There’s a scratching noise near the corner of our tent that welcomes me back to consciousness after a nice sleep. What is that? I wonder. Listening a bit more before moving I hear it again. It must be some kind of rodent so I reach over to the edge of the tent and knock on it a few times. The sound goes away. Being a little more alert now the nerves start to enter. Today is our longest day on the trail of this entire adventure. The listed mileage is over 10 miles. I’ve never gone that far before with a heavy backpack on. How will we all do? Have we recovered enough from hiking into Feldtmann Lake? Will my cousins ankle hold up? He injured it falling off a roof several years ago. I know it will be painful for him but will it be manageable? How will my daughter do? She’s been nervous about being the weakest link and holding us back ever since deciding to come back to Isle Royale. I’m confident she’ll do well but she doesn’t seem to be enjoying the island as much as the last time she was here. These thoughts continue to cycle through my mind for awhile before being interrupted by splashing out in the lake. A Moose….
I decide to get up and grab the camera. Watching the moose, if that’s actually what’s making the noise, is what motivates me to begin moving but the camera is for capturing what I hope will be a beautiful sunset. Reaching the shoreline I can see a young bull moose a short distance down the shoreline walking around in the water in search of food in the dim light. Sunrise is at least a half an hour away yet. I slowly attach the camera to it’s tripod because it’s too dark for hand holding and getting a sharp photo. Trying not to disturb the moose while I’m doing this which was successful. After a few minutes the moose begins to swim across the lake all the time shifting his ears listening for anything chasing it from behind or on the shore on the other side of Feldtmann Lake. Such a peaceful and beautiful way to start this day in early July. By the time the moose neared the shore, fog had rolled in making it almost disappear into the mist. The sun was nearing the horizon but the fog blowing in off of Lake Superior was now covering much of the sky. So much for my desired amazing sunrise this morning. Just at this time another moose came splashing into the water nearby looking for food. What an experience!
From behind me I could hear rustling in the tent and then the zipper moving. My cousin was now making his way to the beach after hearing the moose. Pointing to where the large animal was we both sat and watched, snapping a few pictures every now and then, as it slowly walked further and further into the water. I headed back to the tent to let my daughter know there was a moose not far away and that it was almost time to start packing anyway. She was outside of the tent in a minute or so and all three of us were watching the moose until it was out of sight. Now time for some nourishment while stuffing all of our belongings into backpacks for a trip through the island. Within the next hour we were packed, refilled our water containers, and grabbed our hiking poles while munching on some protein bars for breakfast. The fog was disappearing which allowed the sun to penetrate the thick forest as we set off on a day of hiking.
