up hike to the campground, and stayed at Site 2. Steve hiked out to the point and did some fishing, and I went for a swim in the cold waters of Lake Superior. It was a beautiful evening, but we knew the forecast and the gathering clouds indicated the storm that was to come. Around 5am, the lightning and thunder woke me up in my tent, and the storm started in earnest. Heavy rains and wind for several hours, and some water did come in my tent, but I attribute that to the amount of rain and not the tent. The Nemo Hornet did just fine, considering the storm, and held up throughout the rest of the trip.

Aug 8: Huginnin Cove to Windigo... Initially we were going to hike to S. Lake Desor this day, but we decided to grab a shelter at Washington Creek and dry everything out. We grabbed Shelter 13 again, and put up our tents and hung up our clothes and boots to dry out in the sunshine. We walked the exclosure, did some fishing, played a ton of cribbage, and relaxed. Our new itinerary shifted towards Island Mine for the next day. It wasn't very crowded at Windigo, and the construction of the new store is coming along nicely. Several moose were feeding and playing in the creek, and one skirted past our shelter.

Aug 9: Windigo to Siskiwit Bay... The hike up the Greenstone to Island Mine is a gradual climb over six miles, and was filled with plenty of shade and beautiful forest. I took a short break at four miles, as Steve was somewhere ahead of me on the trail. I didn't catch up with him until Island Mine, where he had a small fire going at Site 3. We dried our socks and boots by the fire and took a nice lunch break. We kicked around the idea of staying there, but the mosquitoes were more than just noticeable. The smoke from the fire worked in keeping them at bay, but we both agreed that we should take a run at Siskiwit and the hope for one of two shelters. We also ran in to several nice hikers throughout the day, heading in the opposite direction. The trail from Island Mine to Siskiwit was predominately downhill, and we stopped at the historic mine along the way. The closer we got to the bay, the vegetation increased in volume and height, and we needed to be mindful of the trail. We popped out at Carnelian Beach, and closely followed the trail along the beach. Be mindful on both sides of the bridge as there are several points along that trail that lead off into the swamp. We did a few backtracks and kept to the trail just fine, and crossed the bridge as it began to rain. We were fortunate enough to find an empty shelter, dumped our gear and went swimming in the lake (very cold). The dock workers were home for the weekend, this being Sunday. There is a trail along the trees that lead to the bay, right of the dock work. We just walked down to the equipment and followed the path made by the earthmover, filtered water and plunged in for a swim/bath. By this point, the rain was coming down steadily, so we hung up our wet gear and boiled some water for our evening meals. After 11 miles, we were ready for dry clothes, food, and some more cribbage.

Aug 10: Siskiwit Bay to Feldtmann Lake... We tossed the idea of spending two days at one site, and on this day we decided after talking to several other hikers, we heard that Feldtmann was a great campsite, with a kicker to Rainbow Cove. We packed up and gave our shelter to a couple from Washington DC (Neil and Kaitlynn) who had come in late the night before, in the middle of the storm. She had hurt her knee on the way down from Island Mine, and they decided to rest for another day at Siskiwit Bay. The trail between Siskiwit Bay and the Feldtmann tower is thick and overgrown. You will need to keep an eye out for rocks and roots, and at some point, where the planks are overgrown. Tons of thimbleberries everywhere, and they were delicious! An uphill climb, the four miles or so to Coyote Ridge went a bit slowly for us, but we found a nice spot for a short break at the top of the ridge. We did take a much longer break at the tower, and were able to make a few calls to our families after getting a cell signal at the top of the tower. Another opportunity to dry out socks and boots in the sun, we had a few snacks and hydrated before the second half of our hike. The trail was mostly downhill on the west side of the tower to Feldtmann, with a beautiful overlook as you approach the lake. The cliff and dropoff point on the trail is definitely a place where you'll want to stop and take a breather and snap a few pictures. We had a nice pace on this end of the hike, and were surprised that most sites at Feldtmann were taken, so we put up our tents in Groupsite 1. The lake and sunset were well worth the price of admission, and knew we made the right call to spend two days here.

Aug 11: Feldtmann Lake Day 2... The next morning, we found out that Site 2 was no longer occupied, so we moved our gear on down to the lake's edge and set up for the day. A huge cow moose waded in to the reeds along the shoreline, up to the point that she was barely above the waterline. We also made the trip to Rainbow Cove to go swimming, and were rewarded with an entire beachfront of raspberry bushes. We stayed down at the beach for a few hours, and enjoyed the sun, the waves, and fresh air. Well worth the trip! That evening, Neil and Kaitlynn made it to Feldtmann after a slow but steady hike from Siskiwit Bay, and we talked with them about their day. She was a trooper, and her knee was really hurting. We offered to carry her pack the next day, but she declined and made it back to Windigo on her own... a tough young lady! More fishing, cribbage, and sunset! Temps were cooler this evening, and falling asleep wasn't a problem.

