TR: 8/12-17, 2022 3M, LC, RH - Wildfire Evacuation

[Grandpa]

After missing Isle Royale the last several years, I was determined to make it out to the island in 2022. When I saw that the Ranger III still had seats available and the forecast was ideal, I pulled the trigger for August 12-17.

I had in mind a leisurely repeat of a past visit to the east end. What could go wrong?

Day 1:
It was an uneventful 550-mile drive to Houghton. I checked in at the Houghton visitor center; all systems were go for launch. What could go wrong?

Day 2:
It was a quiet ride on the Ranger III in calm seas. It was still “peak” season so the purser was puzzled why the manifest listed only 43 passengers. At one point, I counted only 6 heads in the main lounge. I was thinking that with fewer backpackers disembarking, it might be quieter than expected. What could go wrong?
I left RH immediately for 3Mi; arriving at 5:00 pm. After dinner, I surveyed the campground. Backpackers filled all the shelters, tent sites and all 3 “overflow”, (formerly “group”) sites. Most visitors were well-behaved, but one rowdy group could be heard all around the campground. I slept soundly; WCGW?

Day 3:
I left 3Mi for Lane Cove at 8:30am. I passed by the Tobin Harbor Trail / Mt Franklin Trail intersection at 9:00am. All was green, clear and quiet. (Later reported to be ground zero for the Mt Franklin Fire). When I reached the Greenstone Ridge / Lane Cove Trail intersection, I stopped for a break with several other backpackers. Those coming from LC reported on an overflow crowd the night before. But all was well. I took my time descending the steep trail to LC, arriving at the campground at 12:30pm. There was only one other backpacker in the campground. I had a lemon-pepper tuna pita sandwich for lunch, set up my tent, filtered water and contemplated a nap at a beautifully serene spot. WCGW?

Mid-afternoon, I heard a loud voice that didn’t seem at all in tune with the surroundings. After a moment to reorient myself, I saw a park ranger in a small boat advising campers to prepare to evacuate from a wildfire. I asked her if we needed to pack up right then. She said no; they would try to evacuate that day, but we might have to spend the night in LC. I asked where the fire was; she said Mt Franklin. She advised that she would return for updates. By then, there were about 10 of us in the campground. The backpacker nearest the park ranger’s boat eavesdropped on the radio chatter and advised the rest of us. We gathered to compare what we had heard. It seemed obvious that since there is only one trail into and out of LC, they would want to evacuate. None of us had seen any fire or smoke at that time or on the way in. So, everyone seemed calm; trusting that the park service was on top of the situation. I had a plastic bag of Pay Day candy bars so I offered one to a young boy. He gladly accepted. WCGW?

I decided that if I were faced with an order to evacuate, it might be better to comply on a full stomach. So, I immediately whipped up a hot meal of MH Chicken & Noodles with a side of Ritz crackers. Good move. The park ranger soon returned saying “PACK UP!!”. She said we would all meet at campsite #1 in 40 minutes to evacuate. It takes me that long to lace up my boots so I immediately set to work packing up. WCGW?

LC has a rocky coast and no dock; it's not conducive to a water rescue. But site #1 has a 10ft stretch of sand. So, the plan was to land the bow of a small boat in the sand, then transfer us to a larger boat that waited offshore. A small group who excel at packing up left immediately for Belle Isle. Upon arrival, volunteers from Amygdaloid Island served them a hot meal. A while later, the park ranger returned to LC and asked the remaining seven of us to put our packs on the bow and then clamor up & over into the boat. We then transferred people and packs to the larger boat. They had decided that our destination should be RH instead of BI. So, after a few hours of the serenity and camaraderie for which we had come, we were off on a 13-mile ride to the city lights of RH. It was quite bouncy around Blake Point but we arrived safely at RH.

Still Day 3:
Since I was quite tired and had already set up a tent once that day, I decided to see if the lodge had a room. They did, so at 8:30pm I had a hot shower and comfy bed. The others settled into overflow sites at RH campground.

I will end there because in total – nothing did go wrong!

[Midwest Ed]

Well, it was a great "adventure" to tell to the Grandkids. I was anticipating a story of how someone or their pack took a bath during the boat evacuation or transfer to the larger boat. Glad everyone made it out dry.

[torpified]

Wow! If you're willing to extend this to a Part II---what was it like in RH while the fire got sorted out? (The tea leaves we could read from here left a lot of questions open!)

[Grandpa]

-what was it like in RH while the fire got sorted out?

Upon arriving in RH on Saturday evening 8/13, we were advised to set up in the overflow tent sites. In the meantime, they asked us to give them some time to get organized, then check with the visitor center in the morning. Just before dark, I walked through the campground. It was quiet, but “overflow” was an understatement. Tents were everywhere – elbow to elbow.

Sunday morning 8/14, the park held an outdoor briefing at the visitor center. It was well-attended. An interpretive ranger read a prepared statement of closures, then launched into things to do in RH. She stayed afterward to discuss individual situations. Closure notices were posted at the visitor center and at all the affected trailheads.

At that point, basically all the trails between DF and RH were closed. 3mi campground was closed and LC was open only for water access. No one knew how long the closures would last but the expectations seem to favor a lengthy closure.

The obvious dilemma was that people for various reasons needed to get from DF to RH and from RH to DF and beyond. So, the lodge committed the Sandy tour boat to ferrying people back and forth between RH and DF. There was no schedule. For $30 each, as soon as the boat was full, they took off for another run. The water taxis were also in service but at a much higher cost. Likewise, the Queen offered to drop passengers off at DF before going on to RH. I was told informally that the experience of landing the ferry at DF during recent dock construction in RH allowed them to dust off the procedures required for it to happen again. The Ranger III had left on schedule Saturday morning, and returned to RH as scheduled the following Tuesday.

The restaurant/snack bar had already adjusted for COVID – “Grab & Go” sandwiches, limited hot foods, etc. Of course, a larger crowd made for more work, but the COVID routine seemed to allow continuation of services without too much fuss.

Meanwhile, skill, cunning and good luck seemed to move the wildfire response quicker than many expected.
- There had been no lightning, so the fire was quickly deemed “human caused”; allowing firefighters the discretion to put it out rather than watching and waiting.
- Although conditions were very dry, there was little wind.
- The location of the fire was relatively accessible.
- The alliances with other agencies formed during last year’s fire helped with a quick response.
- Likewise, internally, lessons learned last year seemed to help with this response.

As time passed, some of the closures were lifted. eg On Monday, 8/15 they reopened the Tobin Harbor and Rock Harbor trails to Suzy’s Cave. That gave people in RH a pleasant day hiking destination.

Ranger programs continued uninterrupted. Remarkably, by Monday evening conditions in RH seemed as though they had returned to normal. Many of the park rangers who had responded with “all hands on deck” got some well needed sleep.

Of course, there were bound to be misunderstandings here and there. I apologize in advance if I perpetuated any here.

[torpified]

You were a fantastic reporter to cast in the eyewitness role! And in a weird way it's encouraging that experience gained through various recent travails -- dock repair, last year's fire, Covid -- helped with weathering this one.

[jerry]

Thanks for your report! Back in 2010, due to high waves, I and friends had to stay at Rock Harbor for three consecutive days, before the Queen could come out and take us back to Copper Harbor. It got back very late in the afternoon and got us back to CH after dark (waves were still 8-12 feet). Isle Royale gives us plenty of memories. Again, thanks!