Day 1 – Saturday July 16th Soren Toegel

The morning started out early at 5:30 am when we got up and started out from the ELC cabin in Two Harbors. We met with our 8th member, Mark Gordon after breakfast on our way to Grand Marais. Our ultimate destination was the North Country Folk School where Mark’s sailboat, the Amicus II, was moored. We loaded the ship with our provisions including 100 gallons of potable water and way too much cheese. At 9:40 we motored out of the calm of Grand Marais Harbor into the fog of Lake Superior and the 50-mile sail to Windigo on the west end of Isle Royale. We spent many hours exchanging watch until we sailed through the thinning fog towards the Rock of Ages Lighthouse which marked the unofficial entrance to Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park. We came into Windigo at 7:30 pm and docked in front of the Windigo ranger station. After a dinner of delicious sloppy joes, a contingency went out to gape at the mound of moose antlers piled around the welcome sign and take a twilight hike through the moose filled woods. After that we all went to bed in our little bunks, tired from our long day of sailing.

Day 2-Jacob Flemke

We woke up this morning with much anticipation for our long awaited Expedition to Isle Royale. Growing up in the ELC, every kid dreams of their expedition and the day for it to come and here it is! As morning turned to afternoon, all our bags were packed and we were ready for the trip of a lifetime. At around 1:30 P.M., all the bags, food and fishing rods were packed into one of ELCs classic white vans and north we went. Our destination for the night was the ELCs cabin in two harbors. The drive went pretty fast, everyone was catching up with each other about recent summer adventures and we exchanged our own excitement for the upcoming trip. We made a stop for supper in Duluth and ate at Little Angie's Cantina and Grill on Canal Park. After walking around the pier and seeing the lift bridge, we got off on the road to Two Harbors and rested up at the cabin, for a big day to come…

Day Three- Sylvia Marty

We woke up on the later side, around 7 am, and Soren made us breakfast burritos. The boys and mark got the permit while Mallary and I did the dishes and went to the gift shop. We left at 9 am and attempted to sail a few times but were unsuccessful as the wind was not favorable. After trying to sail we ended up motoring into Chippewa harbor. Out on the water, it was very cold. The cabin got down to around 52 degrees. Along with the cold, we were also enamored with thick fog. Today if it was not your turn to sail you most definitely were found down below deck shivering. We spent our time snacking, chatting, making bracelets, and most importantly napping. Once we were anchored we took out the water toys and swam around a bunch as the sun set. (Chippewa harbor had the warmest water on our trip!) Time was filled with relaxing, swimming, hiking, paddleboard, and rowing before we closed off the day with Mallary's sloppy joes.

Monday, day 4 of trip, day 3 on sailboat: Mallary Bade

We woke up on this day to a beautiful sunrise in Chippewa Harbor. Today was a layover day and I was very excited to spend the day exploring our section of Isle Royale. Getting up around 7:30 everyday was not a problem for me even though I generally wake up at 9 am at home because there is plenty of time between watches on the sailboat to sleep, rest and relax. During our watches, we each take turns steering the boat. This is a great way to have a hands-on understanding of the different techniques used in sailing the boat. However, it can get stressful at times during a tack- when the boom the main sail is attached to shifts from one side of the boat to the other. This lets a sailor progress at a snail's pace towards their destination. It is also stressful when there are a lot of waves and the boat tips to a greater side angle. For these reasons, I was relieved to be spending a day anchored on calm water with no responsibilities in sight until tomorrow.

Since it is a layover day, the group decided it would be best to have a breakfast that day that would take a longer time to make. And even though I was looking forward to soaking up the sun that morning, guess who drew the short straw on breakfast duties that day? Although in the end, I suppose it was a blessing in disguise that I made so many of my meals early on in the trip because then I could focus less on worrying about if my meals were going to turn out and focus more on enjoying the trip itself. For breakfast, I made french toast and that went off mainly without a hitch, which was good. After the dishes were done, the boys, Brad, and I decided to paddle over to Isle Royale because Brad said there was a little lake there that we could check out to see if the fishing was any good. I went over to the island in a neat little foldable dinghy. It’s a genius contraption really because it folds up into a nice little package but folds out into a sturdy boat that can hold 3 or 4 people.

