Isle Royale National Park | Day Seven

Huginnin Cove to Windigo / Washington Creek
(Map at bottom of post)

The sky over Huginnin Cove looked stormy when we got up at 7:30 am. We decided to skip breakfast since the hike back to Windigo was only about 4.5 miles along West Huginnin Cove Trail. We packed up quickly under the threatening sky and left at 8:30. We were sad to have to leave this wonderful place and would have loved to stay another day, but the weather continued to be consistent in its unpredictability, and we felt that heading back toward Windigo to be prepared in the event of more flight issues was the smarter thing to do. Anyone visiting the west end of Isle Royale should definitely visit Huginnin Cove; it's worth the short trip.

Stormy morning sky above Huginnin Cove

We departed the cove via West Huginnin Cove Trail, which heads south into the woods and is not nearly as interesting as its east counterpart. There are a few climbs and descents along this trail, as it traverses three different ridges. Like the east trail, WHCT eventually meets up with the Minong Ridge Trail, which leads back to Washington Creek Campground and Windigo. We were climbing a ridge near the intersection with the Minong, when Craig suddenly stopped in front of me and motioned for me to be quiet. A female moose and her two calves were slowly making their way through the brush a short distance in front of us, heading west along the side of the ridge we were climbing. We watched them through the thick brush, until they were mostly hidden in the woods off the trail to our right. Once we continued climbing the ridge, the cow moose heard us and then it was her turn to people-watch. We could barely make them out; the two small calves were hidden behind trees near their mother, who stood watching us intently. We continued on, happy to have finally seen our first moose of the trip.

Cow moose with 2 calves

We reached Windigo at 10:40 am and checked in with Ranger Valerie to see what the weather forecast had to say, and to see what the chances were of flying out today rather than tomorrow as planned. Neither of us really wanted to cut the trip short, but we also didn't want to push our luck given the weather and flying conditions of the last few days. It turned out that the plane was not flying, because no flights had been booked on this particular date. The decision was now out of our hands; we would stay another night at Washington Creek and attempt to leave tomorrow as originally planned. Whatever was going to happen would happen.

Someone at Windigo said that wolves were heard the night before by people camping at Washington Creek, which was exciting news. A fox trotted by us as we headed back down the path to the campground.

Inside Shelter #9 at Washington Creek

We settled in at Shelter #9, which had a good view of Washington Creek. It was cold and breezy; the sun tried to penetrate the clouds but was unsuccessful, and the heavy cloud cover remained all day. After making lunch, we watched ducks swim back and forth in the creek and then took a nap. Except for the occasional gust of wind or bird call, it was completely silent.

Around 6:00 pm, we took a walk to Washington Harbor. Earlier in the day at Windigo, we had seen a few park rangers looking like they were responding to something urgent. We now learned that a sailboat that was out in the harbor had started to sink – the Coast Guard at Rock Harbor was alerted, and the rangers we had seen at Windigo were heading out to help pump water from the boat and begin rescuing those on board. We would learn more details the following day from one of the stranded boaters. Peril on the high seas (lake)!

What is this fox doing?

On the way back to our shelter, we passed a small clearing just offshore, where a fox was having dinner. It had caught a bird and was sitting in the clearing eating it. It did not seem too concerned with our presence, and we watched it for a minute or so from around 10 feet away as it worked on its meal.

Oh, I have an audience.

Yes, I caught this bird. Now, if you'll excuse me...

Nom nom nom

It had been chilly all day, but the temperature dropped significantly as the sun went down. We went to bed at 8pm because it was too cold to do anything outside of a sleeping bag. Unfortunately, the weather forecast we had looked at earlier did not predict the temperature dropping to the mid-30s in the middle of the night. If we had known about this, we would have put our tent up inside the shelter to benefit from the retention of body heat. Instead, we hunkered down into our sleeping bags on the shelter floor, anticipating a chilly night in the 40s.

As we laid in our sleeping bags after dusk, the ever-elusive night-swimming moose returned to Washington Creek, splashing around in the dark just beyond our shelter. We wanted to see it, but neither of us wanted to get out of our sleeping bags and venture back into the cold to spy on it, so we attempted to get some sleep on our last night on Isle Royale. Maybe in the morning...

East and West Huginnin Cove Trail Marker

To be continued in Day 8: What will the weather bring?

Isle Royale National Park 2013 | Day Five

Washington Creek / Windigo

Fog in the trees along Washington Creek

Washington Creek was amazingly silent when I got up around 9 am. Yesterday was a turning point in the weather, and we were in for a period of dreariness. Again, fog blanketed the trees and obscured the sky. We ate breakfast, then walked to Windigo to see if weather information was posted and to kill some time. Once at the visitor center, I talked to Ranger Valerie, who had already heard about our wolf sighting at Siskiwit Bay a few nights ago. I filled out a wolf sighting report, which is eventually passed on to the wolf-moose study team. 

