Prologue:
        This trip we decided to hike the Greenstone Ridge.  “The Greenstone” as it’s known in backpacking circles, is the highest ridge on the island and runs down the entire length of the island.  When looking at the island from the air, it forms the backbone. [MAP]
         We had one formal planning meeting at Bob Kuras’s house in August.  It was to be a trip with all the same people who made the 1998 trip.  Myself, Brian Evans, Bob and Roger Kuras and Steve Bauer.  Plans changed and everyone backed out except for me and Brian.  The other change was that Brian couldn’t get the extra day off to drive up a day early and, the day after so, we were going to be driving separately.
         We were to be on the island from September 17th through the 27th.  We were taking the last boat of the year from Isle Royale to Copper Harbor.

Day One-Thursday
Port Huron to Copper Harbor 600 miles
        I left Port Huron at 6:30 in the morning for the 600 mile drive to the city of Copper Harbor on the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan.  It was a beautiful day, partly cloudy and cool, a nice day for driving.  Nothing really significant happened on the trip up except, when crossing the Mackinaw bridge, my jeep flipped over 100,000 miles.  The leaves on the trees were just starting to change color.  I arrived in Copper Harbor at 4:00 in the evening.  I immediately went to get a room.  Based on the brochure I received with my boat tickets, I was planning on the staying at the “Copper King” motel because it was by the boat dock.  I checked it out and got a room there.  The “Copper King” actually has two parts, one near the boat dock then, an annex right on the harbor.  I got a room at the one off the harbor for that night then, booked a more expensive room right on the water for when we returned from the island.
        Once I moved my things into the room, I  grabbed my cameras and headed down Shoreline Drive to go to Eagle Harbor and see the lighthouse there.  Shoreline Drive is a twisting and hilly road that follows the coastline of Lake Superior.  Eagle Harbor is about 14 miles south from Copper Harbor.  Once there, I went to the lookout deck and walked around the lighthouse for about a half hour.  The lighthouse sits on a small bluff overlooking Eagle Harbor and is right in the heart of the small town.  There is a museum inside of it but, everything was closed at that time.  It’s a nice lighthouse, definitely worth the trip there.  The town is quite quaint and the drive down the lake from Copper Harbor is beautiful on it’s own.
        I left Eagle Harbor and drove back to Copper Harbor.  I checked the room to make sure Brian hadn’t shown up (which he hadn’t) and left him a note on my windshield saying I was either at the Tamarack restaurant or the Mariner North restaurant.  I ended up going to the latter.  This was a newer place, very large with a very good beer selection.  I ordered my first Bell’s Stout and perused the menu.  I ended up ordering a grilled chicken Caesar salad. I thought I should get a good dose of greens.  Then I ordered my second Bell’s Stout.  Around 15 minutes after receiving my salad, Brian walked in the door.  We said our greetings and I ordered another beer while Brian ordered his dinner.  We finished up there and walked back to the hotel room for final preparations.
        We went through our packs, talked about what we had and made sure we had everything.  I took a couple of things out and put a couple in.  Seems like no matter how much and often you think about it, there’s always something that, at the moment, you don’t consider important and, vice-a-versa, something that becomes important.  Once satisfied, we walked down to the boat dock.  It was a quiet, cool evening with lots of stars in the sky.  We walked around the Isle Royale Queen III moored at the dock, the boat that was to take us to the island the following morning.  We talked about what was to come the next day and about the stuff we were bringing before heading back to the room to get to sleep.

Day Two-Friday
Copper Harbor to Isle Royale via boat 56 miles / Rock Harbor to Mt. Franklin 4.8 miles
        We woke up the following morning around 6:45 to take showers and take our cars down to the parking area.  We gathered our packs and went to load them on the boat which was to leave at 8:00.  We went and got our boarding passes at the little store there and got on the boat.  We immediately went to the back of the boat in the open area and took our seats while waiting for the boat to take off.
        The boat left the dock heading down the harbor passing the Copper Harbor Lighthouse and entering the wide open waters of the lake.  We were finally on our way for our 4½ hour boat ride to the island of Isle Royale.  The lake was calm and the sun was warm and bright.  We watched the Keewanaw Penninsula grow smaller and smaller.  Around 1½ hours into the trip the Keewanaw was nowhere to be seen.  All you could see was the expanse of water called Lake Superior.  It’s a strange feeling when you cannot see any land.  I guess, if you did it often, you would get used to it but, being only the second time I’ve ever been where you can’t see land, it was still a strange feeling to me.
        We took up a conversation with some young girls who were hanging out in the back of the boat.  It turns out they were from Port Huron!  They were from a private school north of town and there were eight of them on a one week trip backpacking with two hired guides.  What a small world!  I’d guess they were around 15 years old and had no idea what they were getting into.  I knew this for a fact when I asked one of them if they had ever been backpacking and the reply was, “No, but I’ve been camping at the KOA”.  What a shock they had coming to them.
        We settled down in the back of the boat and I napped a little for around an hour, occasionally looking up for land to appear.  Once the island became visible, I got up and watched it become bigger and bigger.  I wasn’t as filled with anticipation as the first time I went there but, still, excited knowing our destination was growing near.
        We pulled up to the boat dock around 1:00pm.  We waited with anticipation for them to tie the boat off, then we walked onto the dock to wait for the crew to unload our backpacks.  We were told to go the ranger station to fill out our itinerary and get our permits.  Much to our dismay, they said they would give us our permit only after we listened to an orientation about the park.  This is the first time we’ve had to do this.  We listened to the spiel but, it was all old news to us.  All we could think about was hitting the trail.  As soon as he finished, we grabbed our permits, filled our water and hit the trail.
        Taking off down the Tobin Harbor trail, we passed the seaplane dock and walked into the forest.  We were finally on our way!
This trail is a very easy walk.  It follows pretty close to the shore of Tobin Harbor the entire way.  The Harbor is a very beautiful inlet with many islands of all different sizes out in the water.  After around 2 miles of walking we passed the cut that goes to Suzy’s Cave.  This is a cave formed when the lake levels were around 40 feet higher.  It is worn out of the rock by the action of waves.  We did not go up to see it though, all we were thinking about was getting away from the people and getting up on the Greenstone ridge.
        Around a mile after that, at the end of Tobin Harbor we ran into the Mt.Franklin trail.  As soon as we got on this trail we walked over Tobin Creek and we started the climb up the Greenstone Ridge.  It was a relatively easy walk the first half mile or so.  We came upon a wetlands type area and smelled an awful smell.  We both looked at each other and figured it was a dead fish.  We kept walking and we heard some ravens yelling out ahead of us and, as we got closer, they flew up and away.  They were pecking at something on the side of the swamp.  We stopped to take a look, and saw a bloated thing on the shore.  We both looked a little more intently and I said “Could that be a moose”?, Brain agreed.  It was a dead, bloated Moose carcass laying in the water.  We couldn’t see a head, just a bloated body that looked like a walrus.  Brian says, “well we seen our first moose”.  We both laughed, grimaced, plugged our noses and moved on.  Right after the wetlands we began a steep climb up the ridge.  A pretty tough climb.  I started to take some small breaks.  It seemed I was loosing the energy to keep on going.  When I looked at Brian, he seemed to be feeling the same way.  Finally I plum ran out of gas.  Dummy me, I didn’t even have any trail mix accessible!  I told Brian I had to stop and eat something, that I was out of fuel.  He agreed.  We pulled our packs off, sat down on some logs, and ate lunch.  As we talked, we both agreed, we made a mistake not having lunch before we hit the road but, at the time, all we could think about was taking off.  As we were eating lunch, two guys came up the trail. We talked to them for a little while.  They were both experienced backpackers.  One of them said he usually was a guide on trips and was happy to be there without having to work and worry about other people.  They were going down to Rainbow cove for the night.  Rainbow cove is around 2½ miles east of where the Franklin trail cuts onto the Greenstone.  We wished them luck and finished our lunch as they wandered on their way.
        We took off again, refreshed.  Not long after, we reached the top of “The Greenstone”, revealing the north side of the island and magnificent Lake Superior, truly awesome (especially after the work walking up!).  We walked around a half mile and came to Mt. Franklin.  It is at 1074 feet above sea level and is actually a series of huge rocks on a cliff overlooking the north side of the island.  A truly fabulous view.  We both took off our packs and sat down to enjoy.  This was our destination for today.  I got up a few minutes later to walk down the trail to find somewhere to stay for the night.  I found a couple of possible places off the trail and went back to get Brian.  We decided on a place about 100 feet from Mt. Franklin off the trail and set up camp.  We fixed dinner and ate while sitting on the ground on some rocks in front of our tents.  After changing out of our hiking clothes into our comfy clothes, we grabbed our cameras, my platypus filled with some 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon and a couple of cups and walked over to sit on the mountain.  I set up my tri-pod and took around 45 minutes of video of the complete sunset over Lake Superior.  We drank our wine and, mostly, stared at the breathtaking sunset.  It had to be one of the best sunsets I ever witnessed.  The location had a lot to due with it but, anywhere, it would have been extraordinary.  We went back a couple of times to fix some pink lemonade drinks (I was saving the wine so, we each only had a glass).  We talked about our day, discussed the theory on how the moose died and watched the sun go down on our first day in paradise.
        After the colors faded and the light began to disappear, we walked back to camp.  We sat for awhile and we talked about our water situation being that, in our hurry to leave Rock Harbor, we failed to think of the fact that we would not have a source of water until we got to Chickenbone Lake.  I only filled my canteen, my small water bottle and about half of a 1 liter platypus.  Brian only filled a 2-liter platypus part way.  We both stashed enough water for the trail in the morning and the rest was all we had for breakfast. As we talked a few sprinkles started to fall so we closed everything up and headed to bed at around 10:00. It lightly sprinkled off and on during the night.  At one point during the night, I heard small footsteps moving through camp.  It was around 2:00 or 3:00am.  I listened for a bit and heard the sound fade away.  I figured it was a fox and went back to sleep.

