Isle Royal(e) - Muddy and Buggy

Isle Royale was not what I expected.

(First of all, I was pronouncing it all wrong. The locals call it Isle Royal - drop that fancy "e".)

Looking back, I'm not quite sure what I had expected. The internet had promised pristine untouched wilderness full of critters and wonder, with guaranteed moose sightings daily and beautiful jagged outcroppings everywhere you look dipping into the crystal clear waters of Lake Superior.

And I must admit, it did have that. A few times. But most of the time, Isle Royale offered a damp and tangled jungle, with no wildlife but mosquitoes. Many many mosquitoes. Mosquitoes so thick we didn't dare lift our eyes up off the trail for fear of tripping or stumbling - slowing down gave the tiny armies a chance to make contact and usually meant some lost blood.

On the rare occasion that the mosquitoes were absent and we could actually look around, the forest was too dense to see any further than a few feet in any direction. We wondered how many moose we had simply walked right past, unable to see through the vegetation.

At the end of a long day trudging through mud puddles and mosquitoes, we were rewarded with a quick view of the shoreline before the flies starting attacking and the mosquitoes found us again, forcing a retreat to a campsite hidden in the dense forest with views of nothing but the untidy brush.

However, none of this is what our photos show. Like the rest of the folks sharing their stories, what I prefer to remember are the rocky ridges full of wildflowers as far as you can see. Feasting on wild strawberries and blueberries when we stopped to rest. The pink glow of sunset lighting up the sky between the trees. Abundant stands of birch trees, which are so rare on the mainland. Carefully tiptoeing through hordes of teeny frogs, fresh out of their tadpole stage of life. Impressive beaver dams creating little cascading waterfalls and holding back thousands of gallons of water with a few fallen branches. The occasional break in the dense forest providing a glimpse into the beautiful landscape that secretly surrounds you.

Isle Royale can be harsh and grueling, but the rewards are even sweeter because they are so rare. Despite all of the aggravation, disappointment, and frustration, on the boat ride back home we were already planning our return to the island for further abuse and exploration.

Prepping food for the trip - we rationed our snacks and meals by day to keep us from overeating. The only chance to restock would be after we had completed a 40 mile hike over 4 days.

We arrived at Isle Royale on the Queen IV, which sails from Copper Harbor, MI.

The water of Lake Superior was incredibly calm on our way out, making for an easy ride.

Each table on the Queen IV provided a map of the island, which offered a last minute visualization of our route.

The Queen IV dropped us off at Rock Harbor, on the far east side of the island.

We should have paid more attention to the trail conditions before leaving. "Muddy and buggy" was the absolute best way to describe the island.

Further out from the touristy area of Rock Harbor, it sometimes felt like we were bushwhacking. We had to wonder if we were still on the correct trail.

Mud was one of the main features of the low lying areas of the island.

Not happy about all the mud. 

Luckily, anytime there was standing water on the trail, boardwalks had been installed to keep us out of the muck.

Occasionally, the boardwalks would provide an amazing view of the wetland areas.

Most of the time, the woods were still too thick to see very far.

The plants in the wetlands were vastly different than the plants in the woods or on the ridges. The variety of flora we could experience in just a mile walk was incredible.

Though we never saw a beaver, we saw a lot of evidence of their work. 

Birch trees are prevalent on the island. I had never seen so many together in one spot!

The Mount Ojibway tower offered an amazing birds eye view of the island.

Finally, a campsite with a view! The Moskey Basin campground was by far our favorite spot.

On the rocky ridges, wild strawberries and wild blueberries were abundant, if you have a keen eye.

The wildflowers were some of my favorite sights. The pop of color helped to keep things interesting as we trudged through the mostly green and brown landscape.

A variety of lichens, moss, and fungi added texture to the ground and the trees.

After four days on the island, the only evidence we saw of any moose were a few antlers scattered about and countless footprints in the mud.

At the end of our fourth day, we finally spotted a pair of moose! A cow and a bull out for a stroll.

Taking photos of a running moose is a challenge...

Do you see what I see? (Look between the ridges of the hiking poles at left.)
The most frequent wildlife we saw were frogs and toads. These little guys were all over the muddy trails, slowing us down as we tried to shoo them out of the way so we didn't crush them all as we walked.

Many of the campgrounds offered shelters, which we gratefully took anytime they were available. This added an extra layer of screened protection from the mosquitoes.

However, the shelter screens all had holes in them. So we set up our tent anyways to provide a bug-free sleeping area.

The graffiti in the shelters helped to keep us entertained and inspired while we rested from the day's hike.

The Rock Harbor trail was one of our favorites. It gave the most plentiful views of the rocky shoreline and the other small islands that surround Isle Royale.

We were extremely fortunate to have mild weather every day. The calm lake made for some interesting mirrored views of the landscape.