Jakob and Soren took turns rowing the dinghy with the intent that I would row all the way back to the sailboat later on because I would have the wind with me. I thought they were joking. I would later find out how wrong I was. When we got to the island, we tied up the dinghy but portaged both kayaks and the stand up paddle board to the lake within the island. Once we hiked to the lake the decision was made to try to get to this little island on the lake but we had to get a little creative since the dingy had been left on the other side of the island. I had known all along that I was going to stay and read so I enjoyed watching the boys struggle to put two people on a one person kayak. It was also especially hilarious to see Soren act as an outboard motor while Brad stood on the paddleboard. After the boys had had their fun splashing around (they didn’t end up doing much fishing after all) and I swam in the surprisingly warm water for a while, we decided to head back for lunch.

We hiked back to the other side of Isle Royale and I was in for a surprise when I did indeed have to row the dinghy back all the way to the sailboat. It was slightly difficult because the wind was veering us to one side so I had to constantly paddle with one arm to steer us in the right direction. When we finally got back to the sailboat, I learned that some of our group had little faith that I could make it all the way back, but I did it, new blister and all. Once we all got back, we had a delicious lunch and the rest of the day passed in a blur of reading and afternoon catnaps in the blissfully warm sun.

Day 5 Justin Carlisle

Today started with a breakfast of breakfast burritos. After that we left Chippewa harbor around 9:00 with light fog as we headed for Rock harbor. About two hours into the sail we saw a storm coming just like the weatherman predicted; the forecast had strong winds of up to twenty knots. But when the storm finally reached it, it was only a light shower of rain that didn’t stay for more than an hour and a Half. A few hours later we reached rock harbor where we checked out the moose research, a lighthouse with a little museum, and an old fishing camp. It was interesting to see the moose researchers as they had all these bones and skulls of dead moose lined up to document and record the health and ages of them all to add to the world’s longest predator- prey observation. After Rock harbor we continued up the side of the island towards Tobin bay where we would be spending the night. Once we got to Tobin bay the guys went for a little hike in search of the visitor center. After checking it out we saw a sign for Suzie's caves and then proceeded to check it out. On the way there we saw a cow moose and her calf. After the caves and on the way back we were really late for dinner but we thought it was no big deal, we would just have to deal with cold food. But when we got back to the boat, Brad's kayak was next to the dingy. He came looking for us. After a little while Brad came back and we all headed back to the boat to cold vegetable stew and went to bed.

Day 6 Jacob Flemke

This morning we woke up in Tobin Harbor. A calm area with little other boat traffic, we anchored off of the sea plane runway, which was quite a cool experience to see planes coming from the clouds and skimming the water before fully landing. A couple of the boys rowed to land and hiked to Rock Harbor, Isle Royale's Largest visitor center, to send postcards, buy souvenirs and see the influx of people coming from sea planes and Ranger III, a ferry from nearby Houghton, Michigan. Ranger III is the largest and most expensive machinery in the National Park service fleet. Leaving Tobin Harbor was tricky… the thick fog combined with high sea plane traffic and narrow crossings, hindered our planned departure time. But we weren't at a loss, because Captain Mark Gordon kept us entertained with shipwreck stories on the very waters of Lake Superior. The fog later subsided but the clouds didn't, as we headed for Passage Island, just north of Isle Royale. Where we anchored in passage island was a small and secluded inlet. After a lunch on the boat, we rowed and kayaked to shore and set out for a hike to the abandoned Passage island Light house. Once there, it was an ominous experience with the waves crashing, rain falling and boarded up windows. On the same outing we explored the “secret beach”, coined by Mark, for the bushwacking it took to get there. It was well worth the hike, we found sea glass and wild chives. But importantly we saw nature in a different manner, where it was difficult to find much human interaction. This was another fun day on our quest to circumnavigate idyllic Isle Royale

Thursday the 21st, Day 7 Alex Nelson

We woke up at Passage Island which we had hiked the previous day. I have been sleeping out under the stars every night so I was up before everyone with the exception of Mark and Brad. Mark, Brad and I would sit outside talking and just watching the sunrise. Every morning Mark would have to wake everyone else up and every morning he says “wake up boys and girls it is time for school” and I just thought it was funny because he did that every morning.

