Isle Royale, MI
Paddling in the protected bay is very different from kayaking on the outside shore. Loons are abundant, methodically poking their heads underwater, searching for small fish. Chestnut-sided warblers, starting their southward migration, flit through the spruces. We hiked the portage trail through mature boreal forest to Lake Whittlesey. The lake is long, narrow, and winding, begging to be explored. I decided that my next trip to Isle Royale would be by canoe. Near the end of our trip, we stopped at Rock Harbor Lighthouse and hiked over to visit Rolf and Candy Peterson, who have been studying wolves on Isle Royale for 33 years. We had seen them earlier, canoeing on the outside, something only very experienced canoeists should even consider.
"We were trying to go around the entire island," Candy explained at their cozy cabin. "We've done it before. But this trip we only had 10 days and the weather was bad, so we didn't make it all the way."
The way she said it made it clear that the Petersons would circumnavigate the island again in the future. They, like many others, are fascinated by Isle Royale. A ranger told us that it has the most repeat visitors of any national park in the country. Michael, who has been paddling there for 12 years, summed it up best: "Isle Royale kind of gets under your skin. You just keep coming back."
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