Isle Royale, Day 2: Chippewa Harbor—Schooner Island—Siskiwit Bay—Houghton Point—Fishermen’s Home Cove—Atwood Beach

Go to: Introduction – Preparation – Getting There—Day 1

Total Distance=24 miles; Time=9.5 hours.

Up at the break of dawn the next morning—it sure would have been nice to explore Chippewa Harbor for a day or two. As it was, we headed straight out of the harbor gates. It took over 3 hours to cook and eat the breakfast, break down camp, and pack our boats. We took off at 10:20am. There was some confusion about time zones among other people on the island. A ranger later told us that Windigo people prefer CST while on the Rock Harbor side they use EST. The ferry from MN probably runs on CST schedule, the ones from Michigan use EST.

When we exited Chippewa Harbor, a familiar scene of head wind, white caps and 1-3' waves greeted us from the Lady. We paddled for 2.5 hours in these lively conditions checking out various inlets and doing some mild rock hopping on our way to the SW. In full sunshine and the temperature crawling into the 70s we took our lunch break in an unnamed bay just north of the Schooner Island. The water temperature in the bay measured in the low to mid 50s but bare feet felt tingly in just a minute of immersion. Had I consulted the bigger charts, we would have probably taken a short side-hike to an abandoned mine about a quarter mile from our lunch spot. No worries, it'll still be there. We thoroughly enjoyed two hours of sun and drying out on a pebble beach.

From here we decided to forego a scheduled stop at Malone Bay and paddled a straight line course across the Siskiwit Bay to the Houghton point. The plan was to make good time at the beginning of the trip so that we could play in the multitude of bays and islands on the NE side of the island if there was time left over. With the brisk 15 knot wind from the SW we had to work hard to keep reasonable pace. The crossing ahead of us was 9 miles—no joke paddling directly into the wind. The few times that we stopped paddling, GPS showed that in less than a minute we were drifting in the opposite direction at over 1MPH.

We decided against paddling to the chain of islands starting with the Isle Royale Lighthouse on Menagerie Island. This chain separates Siskiwit Bay from Lake Superior and extends straight northeast for almost the entire 9-mile stretch from Point Houghton. That detour wouldn't have barely added a mile to the crossing; however, the rocks and bays and who knows what other wonders that lie there may have delayed an excited paddler for longer than we could afford. If our paddling in the first part of the day was any indication, we may have even camped on one of those miniature islands or big rocks.

In retrospect, following the b-line was a mistake. The crossing was arduous, long and boring. Lulled into complacency by the beauty of the shoreline so far, we skipped on interesting sights and exploration to make time. And what did we get? Three hours of paddling into 15 knot head wind fully exposed. Had we taken the detour to the south, we probably would have been able to hide from the wind somewhat and paddle faster overall. Not to mention the sights we missed out on. The only distraction during the crossing was a NPS service boat that steamed to the south of us and appeared to dock at Senter Point. NPS maintains a full fleet of service boats on the island. We never found out what kind of construction was taking place.

In the end, reach Point Houghton we did without much to tell about the crossing. The day was beautiful, the water was alive, and we were happy to reach land for variety's sake. We didn't even get hot with the cool wind from the head.

Following the shore from Point Houghton we soon reached the Fisherman's Home Cove. A small residence can be found there with some of last private landowners who still live on the island. When Island Royale was declared a National Park, those who had property there had an option to retain their rights until death. The shrewd ones registered their properties to their newborns so it will be 80 years and more until the entire island becomes public land. The Fisherman's Home Cove is a short and very shallow bay with several buildings on the south shore. Signs tell the paddler to, pretty much, get out of there—a clever attempt to be funny but it did not get me to smile. This sarcasm just seemed out of place at a national park.

Our destination for the day was Atwood beach. We haven't really seen any beaches so far but this stretch was advertised as a pristine location. We still had a couple of hours of daylight and about 6 miles to go. We did not know the distance exactly since Atwood was not on our charts. Realistically speaking, we could have stopped anywhere along this shore. There were many red sand beaches and we had our cross-country permit. We decided to push on for the goal and see if Atwood Beach was really as special as they say. For some reason, they named that place while dozens of other beaches on this stretch are unnamed. There's gotta be something to it, right?

As we moved west, there were fewer and fewer rocks and sandy beaches grew bigger and closer together. After a short while, each one of them looked pretty enough to be the Atwood Beach. We finally reached the biggest one of them all and called it a day. Upon closer examination, GPS revealed that the location was, in fact, Atwood. A small headland on the west end distinguished it from the other ones. There was also a small welcoming committee in the person of one otter that was playing in the water just off shore. While walking on the beach to stretch the legs, we also spotted plentiful interwoven moose and wolf tracks. The imagination had to do the rest as the animals themselves were gone. The forest bordering the beach was pretty much impenetrable and no marked trails lead to this beach from the island interior. I am sure there are some moose trails but we did not look.

