As I write this Brenda and I are on our way home from five great days in Isle Royale National Park. And I can honestly say that IRNP is unlike any place I've ever been. The secenery is beautiful, but the same can be said of anywhere I've been backpacking. The SHT is beautiful, the Rockies are beautiful, the Ozarks are beautiful, and so on. What really sets this place apart is location, location, location.
And by location, I mean on an island in the middle of the largest freshwater lake in the world. The only way to get to and from the island is via seaplane or a three to seven hour ferry ride. That's it, so when the trip is over and the lake is covered in fog, you're not going anywhere. And fortunately, that's what happened to us. Bonus time in a beautiful place.
Being on an inaccessable island, Isle Royale has it's own ecosystem that is different than the mainland. It turned out to be a very lucky thing that we were stranded there, as it gave us an opportunity to learn about the ecology of the island as well as it's history from when it was inhabited by American Indians, followed by miners, loggers, fisherman and finally a National Park.
A special community developled between us backpapers in a really short amount of time. Since we all came over to the island together on a three hour boat ride, hiked similar routes, stayed in the same campgrounds and were all stranded for an extra day together, we got to know people outside our party like I never have before. There was the cute blonde from Kalamazoo, the cute brunette with the four pound camera, and a bunch of other people that were less cute and thus, I don't recall as many details.
The trip itself was amazing, and while we didn't get to see any of the 650 moose on the island, it'll be a trip I'll always remember. Thanks to Brenda for sharing such an amazing expedition and I am excited for our return to hike the Minong Ridge in '011!
