Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xL1Hy7oWAiw2ZhwCA
6/11-6/13: 1546 mile road trip from central NC: a short day to pick up daughter in western NC, a long 12+ hr day to northern IL, then 9+ hrs to the Grand Portage Lodge.
6/14: Voyageur II to Rock Harbor. Nice calm day. Realized I hadn't taken the VII all the way to RH since my first summer in '79--always getting off at McCargoe or Belle Isle. Shelters full, so set up in the first tent site. Since the canoe is last off the boat, we're at the end of the line for registering and sites.
Hike to Scoville Pt. Trail is a little muddy with beaver activity near the lodge, which I haven't seen before. Fatigue is obvious and I decide not to do the last spur to the end of the point, and just hang out on the rocks while daughter goes on. Turns out I'm right by an eagle's nest, pointed out to me by a passing lodge employee. See a couple chick heads pop up. Watch a parent fly across the harbor from a small islet to the nest. Parent later flies about 10 ft above my head--probably wouldn't have noticed except for the shadow which made me look up. It didn't feel so much like a buzz but that I was just in the flight path as it continued down the shore.
6/15: Paddle to Merritt Lane up Rock Harbor and around Scoville Pt. Sunny, but cool, as water is 39 degs. Light breeze in the face, of course. Sun on the beach around Scoville Pt. Merritt Lane is empty and take the single shelter. During the day, several fishing boats stop by and ask how long we're staying.
Paddle up to Blake Pt and around so daughter can say she's "paddled around Blake Pt"--on a couple of previous trips we would have liked to, but the weather didn't allow. Got some low swells on the north side.
6/16: Got up to see the sun break the horizon at 4:50am CDT. Clear, cold, and calm. Up again 6-6:30ish and watched a moose swim across Merritt Lane to the east. Daughter only saw it on the shore by the time she got out of her bag. There's a boat casually fishing in the lane, patiently waiting for the shelter. We get on the water a little after 8.
Daughter wants to paddle Tobin and says she'll portage the canoe and all the gear over to RH. Pass a loon with a couple chicks on it's back--probably got too close, but it was totally unintentional and we slowly moved away once we saw them. Stop at Hidden Lake and debate doing Lookout Louise but decide not to--turns out to be a good choice. Meet a couple guys with packrafts who had come from Duncan Bay--see them later at Daisy.
Daughter portages canoe from Tobin dock to RH docks, I follow with a pack and misc--but she's not there when I get there--find her coming down from the housekeeping cabins. At least she didn't head down the Tobin Harbor trail! That little easy portage makes it clear to me that changing our original plans was a wise move, given how I'm feeling.
Wind has been slowly building to probably close to a steady 10mph blowing SW down RH, and we head for Tookers Island as planned. There is an open shelter there, but the forecast is for the wind to continue to build from the SW through tomorrow, so decide to go on for Caribou. Starting to get a few whitecaps, so follow the islands as closely as possible. Only able to duck into the last part of Lorilei Lane, and it's a little rocky coming out of the gap by Mott Island. Rest for a bit in the lee of the big Ranger III dock at Mott, but don't get out.
Both shelters at Caribou are taken with fishermen, and they are staying for 3 days. Rats, was hoping to get a night or two there. Decide not to tent it and head for Daisy where we hope a shelter is calling. By now there's whitecaps in the harbor and the Middle Island gap is getting rocking and rolling. I start on a direct path for DF and it's quickly like a washing machine with waves from every direction. I take my own advice (this time), and backtrack a bit and head across at 90 deg, and then follow the main shoreline--still rocking, but much better. Our "easy" trip turned into an 11 mile day paddling into the wind.
Grab a shoreline shelter at Daisy, but discover it's completely infested with ants, so end up at a back one. Meh, but we're tired enough it doesn't matter. Beavers have flooded the trail near the dock (well destroyed it), so it's detoured through the back of the campground. You can also get by on the beach.
6/17: Head for Moskey a little later in the morning. We're tired from yesterday, but would rather be there than DF. Winds are continuing steady in our face from the SW, so yesterday's decision to push on appears to be a good one, even as tired as we are. It gets calmer (and warmer) as we push up Moskey Basin. Only shelter #1 is taken when we get there around 11:00. We take #4 and all are full by 2:00. Tent sites appear to get doubled up.
6/18: Spend a lazy 1 1/2 days hanging out at Moskey, strolling, reading, cards. A few showers come through in the afternoon. Daughter is tired of talking with Dad by now--he doesn't want to let her read. Would kinda like to paddle around Moskey, but it's still pretty breezy and squally out of the SW, enough to be work. Enjoyed the ducks and ducklings in front of the shelter. Busy beavers swimming in front of shelter 7.
6/19: Message "Happy Anniversary" to my wife--at least it's only 39 and not our 40th that I disappeared for! Only time we messaged with the inReach, other than a daily "At campground, all is well."
Paddle back to Daisy, clear and calm, although there is light breeze, which of course has now switched 180 deg to the NE so we're paddling into it (again). Get shelter #1 which is great--private and away from the activity. Run into a group of 14 hanging out at the dock, ugh! Four families traveling together. Considered calling the rangers on the VHF, but didn't.
Paddle over to the fishery, lighthouse, and Bangsund cabin in the afternoon. Lighthouse museum is open on the first floor, but the stairs are closed until repaired. Recreated a picture of the two of us from 2005 overlooking Middle Island Passage. The Peterson's are home and enjoyed chatting with them and seeing the moose boneyard. Candy gives us Rhubarb bars
. They are preparing for a 3 week canoe trip.Wind switched back to the SW in the afternoon--seems it just swung around to NE in the morning so we could paddle into it. Don't know if the gods of the wind were more pissed off at us, or us at them!
6/20: Voyageur II is on time and have an uneventful trip home--a little choppy but not bad. Drive to Superior, WI and spend night with brother.
6/21-23: One night on the road and one at daughter/SIL's before getting home. We tried to only play duos on Pandora the last day--duets didn't count, have to at least made an album together. Fun trying to come up several hours of them.
Weather: cool on the water, lows in the 40s, highs 60s (on land). Just a little rain one day, mostly clear all week.
Bugs: did use a fair amount of bug dope this trip. Both skeeters and flies were out, but not overwhelming. Daisy was the worst.
Wildlife: garter snakes everywhere. Lots of loons and ducks. 1 moose. No fox. Lots of hares. Lake trout swimming under dock at Tookers. Beaver at Daisy and Moskey. Skeeters, ample in the evenings. Flies, occasionally annoying. Squirrels constantly serenading.
COVID-19: sucks. It's been almost a year since I had a clinically "mild to moderate" case--I stayed out of the hospital, but for some days it seemed like barely. But I'm still working to get energy back 11 months later and it's rather frustrating--I feel fine, but just get tired so quickly with any sort of exertion. Paddling isn't as bad, though, hence the planned trip without portaging and very limited hiking.
. This trip there were a lot jumping/rising that evening in front of the shelter--made me wish I had ponied up for the MI DNR and brought a rod.
. But having a good paddling partner is important!