Day 1
We awoke around 6 a.m. had our last shower for a week, ate some pop tarts, took a final inventory of our packs, and headed for the dock. We got our car settled in the parking lot, loaded our gear, and boarded the Queen. We took off right on time at 8:00 a.m. The ride was very smooth; it was a beautiful morning. We arrived at the dock at Rock Harbor, Isle Royale around 11:20 a.m. We gathered for the leave no trace lecture on the docks, then on to register for our permits.
We were on the trail headed for Daisy Farm by 12:40 p.m. The trail was pretty rocky, which quickly broke in our ankles. We stopped at 3 Mile Campground and had lunch and rested our feet at one of the shelters. We got back on the trail to finish day one and arrived at Daisy Farm campground at 4:45 p.m. and settled in to shelter 13. This shelter had a great location and had a perfect location for our new backpacking hammock. This was our luxury item of the trip and was a fantastic way to rest our tired feet!! We will definitely be taking this hammock on every trip from now on.Once we were settled in to the shelter we headed down to Lake Superior to get some water. We were going to soak our sore feet, but the water was so cold we couldn't stand it! Instead we just sat on a log and enjoyed the beautiful view. We headed back to camp, relaxed in th
e hammock, then prepared a delicous dinner of beef stroganoff, garlic mashed potatoes, corn followed by a Hershey bar for dessert. We played a game of Phase 10 dice and read for a bit. We went to bed early tired after the first day on the trail.Day 2
We woke up around 8 a.m., made some oatmeal for breakfast and packed things up. We took a leisurely s
troll to the beach and enjoyed a cup of coffee. We were on the trail before 1o headed for West Chickenbone. It was a very hot day, so we stopped often to rest, cool, and hydrate. We took our time today so that we could enjoy the beautiful scenery of this wonderful island. Crossing one of the bogs, we had our first glimpse of moose tracks in the mud.
We stopped halfway and had pasta primavera for lunch. This was very yummy and gave us extra energy to head to camp. We arrived at W. Chickenbone at 4:15 p.m. and set up our tent. We went for a quick swim to cool off. We later found that there were leaches in the lake, but we only ended up with one on Eric's ankle. We took a short nap in the hammock, then prepared a very filling dinner of couscous burritoes with chicken. The mosquitoes forced us into our tent by 7:00 p.m. We played Phase 10 dice and headed to bed early again.
We woke up around 8 a.m., made some oatmeal for breakfast and packed things up. We took a leisurely s
troll to the beach and enjoyed a cup of coffee. We were on the trail before 1o headed for West Chickenbone. It was a very hot day, so we stopped often to rest, cool, and hydrate. We took our time today so that we could enjoy the beautiful scenery of this wonderful island. Crossing one of the bogs, we had our first glimpse of moose tracks in the mud.We stopped halfway and had pasta primavera for lunch. This was very yummy and gave us extra energy to head to camp. We arrived at W. Chickenbone at 4:15 p.m. and set up our tent. We went for a quick swim to cool off. We later found that there were leaches in the lake, but we only ended up with one on Eric's ankle. We took a short nap in the hammock, then prepared a very filling dinner of couscous burritoes with chicken. The mosquitoes forced us into our tent by 7:00 p.m. We played Phase 10 dice and headed to bed early again.
Day 3
We woke up around 8:00 a.m. again. We had some breakfast bars, packed up ca
mp, and were on the trail by 9:00 a.m. The hike back up to the Greenstone seemed completely uphill and was a hard start to the morning. We stopped on a nice, rocky outcropping for a long lunch break and had tortilla shells with peanut butter and jelly. Our energy seemed very high today, so we continuted on after lunch only taking a couple of quick breaks to rest our feet, enjoy the breathtaking views, and sip some water.
mp, and were on the trail by 9:00 a.m. The hike back up to the Greenstone seemed completely uphill and was a hard start to the morning. We stopped on a nice, rocky outcropping for a long lunch break and had tortilla shells with peanut butter and jelly. Our energy seemed very high today, so we continuted on after lunch only taking a couple of quick breaks to rest our feet, enjoy the breathtaking views, and sip some water. 