Washington Harbor

We walked around the Windigo area for a while looking at Washington Harbor, which looked very cool in the fog. There was a group of five or six guys hanging around the dock. They had been scheduled to leave the island on the sea plane the day before, but the plane had been unable to fly due to the fog. They were now on their 2^nd day of being stranded, and it did not look like they would be leaving today either. The weather forecast was not promising; there was a 50% chance of rain, and the fog was not going anywhere. The stranded hikers were sticking close to the dock in the event they got lucky. If the fog cleared and the plane flew in, at least some of them would be able to go home. 

Windigo Visitor Center

The Windigo store had closed the day before. We hoped that the stranded guys had some extra food with them. This was one of the scenarios that we had prepared for when planning this trip, and we were glad we had a few extra things with us in case we ended up in the same situation. The owner of the store was in the area taking care of things and preparing to close up shop for the season. Although the store was closed, she let us buy a few items. We grabbed a few snacks (I felt like I had hit the jackpot with a small box of fig newtons), and now that we had some extra room in our packs, we decided to buy one of the large canisters of fuel that was left on the shelf so we didn't have to be so conservative with our fuel supply in light of the lack of dry wood available.

Washington Harbor

It was still early in the day, and we had yet to decide whether to hike to Huginnin Cove or stay put due to the sketchy weather. I was really looking forward to seeing Huginnin Cove and was hoping for good weather while we were there since we would be staying in our tent close to shore. The weather forecast for the following day claimed a 40% chance of rain – no guarantee, but a little more promising, and we decided to hold out another day and keep our fingers crossed for a rain-free tomorrow.

Washington Harbor

The Voyageur II, the small passenger ferry that sails from Grand Portage, MN, showed up in the early afternoon with a few new visitors. Out of desperation, all but one of the stranded hikers decided to leave the island via this boat. The problem with this is that Grand Portage, MN is a very tiny town near the Canadian border without much in the way of helpful resources for people who were supposed to be flying back to Houghton, MI – approximately 7 hours away by car. The town does not appear to have a car rental facility (please correct me if I'm wrong, Grand Portagers); we have no idea what these guys planned to do once they arrived. They must have needed to leave badly enough that they decided they had no choice and would figure it out. 

The only moose we saw this day - Windigo Visitor Center

Barely 30 minutes after the Voyageur II sailed away from the dock, the sky suddenly cleared. Within minutes, the sea plane flew into the harbor. The Voyageur's passengers likely heard it, as they probably were not yet far enough away to be out of earshot of the small plane's distinct sound. What a kick in the nards. The plane landed and took off immediately after picking up the one fortunate guy who had held out. The clear sky was short-lived. The fog quickly returned, once again preventing the plane from flying for the rest of the day.

The sun breaks through, but just briefly around 8pm

We spent the remainder of the day around our shelter, relaxing and watching for moose. No luck there, but I saw what I think was an osprey dive into the creek to catch a fish. We ate Backpacker's Pantry Spinach Puttanesca for dinner and watched the sun struggle to pierce the clouds over Washington Creek. Rabbits were very active after dark, jumping on top of our picnic table and bounding through our site.

To be continued in: Day 6 - Washington Creek to Huginnin Cove

Isle Royale National Park 2013 | Day Three

Another Day at Siskiwit Bay

As predicted, it had been a cold night with the surf pounding loudly all night long. Despite my 15 degree sleeping bag, I slept with my puffy jacket on for extra warmth. I had set an alarm so that I would not miss the sunrise, but I was hesitant to venture out into the cold when it went off. I didn't want to regret missing it later though, so I hauled myself out of my sleeping bag at 6:45 am and walked down to the beach in the dark.

Sunrise at Siskiwit Bay

The bay was rough as the wind blew relentlessly from the open lake. I watched the sky lighten and change color while waves crashed on the beach. I had gotten up just in time; by 7:15 the show was over, and I headed back to the shelter to make coffee. I appeared to be the only person up and about.

View of the bay from the path to the individual tent sites

We spent our third day on Isle Royale relaxing and exploring more of the area around Siskiwit Bay. Though it was late in the season, a few types of berries and wildflowers could be found around our campsite. I had seen a few clumps of blueberries near the fire tower on the Feldtmann Ridge the day before, but there were none here that I found. The last time we were here in September, thimbleberries were plentiful, but not this time. While thimbleberry plants and raspberry bushes were scattered all over, the berries themselves were harder to find.

