The first leg of our zigzag around Isle Royale was the Feldtmann Loop, starting from Washington Creek, where we had camped overnight on Day 1.

Day 2, Washington Creek to Feldtmann Lake, 12.8 miles:

We packed up camp early and were raring to go after the delays of the day before, but as soon as we got on trail we realized that the rangers had not been joking around when they warned us that the island was overgrown. It had been totally closed down until mid-June, with no trail maintenance until then and little foot traffic. The trails were overgrown and muddy, and the bushwhacking was tiring, but it was awesome to feel like we were the only ones on the island, wending our way through an almost-pristine wilderness.

The mornings on Isle Royale were almost invariably foggy, so thick it felt like being in a dream. Sounds were muffled and details took on exceptional clarity. once they were in arms’ reach and close enough to see.

On the way we met badass hiker Allison (blissfulhiker.com) who was flying cheerfully up the trail and would leapfrog us for the next few days. She hiked both Te Araroa and the PCT last year and seemed very at home; by the time we huffed and puffed into the primitive campsites area each day, Allison would be there already set up and lounging. Heck yeah hiker #goals!

We settled in at Feldtmann Lake and I took the short spur trail to Rainbow Cove to check out options for sunset viewing (spoiler alert: it’s perfect).

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Day 3, Feldtmann Lake to Siskiwit Bay, 10.3 miles:

The next day we were off on another bushwhack, trying to eat as many thimbleberries and raspberries as we could pick without slowing down. Siskiwit Bay was our destination, with primitive scattered cabins and an enormous curving beach.

CK wrote in his journal that night: “The morning part of our hike was all uphill and in dense woods, but it gave way to an absolutely beautiful ridge. We sat down for lunch at the Feldtmann Lookout Tower, tended to our feet and then pressed on downhill to our camp. …We recanted the day’s hike and remembered seeing three big bulls in the woods about 20 minutes west of the tower.

CK: “As we readied for dinner a little skinny fox just walked right into our camp like he owned the place. Banging pots didn’t bother him a bit, eventually he meandered off and went by Allison (we could tell when she started bringing the noise, banging pots and yelling), went to bed only to get a 2AM visit from a loud and clearly upset moose. It took me a good hour to get to sleep.”

There are shelters at about half of the 36 primitive backcountry campsite areas on the island, and they are marvelous (and free). There’s fine mesh screen on the open-air front of the shelters to keep out critters, and shelving/railing around the inside to hang-dry clothes. Much appreciated, as it rained half the days we were there and stayed pretty humid all the rest.

The shelters are first-come, first-served and have picnic tables and sometimes a fire ring, or a shared fire ring, and best of all, the ones we stayed in all had views of the water.

We decided to take a zero day and stay at Siskiwit another night, skinny dipping (brrrr Lake Superior!) and exploring the beaches nearby. CK coaxed me out onto a sandbar near the Siskiwit River outlet, and we spent a long time watching the current patterns there and the fish and birds hunting bugs.

We moved to a different cabin for the second night, and from then on started picking campsites based partly on “Is there a big moose impression in the grass in camp” in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the night before. Cognitively we knew that we were safe in the shelter with the moose snorting and stomping right outside, but holy mother of moose it just sounded so BIG.

One of the highlights of the day was that I had packed in a jello instant cheesecake mix and an entire stick of butter, and after dinner tried my hand at Hikertrash Cheesecake, chilled in the lake. Pretty swanky.

The sunset over the bay was luscious and long, and then we slept like angels.

Day 4, Siskiwit Bay to Lake Desor South, 10 miles:

We were up early and on our way before sunrise, refreshed and ready for the ridges!

We backtracked up the spur trail and rejoined the Feldtmann Loop, which travels along the beach for two sections before turning inland.

Section 1 of 3 down as we left the marshy, muddy coast and climbed up toward the spine of Minong and the Greenstone Ridge Trail.