The trail down to Hatchet Lake campground was a steep downhill, so we took our time since our feet and knees were a bit sore. We set up the tent and took our ritual nap in the hammoc
k. After getting our camp arranged for the night, we made a delicious dinner of pesto tomato pasta with green beans and dessert of dark chocolate cheesecake. We walked down to the lake to fill our water bottles and soak our feet in the lake. A perfect end to a wonderful day! We played a game of phase 10 dice and headed to bed.
k. After getting our camp arranged for the night, we made a delicious dinner of pesto tomato pasta with green beans and dessert of dark chocolate cheesecake. We walked down to the lake to fill our water bottles and soak our feet in the lake. A perfect end to a wonderful day! We played a game of phase 10 dice and headed to bed.Day 4
We awoke at 6:58 a.m. to the distinct sound of two moose calling to each other. We excitedly hurried out of the tent to see if we could see them only to find a thick blanket of fog. It was very interesting to listen to them calling, however. Since we were up, we decided to pack up the tent and get ready for the day. After an oatmeal breakfast, we hit the trail at 8:30 not looking forward to the climb back up to the Greenstone after the treaturous downhill yesterday. We seemed to notice increased fatigue today, so we took it a little slower. We stopped at Ishpeming Tower for a quick lunch break. The mosquitoes didn't allow us to stop for very long though before they started to carry us away.
We arrived at South Lake Desor campground at 1:30. We set up camp, filled our water bottles, and relaxed in t
he hammock. While resting in the hammock, a man ran by and said he had seen moose swimming by. We hurriedly headed down the the lake in time to watch a mother moose and her calf swim by and get out of the lake a ways down. Our first moose sighting of the trip, and it was much more exciting that we had imagined. They were much larger than we had imagined!! We took a couple of pictures, then headed back to make dinner. Another wonderful dinner, tonight consisting of bacon and pea alfredo pasto. After dinner we read for a while, played phase 10 dice and 
headed to bed. We awoke at 3:00 a.m. to hear a moose walking around the campground making quite a bit of noise. We could even feel the ground shake as the moose was walking by. I have to admit, it was a little scarey wondering hoping it wouldn't decide to walk right where our tent was! Luckily, it wandered off, and we were back to sleep.
he hammock. While resting in the hammock, a man ran by and said he had seen moose swimming by. We hurriedly headed down the the lake in time to watch a mother moose and her calf swim by and get out of the lake a ways down. Our first moose sighting of the trip, and it was much more exciting that we had imagined. They were much larger than we had imagined!! We took a couple of pictures, then headed back to make dinner. Another wonderful dinner, tonight consisting of bacon and pea alfredo pasto. After dinner we read for a while, played phase 10 dice and 
headed to bed. We awoke at 3:00 a.m. to hear a moose walking around the campground making quite a bit of noise. We could even feel the ground shake as the moose was walking by. I have to admit, it was a little scarey wondering hoping it wouldn't decide to walk right where our tent was! Luckily, it wandered off, and we were back to sleep.Day 5
We got up around 6:45 a.m. to a few sprinkles of rain. We packed up quickly, ate some breakfast bars, and hit the trail. The rain was on and off for the first several miles on the Greenstone, but before long became a steady downpour. It was too warm to put our raingear on at first, but before long decided to don the gear so as not to get chilled. We reached the junction to head to Siskiwit Bay campground and made a final decision (we'd been toiling with the idea since last night) to continue on to Washington Creek instead of doing the Feldtman Loop. So we took a quick break for gorp and headed on for the "downhill" hike to Washington Creek.
We were excited when we finally reached Washington Creek. We settled in to shelter #6 upon arrival to Washington Creek. This was a long hike and our feet were very sore. We got into dry clothes and rested in our sleeping bags for a while. The rain stopped, so we decided to head into Windigo to explore a bit. We took time to explore the visitor center and then headed to the store. We decided to splurge after 5 days on the trail and get a pizza and some ice cream bars for lunch. They tasted amazing after all of that trail food!! We headed back to the shelter, popped our blisters, and studied the map. We decided to make the shelter our base camp for the next three days until we were scheduled to take the ferry to Rock Harbor. Our feet and backs were very excited since the 11 miles today was very hard on us.
After dinner, we went to the visitor center for the evening presentation on journaling Isle Royale. This was a great presentation. On our way back, we were lucky enough to see a moose eating out in the water. It seemed oblivous to all of the boaters and even the fisherman who was wading and fishing nearby. We headed back to the shelter, played phase 10 dice, and headed for bed.
