With the weather forecast calling for dry days ahead, we had some time to stay at Siskiwit Bay and explore. We had built in a rain day to our schedule which it looked like we would not need so we decided a day to recover from the previous hikes would be nice. This is one of the campgrounds on Isle Royale where both hikers and boaters are able to share it. Typically those entering the bay by boat sleep in the boat but disembark for meals and to just walk around after being confined to their boat for an extended period of time. We were told it’s often full of boats as this is a nice overnight shelter from the higher waves and storms that can produce treacherous waves on Lake Superior. There were only a couple of boats the previous night and no other hikers so it was pretty quiet at this campground. As the other people finished getting ready for the day and departed the docks we were all alone to enjoy this beautiful place.
As the sun continued to climb from the horizon we decided it was probably time to climb out of our warm sleeping bags after a night of listening to moose meander by crunching loudly on sticks as they ate. Often the first thing to be done each day is use the outhouse. After that it’s replenish our water supply. Grabbing the collection bag we headed down to the water for a refill of cold Lake Superior water. Soon after reaching the waters edge I happened to turn around and saw we were not alone. A little red fox and followed us and was now just observing from the trail. Once it was clear we weren’t offering any nourishment, the fox continued exploring the docks for anything the boaters may have left. With no success the fox made its way elsewhere and we returned to our shelter with a full bag of water needing to be filtered.
While the water ran through our gravity fed filter we began searching our food supply for breakfast. As we began to eat our morning meal, the resident squirrel appeared. Each campsite has at least one of these for entertainment and a little company. They’re very good at climbing all over bringing much appreciated entertainment bordering almost on annoying at times as you have to watch you’re stuff. We became a little concerned as the squirrel began to show too much interest in our water filter and pouches and chased it off until we could move it to a little more secure spot. A leak in our pouch would not be a good thing for the rest of the adventure.
With the first meal of the day finished it was on to our next item planned for the day. When we arrived on the Island rangers had said our exit from Siskiwit Bay may be a bit wet as beavers had been altering where the water was running creating new marshy areas and with a lot of rain earlier this season things may be a bit difficult. So we wanted to explore the trail a little without our packs on to find the best route ahead of time. Also this gave us a chance to see some other parts of the shore wrapping around the bay. Walking back towards the hiking trail we were enjoying the beautiful morning and all of the flowers in bloom. Thankfully mosquitoes were not much of an issue at the moment. Continuing on the trail towards Island Mine Campground we came across some wetter trail but managed to find relatively easy ways around it. Feeling confident in our next days trail, we walked on the beach taking in the sights around us.
There were many spring plants in bloom including Irises and roses to enjoy along with the waves from Lake Superior hitting the sandy shoreline. We were beginning to feel pangs of hunger again and decided to meander back towards the shelter for lunch. While cooking a hot meal to enjoy a Snowshoe Hare appeared. Expecting it to continue on, we were surprised when it just stayed near a shrub until most of us went into the shelter to grab plates and utensils to eat with. With only my daughter still out by the table the hare began bouncing closer. She grabbed the camera which was fortunately sitting on the table and snapped a few pictures of our visitor. Continuing to move closer I just stood and watched from the shelter. Now almost sitting on my daughters feet, she was enjoying her new furry friend wondering if she could reach down and pet it. Knowing better she just stayed still and continued taking pictures until the bunny hope off into the woods. It was beautiful with mottled black and brown fur dressed in its summer colors. With our furry visitor gone we returned to lunch.
Once lunch was put away and the dishes washed it was time for a little R & R. With a chance to reflect on the past few days and everything it took for all of us to be in this place at this time I was just really grateful how well it was working out and thankful for the time with my cousin and youngest daughter. She had been hesitant to go backpacking feeling uncertain of her abilities so to be able to share this experience with her was something I will always cherish. With a little rest it was time to accomplish one other thing I wanted to do with this day and that was back track a little of yesterdays trail to photograph the meadows full of flowers. Unfortunately clouds had overtaken the blue sky making the meadow pictures less interesting but that’s something I have little control over.
On the way to the meadows I turned to say something to my cousin who was accompanying me when something unusual caught my eye. Something didn’t look quite right among this grouping of trees but I didn’t know what it was immediately. Studying the trees for a few seconds I realized I saw the light brown of antlers. It was a bull moose standing there. We watched for a short time as he went on his way chomping off leaves as he went and so we continued on our track more comfortable that the moose wasn’t coming toward us. It was in this area that we met the first hikers of the day headed to Siskiwit Bay. We exchanged a few words before they continued on their way after watching the moose briefly. Arriving in the portion of meadows I wanted to photograph I began to try different compositions to capture the beauty sitting before us. What were all of these flowers? There were yellow, orange, pink, white, and purple all blended together to create a place that could only appear in a dream were you’re laying down among all these flowers watching the clouds move across a deep blue sky. All we were missing was the deep blue sky. We decided to head back towards camp for the night to make another meal before crashing in preparation for the next days hike. It was at this point we had a confrontation with the moose from earlier. A story for another post!
We made it back to camp, enjoyed another warm meal and decided this day would not be complete without a campfire. There’s one fire pit for the entire camp to share. We gathered some dried wood from the beach and from under trees in the area and created a nice fire. A few boats had entered the bay and docked for the night and were finishing up their evening meal after fishing for the day. Once darkness set in they came over and joined us at the fire as we exchanged stories of Isle Royale. As the night grew they began to offer us freshly cooked pizza and a few beers. Knowing we needed to remain hydrated we declined the beer and continued to drink our water while enjoying pizza at the camp fire. An unexpected treat for us! Through the darkness we could make out the call of loons from across the lake letting us know we were in the Northland. These calls turned into distressed sounds. Must be moose getting too close to the loons. I witnessed this a few morning earlier when a moose swam too close to a loon. All of a sudden there was a different sound it was similar to the loon call but ended differently. Discussing this difference with our new camp fire friends we realized the last call we heard was a young wolf. Probably one of the new wolves moved to the island that winter. One call was all we heard and then everything was quiet again. Eventually we said goodnight and headed for our sleeping bags knowing the next day could become very long depending on how far we ended up backpacking. About to drift off we could hear something outside our shelter. Yep, a couple of moose crunching on leaves and sticks bidding goodnight to another great day on Isle Royale.