That morning when everyone got up, Sylvia made breakfast. She brought yogurt and homemade granola. After we were done eating our breakfast, we headed to Lane Cove.

We motored out of Passage Island. Once clear we put up the mainsail and the jib and started sailing. We sailed about 25 miles that day. It was probably the fastest we were moving that trip. We were moving about 6 to 7 knots which is 6.9 to 8 in mph. Which for a sailboat, that is fast. Most of the time we were moving around 4 to 5 knots. So Thursday we were moving pretty quick. When we got close to the channel to go back to Lane Cove, Brad and Jacob had some down riggers hooked up to the boat to fish. A down rigger is a cable with a big weight that clips to your line to keep your line at the bottom of the water. When a fish gets on, the clip comes off and you reel it in like a regular fish.

On our way down the channel we slowed down to about 2 knots so Brad and Jacob could troll. They didn’t catch anything going down the channel but once we got down the channel we set anchor and ate lunch. We had meat, chips, cheese and salsa for lunch. After lunch we unloaded the two kayaks that we had on the boat and a foldable boat that was about the size of a kayak folded up. Brad and Jacob hopped in the foldable boat and went trolling. I got in one of the kayaks hoping to see a moose. I kayaked down into a little river and into a bay. I didn’t see one but I saw the path they took, and their tracks in the murky, muddy water. Their tracks through the woods looked like cow paths because they are so big.

I stayed out there for about an hour and headed back to the boat and on my way back to the boat Justin and Soren were jumping off the boat and let me tell you that is the fastest I have ever seen Justin get out of the water. The water was around 40 degrees. Soren always says the water is not that bad but when Soren got out of the water he said it was cold. The water the whole week was cold but in Lane Cove it was colder than other places we stopped.

After they got back in the boat I pulled up and jumped out of the kayak and onto the boat. We were all kinda sitting around the front of the boat because it was sunny and felt good. We could see some dark clouds coming but all it did was sprinkle a little. After that passed, Jacob and Brad came back from fishing. They didn’t catch anything.

Since it was my night to cook, I made pesto pasta. I cooked up 2lbs of pasta and put pesto on it. I did not think that was going to be enough so Soren said he had some bread left. I took that and grilled it and laid cheese on it. After we were done eating I jumped back in the kayak hoping to go back to shallow water and see a moose. While I was there waiting, Justin jumped in a kayak and joined me. The rest of the group came in the dingy except for Mark and Brad. We were there for a couple hours, and I think that is the quietest our group has ever been. Around 10 we all headed back to the sailboat and got ready for bed. I just have to say when I was sleeping outside with Brad, I tried to always fall asleep before him, if I didn’t I had to put ear plugs in so I could fall asleep.

Day Eight- Sylvia Marty

We woke up this morning with our eyes set on McCargo bay. Justin made us breakfast burritos and then we were on our way. The wind was strong today at about 15 knots and the cabin was keeled over most of the time. The keeling of the cabin was hard on your stomach and confused your body as you tried to walk around. At McCargo Bay we set up the rowboat with the trolling motor and took two trips down to the McCargo Bay dock. We got to see people who were camping there and it was strange to see others after being isolated for so long. We went on a mile and a half outwalk to these old copper mines. We attempted to try and see moose in two different lakes along the way but were unsuccessful. The moose do not like Me and Mallary apparently. The walk was a success however as we saw Pie island along with some rocks! Which intrigued the others. Once we got back we went swimming. Despite the very chilly water, we all took multiple dunks into the water and then laid in the sunshine.

Saturday the 23rd, Day 9

At about 5 in the morning Jacob and Brad went out fishing. Everyone that woke up when they left went back to bed. A couple hours later I woke up and everyone else was still sleeping except of course Mark. We sat out on the boat like usual. While Mark drank his cup of tea, we watched the sun rise. As we saw Brad and Jacob on their way back Mark woke up everyone like usual by saying “wake up boys and girls time for school”.