Day Three-Saturday
Near Mt. Franklin to East Chickenbone Lake 8.5 miles
        When I woke up in the morning, the rain had stopped.  I looked at my watch and it was 7:50.  I poked my head out of my tent and the sun was not yet shining on our spot but, the sky was mostly blue.  I got out my stove, poured water into the pan for coffee and started to boil the water.  By the time it was done, I had my filter ready and poured the water in.  Oh, the smell of fresh coffee in the morning waking up in the woods!  I put on my slippers and carried my coffee down the trail to go and sit on the rock that is Mt.Franklin.  It was a bit windy but, it was a warm wind.  I could see the sun hitting the Canadian shore northwest across the lake.  The shore was shrouded in a light fog but, the light made it’s way through to the land and was slowly burning off the fog.  By the time I came back, Brian was beginning to stir.  He came out and I had some cold cereal for breakfast along with another cup of coffee.  We had enough water between us for that.  We tore down camp around 11am.  Just as we finished, we saw the two guys we had met the day before pass by our campsite on the trail.  They didn’t see us (which was the plan).
        We finally hit the trail around 11:30.  It was mostly sunny and around 65 degrees.  A perfect day for hiking.  The walk is relatively easy up on the ridge.  After around three miles of walking we came to Mt. Ojibway which is at 1130 feet above sea level.  There is a tall tower located here.  The same two guys we had met previously and had walked passed our camp were at the foot of the tower eating lunch when we got there.  We climbed the tower till where the stairs were blocked off to have a look around.  It was extremely windy once you got up the tower.  So windy you felt like you had to hold onto the rail or you might blow away.  The view from there was spectacular!  We could see the Keewanaw peninsula shoreline around 60 miles away!  This tower is equipped with all kinds of weather equipment, some massive solar panels and, from looking at the floor from down below, water collecting basins.  We stayed on the tower taking some movies and pictures for a little while then came down.  The two guys had left, it was the last time we seen them.  There was an information board mounted on the tower explaining about the monitoring equipment there and what it was for.  It was quite interesting.
        We left the tower and proceeded down the trail till we got to the Daisy Farm trail cut around 1½  miles down the trail.  We stopped there and had some lunch along with a glass of wine (being that we were just about out of water).  This is the first time I ever brought wine on a trip but, I’ll bring it again, it sure does taste good!  After lunch we continued on.  The day was still nice but, was beginning to cloud up.  Nothing threatening though.  The clouds actually felt pretty good when walking.  We ran into a guy that was coming from McCargoe Cove.  We told him we were going to East Chickenbone and he said we should really go to West Chickenbone.  I explained that we were avoiding a big group that was supposed to be at west (those girls) and he explained that East Chickbone wasn’t much of a campsite and, “water was a half mile away from camp”.  I kind of gave him half an ear, figuring he was exaggerating.  We continued on till we arrived at East Chickenbone camp around 4 miles down the trail.  By then we were well out of water and quite thirsty.  We set down our packs by the campground and headed down the trail to the lake with our water purifiers and containers.  This guy was not exaggerating!  It was between a quarter and a half mile all down a treacherous hill before we got to the lake to pump water.  As we started to pump water it began to sprinkle.  Of course we had no rain gear with us, it was a half mile away all up hill with our uncovered backpacks!  By the time we finished getting our water it was pouring rain!  I finished first and began to walk as quickly as possible back to our packs.  I couldn’t go that fast though because the trail had turned to soft mud and slippery rocks so it was quite dangerous (all uphill too, with some steep parts!).  By the time I got to my pack I was completely soaked!  I put our backpacks underneath a large tree and began covering mine with it’s cover when Brian came up.  He covered his and we put on our rain gear as he told me what happened on his trip up.  He was walking, slipped and dropped his 2-liter platypus filled with water and broke a seam at the top.  We had a look at it and determined it would still hold water but only about at half full without leaking.  First casualty of the trip!  The bad thing was, it was his only water container except for his trail bottle and his 2-liter platypus filled with vodka.  Oh well, we’ll survive.
        The rain started to let up so, we went into the campground and surveyed all the sites to find the best one.  We picked our site and carried our packs over.  By then the rain had just about stopped so, we set up camp.  The sun came out just before we finished so we got out the clotheslines and put our stuff up to dry.  It really wasn’t much of a campground.  It had many small pines and some birch but not thick at all.  It looked like it might have been burned some time ago based on the vegetation.  I can honestly say, that in all the times I’ve stayed on Isle Royale, this is the first campsite I’ve been at where the scenery and ambiance was not absolutely beautiful.  Oh, well, it was just for one night.
        That night I made spaghetti for dinner because we were going to finish off the wine so we could use it as a water container.  The weather had become completely cloudy and, as we were finishing dinner, it started to sprinkle lightly.  We sat down under a tree with some big boughs that stopped all of the rain.  It sprinkled off and on most of the night but, we were completely protected underneath the tree.  We even stayed up quite late (till around 1:00am) just talking and drinking cocktails.

Day Four-Sunday
East Chickenbone to near Mt. Siskiwit 5.2 miles
        Didn’t wake up till around 9:30 or 10:00 the next morning.  It was sprinkling somewhat as I slept in the morning but, by the time I peaked my head out, it had stopped.  I proceeded to do my morning ritual and didn’t crawl out of my tent till around 11:30.  I heard Brian’s zipper come down and a “good morning” as I pulled the fly off of my tent and hung it on the line to try and get it to dry somewhat before packing it up.  We kind of took our time getting going because we were only walking a little ways today and, we were hoping the weather would clear up so we could let our stuff dry some more and, so the trail might be a little safer.  It can be very slow and dangerous walking on wet trails. I shot some movies of the camp while Brian ate breakfast and did some minor blister repair.  At around noon two people came into the campground and walked down to the far site and started to set up camp.  We finally gave up on waiting for the sun.  We broke camp and went down to fill all of our water because we were going to be spending the night on the ridge where there is no water (we were thinking this time!).  We took off from East Chickenbone around 1:00pm.
        When we left, the weather was ok.  A few sprinkles here and there and some clouds but, they were moving quite fast.  Coming out of East Chickenbone was relatively easy except for a few steep valleys which were slow going due to the wetness of the trail and rocks.  After around a mile or so, we started to climb up Mt. Siskiwit which was a series of semi-steep switchbacks which led us up into some low lying clouds.  We walked for around another 4 miles until it seemed like we had reached the highest point we could see.  We walked a little bit more and realized we had passed the mountain.  It was not marked in any way but, we know we weren’t more than half a mile past it judging my the level of the trail.  We decided to start looking for a site to stay.  Easier said than done!  Up on the ridge in this area there were no good spots off the trail to stay.  To the direct south of the trail there was around a 100 feet of deep wet grass and rock then a drop into the woods and, around another 100 feet was a cliff face down to Siskiwit lake in the distance.  To the north of the trail was rock covered with thin grass at times then another drop into thick woodlands with around 1 to 2 feet of thick wet brush.  We wandered up and down the trail from side to side looking for somewhere to stay for around an hour.  While walking our feet became totally soaked from walking in the wet brush.  The moisture wicked in through my socks into my boots until I was walking with a smush sound.  I must have walked a mile up the trail and Brian a mile back on the trail with no luck.  We finally picked a spot right near the trail where it was at least possible to set up camp.  By that time it was almost dusk and the rain was falling off and on and the clouds were moving very fast overhead.  We’d have spots of sun here and there and then clouds.  It was a little windy but not as bad as it could have been.  As high up as we were, if the wind was as fast as the clouds were moving we would have been blown off the mountain!  We set up our tents right next to each other for protection.  By the time we finished it was almost dark and the sun was going down.  We spent a few minutes watching the clouds race overhead and retired to our tents to get off our wet clothes and get warm.  We spent the rest of the night in our tents where we basically cooked dinner, said good night and went to sleep.  During the night the rain continued to fall off and on and the wind would gust from all different directions.  I think we were on the edge of two weather systems.  We seemed to be being hit from both sides and every once in a while one side would win and we would feel the gust.  It made for an interesting night (very nice though, sort of like on a mountain, oh, we were on a mountain!).

