Isle Royale  August 22-29, 2003
Steve Parrish

Following a successful trip to the Apostle Islands last summer, several of us talked about a “big trip” in 2003.  In early February I applied for permits to group camp at Isle Royale.  This lead to a fun 6 months of planning and a great late August trip of 10 Iowa kayakers touring Isle Royale.

Isle Royale is a National Park in the northern part of Lake Superior.  It is large, isolated and has a rugged beauty. The island includes challenging ridges, summiting at 794 feet, and a odd collection of flora and fauna.  For example, it has substantial populations of moose and wolves, and yet there are neither deer nor raccoons.  Its remoteness and beauty explain why it is the least visited National Park in the U.S. and yet the most often revisited.

10 of us (Steve Parrish, Bob Johansen, Dave Kraemer, Dave Foster, Matt Maxwell, Rick Dietz, Jerry Kemperman, Betsy Wallace, Brian Lange, and John Pearson) drove to Grand Portage, MN to take a 22 mile ferry crossing to the island on the 55 foot Voyageur II.  Although the trip was scheduled for 6 nights of camping, high winds and rough seas resulted in our staying an extra day on the island.  The trip blessed us with mostly great weather, incredible hiking and calm paddling.  We planned a fairly conservative itinerary so that we could avoid being stuck in bad Superior waters and so that we would have time to hike and explore the island.

The trip was a wonderful collection of lessons learned and results obtained.  Below is a small sampling of these experiences.

LESSON:  Organize, plan, and communicate among the participants.
RESULT:  Because we had months of emails going back and forth about the trip, and even a pre-trip meeting, we had no mix-up in plans, room enough in our boats, and very little duplication of supplies.

LESSON: Involve and invite a variety of people.
RESULT:  We had a diverse group and benefited because of it. From the wonderful lectures by John Pearson, DNR Botanist, to the story telling skills of Doc Lange, to the engineering skills of Dave Foster, to the culinary mastery of Dave Kraemer (just to give a few examples), the entire group was entertained, educated, and well fed.  Amazingly, 10 people can coordinate plans, get along, and show up at the right place when needed.  We had one “free” day where we didn’t have to change campsites.  It was interesting to see how 4 went off to challenge the open waters of Superior (many had bought new kayaks in anticipation of the trip), others went inland to explore the lakes and trails of the island, and others simply stayed and enjoyed camp life.  Yet we could all get together and enjoy the incredible evenings.  We saw Mars at its nearest point, shining an eerie red column on the still waters.  We were entertained by moose (cow and calf) grazing near our camp site, and we ended one evening watching a display of the Northern Lights that could rival a Hollywood opening.
 
 

LESSON:  The boy scouts are right:  “Be Prepared”
RESULT:  We had a few unplanned for events.  Two of our intrepid group became sick (nothing that destroyed the trip for them or the group), and as mentioned we ended up staying an extra day on the island because of high seas.  But the group didn’t let these or any other unscheduled happenings become a problem.  We had the collective skills and supplies to assure that the contingencies were covered and the experience remained safe and fun.  This includes the hours of paddling practice we all did in the off season to assure we were up to the challenge of kayaking.  This is best demonstrated by an incident which could have been disastrous, but ended up just an amusing story.

Coming in from a day of paddling the open waters, Dave Kraemer decided to demonstrate his rolling skills.  Unfortunately his attempted roll didn’t work and he was upside down in the COLD waters of Superior.  When he reached for his spray skirt pull loop, it was tucked under the combing and Dave could not pry the neoprene loose from the boat.  Wisely, he reached his two hands to the hull of his boat, and slapped twice, the universal sign for “I’m in trouble down here!”  Rick Dietz was in his kayak just feet away.  He quickly turned his boat, positioned himself at a perpendicular angle to Dave’s turned over boat, and “t-boned” the boat.  Dave immediately grabbed Rick’s bow and used it as an outrigger to flip his boat rightside up.  Once Dave caught his breath, he explained the he, Rick and others had practiced two-boat rescues during the winter.  Having a “plan B” for when things go wrong proved to be a life saver in this instance!

LESSON:  Plan the trip as an experience, not as a kayaking vacation
RESULT:  I will remember this trip as so much more than going out with 9 others to paddle Lake Superior.  Before we ever left the mainland, we had the fun of meeting Dave Foster’s parents in Grand Morais.  The ferry trip itself was a chance to see the whole island and its incredible lighthouses, not just the north east quadrant we explored.  Taking time to look at wolf tracks, eat wild berries, explore a “moose ranch” (that is a whole story in and of itself!), talk with others encountered on shore on in the trails – all unplanned for and yet a part of the trip.  And there’s nothing wrong with learning a few things.  John and Jerry made botany and ecology come alive, Betsy’s stories of the arctic and world famous paddlers took us away from our Iowa myopia, and the Park Rangers lectures and conversations opened our eyes to a bigger world.  Bob’s untiring energy, Rick’s boating skill, Matt’s practiced athleticism, are all inspirations for things to work on for the next trip.

Lake Superior is a paddling treasure not that far from Central Iowa.  I can now vouch for both the Apostle Islands and Isle Royale.  I look forward to stories in this newsletter that reveal other gems!

(C)Copyright 2003