After a short time, making our way through the swampy landscape near our campsite on this beautiful summer day, we began a steep climb onto the second highest ridge on Isle Royale. Fortunately there were stairs made from stones to assist in this steep climb. At least this climb is near the beginning for us while we have most of our energy. Finally reaching the end of this climb we removed the backpacks, grabbed some water, and caught our breath before venturing on. The trail continues to climb from this point but at a much more gradual ascent. In no time at all, at least that’s how it seemed, we were on top of the ridge looking over Feldtmann Lake. We had reached the other end of the lake which was about two miles of our journey. It was another beautiful view of this part of Isle Royale. This seemed like a nice place to once again remove this weight from our backs and take a short break enjoying this place we’re at. After some time we hefted our packs onto our backs again ready for the trail once again. I looked at my camera and noticed it seemed to be broken and missing some pieces. By some luck I was able to find the missing pieces after searching for several minutes and snap them back onto the camera. Nothing was broken. What a relief! We shoved off once again.
The trail winding back and forth through trees and meadows. It was warming up now and the mosquitoes began moving to find their meals hidden beneath the skin in our arms, legs, and face. It was time to apply insect repellant which helped a lot but did not stop all of the mosquitoes from the sweet taste or our blood. Marching on through the woods, the trees began to get less and less as we started to climb once again. Going around a corner a fire tower came into view. What a relief! This marks the halfway point of our day’s adventure. This seemed like a nice place to rest for awhile and grab some food and water. After sitting and regaining some of our energy we climbed the many stairs to the top of this tower. Seeing where we had come from on one side and examining the area we were headed put our journey into perspective. Most of our climbing appeared to be done with mostly downhill and flat trails ahead. A bright spot as the soreness in our legs and backs continued to remind us how heavy our packs were. Sitting awhile longer trying to motivate ourselves, we finally heaved the packs up onto our backs and began the descent towards Siskiwit Bay.
This part of the journey continued on through forests with a few swamps mixed in where beavers had damned creeks to create small pools above the trail. Mosquitoes obviously thrive in these as they braved our repellant to steal whatever blood they could. At one of these mucky areas there was a stench of something dead. Nearby were the remains of a beaver which looked like it had been killed by a wolf. We had been told of a few of these signs that wolves were nearby the day before from others traveling over this trail. To see a wolf is a rare sight on the island but does occasionally happen. As the trail once again turned downward into the trees, there was a creek to cross. Fortunately a large tree had fallen across making a path over the moving water without having to get wet. From here we continued down through the mosquito filled forest making our way to dryer soil.
About halfway between the fire tower and our next campsite the trail reached a valley making travel a little easier on flat ground. The only challenge now was the Thimbleberry bushes continually grabbing at us with stiff, sharp branches which hid the occasional rock or tree root from which to trip over. Continuing through these Thimbleberry bushes for several miles they eventually end with a mix of trees and meadows filled with all sorts of plants displaying their colorful flowers. It’s been warm under the blazing summer sun with little to no breeze since leaving the fire tower. As we continue hiking through these meadows, a cool breeze starts to make its way into the trees reached our sweat soaked faces. We have to be close! That cool air must be blowing off of Lake Superior. A short distance later there was the sign with the trademark metal map of the campgrounds nearby. We’ve made it! Dropping my pack I continue on exploring the campground to find which spot we’re going to spend the next couple of nights at. Looking over each tent site and shelter I realize we’re the first ones to camp and currently the only ones here. We chose which shelter we wanted to sleep and set our stuff down. The first priority was to filter water. While doing so we soaked our sore feet in the cold waters of Lake Superior relieving our burning ankles after hiking near 11 miles with a lot of weight strapped to our backs. We could only keep them in the 45 degree water for a few minutes before they turned blue and became numb. It was better than soaking in an ice bath. The rest of the day involved relaxing, setting up camp, and a little exploring before ending this day with an amazing sunset. The best sunset during our time on this beautiful island!