Day Five-Monday
Near Mt. Siskiwit to Hatchet Lake 4.1 miles
         Woke up to the sound of light sprinkles and the same gusty wind as when I went to bed.  I took a peak outside the tent and saw fast moving mostly blue-gray clouds high in the sky and little wispy white ones moving underneath the dark ones at a slower pace.  Quite interesting.  I laid back down in the tent and began the morning ritual.  I checked my sox that I had hung inside on the tent pole the night before, still wet, cold and soaked.  Felt the inside of my boots that had the spent the night in the tent, the same.  It was going to be a squishy walk today.  At least we didn’t have to walk that far.
        Once the morning ritual was done, I crawled out and shook the water off of my tent and began laying things out to dry.  The sprinkles were just about gone but everything was very wet and, occasionally, one of the dark clouds would spit on us but, for the most part, it was dry.  We didn’t have far to go to our next stop at Hatchet Lake so, we took our time and let things dry as much as possible before walking. Especially the wet trail.  The sun was peaking out for short periods, then disappearing again.  We were just about to break camp when some dark clouds came whipping by, we were sure we were going to get poured on and bumming that we didn’t tear down our tents cause they were going to get soaked again but, it turned out to be not rain but, little ice pellets!  Cool, at least ice pellets don’t soak things!  It passed very quickly and was quite neat to see.
        We packed up our stuff and started back on the trail towards Hatchet Lake.  The trail wasn’t too bad.  You had to watch all your steps but, as long as you did, it was ok.  The trail was generally a gentle down hill.  We had definitely passed Mt. Siskiwit the previous day, because it is at an elevation of 1205 feet above sea level and we were definitely going down now.  The weather got gradually better as we got closer to Hatchet lake.  By the time we started the descent off of the ridge to the campground the sun was out most of the time and my boots started to loose some of their “squishy” sound.  The trail down to Hatchet lake was relatively short but, quite steep.  If it didn’t dry up overnight is was going to be a slippery climb up.  We arrived at the campground at 4:00pm.  We investigated all the sites and picked the best one.  There were no other people there.  The campground itself was very pretty.  Our site was surrounded by white birch that were about 75% at peak fall color and around 25 feet into the woods from the lakeshore.
        We set up our tents and put our clothes lines out to dry stuff off.  I immediately took off my squishy boots and put on my slippers.  My boots actually weren’t that wet.  Walking dried them out on the inside.  I walked down to the lake to take a look. Hatchet Lake was very pretty.  The trees and vegetation around it reminded me a lot of Lake Desor from the previous year only quite a bit smaller. The weather at that point was beautiful. A mostly blue sky  with patches of non-threatening clouds. The wind would still occasionally gust but, it seemed we were out of the storm that had been plaguing us the previous two days.  I walked back up to camp to get out of my hiking clothes and prepare dinner.  I set up my cook-set, started boiling the water and changed my clothes.  Brian had set up his tarp over our sitting area.  We actually had a sitting area.  The sites we had stayed at previous had no rocks or anything to sit on so we had to sit on the ground.  While my water was heating, I got out my tri-pod and set up the movie camera to get the sunset.  There wasn’t a clear view of it due to the trees immediately to the west but, I thought, it might be nice anyway.  The water was boiling so I mixed up my dinner.  Brian was already sitting down eating his so, I pulled up next to him and I ate my chicken stew as we watched the sun go down through the trees.  We didn’t talk much.  Between the sunset reflecting off of the birches and the wonderful sound of total quiet, I think both of our minds were full and words would interrupt it all.
        We finished our dinners as the sun finished setting.  Some clouds had covered the western sky so, the sunset wasn’t as nice as it might have been but, beautiful none the less.  I put away my dinner stuff, put my long underwear on and my outer shells and walked down to the lake to see if the sunset was reflecting in the lake at all.  It wasn’t but, the lake was still beautiful. I sat on the log that made up the lake access and watched the clouds reflect off of the water.  It was absolutely flat.  It was almost hard to tell the reflections in the water from the actual trees and the clouds.  I walked up to camp to grab my camera for some pictures and walked back down.  So peaceful, so quiet.  The loudest sound was my movie camera turning.  I stared at the scenery, took some pictures and movies for around another half hour when Brian walked down and joined me with a cocktail in his hand.  We enjoyed cocktails for awhile on the shore then walked back to camp where we talked a bit and headed into our sleeping bags for the night.  I remember falling to sleep thinking about how quiet is was.

