View of Beaver Island from the Windigo harbor dock
After spending three days in Isle Royale, it’s clear why this park is the least visited but has the most return visitors. Getting to Isle Royale can be a bit of a logistical challenge (as we note in our earlier post), but once you’re here…wow. It’s simply gorgeous. And clearly loved and well cared for by the park rangers who live there.
When we stepped off the ferry we were treated to an orientation from a ranger who gave a great introduction to the park and reminded us to leave no trace during our visit. She told us that although we were unlikely to see any wolves on our visit (the park is home to three wolf packs), we would probably see moose and foxes. Foxes, she cautioned, have been known to walk into a campsite, curl up, and go to sleep. Or sit next to you for a spell while you’re eating, hoping for a nibble of something. She reminded us that it’s not good for foxes or for people when wild animals become habituated to humans, and hard as it may be, we should shoo the fox on its way. Okay, I thought, but maybe after taking a few photos for the blog…!
After our orientation, we checked out the Windigo Visitor Center to register our back-country route with the rangers and read up on the many shipwrecks in the area. We had passed by some remnants of the SS America on our boat trip to Windigo. The visitor center had some interesting information on the ill-fated ship.
Sunset at Huginnin Cove
We then headed off for Huginnin Cove, about a 5-mile trek from the visitor center. The trail was gorgeous…birch trees with peeling and curled paper-y bark and an abundance of raspberries and thimbleberries. When we got to the cove, there were six sites to choose from, all placed at a respectable distance from one another. We chose campsite #1, which was one of our favorite sites of our entire trip. We had our own patch of beach, enough trees to protect us from sun and wind, and a large flat surface to pitch the tent and cook. Twas perfect.
Next day we were treated to hours and hours of rain, which allowed us to indulge in the kind of morning we’d dreamed about from the beginning of the trip. We stayed inside and listened to the rain bouncing off the tent walls, just lounging and playing cards. We stepped outside during one break in the weather to make popcorn and came across one of our neighbors. A snow-shoe hare hopped right up to our “kitchen” and tried to steal some of our kernels, but we dutifully shoo-ed it away.
Cooking dinner at Washington Creek shelter
We then took a leisurely hike back to Windigo, stopping often to eat wild blueberries and take pictures. That night we camped in one of the shelters at Washington Creek. Ben made a tofu dinner that was so deliciously fragrant it drew one of the foxes to our camp. But once it caught sight of the fake meat, it trotted off, even before we had a chance to grab our cameras or say “shoo!”
Blueberry pickin' on the Minong Ridge Trail
Our final day on Isle Royale, we took a day hike up the Minong Ridge Trail, which crosses the length of the island, to try to catch a view of the lake from up high. But just as we reached the summit, clouds rolled in and fogged over the scene. Still, we enjoyed the hike and would love to come back to the park and walk the entire trail, from Windigo to Rock Harbor.
Those clouds were a signal that the weather was changing, and when we got back to the harbor we found out that a big storm was rolling in. Campers who were booked to leave by ferry the following day were ending their trip early because the Wenonah wouldn’t make the crossing during the bad weather. Apparently the waves on Lake Superior can get just as ugly as those on the open ocean.
Cloudy day but still gorgeous!
On our journey back to Grand Portage, which was on relatively calm water, many passengers got sick. Luckily we weathered the water just fine. Perhaps it was the rollicking card game we had going. Thanks for playing with us, Juliet!