The beach we picked for the night was quite long. It seemed like a half of a mile so it took us some time to pick the perfect spot to pitch our tents. As soon as we did that and hung up all the paddling clothes to dry, it started to pour. It was getting dark by then so we cancelled our dinner reservations and retired to our tents to rest. Granola was my dinner for the night. Outside, it felt like it rained all night long and pretty hard at that. The forecast for the following day was not encouraging: 25 knot winds from the west backing to southwest, 3-5' waves in the morning building to 5-8' by the afternoon. We could see the distinct front approach from the NW for the good part of the afternoon as another one passed to the south.

Overall, a great day of paddling! Perfect weather, just enough excitement in the water, beautiful scenery, good company and bodies still fresh.

Go to: Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 5 – Day 6 – Day 7 – Reflections

Isle Royale: Day 1: Rock Harbor – West Caribou Campground – Chippewa Harbor

Go to: Introduction – Preparation – Getting There

Total Distance=14.7 miles, Time=4.5 hours.

Upon arrival to Rock Harbor, all campers are required to go through a short 10-15 minute orientation to the leave-no-trace principles and practices that apply to camping on the island. Like on order, stiff rain started pouring almost as soon as the ranger began talking. Another good introduction as to what to expect here.

After the talk we had to register our itinerary at the ranger station and get our camping permits. We took out a special (free) cross-country permit which allows one to camp in designated wilderness areas. Practically the entire shore of IR is open to wilderness camping but several interior areas are off limits for humans. The whole registration bit is done to keep track of the campers and aid in search and rescue efforts, so we were told. The rangers did not seem very interested in the details of our plans.

To pack the boats, we had to carry them to a pebble beach close to the Lodges—about 200 yards to the west of the dock. As we unloaded our riches a pair of kayak fishermen pulled in—both of them in cut-off jeans shorts and without any shirts or PFDs. One of them must have been in his early 20s while the other looked like a mature version of Ernest Hemingway. They told us some tall tales of battling 4' seas in their open cockpit kayaks which I found hard to believe. On the other hand, the entire week before our arrival was unseasonably warm in Isle Royale. Close to shore in protected waters of the numerous harbors around the island the attire was probably not all that unreasonable. Nevertheless, safety savvy paddler in me scratched the head for quite a while thinking "Should or shouldn't I?"

A couple of sea kayakers also launched from the same beach. They wore dry tops and thermal pants. The two were headed to Belle Isle and were going to base camp there for 5 days. We named the woman Freya—she looked much like the famed German and maybe even spoke with an accent. She was clearly in charge of the duo and instructed her equally impressively built but physically smaller male partner in the details related to packing, dressing, and launching.

Without much debate we chose the clock-wise course for our trip. The main deciding factor was the prevailing westerly wind and the NW stretch of the island shore where landing site were reportedly scarce. We wanted to do that segment downwind and bet with those odds. At the time, the wind was square from the west southwest.

We touched off at around 2PM and paddled into a gorgeous sunny day with the air temperature in mid-60s. Calm protected waters inside the Rock Harbor were perfect for the beginning of the journey. We knew, however, that 1-3' waves were building with the SW wind on the outside of the protective barrier of small off-shore islands. Within the first half-hour or paddling it started to rain. Hard! We did not mind and actually were even happy about it. Full of energy and hope we greeted the rain as the liberator from the heat that was building up inside the dry suits. There's also something about the rain that makes it all feel so calm and peaceful and mystical. Very appropriate.

Travelling at a brisk 3.5 MPH pace inside the protected Rock Harbor we continued to hear the roar of the waves and the wind on the other side or the barrier. I was growing impatient and eager to heed the calls of the mermaids. Russ seemed perfectly content to paddle inside in peace. As if he knew what challenges the trip will bring us. As if he could tell that we will need to save the energy for what lies ahead. We reached an implicit compromise. A bridge connects the west side of the East Caribou Island to its neighbor. We darted under it and into the wash of the 2-4' waves to the south. The pace slowed somewhat but the enjoyment and the connection with the surroundings grew to compensate. Staying away from the rocky shoreline we paddled to the campsite on West Caribou and took a short snack break there.

After that, we crossed the Middle Islands Passage toward Tonkin and Conglomerate bays passing an abandoned lighthouse to our starboard. The rest of the way to Chippewa Harbor campsite the coast was all exposed. This shoreline was all rock but there were plenty of small inlets or protected landing sites and small pebble beaches. Caught in a storm, a kayaker could find shelter along this stretch and would be able to land without too much trouble.