Day Six-Tuesday
Hatchet Lake to Lake Desor  8.1 miles
         Woke up Tuesday morning to a beautiful blue sky and no wind.  The first time in two nights that we had no rain.  The quiet was still all around us except, for the sound of birds singing.  Instead of the morning ritual inside of the tent, I made my coffee and breakfast at the dining area sitting outside, which was nice.  We packed up our stuff and got ready to leave around 11:00.  We wanted to get a pretty early start since we wanted to cover the 8 miles to Lake Desor and we weren’t sure what kind of shape the trail would be in.  My boots and sox were almost completely dry, which felt great as I put them on.  We started up the trail and said goodbye to Hatchet lake.  Hatchet Lake is a nice campground.  It’s situated between the Minong Ridge and the Greenstone ridge so, it would make a good destination if coming from McCargoe down to the Greenstone of vice-a-versa.  The trail out of Hatchet going back up on the Greenstone is quite steep.  I had to take a full rest a little ways into it.  That often happens first thing on leaving.  You start off at a rate that is too fast and end up hurting!  You have to remember to start off at an easy pace and build up to what your body can take.
        The trail was in good shape.  The sun had dried it out and it was not slippery at all.  Once up on the ridge, it was business as usual.  The nice thing about the Greenstone is, once you get on the ridge, it’s relatively level throughout unless you get off of it into a camping area or lake.  We walked for an hour or so and, we came upon a cow moose crossing the trail.  It was around 50 feet ahead of us and crossing the trail into the brush so, there was no reason to worry about it.  We stopped, took off our packs, and watched it eating in the brush on the other side of the trail.  It hung around eating and moving slowly through the woods for around 10 minutes or so then wandered off into the distance.
        Taking off again, we continued walking towards Ishpeming point which was about 4 miles from Lake Desor.  We reached Ishpeming point around an hour after seeing the moose.  When we got there, there were two other guys sitting down eating their lunch.  They were in their early fifties and looked to be experienced backpackers.  We talked to them a bit.  They had just gotten there three days ago and were going to be there for 13 days!  While talking to them further, they had been there once for 19 days and had been to the island many times.  You could tell by their packs, very well worn.  Noticing their fishing poles, I asked them if they depend on fish for any of their meals. They said no, “except in the spring, when you can scoop up red horse suckers out of the creeks”.  “Otherwise, we don’t depend on fishing for our meals but, when we get them, we enjoy them”.  Brian and I sat down and started making our lunch while talking to them for awhile.  We then said our good byes and wished them “happy trails”.
         Once they left, Brian and I started talking about their “19 days” as we ate our lunch. “Wow!  It’s hard to believe!”  We were carrying food for 11 days and it was filling our packs to where you could fit no more.  It’s hard to imagine carrying enough food for 19 days!  But, we both agreed, it would be nice!  Once we finished our lunch, Brian climbed up the lookout tower to check it out.  Ishpeming point is the second highest point on the island (second to Mount Desor) at 1377 feet.  It doesn’t seem that high though when you are there because it is surrounded by trees and you cannot see that far.  Mount Ojibway seemed higher because you could see clearly on all horizons.  Looking inside the tower there was a bed, stove, refrigerator, table, chairs, a bookcase, a dresser and a pitch pump hooked to a water collection tub underneath the tower.  As Brian said “all the comforts of home”.
        After exploring the tower, we put our packs back on and started down the trail the 3½  miles to Lake Desor.  The trail was generally all downhill from that point till we came to the cut to Lake Desor.  The trail down to the lake is a gentle downhill through some very wet areas.  Once we reached the lake we walked into the campground and came upon two guys who had passed us while we were eating lunch at Ishpeming Point.  We waved hello and walked down to check out the other sites.  We came to the last one and it was nice.  Far enough away from the other two guys that we wouldn’t know they were there and, decent water access.  Water access becomes important for two main reasons, One, to pump water for using and two, for washing.  Also, it’s nice to have easy access for somewhere to sit and stair at the lake.  The only problem with the spot was the lakeshore was north facing and you could not see to the west for the sunset.  I was prepared to stay there but, Brian talked me into walking down to the group camp to check that out.  We walked down passed the same two guys towards the group camping and that’s the last time we seen people (besides ourselves) for the next two days.  The group campgrounds were easily, a quarter of a mile down a trail that crossed a swamp over boards.  Once across the swamp though, it opened up into a beautiful birch forest.  Just to the left as you entered the campground there were a couple of large stairs down to the lake with a wonderful sandy beach on the lake facing directly west. “We’re home!” I exclaimed.  To which Brian said “It don’t get no better!”.  And was he right!  Around 20 feet up from the sandy beach, in the birch, was a gorgeous campsite with nice tent sites and some perfect rocks for a kitchen and sitting area.  At that point, I think we both knew, we were going to be staying there for awhile.  We had one swing day to stay somewhere for two days and, judging by first impressions of this place and, the perfect weather, this was going to be the place!
        We set our packs down at our proposed site and walked down to  look at the other sites.  There really wasn’t a bad one there but, ours was the best.  Brian found a good sitting rock in one of the sites and carried that back to out camp.  We picked out our tent sites and set up our tents.  Brian started to set up the rocks for the kitchen area and I walked down to take a couple of pictures to capture the sun over the lake while it was there.  One thing about being on the island, you never know when the weather may change so, you have to grab your pictures while you can.  I took a couple and headed back up to camp.  Brian was in the process on putting up his tarp.  Funny, he put his tarp up at Hatchet lake for the first time and, ever since then, we’ve never had rain so, I figure, it’s good he puts it up.  As he was working on the tarp, I took off my hiking clothes, hung them up, put on my long underwear and fleece outerwear.  By this time the sun was starting to go down.  Deciding to wait and have dinner after the sunset, I grabbed my movie camera and tri-pod and headed down to the lake to shoot some video of the sunset.  It was spectacular!  There were sparse, wispy type clouds that reflected all kinds of colors from the sun as it went down.  The waves were just barely breaking.  Just enough to create that beautiful rhythm of water that waves make.  The entire birch forest behind me was a brilliant shade of orange-red.  No camera could ever do justice to the beauty, let alone my words.  Truly one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life!
        Brian joined me down by the lake and we watched the rest of the sunset before heading up to make our dinners.  We sat and ate our dinner in a very well designed sitting area (designed by Brian) and talked about the our adventures and about staying there the next day. We both agreed to stay, unless the weather changed drastically.  We sat up until around 11:00 then we hit the sack.  Again, as I laid in my sleeping bag, the quiet was wonderful.  All I could hear was the distant sound of very small waves on the lake.

Day Seven–Wednesday
Lake Desor 0.0 miles
         Woke up Wednesday around 8:30 to a crisp morning.  There were overcast skies but, nothing threatening.  Did my usual morning ritual in my tent listening to the birds sing and, in the background the silence.  Brian popped out of his tent around  a  half hour later to walk down to the lake and pump some water.  I sat in my tent looking around and drinking coffee waiting for the morning clouds to burn off.  I finally came out and took care of business.  When walking into the woods to do this, I came across a whole bunch of garbage someone had buried near camp.  It had been dug up by an animal and was strewn in the woods.  Lot’s of Raman noodle containers, plastic bags, tea bags and other miscellaneous items.  A terrible thing.  In my three trips here, this is the most garbage I’ve ever seen!  I’ve found the occasional cigarette butt and rubber band but, never anything this blatant.  I showed Brian and we decided we would haul it back.  People just don’t think sometimes.  But, it’s better than the people I see in the city on a daily basis that just toss trash out their windows while driving.  Where do they think it goes?  Sometimes, people just don’t think!
         I soon got over that and, as Brian cooked his breakfast, I set up my tri-pod and took some video 360 degrees around the camp then I walked down to the lake to wash my face, brush my teeth and pump some water.  I walked down one of the trails we had walked down the previous day to another site to find somewhere to wash up.  I ended up finding a perfect spot away from where we get water to sit down and be able to reach into the lake without getting my slippers wet.  It felt great as I scrubbed my face and hands with a washcloth.  I then took my slippers off and soaked my feet in the cold, clear water.  How refreshing!  As I was sitting there, the sun came out and the clouds began to dissipate.  I sat and listened to the little waves lapping against the shore and basked in the sun.  After a little while, I walked down near the steps by “our beach” and pumped enough water to fill my containers.  Walking back to camp, Brian was on his way down to try his luck at fishing.  It had cleared off completely and turned into a warm beautiful day.  I went and changed into my shorts and a tee-shirt, hung all of my clothes on the clothesline then grabbed my video camera and headed down to the lake.  By the time I got to the lake, Brian was out wading in the water about up to his waist fishing in a little cove around 100 feet to the south.  The sun was shimmering brightly off of the lake.  I shot some nice video of Brian out in the lake and the sun shining.  He slowly walked in the lake back towards our beach area.  I sat on the beach and basked in the sun with just my shorts on.  The sun was so warm!  The sound of the little waves breaking and nothing else besides, the color of the water and the trees across the lake showing their fall colors, mmm…, this must be heaven!
         I must have sat there an hour as Brian slowly made his way towards “our beach”.  While walking down the shoreline I found two pieces of wood that had been tied together with rope to form a “t” like design.  I picked it up and put it on shore.  When Brian came on shore I showed him what I had found.  We talked about it a little bit then, he threw it in the water.  After he dried off, we decided it was time for some cocktails.  We basically spent the afternoon  sipping cocktails on the beach in the sun.  At one point, we thought we heard a noise on the trail leading into our camp area.  We both looked at each other, “could it be them?”.  The people that were going to come with us but decided not to, said they might take a boat and meet up with us on the trail and, if they did, this would have been where they would meet us.  But, it wasn’t them, it was just a twig falling or something.  Oh well.
         We enjoyed that lazy afternoon. Hours, laying in the sun, listening to the waves lap against the shore, feeling the sun warm our bodies.  Like they say, “It don’t get no better than this!”.  At some point, we went up to have lunch and went down to the lake to wash our hair and bodies but, we both ended up back at the beach staring and basking in its’ beauty.  As it got to be sunset, we went up and got into our night time attire and headed back down to the beach.  I got my camera back out and video taped another wonderful sunset.  The sun was visible on the horizon but, a whole bunch of puffy, purple clouds were just east of it.  The depth of the clouds made the colors looks like different shades of blue and purple with the sun orange in the background.  Once again, a camera could never capture the true beauty of what we saw before us.  We watched the rest of the sunset from the beach and seen some of the most spectacular cloud/color combinations I have ever seen.  As dusk approached, the sun was glowing orange on the birches behind us making them look like there was an orange-red light shining on them from the ground.  Kind of like a concert stage where, nature, in all her glory, was the performer.  I will never forget the beauty of that moment!
         When it finally grew dark we walked up to the camp to make dinner.  We ate dinner under our lantern lights as the last colors of the sunset disappeared over the lake.  It was a warm night and totally quiet. Very peaceful.  We sat around our “sitting area” for a few hours talking and went to bed around 1:00am.

