The Moose is Loose

Wow! Very hard to put into words the feeling you get when you pull up to Rock Harbor on the ferry after a 6-hour cruise through the foggy mist to the gorgeous archipelago (about 400 islands!) of Isle Royale National Park. The water is a pristine blue and the smell of the boreal forest is most heavenly. Let me tell you, I buy a lot of candles and I’ve never smelt such sweet balsam fir before.

We were here much too short of time. This is the least visited national park but it is the most revisited. My husband and I are already planning a back-packing trip for when we return.

To start our journey into the wilderness, we dropped off Rocky at a boarder (no pets allowed on the island) and parked our RV at the parking lot near the visitor center in Houghton, MI and boarded the Ranger III that would transport us through Lake Superior. The ferry ride was great. After cleaning off our hiking shoes and boarding the boat, it was like we stepped back in time to a 1960s lounge. It was built in 1958 and they have up-kept the interior fairly well. There’s talk that they might replace it but I still hope it chugs on for when we return. It’s a fun experience. As we left the harbor it was neat to see a lift bridge in action.

I love how they tried to reassure you that it’s OK to have motion sickness. Fortunately the waters were pretty calm and we didn’t have to use.

We passed the time by playing scrabble, listening to a ranger-led talk about “leaving no trace,” and eating breakfast and lunch at the little cafe. I had a “pasty” for the first time – it’s like a pot-pie hot pocket that the Cornish miners in the Upper Peninsula would eat for lunch after heating over the fire on their shovels.

The time went by fast and soon we were catching glimpses of the beautiful shorelines of the park. The cool air felt crisp yet weird to experience in July. The blue of the sky and water was unreal and reminded me of Santorini, Greece.

We only had 18 hrs on the island since the ferry schedule is limited and we didn’t have time to stay longer so we decided to make the most of it! As soon as we debarked the ferry we headed straight to the dock to rent a canoe. We put in at Tobin Harbor and spent 4 hours pretty much paddling the whole length of it. The waters were calm and so clear. Really neat to see whole downed trees underwater as we passed over them. It was very tranquil and we only encountered 2 other paddlers the whole time we were in the harbor.

It was nesting season for the loons and their calls throughout the time we were there were a bit haunting. We saw several swimming and taking flight as we paddled Tobin Harbor. Here’s a momma loon with her little one warning us that we were getting a little too close.

We also docked at shore to see “Suzy’s Cave” which was marked by a cairn on an island adjacent to the shore. It was only a short hike to reach the cave (which wasn’t that impressive) and the opposite side of the island afforded beautiful views of Lake Superior. Pretty wildflowers dotted the way. I found later that the cave was named after a young girl who lived on her father’s neighboring island before Isle Royale became a park. The cave was formed by the water when the levels were higher.

We set out to paddle some more. We may or may not have skinny-dipped in the frigid waters (I’ll spare you the pics) and made our way to Lookout Louis but decided we didn’t have enough time to hike up the hill so we made our way back to the dock so we could have supper and then go hike and try and find a moose as we heard they’re more likely to be spotted at dawn and dusk when they feed.

Moose droppings or “elk duds.”

I had a lake whitefish sandwhich at the Rock Harbor Lodge grill and it was pretty tasty. After fueling up, we checked in to our cabin at the Rock Harbor Lodge which was not worth what we paid. It was a sauna in there with no air-conditioning and hadn’t been updated for 50 years. The view of the lake was pretty though and since we were only staying one night it served its purpose of giving us a hot shower and place to sleep.

We filled our water bottles and headed to the 4.2 mile Stoll Memorial Trail out to Scoville Point. We started at 8 pm. At the very beginning the trail, a flushed-face hiker told us he just stared down a bull-moose that was standing on the trail about a quarter-mile in.

My husband and I quietly made our way in anticipation and were quickly greeted by the loud sound of a stream of urine. I ducked to see in the thick underbrush about 10 feet off the trail the hind-legs of a moose. It was a little too close for comfort and we dashed further up the trail and waited to see if he would come out. He didn’t so I snuck back to get another glimpse. He was farther away from the trail this time and munching on the trees. He finally lifted his head so I could get a better glimpse of his face but a rustle in the forrest caused him to make eye contact and then move further in the dense forest. It was a pretty surreal experience to see such a giant wild animal.

No other moose were seen on the trail but we saw several moose tracks along with dozens of snowshoe hares. The scenery was gorgeous and the lake-views stunning after we exited the forest.

It didn’t get dark until 11 pm and I did get a little spooked about getting attacked by a wolf as the woods got darker. We did hear a moose swimming nearby. The sky was a gorgeous pink hue which was a nice distraction.

I set my alarm for 4:30 as I wanted to watch the sunrise at 5:30 and didn’t want to waste an hour of daylight in the one day that we were there. On our way past the dock we walked within feet of a munching moose. I heard him before I saw him and quickly diverted my path to the other side of a tractor. You can’t see him since it was still dark out but you can hear him in the video below.

My husband decided to get some more rest since we had a fairly long drive ahead of us after the ferry ride back and I went on to hike the Rock Harbor Trail to Suzy’s Cave. I figured I’d get to sleep on the ferry. I quickly realized that one disadvantage of hitting the trails early is that you get to clear the trail of spider webs. The harbor was so pretty in the morning light. I got about 4 miles of hiking in and saw some beautiful views of the lake. I saw another moose in the woods at a distance but she got scared off when 2 noisy hikers came up behind me.

The remoteness and the tranquility of the place was etched on my heart and so far I’ve found a new favorite park with Acadia and the Dry Tortugas following close behind. We are dreaming of returning soon for a week-long backpacking trip starting at Windigo on the west side of the island and I’m hoping the smell of this place will stay with me until then.