Trip Report - Aug 30 to Sept 3

[Don_P]

Our trip was cut short a day due to the weather - still a fantastic trip!

Pictures: (hope it works out posting this way)

Pictures from Isle Royale
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 47eac30b36

Other UP Pictures
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 2cdd0ad77d

August 28
We took advantage of a Park-Sleep-Fly package and stayed in Baltimore the night prior, but the morning still began early for our 6:15 AM flight from Baltimore to Marquette. Both legs of the flight and the rental car pick-up were uneventful in spite of the rain, and we were on our way to the Keewenaw and Copper Harbor around 11 AM. None of us had eaten much so we decided to stop for a pasty at Lawry's in Ishpemening - our first pasty experience. Flaky crust, diced potatoes and rutabagas, spiced ground beef. Very, very good. Why did it take us so long to have a pasty? Bellies full, our trip to Copper Harbor was very smooth. After visiting a few of our favorite shops and checking into our room at the North Port motel, we dined at the Tamarack. Decent food and the prices were reasonable. I started to feel a cold coming on so we went to the little general store for cold medicine, then went to the motel got our backpacks ready and crashed.

A note on the motel - it was clean and quiet but be careful if you are sensitive to smoke as there was a pretty strong smoke smell in our room.

August 29
Still raining hard. After checking out of the motel, we stopped for breakfast at The Pines. Food was good but the service was sloooow, to the point we were concerned we wouldn't make the boat. No matter, though, because the boat was cancelled due to high winds. We first found a room at Bella Vista - none of us wanted to spend a day in a smoky room. Then we went to Houghton where we visited hit WalMart for a gallon of OJ and different cold meds. Lunch at Suomi (excellent) was followed by a slow trip up M-26. The sun finally came out and the trip was great – waves crashing over the rocks made for a scenic trip. The girls had a great time.

After settling into our hotel room, the girls played outside for a while; Lori and I relaxed. We enjoyed a casual dinner at the Mariner before retiring early.

August 30
Very clear morning – boat day. Breakfast at the Tamarack was very good with prompt service. We all took our motion sickness pills (Hylands Natural Relief Tabs) and headed over to the Queen IV dock to load up. Quite a crowd. The trip was uneventful for the first hour but then the girls got sick – very thankful for the kindness of the crew and a lady passenger (wish I'd caught her name). Both girls were very thankful when we reached Rock Harbor and felt better quickly. The water taxi was a smooth, fast ride to Chippewa Harbor and we were off to Lake Ritchie. We realized almost immediately we were in trouble with bugs, with all of us covered with mosquito bites on any exposed skin, and they were biting through Lori's shirt. Big mistake to not bring repellant. The girls complained a bit that first day but the whining stopped when we reached site #2 at Lake Ritchie. It was apparent there had been a lot of rain in prior days – a prior 'resident' at #1 had dug rain trenches. Bad juju to leave it that way... We set up the tents and relaxed for a while. The first hike is hard no matter the preparation. All of us blister-free except Lori, who had a large blister in spite of the leukotape. Have to do something about footwear before the next trip.

Fishing was good right from the shore. On my third cast I landed a small but still nice northern pike, followed quickly by another and then a nice yellow perch. All fish were caught on a chartreuse rapala. This was my first time to take fishing gear on a backpacking trip and will not be the last.

Dinner was beef stroganoff. Took longer than expected because I'd left the "legs" for my blackfly alcy stove at home. We used just my brasslite for the four of us the whole trip. No biggie... Shortly after dinner we all hit the sack.

August 31
Beautiful morning! I was up at dawn and sat on the rocks by the lake as long as I could stand the mosquitos. Heavy humidity and no wind meant we had a lot of condensation in our single-wall tarptents. The weight savings is great but you've really got to be careful with site selection and understand you'll have condensation in some conditions. No matter, we wiped up as best as we could, had an energy bar for breakfast and headed off early. The plan was for us to hike to West Chickenbone, where I would leave the girls and hike on to McCargoe Cove. On my way I met a trail crew – the leader noticed I was about to lose my sleeping pad (I nearly fell a few minutes before and it had worked its way out of a strap). The help was much appreciated. After reaching McCargoe, I dropped my pack, got a shelter and headed back toward Chickenbone to help the kids with their packs. They were tired when I met them, but in good spirits. We relaxed for a while, then went to the dock to fish (no luck) and hang out. I found the thyme I'd read about growing all over the place. Not sure how I missed it on prior trips. Dinner was followed by one of many games of Uno, reading and bed. No more cold meds for me; what felt like a doozie of a cold wasn't bad after all (or my gallon of OJ scared it off).

