upcruiser
Perpetual Transient
When a good friend invited Alyssa and I out to Isle Royale to assist in a backpacking/paddling photoshoot we could think of no other response other than, "uh, yeah!"
Isle Royale National Park is a place that has a special mystique. Located 50 miles off the top of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, Isle Royale is the most remote and least visited national park in the lower 48. The fact that one must either take a ferry from the mainland or a float plane to get there weeds out the car touring family trucksters and subsequent day trippers. The island extends 45 miles from southwest to northeast along which a series of backpacking trails and portages connect Rock Harbor on the northend with Windago at the south end. These are the two settlements with the only sampling of civilization you see on the island.
Along with the sheer remoteness and rugged beauty, Isle Royale is well known for its interaction of wolf and moose populations. The subject of the longest ongoing predator/prey study in the world (50 years), the interactions of the two populations has been well documented. The reason it is so unique is because the isolation of the island means no human intervention or other predators or prey to interfere with the wolf/moose interactions. Many folks come to the island with the hope of spying a moose, or perhaps hear a wolves howling at night.
Alyssa and I had just wrapped up the UP Overland trip Sunday evening, unpacked, repacked on Monday and hightailed it up to the Keweenaw Monday night so we could catch the Isle Royale Queen out of Copper Harbor at the crack of dawn the next day. Our friend Aaron Peterson, an accomplished writer and photographer based out of the UP would be meeting us over on the island as he was catching a ride over on the float plane in order to catch some shots of the island from the air on the approach.
We were at the ferry to load bright and early. Since Aaron was taking the plane over we were bringing his sea kayak and the brand spanking new Wenonah canoe we would be using on the ferry with us.
Getting ready to board the ferry.
Pulling away from Copper Harbor with Brockway Mountain in the background.
The ride across from Copper Harbor to Isle Royale is 3 1/2 hours and has a reputation for being a somewhat wild ride at times. The ferry is affectionately known as the barf barge but lucky for us the weather was cooperative and we only had 4 foot seas.
When we arrived on the dock Aaron was waiting for us. He had grabbed a lean-to for us in Rock Harbor where we would be spending the first night. Our plan was for an evening hike to Scoville Point to catch good light for a backpacking photoshoot, the following morning we would be moving to a new location.
The view along the trail
Taking a break along the trail.
Pano shot of the shoreline along Scoville Point
It was a gorgeous evening. We headed back to Rock Harbor, made some dinner and walked the short hike over to Tobin Harbor to watch the sunset from the dock. Tomorrow we would set off via kayak and canoe to explore the Tobin Harbor and make camp at Merit Lane near Blake Point, the northernmost point of Isle Royale.
Isle Royale National Park is a place that has a special mystique. Located 50 miles off the top of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, Isle Royale is the most remote and least visited national park in the lower 48. The fact that one must either take a ferry from the mainland or a float plane to get there weeds out the car touring family trucksters and subsequent day trippers. The island extends 45 miles from southwest to northeast along which a series of backpacking trails and portages connect Rock Harbor on the northend with Windago at the south end. These are the two settlements with the only sampling of civilization you see on the island.
Along with the sheer remoteness and rugged beauty, Isle Royale is well known for its interaction of wolf and moose populations. The subject of the longest ongoing predator/prey study in the world (50 years), the interactions of the two populations has been well documented. The reason it is so unique is because the isolation of the island means no human intervention or other predators or prey to interfere with the wolf/moose interactions. Many folks come to the island with the hope of spying a moose, or perhaps hear a wolves howling at night.
Alyssa and I had just wrapped up the UP Overland trip Sunday evening, unpacked, repacked on Monday and hightailed it up to the Keweenaw Monday night so we could catch the Isle Royale Queen out of Copper Harbor at the crack of dawn the next day. Our friend Aaron Peterson, an accomplished writer and photographer based out of the UP would be meeting us over on the island as he was catching a ride over on the float plane in order to catch some shots of the island from the air on the approach.
We were at the ferry to load bright and early. Since Aaron was taking the plane over we were bringing his sea kayak and the brand spanking new Wenonah canoe we would be using on the ferry with us.
Getting ready to board the ferry.
Pulling away from Copper Harbor with Brockway Mountain in the background.
The ride across from Copper Harbor to Isle Royale is 3 1/2 hours and has a reputation for being a somewhat wild ride at times. The ferry is affectionately known as the barf barge but lucky for us the weather was cooperative and we only had 4 foot seas.
When we arrived on the dock Aaron was waiting for us. He had grabbed a lean-to for us in Rock Harbor where we would be spending the first night. Our plan was for an evening hike to Scoville Point to catch good light for a backpacking photoshoot, the following morning we would be moving to a new location.
The view along the trail
Taking a break along the trail.
Pano shot of the shoreline along Scoville Point
It was a gorgeous evening. We headed back to Rock Harbor, made some dinner and walked the short hike over to Tobin Harbor to watch the sunset from the dock. Tomorrow we would set off via kayak and canoe to explore the Tobin Harbor and make camp at Merit Lane near Blake Point, the northernmost point of Isle Royale.