I couldn't wait to get there...it is my favorite place of all...an annual visit to Isle Royale National Park is always in the works.
This year I would again be joining my friend Jamie for half of my backpacking trip and the remainder I would do solo. Jamie works as a seasonal employee on the island so he is always ready for more back country time when he has a few days off. I met him over at Mott Island where he lives most of the time and from there we canoed over to the big island. After stashing the canoe, we started the first leg of the backpack trip.
Having had a late spring, the island was full of early spring wildflowers even though it was already early July. Amongst many other flowers, tons of Lady Slippers (both Yellow and Pink), Blue Flag Iris, Low Bindweed, Orange and Yellow Hawkweed, Wood Lily, HareBell, Beach Pea, Polygala, Daisy and Pitcher Plants in bloom dominated the scenery. Wet weather made the island very mucky and of course there were bugs (especially mosquitoes that like those conditions too :) The latter weren't really a problem at the shore (where all my camps were) but the trails in between camp sites were a haven for them.
Isle Royale is a constantly changing environment. This year the wolf population was very low at 15 with only one female and the moose count was approximately 515. This made for very few sightings by visitors. The largest mammal I saw was a red fox whose numbers are very low as well. However with less predation, this made for a ton of snowshoe hare sightings. I've always loved the hares as their big feet and long ears are quite unique. Loons and Red Breasted Mergansers were dominant in the water.
Other memories include watching a turtle at Moskey Basin trying to find a place to lay its eggs (it finally succeeded but it was a very long process). Lots of garter snakes in a variety of colors were seemingly everywhere I went.
Five thunderstorms, hot temps (compared to the cold spring), wind, fields of flowers, tiny strawberries, wolf howls, muck, cold water, roaring streams, quiet, wolf tracks, moose tracks, sunrises, sunsets, new friends, and just contentment were all part of the scene.
As most wilderness trips go, this one ended too early but I hope to be back in a few months.