September 1
Another great morning and this was going to be a 'zero' day for the girls. I left after breakfast and coffee, and set off to hike up to East Chickenbone and around the lake with just a waist pack. Shortly after I hit the trail toward E. Chickenbone I ran into a group of hikers who told me there was a bull moose just off the trail ahead. No dice... As I approached Chickenbone Lake, the same trail crew was doing great work and asked if I saw the moose. Nope. Still a good hike and very enjoyable without the heavy pack. Back at McCargoe by noon, in time for a quick lunch. I took the girls up to Minong Mine and the ridge in the afternoon; the Minong Ridge just beyond the mine is my favorite place on the island and I was happy to share it with my daughters. Back to the shelter and more reading, fishing, eating, Uno. Lori and I were concerned about the girls ability to handle the hike to Daisy Farm the next day.

September 2
The only day on the island we set an alarm clock, and only because we wanted to get an early start so we didn't have to hike in the heat. The campground was quiet when we left just after daybreak. Mackenzie found a very large toad on the Greenstone, which made the girls' trip. Lots of blueberries and thimbleberries were enjoyed at breaks. I was surprised to see a minor re-routing of the trail at one of the higher points on the Greenstone. I'd always remembered a decent climb to one vantage point but the trail had just been routed slightly away from that point (there are still signs pointing to the overlook).

In spite of our concern the hike was very enjoyable, and we reached Daisy Farm around 2 PM. We were all tired but felt a nice sense of accomplishment. Lori and I were both very hot and tempted to jump into Lake Superior. Instead we waded out and turned tail when we got to our knees. Cold but refreshing. While I was at the dock I ran into the party who told me about the bull moose a day earlier. No, I didn't see the bull moose! Very quiet, relaxing afternoon. The girls explored a bit, while Lori and I read, relaxed, talked. More of the same – dinner, Uno, read, bed.

September 3
We were all up relatively early for the hike back to Rock Harbor. At Suzie's Cave we cut over to the Tobin Harbor trail and enjoyed the relative easy compared to the rocky trail we'd left behind. Very fast hike! Another first for us was burgers at the snack bar, which had been closed for the season (or not yet open) on all prior trips. The burgers were good, especially the seasoned fries. We bought dramamine in the little store and waited for departure time. The trip back to Copper Harbor was much better! I sat down below and enjoyed conversation with park seasonal employees (again wish I had names). The girls sat at the back of the boat enjoying the nice weather and a nap. We opted to skip Harbor Haus this trip and drive on to Houghton for the night.

September 4/5
We allowed a day at the end of our trip to explore Pictured Rocks. We did a few day hikes to waterfalls, took the Pictured Rocks sunset cruise, and otherwise had a very pleasant day. September 5 we left for home and enjoyed a four hour layover in Detroit. Lori's parents live there and they took us to dinner and helped celebrate Megan's 12th birthday. The trip back to Baltimore and the subsequent drive home were fine.

Trip thoughts:
The girls managed about as we expected. The youngest is ready to go back and the oldest tolerated the hike. Hopefully there were enough good memories she'll want to go back with us in a couple of years. We saw no moose, no wolves, no fox. Toad was a big hit. Blueberries and thimbleberries were very good.

Ready for the next trip. Even if it is still freezing I am bringing bug dope, for penance if nothing else.

[DonNewcomb]

We all took our motion sickness pills (Hylands Natural Relief Tabs) and headed over to the Queen IV dock to load up.

Whatever works for you, but I recommend next time everyone goes to see the Doc ask for a Rx for Meclizine tablets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meclizine It really works for 95% of travelers. I met a lady on Ranger III who had a Rx patch and wristbands and was still feeling ill. A patch is for when you plan to be in rough conditions for an extended period (e.g. a week or longer). For short periods (e.g. hours, days) tablets are the way to go. It flushes quickly from your system when you stop taking it. The only side-effect I've noticed with meclizine is that it makes your mouth a little dry. It's generic and cheap.

[ScoutDad]

Great trip report! No moose sightings is a bummer; My son & I saw them in 2002, and I promised our scout troop we'd see them in 2004...not! This summer, my daughter and I saw a cow & calf at the RH campgrounds.