There are a few apple trees at the Siskiwit Bay campground, which was surprising to me. I learned later from speaking with Ranger Valerie that they were planted there sometime in the 1930s when the Civilian Conservation Corps had a camp in that area. Apple trees can be found in a few other spots on Isle Royale where the CCC also had camps. Daisy Farm was one location, and there were one or two others that I can't remember now. We ate a couple of these small apples for the sake of doing it, but they were extremely tart. 

Apple tree at the start of the path to the individual tent sites

I investigated the individual tent sites, which I had not seen the day before. Site #1 is great. It has a view of the bay, a picnic table, and a flat, shaded spot for a tent. This would be a really nice place to camp, and although I felt lucky to have scored a shelter the day before, I would have liked to pitch my tent here. Sites #2 and #3 were a bit further into the woods and away from the water, but also nice. They were both secluded, spacious and had good tent pads. On the other side of sites #4 and #5, which are the two shelters, site #6 is much further back in the woods and not as appealing as the others. The tent sites were all deserted early in the day, as everyone who had camped here the night before had moved on. 

View of the bay from tent site #1

Inside shelter #5

It was sunny for most of the day, but it remained windy and did not warm up much. The fox returned when we were getting ready to make dinner. An interesting animal and obviously a professional thief, it seemed to never stop moving. It didn't approach us or linger; it trotted through camp, efficiently assessing the situation to determine if anything could be easily pinched while seeming aloof at the same time. It was as if we were not even there. Later that afternoon, some hikers down by the fire ring reported that it came up to the picnic table while they were sitting there, looked all around them for food, but ignored them the whole time.

A fox trots through camp

The wolf that came through camp the night before did not make a repeat appearance. We walked along the beach at the end of the bay again in the evening to look for new interesting animal tracks, but didn't find any. The sky had become overcast earlier in the evening, and we learned from some fellow hikers that it was supposed to rain the following day. Without any stars to gaze at due to the cloud cover, we turned in early, wondering what the next day would bring.

To be continued in: Day 4 - Siskiwit Bay to...? 

Isle Royale National Park 2013 | Day Two

Feldtmann Lake to Siskiwit Bay
(Map at bottom of post)

Siskiwit Bay

Thunder and heavy rain woke us up at 5:30 a.m. By 7:00, the rain had stopped, and loons were calling across Feldtmann Lake. Not wanting to get up, we laid in the tent listening to our surroundings for about an hour. We made oatmeal and coffee for breakfast before packing up and hitting the trail at 9:30. We were disappointed to leave Feldtmann Lake without having seen a moose, but we still had 7 days ahead of us and a lot to look forward to.

Hiking on the Feldtmann Ridge

The Feldtmann Ridge Trail parallels the south side of Feldtmann Lake for about 1 ½ miles before arriving at the base of the Feldtmann Ridge. A steep climb that ascends about 240 feet leads to the top of the ridge and views of Feldtmann Lake from above. After the sweaty climb, breaking out on top of the ridge was welcome. It was overcast and windy, and the cool air felt wonderful. Hiking on top of the ridge is very pleasant, with knee-high yellow grass surrounding the exposed red conglomerate rock that the trail – and the ridge itself – is made of. It is interesting that this part of the island's rock is red, while the Greenstone Ridge and other areas to the north and east are grey. The openness of the ridge is a nice change from the woods and the thick, high vegetation encountered on much of this stretch.

The Feldtmann Ridge Trail enters a white birch forest

The trail does not remain out in the open along the entire ridge. It weaves in and out of the woods, at one point crossing a stream, as it slowly ascends to a fire lookout tower. The tower stands on top of the ridge approximately halfway between Feldtmann Lake and Siskiwit Bay, and it's where we stopped for lunch around 12:30.

Approaching the fire tower on the Feldtmann Ridge

I climbed up the tower steps as far as I could go before the structure is closed off near the top. From here, Feldtmann Lake can be viewed to the west, Lake Halloran and Siskiwit Bay to the east, and the Greenstone Ridge to the north.

Looking west from the fire tower on the Feldtmann Ridge

After resting and eating peanut butter and jelly tortillas, we resumed hiking. The trail leaves the open ridge just east of the fire tower and re-enters the woods. For much of the way from here to Siskiwit Bay, the trail passes through thick, high brush. Some of this section of trail had been a logging road in the 1930s and is now grown over. I love Isle Royale, but in the interest of truthful trip reporting, I do not want to overly romanticize the experience: this part of the trail kind of sucks. The vegetation is so thick that I could not see Craig hiking in front of me for much of the way, nor could I see the actual path below my feet at times. Although there is no easy way to get turned around, from time to time I wondered if we were on the right path. Branches scraped at our arms, and colorful, furry caterpillars hitched rides wherever they could latch onto us (actually, I liked that part). This stretch is tiring, not because the terrain is rough (it is actually pretty flat), but because it is long and tedious, with virtually no scenery to enjoy. 

