Pat had no problem rolling out of the sack fairly early because he wasn’t all warm and cozy. After a wonderfully misty sunrise and several more pike from the dock, we bolted for the trail by 9:00 am. Hey….that’s early for a 17 year old!
I was concerned that the climb out of Chickenbone was going to be tough, but it wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined. Once up on the Greenstone, we caught that first great vista to the north and Sleeping Giant. Wow! But the clouds had been piling up at it was looking like we might get some rain. But it held off and we enjoyed the hike in cool temps. About :45 after hitting the ridge, we came up on some hikers who we knew were ahead of us. They had their cameras out and were giving us the “shhhh” sign. To the right just ahead…..moose! And not just one. There, were a large bull and a cow, just as content and relaxed as could be, poking around and on the browse. We watched them for a good 30 minutes from 60-70 feet away. Got lots of pics and videos. Big, honkin’ animals! The bull was likely 1,000-1,100 pounds and the cow maybe 800 or so. Wow! What an adrenalin rush!
Then, another :45 down the trail, we spotted a cow and a calf! She was a little more nervous and we kept more distance between us. We watched for about 10 minutes before they moved on.
About then, the wind was picking up, the clouds were getting thicker and the sprinkles began. Before long, it was raining proper so we got the pack covers and raingear on. Then, no sooner did we get suited up when the rain stopped….though it continued to threaten. Our plan had been to head for the Ojibway tower before dropping down to Daisy Farm. But with the threat of rain, and possibly a storm while high on the ridge, we thought better of it and took the first opportunity to head for Daisy Farm.
Probably half of Daisy’s 16 shelters were unoccupied so we pretty much had our pick. The weather mixed clouds and sun, cold and wind. I donned a down vest under my shell. We gathered again with several parties we’d met earlier, and traded stories. Just about everyone on the island was now headed for Rock Harbor and the Friday ferry departure the next day.
That evening, the winds died down some and the sun came back out. Delightful, but cool evening. Pat and I decided to see where Ranger Rob lived (and I had a few questions for him). We hiked the 200 yards or so to his residence, a small cabin right on the water. Rob came to the door, invited us in, and we spent the next hour or so in very pleasant conversation about all things Isle Royale. We learned that earlier that day, about 10 am, a wolf had waltzed right in and stood by the sign at the center of camp. Doh!
Back at the shelter, Pat and I heated up some hot chocolate, swapped our sleeping bags and launched into our last night on the Island. But festivities weren’t quite over, though. About 1:00 am or so (I’m guessing), it sounded as though someone was trying to drive a dump truck through the woods right next to our shelter. We heard breaking branches, snorting and whatnot as a moose made its rather indelicate entrance to Daisy Farm. We heard later that it was probably a cow that had recently become a regular at the camp.
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