We were the second boat out of Grand Portage to IRNP. The interpretive rangers at Windigo finally got there the day before we arrived. There was no potable water or store on 5/18, but they expected to have water at least turned on within a week.
We didn't do any backpacking, just relaxing with friends on Belle Isle, which has been on my bucket list since someone told me about it during an overnight at McCargoe Cove 15 years ago. It's a pretty cool place. If one is so inclined, there is a good amount of hiking to be done on Belle Isle. We did hike out to the point that looks out at Captain Kidd island and enjoy some sun. But there's a good bushwhack to the east end of the island where you could try and cross the Keyhole to the mainland. I was intrigued but wasn't brave enough for it.
Belle Isle is mostly populated by fishers. There is a dock and a beach there that welcomes boats of all sizes. There are six shelters too. When we got to Belle, there was a group of five fishers already there. They stated that this was the first time in many, many years they had shared the island with some one this early in the season.
A view of Belle Isle beach and campground
For the uninitiated, the history of Belle Isle is neat. I'll encapsulate it a bit: like so many other parts of Isle Royale, Belle Isle was a popular resort destination until shortly after the area became a National Park. Belle Isle boasted a lodge, many housekeeping cabins (at least 17, because one cabin that still remains standing today is number "Q"), a short pitch-and-put golf course, tennis courts, shuffleboard, and a teepee that sat on a point overlooking the Belle Isle beach. The only remanents that I found are:
- A house-keeping cabin, cabin "Q", that is currently used by the campground host, is usually a volunteer stationed there in July/August.
- A small part of a shuffleboard or tennis court
- Stairs (guess) leading up to the point where a teepee sat, overlooking Belle Isle beach (and supposedly the tee box for hole #1 of the golf course
There are some really good pics here: http://iri.forest.mtu.edu/Resorts/Pages/BelleIsle.htm
We met some friends at Belle Isle and enjoyed the relative privacy and quiet of the campground for our three days there. In the evening, we had dinner together in the covered pavilion that sits overlooking the beach. The pavilion was built by the Boater's Association (the same that built the Windigo pavilion), and it features a fireplace that seems out of place to me. In the evenings, the fishers returned and treated us to some pan-friend trout, which was incredible.
During the day, the weather was breezy but warm. When the sun went down, however, a damp cold set in, and it was right into the sleeping bags. We pitched our tent in the shelter to try and keep in some heat, keep away the breeze, and keep moisture from building up on our sleeping bags. This was the first time having to pitch a tent in the shelter for me!
After three days, we caught the Voyageur II from Belle Isle for a night in Rock Harbor. Rock Harbor was--unsurprisingly--still closed down. They had just got potable water at Rock a day or two us getting there. We grabbed a shelter, and I did a little exploring of Rock Harbor, which I've never done before (I've only been to Rock Harbor one other time in 18 years!). I found the housekeeping cabins, where I was greeted by a very mangy moose, then walked to the Smitchwick mines, and then started down the Scoville point trail before mud and hunger turned me around. I also peeked out at the destroyed America dock. Wow, was that thing clearly obliterated.
What remains of the America dock in Rock Harbor
The ride back the next day on the VII was nice until we left Windigo, then the 4-foot swells tossed the reliable boat around quite a bit, but Capt Matt and 1st Mate Kevin kept things safe and orderly, and we were back to Grand Portage exactly on time.
Also, I met torpified on this trip! They are very nice and very funny. Nice to meet you, torpified!
A few notes for those who may venture to the island soon:
- The Leave No Trace (LNT) brief you get at Windigo has changed since the last time I got it. Now the Ranger describes encountering a wolf as "they'll leave you alone, but if they don't and they want to fight, be ready to fight them." This wasn't unnerving to me but surprising. After talking to a few other visitors and reading the Greenstone, it appears these new wolves on the island are not intimidated by humans as the old (dead) ones were. There are apparently some second-hand reports of hikers running into wolves on the trail, and they are not running away like they used to.
- Bring TP with you. And then bring a roll to leave in a biff for someone else. Be a trail angel.
- There is still a lot of snow on the north shore of the island. That means it is still very cold there.
- The new Windigo store still isn't ready to go, nor do I (or others) expect it to be ready to go this season. Our park fees at work, I guess.
And a few photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/oVqce5gJXRu5BGgL9