Moose and wolf scat on the Feldtmann Ridge Trail

We reached Siskiwit Bay at 3:30 p.m. The campground here offers 2 shelters, 4 individual tent sites, and 3 group tent sites. The shelter at site #5 was open, and we collapsed into it gratefully. I changed out of my hiking boots and into Crocs and didn't move for about a half-hour. Shelter #5 has a view of the bay and the standard picnic table out front. The day had become sunny and beautiful, and we were happy to be spending the next 2 nights here. Suddenly, trekking through all of that brush felt worth it.

Siskiwit Bay

Since our tent had been packed away wet after the morning's thunderstorm, I laid it out to dry in the sun, and we walked down the path to the bay to check things out and collect water. The path from the shelter curves through tall yellow grass before descending to the shore, where a community fire ring and a couple of picnic tables make a nice gathering area next to the dock. The beach here consists of smooth red stones and pebbles, and a breakwater made of boulders shields the dock from rough water. It is very quiet here, and I looked forward to waking up early the next morning to watch the sun rise over the east-facing bay. 

From the dock at Siskiwit Bay. The fire ring and picnic tables are on the shore between the dock and breakwater. Shelter #5 is at the top of the grassy hill at the edge of the woods.

The water was cold, but not so cold that we couldn't get in, and we both spent some time cooling off in the bay before returning to the shelter to make dinner. We used the twig-burning stove, which was challenging since most of the twigs we found were wet from the morning rain. After a few false starts and a bit of smoke, we had a small cooking fire burning in the little contained stove. Because twigs burn away so quickly, this type of stove needs constant feeding and supervision in order to prevent the fire from burning out and having to start over. Before long we were happily eating cheesy noodle casserole at the picnic table. A fox trotted by while we were cleaning up, looking around briefly for anything interesting to steal before moving on and disappearing in the tall grass.

Dinner prep

After dinner, Craig walked down to the group fire ring to dispose of the stove's ashes. By now, people had started to gather there to talk and absorb the sun. While Craig talked to fellow hikers down by the water, I read a book at the picnic table and had my camera on-hand in case the fox came back through camp. 

And then this happened: 

Left: Hanging out at the shelter picnic table.   Right: An unexpected visitor.

I saw movement and looked up to see an animal walk across the path and disappear into the grass. I stared dumbly for a few seconds, not believing what I was seeing, before picking up my camera. It wasn't the fox returning for a visit; it was a wolf. It turned around and emerged onto the path leading up to our shelter, around 30 feet away. I looked beyond the path to where Craig was talking with other hikers at the fire ring. No one but me could see what was happening because of the tall grass. The wolf looked from side to side, then started walking up the path toward me. 

I stood up, thinking that it might not realize I was there. It seemed focused on the grass in its immediate vicinity, and it kept walking toward me. This was really exciting, but how close should I let it get? I knew it was wrong, but part of me wanted to just stay quiet and see what happened. The more sane part of me knew that would be inappropriate for a number of reasons. It took a few more steps closer, then I clapped my hands and yelled at it like I was scolding my dog for being on the couch. It sounded stupid to me, and the wolf was not very impressed either. It stopped walking and looked at me for a second or two, but it seemed unconcerned. Then it turned around and slowly walked away, turning left where the path forks off and leads back toward the main hiking trails. 

Not wanting it to leave altogether before Craig had a chance to see it, I walked down the path and waved my arms to get his attention, while trying to keep track of the wolf's whereabouts. After a few frustrating minutes of Craig not understanding why I was waving frantically and not saying anything, he realized that there must be something to see and everyone walked up to meet me. The wolf was standing on the path a short distance away, it's coloring allowing it to blend into the grass nearly perfectly. We watched it as it looked around, observed us watching it, then turned and walked away for good. I took a video of it during this time, but the quality is very bad.

Wolf track on the beach at Siskiwit Bay

At dusk, Craig and I walked to the trail junction where the Island Mine Trail begins. We followed the trail to where it leads out onto the beach at the end of the bay. This is known to be a good place to spot animal tracks, especially in the early morning. We thought this may have been the direction in which the wolf had traveled, and we were right. Its tracks were clearly visible down the length of the beach. We walked along the beach for a while and returned to camp as it was getting dark. 

Back at the dock, we watched river otters swimming near shore. The couple we had flown with were camping here also, and they joined us at a picnic table where we traded hiking stories. Suddenly the fox appeared, and we watched its silhouette in the dark as it trotted around us for a few seconds before disappearing once again. Billions of stars shone in the black, moonless sky. It was going to be a cold night.

Day 2 route

 To be continued in: Day 3 - Siskiwit Bay Part Two (no hiking day)