Day Eight – Thursday
Lake Desor to Island Mine 5.5 miles
         Woke up Thursday morning to another beautiful day.  There was a little bit of wind though.  We were leaving Lake Desor for Island Mine this morning though so, instead of the usual morning ritual, I hurried up and made coffee and breakfast and started to get ready to pack up.  I walked down to the lake to fill up all of my water containers.  Once I got done pumping water I sat down on the beach and stared for one last time.  Looking at the shore I saw that same tied stick I had found the previous day and Brian had thrown in the water.  I picked it up and carried it back to camp.  I decided I would put it in my backpack and take it to the next site to freak Brian out.  When I got back to camp, Brian was out and beginning to gather up his gear.  Before we were done packing, we both grabbed a plastic bag and we picked up the garbage that someone else had left.  We finishing packing, put on our backpacks and walked down to the beach for one last look.  What a beautiful place!  We finally took off from Lake Desor around 12 noon.
        The walk out was quite easy but, once we hit the Greenstone, we immediately had to climb a relatively large hill and it was generally uphill from there.  We were on our way up to Mt. Desor.  Mt. Desor is the highest spot on the island at 1394 feet. We walked for awhile and the trail was a gentle uphill for the most part.  Once we started going down we realized we had passed Mt. Desor.  There were no markers, at least that we saw.  That seems to be pretty common on this trail.  For the most part, once you’re on the ridge, you’re up high already and any high points just pass as another slight hill.  A good example is this stretch between Ishpeming point and Mt. Desor.  The difference in elevation between the two is only 17 feet.  So, we passed Mt. Desor and didn’t even know it!
        Once past Mt. Desor it was mostly a gentle downhill until we reached the Island Mine trail.  The Island mine trail is all down hill with a few steep areas that would be slippery if wet.  We arrived at island mine camp around 3:00 and walked the campsites until we found the one we wanted.  The campsites were all very nice with lots of big logs around to sit on and fire rings.  Yes, the first place on the entire trip with fire rings!  Once we decided on our site and got our packs off, we started to leave to walk down the island mine trail to go and see an abandoned mine.  We met a group at the trail head that were resting.  It was 3 guys,  3 girls and an older gentleman.  Someone’s Dad I supposed.  They all looked pretty wiped out.  Talking to them, they had walked from Windigo and were on there way down to Siskiwit Bay for the night.  That was a relief to us.  Hopefully, we’d have another campground entirely to ourselves!  We left them and started on our way down to the mine.  Just out of the campground you pass a small running stream, which is the source of water for the campsites.  A little ways after that there is a steep hill you have to climb with a couple of switchbacks.  After that it changes to some mild up and down hills.  All the way along the trail we were looking for the mine.  We didn’t want to pass it.  We came upon it after around a mile.  There was no way we could have missed it.  There were some huge slag piles and some equipment, the biggest of which is a double sided steam engine with some iron tractor-type treads attached to it.  It was in pretty good shape considering the it was built in 1800’s and the mine closed in the 1870’s.  We walked along the slag piles and found a few pits but no mine.  We wandered some more to see if there were any buildings or foundations but, found neither.  There were a few places that could have been areas for buildings but nothing definite.  We did find a bigger mine shaft which, we supposed, was the main mine.  It was around 25 feet west of the steam engine and was very overgrown.  We walked down the trail a bit more to look for other things but found nothing.  After the mine site the trail turns into a wagon wheel grade and appears, to be very easy walking from then on.  Farther up this trail, before Siskiwit Bay, the map shows a cemetery around 1½ miles from the mine but, it was getting late so, we decided to save that for another adventure.
        We started to walk back towards the campground and, just as we were leaving, the people we had seen at the campground walked passed us.  We wished them all a “happy trails” as they passed but, they did nothing more than nod their heads.  You could tell they were wiped out.  Walking on the trail back to camp we spotted a fox up ahead of us.  It gave a quick look at us and, before we could grab our cameras, it scurried up the trail.  We kept on walking up the trail until we both looked at each and said, “do you smell that?”.  There was a strong scent of ammonia in the air.  We determined the fox was “marking” the trail.  We kept on walking and the scent continued.  We rounded a bend in the trail and, once again, saw the fox sitting in the trail.  As soon as it saw us, once again, it went on up the trail.  This happened three or four times until we reached the big hill and then, we never saw him again.  We got back to camp and began to set up our tents.  We then changed out of our hiking clothes and into our comfy clothes.  It was still a nice sunny day but, the sun was beginning to disappear because we were in some thick woods.  We both made our dinner and got things ready for the night.  We were looking forward to having a fire.  We spent the evening and night sitting by the fire and talking.  The moon came into view around 1:00am. and made for a beautiful scene.  We stayed up till around 3:00am (when our wood ran out) then hit the sack.  Another extremely quiet night.  Just the occasional leaves rattling in the almost non-existent wind.

Day Nine – Friday
Island Mine to Washington Harbor (Windigo) 6.6 miles
        Woke up in the morning to another beautiful day!  Didn’t wake up till around 10:00 after another great nights sleep.  We did our usual, made coffee and ate breakfast, and hit the trail around 1:00 in the afternoon.  It was a bit steep coming out of Island Mine but, once again, as soon as we hit the ridge, it gets pretty level.  Actually, from the Island Mine cut down to Washington harbor, it is a very gentle downhill.  I didn’t even break a sweat the entire way!  Just before you get down in the lowland areas, where the campground is, you go down the side of a hill and enter into an area with some older trees and not a whole lot of brush around.  It might have been a fire area at one time (a guess) but quite awhile ago.  It’s also possible that the moose eat all the young trees (there are lots of moose in this area due to the water) and that’s why there’s no younger trees.  We arrived at Washington creek around 4:30pm and proceeded to pick out which shelter to stay in.  We left our packs at the same one we had stayed in the previous year (the second one from the harbor) and wandered around to see if there was a better one.  We decided on the one we were at.  The only one we would have picked over it was occupied.  This was the one nearest the harbor and the same one Bob and Roger had stayed in the previous year.
        Getting back to our “home for the night”, we decided to walk into Windigo to see if anything was happening there and to make sure of the boat arrival time in the morning.  Windigo is about a quarter mile away from Washington Creek campground down a dirt two-track road.  Windigo and Rock Harbor are the only places on the island not designated wilderness so, the only two places where motorized vehicles are allowed.  The National park people use quads to haul garbage cans and supplies around these two areas.  On getting to Windigo, we found the bathrooms open.  Yahoo!  We immediately went in to wash up in a real sink!  There was no hot water but, it was running, clean and had soap and paper towels.  After washing up, I grabbed some toilet paper (I had run out when we were at Island Mine) and we walked up to “town”.  Calling this a town is quite a stretch.  It actually consists of a dock, a couple of living quarters, an outside amphitheater, a store (that’s never been open when I’ve been there) and the ranger station.  It’s about one-quarter the size of Rock Harbor.  We walked out on the dock to check the boat schedules and verify what time the boat came in.  We then wandered around looking in the windows at the ranger station and out on the dock till we decided to go back.
        We got back around 5:30, got out of our hiking clothes and started cooking dinner.  I took some movies of a couple of people fly fishing on Washington Creek as my water heated.  After dinner we made some coffee and walked down the trail to the harbor to watch the sun go down.  Washington Harbor has some of the best sunsets on the island.  I’ve spent two nights there and both of them made for beautiful sunsets.  We sat on some logs drinking coffee and talking.  We could see a couple of otters out in the harbor swimming and catching fish.  Also, some diving ducks that would play in the water then dive down and come up a couple of minutes later.  Very tranquil.  It was almost dark when we walked back to camp.  We started getting our sleeping quarters ready.  As I mentioned, we were sleeping in a shelter.  These shelters are built up on cinder blocks and are made of wood on three sides with a leaned roof and a screen covering the entire front.  Brian and I had slept in this same shelter the previous year and, it was the coldest night I had ever spent in a sleeping bag!  My feet were very cold.  I got up and put wool socks on, wrapped them in a sweat shirt and zipped my sleeping back up tight.  I was still cold!  It seemed like I didn’t sleep at all!  After that night, I swore I would never be cold again!  This caused me to buy a new sleeping and, caused me to set my tent up inside of the shelter to keep the moisture from falling on me and keep some heat inside.  So, I set my tent up inside of the shelter.  Brian had been through the same experience the previous year (he also bought a new sleeping bag!) but, he decided not to set up his tent and just used his sleeping back with a tarp over him.  I kept kidding him, “You’re not coming in my tent” and, “I’ll be laughing as you set up your tent in the night”.
        Once we finished, we sat on the picnic table, talked and had a couple of cocktails.  Around 10:00 or so we heard a moose walking in the creek coming towards us.  We went and got our cameras and stood by the creek but, the moose stopped coming towards us and got out of the creek  to walk off into the campground upstream from us.  The previous year, the same thing happened but the moose was grunting and groaning.  Roger imitated the sound and the moose came right towards us.  This year was different.  The moose were not in rut yet so, they were pretty much keeping to themselves.  We hadn’t heard a single one whereas before, we heard one almost every day.  We were there at the same time too. We went back and sat on the picnic table as we heard the moose walking slowly into the woods.  The moon came out around 11:30 and we watched it as it rose up over the trees.  We talked a couple of times about walking to Windigo to get a good view of it over the harbor from the dock but, neither one of us had the motivation.  We were both tired and went to bed around 1:00am.  Going to sleep, all I could think about was how warm I was.  Hurray!

