Did I mention it started to rain when we got in our tents? Did I mention when it stopped? Maybe I didn’t mention when it stopped because it didn’t. To me, there is not a more peaceful sound in the world than the sound of rain bouncing off of your tent while you’re cuddled up warm and toasty with the one you love. Our Big Agnes sleeping bag kept us warm as long as we were wearing long underwear, a stocking cap, and kept hugging each other. It was pretty cold last night. I think George may have even gotten in his bag (he tends to be on the warm side—we could detect his presence through the night from the heat emanating from him from across the campsite). When we got our permits yesterday, we found out that the rangers had only been on the island for a little over a week because it had been a pretty cold winter with a late thaw. The only complaints I heard from Pam had to do with her getting cold every time I got up to pee. I only had two complaints: 1) I had to do get up to pee four times and Pam’s chilled back was minimal to what I felt; and 2) I was warm in the bag, almost too warm—the closer anything is to the center of the bag is, the hotter it gets. What is the closest to the center when 2 people spoon? I had an extremely sweaty crotch when in bed so the cold felt artic to mini-me.
We reluctantly got up when the rain slowed to a drizzle. George had collected a bunch of extra sticks for the BioLite last night before he went to bed. I think it’s safe to say that he has fallen in love with this stove. I’ve carried this stove on a few trips in the past, but have always had a backup since it was new to me, but no backup on this trip. I really like it. It’s fun to use and you never have to worry about fuel. The only draw-back is the weight.
At any rate, we boiled enough water for oatmeal and coffee and ate under the cover of trees. We took our time hoping that the rain would stop, but it didn’t. We had no choice but pack up in the rain. Any less weight in our packs from the little food we ate was more than made up from the soaking wet tents. We hit the mud trough (aka trail) around 11, late even for us.
The hiking today didn’t have as much elevation change as yesterday since we had already climbed up to the center ridge of the island. We only had a couple hundred feet to gain and then loose right as we got into camp. Of course, it rained all day and was foggy so we didn’t get great views when we climbed over Mount Desor—we could almost make out Lake Superior from the top. We did see lots of fresh moose scat and some really fresh wolf poop on Mt Desor so we were very hopeful catching some glimpses of wildlife this week.
Isle Royale, other than being the least visited NP, is also a science project on a large scale. Due to its isolation in Lake Superior, there are a very limited number of large mammals. In fact, only moose and wolves. The NPS is monitoring how the two species interact over time and if the predator species (wolf) will deplete the prey species (moose). So far, the moose population seems to be in the lead with over 1000 on the island and the wolf population is nearing its end with less than 10 left. In the not too distant past, there were 2 wolf packs on the island but inbreeding and death is threatening the wolves’ survival. With Lake Superior frozen over all the way to the mainland last winter, one wolf crossed over to the mainland and was shot by a local resident. It probably would have died any way because these wolves have no concept of roads/cars due to their isolation in the lake. Right now, it looks like the wolves’ greatest hope is that some mainland wolves cross back to the island when the lake is frozen over. The NPS is very reluctant to intervene in the natural order of nature on the island.
We got into South Desor around 5. It was slow going today for the same reasons as yesterday. George also fell a few times so now he’s sore, muddy, dirty & tired in addition to old, and overweight—the backpacker’s trifecta of misery. What was supposed to be a pleasure trip for Gorge is fast becoming a Stalinesque gulag archipelago experience. I’m pretty sure I heard him call me Comrade Stalin when I urged him on after a break.
An amazing thing happened when we got into camp—it stopped raining and the skies cleared. This calls for a celebration so I took a bottle (bag) of wine with me to chill in Lake Desor when I was filtering water. We set up our tents and let them dry a bit while we cooked supper. After eating and cleanup, we finished getting camp set up and then I broke out the wine. George held firm to his “no alcohol” on this trip so Pam and I went to sleep feeling very relaxed after 2 large glasses each—once you pop the screw top, you’ve GOT to empty the bag.