Day 6
We slept in this morning and then lounged in our sleeping bags for a while before getting up to make some oatmeal. We had decided to rest today and explore Windigo. After breakfast, we headed into Windigo to do a load of laundry. It felt great to have some clean clothes. We enjoyed another cup of coffee while studying the map and figured we had walked over 43 miles so far since arriving on Isle Royale. This felt like a great accomplishment to us.
We attended a program on the bats of Isle Royale at the boaters pavilion, which we really enjoyed. We went on the 1 mile guided nature walk and enjoyed the information about the habitats of Isle Royale. 
We spent some leisurely time at the shelter to rest our feet during the afternoon. While resting in our shelter in the afternoon, a mother moose and calf walked by the front of our shelter out in the water. Several hourse later, we saw possibly the same mother moose and calf walking by our shelter, get out of the water, and graze on some plants just down the trail. In the evening, we attended a program at the visitor's center on winter on Isle Royale. This was a great program, and very informative but also entertaining. We headed back to bed for early night.
We spent some leisurely time at the shelter to rest our feet during the afternoon. While resting in our shelter in the afternoon, a mother moose and calf walked by the front of our shelter out in the water. Several hourse later, we saw possibly the same mother moose and calf walking by our shelter, get out of the water, and graze on some plants just down the trail. In the evening, we attended a program at the visitor's center on winter on Isle Royale. This was a great program, and very informative but also entertaining. We headed back to bed for early night.Day 7
We woke up at about 7:00 a.m., had a nice breakfast, and hit the trail for Hugginin Cove by 8:00 a.m. It began to rain after 30 minutes on the trail, and it didn't take long before our pants were soaked, as we walked through the brush. The trail was very beautiful, even with the rain. About 45 
minutes before we reached Hugginin Cove campground we saw a mother moose and calf a ways off the trail. We took a picture and continued on. The trail along the coast was breathtaking! We took time to take in the views and take several pictures. After exploring the campground, we headed along the west loop and back to Washington Creek. We went to the store and purchase a couple of shower tokens now that we were done hiking for the trip. The 5 minute shower was worth every penny! We relaxed for the rest of the day, enjoyed the peace and quiet, and got ready for the ferry the next day.
minutes before we reached Hugginin Cove campground we saw a mother moose and calf a ways off the trail. We took a picture and continued on. The trail along the coast was breathtaking! We took time to take in the views and take several pictures. After exploring the campground, we headed along the west loop and back to Washington Creek. We went to the store and purchase a couple of shower tokens now that we were done hiking for the trip. The 5 minute shower was worth every penny! We relaxed for the rest of the day, enjoyed the peace and quiet, and got ready for the ferry the next day.
Day 8
We woke up and got things in our shelter packed up. After breakfast, we headed to the dock to wait for the Voyageur II
. It was running a bit behind schedule, but after passengers off-loaded and registered for their stay we were on our way. The trip was beautiful as we made our way around the island. After seeing all the beauty, we are excited to possibly explore different parts of the island. It started to rain just before reaching Rock Harbor, so we had to stay inside the boat for the last leg of the trip. We got our packs and headed straight for the campground where we were able to secure the last free shelter. It continued to rain, so we were glad that we were able to get a shelter.
. It was running a bit behind schedule, but after passengers off-loaded and registered for their stay we were on our way. The trip was beautiful as we made our way around the island. After seeing all the beauty, we are excited to possibly explore different parts of the island. It started to rain just before reaching Rock Harbor, so we had to stay inside the boat for the last leg of the trip. We got our packs and headed straight for the campground where we were able to secure the last free shelter. It continued to rain, so we were glad that we were able to get a shelter. We decided to head to the Greenstone Grill for dinner. The burger and beer tasted great after 8 days on the island! Our taste buds were excited! We attended a program on loons which was very well presented.
Day 9
After breakfast, we got our stuff all packed back up and ready for the trip back to the main land. We were definitely not ready to leave this beautiful island. We boarded the Queen bound for Copper Harbor. The captain let us know that the waves were 3-4 feet with some larger swells, so it could be a rough ride. The waves continued to be bigger as we continued on, and the ride was not pleasant at all. Everyone was very happy to set foot on land once we arrived in Copper Harbor. We had some dinner in Houghton and decided to call it an evening.
This vacation surpassed all of our expectations of Isle Royale. We both immediately fell in love with the island and really hoping to be able to get back soon! Overall we hiked 53 miles and loved every step of it.
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