Day Ten – Saturday
Washington Harbor to Rock Harbor (via boat) 5 hours  / Rock Harbor to Three Mile 2.7 miles
         Woke up Saturday morning around 8:00.  I had slept wonderful.  Warm and snugly.  Brian had stayed warm too so, we were both happy campers.  We sat on the picnic table, made our breakfasts and coffee then started to pack our stuff up.  The boat was supposed to get there, according to the schedule at 11:30am.  But, we weren’t sure if that was central or eastern time since it comes from Minnesota which is on central but, Isle Royale is on eastern.  We were almost positive it was central time but, we weren’t going to take any chances and decided to get there an hour early to make sure.  It was another beautiful day.  We left our campsite just as the sun came over the trees.  We got down to the dock at Windigo around 10:15am and set our packs down there.  It was a little windy once in the open harbor but it was sunny and warm.  It looked like it was going to be a good day for the boat ride around.  I’d been telling Brian about how nice it was on the north end of the island so we were hoping for some good weather to see it.
        The boat got there at 11:15am central time.  We stood on the dock waiting as they unloaded the mail and supplies being dropped off.  There were only two other people waiting to get on the boat with us.  Once they unloaded, we showed the captain our tickets and climbed on board.  We immediately went to the back of the boat and took our seats on a bench.  There were only two other people on the boat besides the captain, first mate and the two that boarded with us.  They were also in the back.  Talking to them, they were going to be dropped off at McCargoe cove to hike to Rock Harbor.  They were both in their late fifties and one of them was a trail tender for the Lake Superior Trail which runs along the north side of Lake Superior.  He was a friendly guy but, at the time, we were more interested in looking at the scenery and not talking.  He finally walked up into the ship leaving Brian and I staring at the harbor as it went by.  Just after you leave Washington harbor you head north and pass the wreckage of “The America” which is marked by buoys.  It’s not in very deep water and is a very popular spot for divers.  Just passed that, there were some boats pulling up fishing nets.  The boat went around them and headed for open water.  We sat in the back and watched Washington harbor and the islands at it’s mouth disappear.  Rounding the end of Isle Royale and hitting the open water, you can see the “rock of ages” lighthouse way off in the distance.  On the trip back from the island the previous year from Windigo to Grand Portage we passed within 100 feet of it.  It definitely rests out in the middle of nothing.  From where we were traveling this trip though, it was miles away from us.  The previous year we had taken this same taxi boat trip to McCargoe cove where we started our adventure but, we didn’t know any of the terrain.  This time, we knew the places along the way so, as we went along the island we were able to pick out the various places we had stayed at the previous year and see the “Minong Ridge” which we had hiked.  We’d look at each other and say “There’s Huginnin Cove, There’s little Todd, there’s Todd harbor”.  It was neat to see them from this perspective.  Also, to see the “Minong Ridge”.  But the most exciting thing was to see the Greenstone ridge we had just finished walking.  It stood out as the backbone and highest point in the entire view.  We had hiked the entire thing and we could see exactly what we hiked and, how high up we were.
        As the boat made it’s way along the north side of the island, clouds began to move in.  By the time we pulled into McCargoe Cove, it was mostly cloud and the waves were getting a little bigger.  But, once in McCargoe Cove, it flattened right out.  The cove is very well protected from the power of the lake.  It’s a narrow channel at the beginning then widens somewhat once you get into it.  All three times on the island I’ve somehow managed to make this trip down the cove.  The first year, in a boat out from McCargoe to Rock Harbor, like this trip is going to be.  The second time, from Windigo to McCargoe to get dropped off, like the first half of this voyage.  Each time here though, the stillness of the water and the forest along it’s shores, is just as beautiful and serene.  This is one of those places, if you could only go to one, that you could just hang around at and love every minute.  After around fifteen minutes the dock came into view.  I could see 4 or 5 people milling about.  It looked the same as always, peacefully calm.  We pulled up to the dock and tied off.  The two guys that were going to hike to Rock Harbor got off and 4 other people got on.  The captain blew the horn a couple of times incase there were other people wanting to get on, then we took off back down the cove to head back to Lake Superior.  On reaching Lake Superior, we were back in the wind and the waves.  The last time I made this trip, as soon as we exited the cove and hit the lake, you could see a line in the water where the calmness ended and the waves began.  As soon as we hit the waves it was like entering a roller coaster ride with water and it was like that for entire trip.  Huge swells that were breaking over the side of the ship and swamping the back to where you could only stay outside if you were under the boat roof.  This time though, the wind wasn’t as bad and it seemed to be coming from all different directions.  It wasn’t as rough, just a little choppy.  We moved west and entered the passage with Amygdaloid Island on the north side.  It was almost all clouds by now so it was hard to see the shore as clearly as I had hoped but, it was still beautiful.  We tried to spot Mt. Franklin where, we had spent our first night but, it was too cloudy and far away. If we had binocolors we could have seen it.  We reached Blake Point which as the eastern most end of the island.  The last time I was on this trip, as soon as we passed Blake and headed up the south side the waves died right down but, this time, we still had the waves and the wind.  The weather was doing some strange things. From the point you can see the Passage Island Light house.  It sits on an island east of it.
        We arrived at Rock Harbor around 4:30.  We got off the boat and headed into the campground to fill up our water supply.  We weren’t going to stay there.  We were going to make the walk down to Three-Mile campground and spend the night there away from the “city”.  We walked down the trail to the campground area, I went to fill up my water and Brian went to use the outhouse.  As I was filling up my water, a fox came walking out of the woods.  It stopped and stayed it’s distance as I finished filling up.  I walked back to the main trail and stood by my pack waiting for Brian.  The fox soon followed up and stood around 10 feet away from me.  I took out my camera and took a picture of it.  Then the fox sat down almost as if posing, so I took a couple more pictures.  Brian came walking out and the fox wandered about 10 more feet away.  Brian said he forgot something back at the boat dock so, he walked back down the trail to the dock and the fox followed him.  I sat down and ate some munchies till I saw Brian coming back up the trail.  I got up and put my backpack on to get ready to go.  I was standing in the trail when Brian said “moose”.  I chuckled and Brian says “really, moose, behind you”.  I turned around and sure enough, walking up the trail was a huge bull moose!  When I turned around it was about 25 feet up the trail heading right towards us.  We both stepped off the trail and into the brush and began looking for defensive trees but, there were only small ones around.  The moose just kept on coming.  It seemed he had no interest in us so, we relaxed.  I tried to get out my movie camera but it was still wrapped and zipped up in my carrying case from the boat trip.  I managed to get out my camera and snap one picture as it passed.  Brian had his camera ready so he got a couple when it was walking down the trail.  After it passed us, Brian filled up his water and we headed down the trail towards Three-Mile.
        The trail to Three-Mile campground is actually 2.7 miles.  It’s a relatively easy hike.  A few ups and downs but nothing too much.  The hardest part is the rock surfaces along the shore.  It goes along these then drops into woodlands then back on the rock area.  As you are walking, you are heading further down the south shore until Lake Superior is blocked by outer islands.  These outer islands act as a break wall making the waters between the main island and the outer islands very calm.  The last time I was at Three-Mile was on my first trip to the island with Bob.  We got off the boat and spent our first night there.  We had stayed in a campsite right on the shore.  There were only four campsites there total. Two on the shore and two across the trail in the woods.  We arrived at the campground after only a hour and fifteen minutes of walking.  It’s amazing how light your pack feels after you eat up 9 days worth of meals and, after 9 days experience.  It almost felt empty.  As we came to the campground, things looked different.  First thing I saw was a boat dock up from where I had previously camped.  We put our packs down there because I told Brian this was the best site of the four.  We walked up the trail to check out the other sites and, whoa, sites everywhere!  I think there were 12 tent sites and 4 shelters plus, group campsites!  There were even a couple of shelter sites right on the lake backed up to a little bluff.  Excellent sites but, there was someone in one of them.  We walked back the opposite way and found a gorgeous site right on the lake with some beautiful sitting rocks on the lake.  This was us.  We walked back to the first site, got our packs and went to our new home.
        We picked out our tent sites and had them set up in no time.  We were experts at this by now.  In no time we were sitting on a huge rock next to the shoreline of Lake Superior meditating.  We made our dinners sitting on a picnic table right next to the lake.  It was certainly nice to have a picnic table!  We changed our clothes and relaxed by candlelight for the night.  The moon came up over the lake around 10:00.  We could see the glow on the horizon but we couldn’t see the moon itself due to the clouds.  Around a half an hour later though it broke through and was glistening off the lake.  Clouds would pass by it and block it some what but, that made it even better, to watch the clouds floating by.  We stayed up till around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning that night just talking and enjoying the ambiance.  As we were sitting there the wind picked up.  It was a very warm wind and coming almost due south, which is strange.  By the time we went to bed it was howling.  Our site was facing almost due south with very little trees around us.  As I laid in my tent  I could feel my tent blowing, the floor bubbling up and down.  I fell to sleep to the sound of the wind and the waves breaking on the outer islands.

