After a six-hour voyage aboard the Ranger III, Isle Royale National Park came into view. It's an isolated island in Lake Superior with a Michigan address. The Ojibwe call Lake Superior gichi-gami, meaning "the Great Sea."
Twelve years ago, we hiked 40 miles from Windigo to Rock Harbor on the Greenstone Ridge trail. I remember thinking then that it is as much a place for paddling as for hiking. So, this return trip would involve "expedition kayaking," which means packing everything we would need for seven days and six nights in a 17-foot sea kayak.
Upon arriving at Rock Harbor, we decided to paddle out to Merritt Lane. The waters along the shore were choppy. A couple of brothers in their 60s felt that the water was too rough, so they headed back. We set up camp in a lakeside shelter and ate dinner by 6:00 p.m. The brothers Tim and Frank showed up at 8:30 p.m., having paddled the calmer waters of Tobin Bay.
In the morning, there was trouble. Tim discovered his younger brother partially lying in the lake. Hearing Tim's call for help, we rushed to pull Frank up from the shore. He was visibly shivering and unable to move his limbs. He also could not speak. We treated him for hypothermia and then paddled back to Rock Harbor for help while Tim stayed to care for Frank.
Ranger Marshall Plumber responded swiftly in a Bertram motorboat called the Lorelei. We learned later that Frank was airlifted to Thunder Bay and was treated for a stroke. In light of the medical emergency, we adjusted our plans and stayed at Merritt Lane another night.
The next day we got an early start to round Blake Point, the eastern tip of Isle Royale with notoriously rough waters. We encountered some heaving, but nothing we hadn't already experienced on Lake Michigan.
On the "north shore" of the island, we paddled past some palisades and through a bit of open water of Lake Superior. Eventually, we received some protection from a few outer islands. We stayed in a shelter at Belle Isle and heard the most amazing chorus of loons calling in the wee hours of the night. The next morning, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise.
We paddled leisurely through Lane Cove, then took the long way around to Five Finger Bay and portaged into Duncan Bay.
In the morning, we spotted a beaver as we prepared to head up the bay to the Duncan Narrows. It started raining, but our wetsuits kept us warm. We made good time, and the rain stopped, so we decided to try to go around Blake Point a day early. It seemed calm enough.
The rain returned, and the wind picked up behind us from the west, pushing us into the palisades. The swells increased as we rounded the tip of the island, becoming bigger than anything we previously experienced. We tried to stay at least a half-mile from the rocky shore. The water was like an ominous slow-moving roller coaster with high peaks and deep troughs. Better to ride than to fight them.
After we cleared the point, we needed to find the safest way back to Merritt Lane. Now, we were facing the wind, and water was breaking over the gunwale into the cockpit. With wind and rain gusting into our eyes, we could only see waves crashing on rocks ahead of us. Instead of navigating an uncertain maze of smaller islands, we tacked right toward the familiar shore. It was the right choice.
Later, we learned how lucky we were. The Voyageur II, a 65-foot water taxi, refused to leave dock the day we rounded Blake Point to avoid the 10-foot swells. I would not have chosen to paddle on those conditions on purpose. There are numerous shipwrecks around Isle Royale, and the waters of Lake Superior have claimed much greater vessels, like the Edmund Fitzgerald. We avoided a bad outcome on account of the Klepper kayak's seaworthiness, our general experience of paddling open water for more than 10 years, and keeping calm in the midst of the storm. I would not rule out a little divine intervention, as well.
The nasty weather brought some interesting visitors to the Merritt Lane campground. We saw a river otter picking at a duck carcass near the lakeshore, and a juvenile sandpiper called a Lesser Yellowlegs was feeding at the puddles. I also think we saw the flash of a marten.
Isle Royale can be a peaceful place. One day, we got in the kayak and meandered through the archipelago near Blake Point and ate lunch in the boat as we bobbed in the water. Red-breasted Mergansers seemed to be around every corner. Common Loons and Bald Eagles showed up at least once a day.
Back at Rock Harbor, we stayed at the lodge for a slow reintroduction into civilization. Our room had a south-facing balcony overlooking Lake Superior. Having just finished reading Nevada Barr's A Superior Death in the wilderness, it was necessary to honor the protagonist Ranger Anna by purchasing some Snickers candy bars at the camp store, as well as some other treats. On the night we attended Ranger Kelly's program about the northern lights, we enjoyed a glorious full moon in a partly cloudy sky, but alas, no Aurora. And even though there are about 1,600 moose on Isle Royale, we only saw one.
One of the highlights near Rock Harbor is the spruce bog on Raspberry Island. We saw at least 100 pitcher plants in bloom with tiny sundew plants nearby. Both carnivorous species were visible from the boardwalk. It was so exciting to be there that we walked the trail twice.
Isle Royale was an exciting and relaxing place to be this year. We had two major challenges, but they made us aware of our blessings. I am definitely willing to return someday. Here's a video postcard from Isle Royale National Park.
After we cleared the point, we needed to find the safest way back to Merritt Lane. Now, we were facing the wind, and water was breaking over the gunwale into the cockpit. With wind and rain gusting into our eyes, we could only see waves crashing on rocks ahead of us. Instead of navigating an uncertain maze of smaller islands, we tacked right toward the familiar shore. It was the right choice.
Later, we learned how lucky we were. The Voyageur II, a 65-foot water taxi, refused to leave dock the day we rounded Blake Point to avoid the 10-foot swells. I would not have chosen to paddle on those conditions on purpose. There are numerous shipwrecks around Isle Royale, and the waters of Lake Superior have claimed much greater vessels, like the Edmund Fitzgerald. We avoided a bad outcome on account of the Klepper kayak's seaworthiness, our general experience of paddling open water for more than 10 years, and keeping calm in the midst of the storm. I would not rule out a little divine intervention, as well.
The nasty weather brought some interesting visitors to the Merritt Lane campground. We saw a river otter picking at a duck carcass near the lakeshore, and a juvenile sandpiper called a Lesser Yellowlegs was feeding at the puddles. I also think we saw the flash of a marten.
Back at Rock Harbor, we stayed at the lodge for a slow reintroduction into civilization. Our room had a south-facing balcony overlooking Lake Superior. Having just finished reading Nevada Barr's A Superior Death in the wilderness, it was necessary to honor the protagonist Ranger Anna by purchasing some Snickers candy bars at the camp store, as well as some other treats. On the night we attended Ranger Kelly's program about the northern lights, we enjoyed a glorious full moon in a partly cloudy sky, but alas, no Aurora. And even though there are about 1,600 moose on Isle Royale, we only saw one.
One of the highlights near Rock Harbor is the spruce bog on Raspberry Island. We saw at least 100 pitcher plants in bloom with tiny sundew plants nearby. Both carnivorous species were visible from the boardwalk. It was so exciting to be there that we walked the trail twice.
Isle Royale was an exciting and relaxing place to be this year. We had two major challenges, but they made us aware of our blessings. I am definitely willing to return someday. Here's a video postcard from Isle Royale National Park.
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