Aug 12: Feldtmann Lake to Windigo... We left earlier this morning, and made the trip back to Windigo under three hours. We did stop at the Grace Overlook, and caught up to Neil and Kaitlynn. They had left even earlier because they had a 3pm flight back to Hancock, MI, and wanted to make sure they got back with enough time. The climb up to the Grace Overlook is 250' switchback, hiking towards Windigo, but it's all downhill following the overlook. The last scenic mile or so is along Washington Harbor with a view of Beaver Island. We grabbed Shelter 6, dropped our gear, and went swimming off the dock and sitting in the sun for a few hours. We met Eileen, who was traveling the northern states and the National Parks in her new F-350 and 36' fifth-wheel trailer, with her next stops at Apostle Islands, and Voyageurs NP... not a bad set up to see the parks! Although the store was closed, which meant no end-of-hike beer or sandwich, we did enjoy our remaining food and played a few more games of cribbage.

Aug 13: Windigo to Hancock, MI... We had an 11am flight, so we had our remaining coffee and I had my last Green Belly bar (delicious!) before packing up with my nasty boots and clothes at the bottom of the pack. The weather was perfect for the flight back, and we were the only two on the plane... smooth trip and safe landing! Already planning the trip for next year....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti7zIgCi2Is

[Midwest Ed]

It sounds like you had a great trip and spotlighted the benefits of staying flexible and accepting last minute changes. I will say though, you guys dry out your socks more than others I've heard reporting on the subject. I think were I to have the same yearnings I think I would carry some extra pairs rather than stop to build a fire, but it worked out well for you. Any reports on how the fishing went? I haven't watched the video yet, but just added it to my watch list...after a couple of glimpses, I'm looking forward to it.

[tso972]

It was a great trip! The sock drying was confined to camp, and I had three pair with me (Darn Tough makes a good sock!)... the fire was dual purpose due to mosquitoes at Island Mine and our decision to press on to Siskiwit, and was properly doused with several liters of water prior to leaving for Siskiwit. Fishing was not as active as I would’ve liked, but I did hook on to a nice pike at Windigo, which threw my hook after bringing him to the edge of the dock.

[Tom]

Thanks for the TR. After a good number of years and trips, Feldtmann #2 remains my single favorite camp site on the Isle. I don't think it can get any better.
That stretch from Siskiwit to Feldtmann seems to get thicker by the year; in many ways it's harder route finding than the Minong for a stretch. Not sure why a trail crew hasn't thinned it a little like they do for other trails...

[torpified]

Thanks for the report! I'm hoping to visit the Feldtmann loop on my next trip, so I especially appreciate your account. Did you keep a running tab on the cribbage outcomes? And did you carry a full-sized board or a UL backpacking miniaturization that doubled as tent-stake? (If anybody from the NPS is reading this, I think cribbage boards would be a thoughtful amenity to add to the IR shelters.)

[tso972]

Steve went up big early... 7-2, once we hit Feldtmann, it was game on for me (Todd), and I ended up taking the island cribbage tourney, 9-7. We both got skunked once, and most games were pretty close... with a small drill bit, cribbage boards could be immediately added to a floor board in each shelter. Definitely a possibility. Perhaps the new superintendent will see to it this season!

[Midwest Ed]

....with a small drill bit, cribbage boards could be immediately added to a floor board in each shelter. Definitely a possibility. Perhaps the new superintendent will see to it this season!

You and all the other players should petition (send emails) the ISRO contact portal and management. It's codified in the First Amendment of course and they DO pay attention, especially to simple things they can change.

Note: I do foresee a maintenance issue of the holes filling up with dust and dirt.

[Grandpa]

Thanks so much for posting your report - and video. It brought back fond memories from many, many moons ago - seaplane from Houghton, Huginnin Cove, Feldtmann Lk, Rainbow Cove, Siskiwit Bay. It wasn't raining, but we still got soaked from the waist down on the trail where you can't see your feet - back when people wore blue jeans! It still holds our record for the most moose sightings in one visit (17). So glad to see others still enjoying it.

[jerry]

Thanks for the video! Envy you guys. I thought after last years hike (at ISRO), I'd retire from backpacking. The rangers were checking up on me every where I went (sore L. knee and R. ankle). Thanks to them I made it back to Rock Harbor. Now I don't know where I'd go, if there is a next year. Every trail I've done, is worth doing again (folks).
PS-what a new store at Windigo?

[johnhens]

Thanks for the video! Envy you guys. I thought after last years hike (at ISRO), I'd retire from backpacking. The rangers were checking up on me every where I went (sore L. knee and R. ankle). Thanks to them I made it back to Rock Harbor. Now I don't know where I'd go, if there is a next year. Every trail I've done, is worth doing again (folks).
PS-what a new store at Windigo?

A new store is going up near the bathrooms.

[fonixmunkee]

I love vicariously through your trip report.

Than you for sharing. The Feldtman loop is I've it my favorites on the island