Day Eleven – Sunday
Three Mile
        The next morning I got up around 8:00 and peaked out of my tent.  It was still quite windy with lots of clouds moving fast overhead.  I made up a cup of coffee and went outside to sit on the picnic table.  It was too windy there so I walked down the trail to another site on the lake that had some brush to block the wind off of the lake.  As I was sitting there, a pair of Canadian Jays started landing in the trees around me then on my picnic table apparently looking for dropped food our handouts.  In the summertime I imagine this is quite a popular area so, they are probably used to people.  Same thing with that fox and the moose.  I’d imagine most animals living in this part of the island are used to people.  A lot different from the other places on the island I have been on various trips.  The jays finally determined there was no food there so, they moved on to another site.  I was at the bottom of my coffee cup so I went back and made some more.  As I finished making it, it started to sprinkle.  I walked back to the picnic table and assumed my position.  When I finished my coffee, I decided to go for a walk back to the group campsites and check them out.  I grabbed my camera, windbreaker and walked down the trail.  The first cabin down the group campsite trail looked nice but, was too close to the trail.  Looking inside, I saw a plastic bag.  I decided to have a look and found two empty MSR fuel containers and some other garbage.  I wrapped it up and put it back.  I wasn’t going to carry that stuff out.  This place was pretty close to Rock Harbor so the rangers could get it and, we had already taken our share of other peoples garbage for the trip!  I left and kept on walking down the trail till I came to group site #2.  This was a beautiful site in a clearing surrounded by pines.  Of the south end there was a rock bluff.  I climbed this bluff and it looked out over Lake Superior.  From there you could walk down right to the lake around 50 feet away.  I didn’t go down because it was still sprinkling and the rocks were getting wet and slippery and I only had my slippers on.  I climbed down from there and walked on to the third group site.  It was ok but, not as nice as the second.  I thought, “if it clears up, maybe Brian and I should move there to get out of the wind”.  I started back down the trail towards our site.  The rain had almost stopped.  Once back to camp I got out my cooking stuff, went to the picnic table and heated some water for breakfast.  The wind had died down quite a bit.  Brian came out a short time later and he did the same.  We sat eating our breakfast and talking.  When we came to Three-Mile we were thinking of only spending the night then walking back to Rock Harbor and spending the day on Scoville Point.  Scoville Point is west of Rock Harbor and quite beautiful.  I had been there the first year on the island with Bob.  But, based on the weather and, the fact that we had a beautiful place there, we decided not to.  Also, there’s a good chance, if you come to the island, you can end up with a day to spend near Rock Harbor.  After we finished eating, we sat on “our” rock.  We noticed some dark clouds rolling in from the south west.  As they grew closer we could see the rain over the lake and the wind started to pick up.  We got up and made sure everything was ready for rain then went back to watch it come across the lake.  Sure enough, within 10 minutes it started pouring and we ducked into out tents.
         The rain came down very hard for around 2 hours.  I sat in my tent writing, listening to the rain and then I dozed off.  I slept about an hour and woke up to the sound of the rain slowing down.  I opened up the flap on my tent and it looked like it was going to let up.  I made a cup of coffee, put my windbreaker on and walked out to sit on the picnic table.  I could see clearing off to the southwest, yahoo!  It was around 4:30.  Brian joined me on the picnic table and the sun finally came out around 5:30.  We spent the next couple of hours sitting on “our rock” and basking in the sunshine until fixing dinner.  As we were eating dinner the sun was going down.  We couldn’t get a good view of the sunset itself as it was on the other side of the island but, we did get beautiful colors on the opposite side over the lake.  Wondrous red, orange and pinks all across the eastern horizon over the lake.  As the sun set, we sat on the picnic table by candlelight and waited for the moon to come up.  It never did.  The clouds were too thick.  We stayed up till around 1:00am then went to bed.  It was very quiet as I went to sleep for the last time on the island.