How quickly the waters calmed upon entering the harbor. A sailboat beaconed from the dock at Chippewa campground. All four shelters were already occupied by backpackers and the group campsite was also inhabited by a lone former park ranger and her sea kayak. She came over to chat later that night and told us about several of her favorite spots on the north shores. Two individual campsites were still open. We took the one on higher ground. It provided a nice partial view of the Chippewa Harbor from the boulders that towered to the northeast. The lower one had a fire ring. We did not know that those are not very common here at Island Royale.

There were also several canoes by the dock. An old man walked toward us from the shelters. He brought his grand-daughters for a canoeing trip. The family took a water shuttle from Rock Harbor and it dropped them at Chippewa. Before we realized that, I was really beginning to doubt the touted speed advantages of a sea kayak over a canoe when I saw an old man with his pre-teen company beat us fair and square to the spot.

Building the tents, hanging the paddling clothes to dry, cooking and eating the dinner quickly wrapped up the day. Down we went with the sun.

Go to: Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 5 – Day 6 – Day 7 – Reflections

ISLE ROYALE: GETTING THERE

Go to: Introduction -- Pre-Trip Research

Western suburbs of Chicago to Copper Harbor, MI is an all-day trip. I left Naperville about 9AM. In well over an hour I was in Kenosha area where Russ took over the driving. We arrived in Copper Harbor just as the sun set. Along the way, we only stopped for some fresh last-minute groceries in Houghton Wal-Mart—the northern-most biggish city along the way—and took a little side-trip to visit Piers Gorge–the site recently covered by Tom Bamonte's trip report. Otherwise, it was just a long drive. The woods became ever denser with every mile heading north. After Milwaukee, there were few urban areas along the way.

We took a hike at Piers Gorge and watched with excitement as rafts stuffed with thrill-seekers dropped into the white water boils one after another off of a 10' drop. A teenage boy from one of the rafts fell out as the craft went over the falls. The fast-moving water quickly took him and the raft to a boulder known as the VW Beatle. Right as he got close to the rock in the middle of the river, he got himself in between the boulder and the raft. Next moment the raft hit the huge boulder and bounced off of it. The boy disappeared in the white washing machine. I cringed. Luckily, the fella emerged from under the water a couple dozen feet downstream and was promptly fished out by the outfitters camped out on shore and armed with rope-stuffed throw bags.

Copper Harbor is another matter. Here's something that explains the place that it is very well. When we got to the motel located within steps of the ferry dock, we found no one in the office. A list of customers was glued to the inside of the window. It detailed that all guests are to proceed to their rooms and the keys had been left on the table inside. So we stopped to our room. The end of check-in procedure. How's that for safety concerns in the North Woods!

First order of business after settling in the motel was a dry run of kayak packing. We spread the goods on the lawn that separates the motel from Lake Superior—all of 50 feet of it or so—and practiced hard for about an hour with our headlights on. The daylight was all gone. Many things that I planned to take along did not fit. This was, after all, my first long trip out of the boat. Luckily the items that did not make it were luxuries. They stayed behind in Russ's truck without much loss. I believe Russ, who has packed his kayak for camping many times, also had to leave some items in the truck. I believe he mentioned that this was the longest he was going to life out of his Nordkapp. There was something to show for experience. Russ's daily packing chore seemed to go smoother and faster than mine. I will just blame it on the fact that he had those luxurious 16" oval Valley hatches while mine were the poor-man's version—7.5" round ones, all three of them.

Once we were done pretend-packing, about 11PM, we were hungry. We were heading into the wilderness for a week after all. The only burger to be found on the Island was at the Rock Harbor Lodge. Not much remained open in town at this hour. We hit both of the open places. One had the kitchen already closed and offered us quick food. The other one bore a promise of frozen pizza! It sounded mighty good on the night before we will rely on our own cooking skills for a while. It turned out to be a smoky establishment with a loud crowd. In the end, the last supper consisted of French Fries, a gigantic plate of nachos and some local beers. Perfectly willing to gorge ourselves, we could not finish the nacho plate between the two of us!



THE FERRY RIDE

Kayaks have to be lined up in front of the ferry one hour before departure which meant an early morning for us. 7:30AM EST! I enjoyed every last drop of the hot shower before we stepped onto the cold iron decks of the ferry. The crew hoisted our vessels on the top decks and tied them up to the railings. The gear bags were also whisked up onto the upper deck. I found it to be kind of strange that so much weight was being loaded so high on the ferry. In a kayak that spells a date with the bottom. Before long, though, we found ourselves on the front deck of the Isle Royale Queen IV heading into a cold morning breeze northwest toward the Island of Kings. The day was just perfect—stiff breeze from the NW, 1-2' waves, some clouds and refreshing temperatures somewhere in the 50s.

The three-hour trip went quickly as we chatted away with a father-daughter pair of hikers from Upper Michigan. While on the ship, the crew collected the $4 daily fees from all the campers—a good time-saving measure.

It's probably best that I did not see the island on the horizon until we were practically in Rock Harbor. The off-shore rocks and islets in the mist were exactly what I pictured the island to be in my dreams. Peace and serenity all wrapped in the shroud of mystery and accompanied by a harmonious roar of wind and breaking wave best describe the feelings that flooded the consciousness. I was truly moved by the first sight of the island. The anticipation of several months has boiled up to the emotional climax. This was the emotional high of the whole trip for me—the arrival, the promise, the free reign for the imagination and anticipation!

Go to: Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 5 – Day 6 – Day 7 – Reflections

ISLE ROYALE: PRE-TRIP RESEARCH

Go to: Introduction

Here are a couple of web resources I consulted in preparation for the trip. They are in the order in which I read them:

• Rogue Paddler sentimental account of Isle Royale circumnavigation with some inter-personal drama involved
  
• Another circumnavigation account by Chicago's own Dave Naudi with some technical detail and safety tips
  
• Canoe & Kayak article on the destination
  
• SKOAC has several trips to this location including the best picture galleries that I was able to find
  
• And, of course, Jim Dufresne book. This seems to be the ultimate wilderness guide to the destination. The water portion is largely for canoeists or kayakers who want to explore the inland lakes of Isle Royale or stay in protected harbors.
  

Relevant NOAA Nautical Charts include the 14968 (1:120,000 scale) or three times more detailed 14976 (1:40,000). Zoom in on the map and you can view the charts on-line. A little bit more work and you can download them for a more detailed look on your own desktop—see this "How-To" write-up. I bought the more detailed chart but, in the end, decided that printouts from the less detailed chart #14968 would be sufficient for our purposes. In retrospect, I missed the greater detail of the #14976 on the trip as little bays and inlets were sometimes difficult to judge accurately from the larger-scale map. Larger scale charts were sure convenient, though. In general, I would say that the National Geographic Tails Illustrated map would probably be the best resource to guide a circumnavigation. Rocks and depth markings on the NOAA charts are not particularly relevant for kayakers. It's good to know about the shoals during stormy conditions; however, these can be noted at home and maybe even transferred to the topographical land map. The only really useful thing that NOAA charts have is the information on navigational lights, so if you plant to get far off-shore or travel at night NOAA charts would come very handy.

Sticking with the topic of navigation, both Russ and I relied pretty heavily on the Garmin GPS. Russ had an old Legend with some recreational maps of the US and I have uploaded topographical maps of Michigan downloaded from GPS File Depot. Here's also a link to Isle Royale on-line forum thread which includes files with points of interests for Garmin as well as in general GPX format.

Camping on Isle Royale is on the first-come-first-served basis—in other words, you cannot reserve a specific campsite. In our case, we did not even know if we will paddle clockwise or counter-clockwise until we got there—the weather was to decide. Regardless, the park service requires that each camping party fill out an itinerary with a camping site indicated for each night's stay. A cross-country camping permit is also available. This free option allows one to camp anywhere on the Island bar a few areas reserved for wildlife and exclusion zones around trails as well as established camping sites. Most of these are on the island interior so a kayaker with the cross-country permit can basically camp along the entire coastline of the island.

National Data Buoy Center maintains an overlay on Google maps.

Buoys 45001 and 45006 will give you wave heights, water and air temperatures for the area in the days immediately prior to the trip. There are also two weather stations on the west (Rock of Ages) and east (Passage Island Lighthouse) sides of the island. These are the best sources for wind and temperature information. At the time of the writing, these weather stations were only useful in trip preparation. Who knows, maybe by the time you're reading this, real time access to these from the cockpit of the kayak will be available.

Go to:  Getting There – Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 5 – Day 6 – Day 7 – Reflections

Changes on Decks--Nordkapp HS (1987)

Here's a link to a photo gallery tracing my summer project to improve the Nordkapp HS (1987).

The main inspiration for the project was the removal of the hand-pump behind the seat. While it still worked 20 years after being originally installed, it was inoperational in rough water.

Many Greenland-inclined paddlers note that the Nordkapp's cockpit is too high at the back for layback rolls. So I decided to lower it by about 1 inch and make it flush with the back deck. I have pretty long legs, so an ulterior motive for this was to make my squeezing into the ocean cockpit easier.

I consider the project a success! It is much easier to get in now.

I hope this will serve as inspiration or a step-by-step to someone. Would appreciate to hear any feedback or suggestions on improvements or alternatives.

In addition to the pump and cockpit rim changes, the project included:
- Installing a day hatch
- Installing a bulkhead behind the seat to create a third water-tight compartment
- Relocating the skeg control box from behind to in front of the seat
- Installing a recessed deck compass receptacle

Conversion of the hand-pump into a foot-pump is next on the list.