Day Twelve – Monday
Three Mile to Rock Harbor 2.7 miles / Boat to Copper Harbor 56 miles
        Woke up around 9:00 Monday morning.  This is the last day on the island.  The day we have to walk back to Rock Harbor to catch the boat to Copper Harbor at 3:00.  It was a perfect morning.  The sun was out and the wind was almost non-existent.  I made myself some coffee on the picnic table and sat on “our rock” to drink it while staring at magnificent Lake Superior, the trees and the islands around me.  What a place this is!  I never can seem to get enough.  We’ve been on the island for eleven days and I’m still wanting more.  It’s so sad to be leaving but, leave we must.  Brian got up a little while later and we both sat there drinking coffee and contemplating.  Finally, around 11:00, I got up and started making my lunch.  As my water was heating up I began to pack up all my stuff in my pack.  I took my tent down and hung it up to dry out as my water was boiling.  I made up a pot of ramen noodles with the last of my beef jerky in it along with the last of my powdered milk.  The last meal for the island.  When I was done, I finished packing my pack and put my boots on.  We pulled out of camp around 12:30.  The trail back to Rock Harbor seemed like nothing.  Maybe it was the fact that we had walked it two days ago or, most likely, the fact that we were going to savor every minute of walking we had left.  At one point, in a clearing by the lake, there were three loons floating on the lake calling.  I stood there for a few minutes listening to them.  One last dose of the island.
         We arrived at Rock Harbor around 2:15.  We went up to the dock area and set out packs down then walked up the asphalt roadway so Brian could see the housekeeping cabins.  These cabins sit near the road and are two units attached together.  They are actually very nice.  They’d be a good place to stay if you couldn’t travel far and needed the comforts of civilization.  From Rock Harbor there are some very nice day hikes all around.  Scoville point being a very beautiful hike and place.  We walked down from there and went to take a look at the lodge.  This is the only original building, of what used to be a resort, that is still standing.  It was closed of course but, from what I’ve seen of it from the boats approaching the harbor, it would be a very nice place to stay.  An awesome view of the lake from the front window.  We walked back down by the dock and the ranger station was open.  We wandered in and looked around.  Lot’s of nice informational books and stuff inside.  I picked up a video of Isle Royale, kind of an overview of the island.  The kind of thing I should have gotten before coming the first time but, oh well.  I bought it show to other people and let them see the variety of things here.
         The boat from Copper Harbor pulled up around 2:30.  This time, there was no one getting off, only getting on.  This was the last passenger boat of the year leaving the island.  The only other boats running after this were to bring supplies to the island and park employees home.  We picked up our packs and carried them over so they could stow them away.  Handing it to the co-pilot and walking away, all of a sudden, I felt like I was missing something.  After eleven days of carrying and living out of my backpack I had grown very attached.  I walked up to get on the boat, showed them my ticket and walked to the back deck of the boat to take my place on the same bench I had sat on on the trip over.  I sat there a couple of minutes then remembered, they have coffee!  I set down my camera and daypack and walked up to get a cup of brewed coffee.  Boy, did it taste good!  I was on my way now.  Back into civilization mode.  I walked back to the back deck and stood leaning on the railing, sipping my coffee, as they pulled the lines off the moorings and the boat started to pull away from the dock.  I pulled out my movie camera and took some movies of the dock and island as it started to grow smaller.  My camera battery ran out as we were about 5 minutes from the dock.  I put my camera away and leaned on the railing watching the island fade into the horizon.  I walked over to the bench to sit down and stared at the sun glistening over Lake Superior feeling very reflective and a bit melancholy.
        The 4½ hour boat ride seemed shorter than on the way there.  Before I knew it, I could see the light of Copper Harbor lighthouse and we were pulling into the harbor.  As we pulled in, the captain came over the speaker and said to take a look over at the German restaurant, “The wait staff has a tradition of coming out and doing a dance for the boat as it comes in and, this being the last boat, it should be pretty good”.  I looked over, they were all lined up arm in arm and they started to kick there feet in the air.  We pulled into the dock a couple of minutes later.  We walked down the gangplank and onto the shore and stood there waiting for our backpacks to come out of the hold.  When he handed us our backpacks, we carried them over to the railing and set them back down.  Brian wanted to take a look inside of the souvenir shop so we walked inside.  I took a quick look around then decided to go get the car and check into our waiting hotel room.  I told Brian, picked up my pack and made my way over to the car.  I opened the car and started it up, no problem.  I threw my pack in the back and started to drive the 50 or so feet the motel.  I walked up to the office and there was a note on the window stating “Tremblay is in room 12, Klause is in room 8, door is open, key in on the dresser”.  Huh, must be up north.  I pulled in front of room number 12 and walked in.  I walked over to the patio door and opened the curtains and scared a flock of geese that were sitting in front eating.  Scared me for a second.  I stood and stared at the lake not more than 25 feet from the window for a few minutes then walked back out to the car and grabbed a cooler I had left in there.  There were a couple of beers inside which were luke-cold.  I cracked one open and took a sip, little skunky but, tasted good none the less.  Walked into the bathroom and washed my face and hands with some warm water.  Ah, did that feel good.  I dried off, walked out, turned on the TV and sat on the bed.  Brian walked in a couple of minutes later.  Just as the commercials were ending and CNN was back on.  I clicked the TV off and said to Brian, "You want to jump in the shower first and I’ll shoot up to the store to get some beer and munchies?”.  “Sure”, he said, “if you want”.  We went out and grabbed our clothes bags, sat a couple of minutes finishing off the beer then I got up to drive to the store.
        Driving the car was very strange.  It seemed like I would barely touch the gas or the brake and I’d be pressing too hard.  When moving, it kind of felt like when you first get off of a roller coaster or a boat, like being drunk.  Luckily, we were in Copper Harbor, a small town.  I started towards main street and stopped at a pay phone to call home.  There was no one there so I left a message letting them know I was back on the mainland and had survived.  I got back in the motorized vehicle and I made my way to main street and turned.  I ran into a store around a half a mile down.  I walked in and immediately went to the cooler.  I picked up a 6 pack of Michelob Amber bock, a twelve pack of Budweiser, a bag of potato chips and walked up to the counter.  It was very weird dealing with people.  I was so used to being by myself or with Brian.  Here I was, in a strange store, in a strange town and Brian not even here.  Just one of those things I guess.  I paid for everything and walked out the door.  I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel.  I pulled up to the hotel, walked in and immediately cracked open a beer, opened the chips and turned on the TV.  Civilization!  I sat on the bed watching the TV, chugging beer and eating chips!  Brian came out and I went in.  I shaved the beard from my face and went for the shower, Ah…, it sure did feel good!  After I finished my shower, we got dressed and we decided to go to the Harbor Haus restaurant, the German restaurant, where they had danced for us, for dinner.  We walked down the side streets till we came to the restaurant.  We walked in but, the hostess said, “Sorry, but we stop serving dinner at 10:00”.  Bummer.  She continued, “You can still get dinner at the Mariner North restaurant”.  We left there and headed for the Mariner.  Walking down the side streets of Copper Harbor, the moon was full and the sky was filled with stars.  It felt great to be walking again and even better to be walking after a warm shower.  We walked into the restaurant and up to the bar onto the same stools we had sat on the night before leaving.  We both ordered a Bell’s stout and dinner.  It was great to be able to look at a menu and select something for someone else to cook.  We sat and enjoyed our meal and beer but, the thing that filled our conversation, was the stories of our trip.  If it was possible, we would have gotten on the boat in the morning and went back.  We were ready!
        We finished our dinner and beer and I talked Brian into going down the street to check out a local bar.  Brian had to leave at 5:00 the next morning to drive back to Flint and be at work at 2:00pm so, we really should have gone back to the hotel but, I think we both didn’t want it to end.  We walked down the street and into “Zik’s Bar”.  It was pretty crowded and you could tell everyone in there knew each other.  We stuck out like soar thumbs but, it was friendly none the less.  Sitting across the bar there were two of the waitresses that worked at the German restaurant that had danced out on the deck.  I told them, “thanks for the dance, that was neat” and one of them said, “that’s a lot of fun, everyone looks forward to it”.  We stayed and drank 3 or 4 beers and couldn’t drink any more.  I felt bloated!  My stomach must have shrunk while on the island because I couldn’t drink another swallow of beer!  We left there and made our way back to the hotel room.  We got there about 1:00am.  We both got ready for bed and Brian laid down to go to sleep while I laid in bed and dozed off while watching TV.  I woke up as Brian was gathering up his stuff to leave.  It was about 4:30.  He threw his stuff in his car and came back in.  We gave each other a hug, wished each other the best and he walked out the door.  I laid down and went back to sleep.

Day Thirteen – Tuesday
Drive from Copper Harbor to Port Huron 600 miles
         I woke up around 10:30.  I slept quite well, a bed and pillows definitely have their good points.  I took another warm shower, packed up my belongings and loaded  the car.  I walked over to the motel office, said goodbye to the lady who ran it and grabbed one of her post cards.  I said, “thanks, see you later” and she said “have a good ride home”.  I pulled out of the motel and drove up to the Tamarack restaurant for breakfast.  I had a delicious breakfast of eggs over medium, hash browns well done, sausage links, tomato juice and rye toast.  All things not good for me but, that tasted great.  After breakfast, I walked across the street to pick up some souvenirs for Colleen and the kids at a place called the Minnetonka souvenir shop.  I then drove to another place called the Laughing Loon and got some more.  Souvenir shopping all done, I drove down the road to see a place called Fort Wilkins.  It was a $3.00 entry fee to get inside so, being that I didn’t have much time to spend, I didn’t go in.  Instead I went to a little park with a view of Copper Harbor lighthouse.  I took a couple of pictures and movies then hit the road.  It was about 1:30 in the afternoon.  The weather was partly cloudy and it looked like it might sprinkle at any time.  On the highway out of Copper Harbor the trees were about at peak fall color.  It was beautiful.  I shot some movies as I drove down the road.  I managed to find a public radio station that was playing classical music.  It made for a great combination.  I got to Calumet which is an old mining town but, being that I wanted to make the drive as much as I could, while the sun was still up, I decided not to stop.  I just drove down main street to look at the buildings and headed out.  I reached Houghton/Hancock and stopped at the main ranger station for Isle Royale to get some maps.  I picked up two points of interest maps for Brian and myself and one rolled up topographic map that I wanted for framing.  I pulled out of there and it soon began to sprinkle.  As I headed across the U.P. it rained off and on the entire way.  The colors were peaked all the way across.  By the time I crossed the Mackinaw Bridge it was solid rain and the sun was beginning to go down.  I made a dinner stop and called Colleen to let her know I’d be home around 11:00pm.  The rest of the drive went well and was pretty uneventful.  I arrived home in Port Huron at around 10:30.  I said hello, gave hugs to everyone and carried my gear in.  I gave everyone their presents, tucked the girls in and went to my bed to snuggle with Colleen.  I fell asleep thinking about the trip and dreaming about the next time I could go to the lovely island the Indian’s called “Minong” or, “A wonderful place to be”.

Epilogue:
        The “Greenstone” is a very nice hike.  I would rate it as moderate to easy. Easy once on the ridge and moderate getting up and down it.  The time of year we went was probably the best time to do this trail.  Even though we saw someone almost every day, the campgrounds we stayed in were empty.  I’d imagine, if you went in July or August, the campgrounds would all have people in them.  Also, doing this trail in the summer, there are several spots on the trail without shade and, I imagine, the sun would get hot.  It could be done in the springtime but, the climbs up and down the ridge might be treacherous and, once on the ridge, there’s not a lot of shelter from the rain or wind in many places.

Information:
Isle Royale Queen III: 906-289-4437 or www.isleroyale.com or another website
The Voyager II: 715-392-2100 or 888-746-2305 or www.grand-isle-royale.com
Isle Royale National Park Headquarters: 906-482-0984 or www.nps.gov/isro
Copper Harbor: www.copperharbor.org

Lodging:
King Copper Motel: 800-833-2470 or 906-289-4214
Fort Wilkins State Park Campground: 906-289-4215 or website
Bella Vista Motel: 906-289-4213
Minnetonka Motel & Sauna: 800-433-2770
Rock Harbor Lodge: 906-337-4993 (May-September)
                                                  502-773-2191 (October-April)

Restaurants and Stores:
The Harbor Haus: 906-289-4502 or www.harborhaus.com
The Laughing Loon-Crafts of the North: 906-289-4813
Mariner North Restaurant: 888-626-6784
The Tamarack Inn: 906-289-4522