Since it was my morning to make breakfast, I made egg McMuffins for everyone. They were like McDonalds but probably healthier and it tasted better too. After we finished breakfast it was time to go. We motored a little while out Lane Cove and into the open waters because there was no wind. That day we were going back to Washington cove by Windigo National Park. That is where we slept our first night and we did about 30 miles that day to get there. 15 miles was probably motoring and the other 15 miles was sailing. We were sailing about 6.5 to 6.6 knots the whole time which was a good speed.

Somewhere out there we stopped and had lunch. Brad made nachos. On the way there, while I was driving, our winch broke and a piece fell into the water. We were tacking which is switching the sail from one side to the other. You let out one side and winch it in on the other. While Mark was winching it, something binded and a chunk of the winch broke off and fell into the water. Mark tried to grab it but didn’t catch it. After that we had to think of another way. So we took the rope and ran it across the boat to a different winch. I just thought it was so funny every time we talked about it Brad would sing the circus song which was so funny but we made it work and we made it there and back.

Once we got to Windigo we tied the sailboat to the dock. We walked around awhile and we saw some of Mark's friends. We talked to them for a little bit and had them take a picture of our group in front of the Windigo national park sign while we all held up moose antlers on our heads. We then went back onto the sailboat to have supper.

Sylvia brought pizza dough and mixed it up and everyone had a partner and they made their own pizza, which was good and filling. After that we went and stood out on the dock. While we were out on the dock, Justin came and said he saw another moose. He found some moose antlers so Jacob, Soren and I went out on the trail. We were hoping to see it but weren't able to. Once we got back to the boat Justin, Jacob, and Soren jumped in and went swimming. Well, it was not really swimming; they just jumped in a couple times then went back on the boat because we were getting eaten up. Then we got ready and went to bed.

Day 10 Justin Carlisle

Today was going to be the last full day of sailing. We started by leaving Washington harbor and headed for the Suzie islands where from there we were going to wait for a change in our winds. Though, after marks judgment of the winds he decided that we should continue past the islands towards Grand Marais. The sail took about ten or so hours with some fairly strong winds at times. But as we approached Grand Marais, Mark gave us a new rule that he always sails into grand marais. Even with a head wind we zigzagged into it while taking at least a dozen times before reaching the mouth of the harbor. That night we slept on the boat as we were tied to the dock.

Monday, homecoming, last day of trip: Mallary Bade

Monday morning we woke up bright and early around 6:30 am. We packed any more essential items that we had laying around and said goodbye to the boat for the last time. We drove back to Two Harbors and dropped Mark off at his house. We then drove to Judy’s restaurant for a much looked forward to breakfast. You could really tell we had all missed our sweets treats on the trip (even though I made everyone pie soup, admittedly not one of my most shining chef moments) because I ordered pie with my breakfast and Sylvia and the rest of the boys all ordered either a sweet or caramel roll. Honestly no regrets. Once we had finished a satisfying breakfast, we paid and left Soren with his parents to go on another camping trip because he is just that dedicated.

On the long drive home, I had a lot of reflection time and I realized that while this trip wasn’t everything I had hoped it would be for a number of reasons, that was perfect. This trip gave me a sense of what it would take to go on twenty-eight day trips if I end up at a place like Outward Bound as an instructor. This trip was so different from even the six day level three trips I’ve been on. You really have to take care of your body and mind in a different way than you do on shorter trips. I was discussing with Brad towards the end of the trip that even mindless things like wiping your mouth on your shirt you have to try to avoid because for the next four or five days, you’re going to need that shirt.

It was interesting for me because this felt like a test before college to see if I could really handle it. The first day, I missed my mom immensely and I yearn for the comforts of home. But what I realized as the trip went on goes back to that old saying, “This too shall pass.” The more time I spent with my fellow junior instructors and with Brad and Mark, I realized it’s possible to find comfort in the uncomfortable. And what an important lesson that was for me to grasp right before college, a time where every awkward and stilted conversation attempt to make friends may seem foolish, silly, and in vain.

So while this trip may not have meant everything to me, it was groundbreaking in the way that it taught me to carry on in hard situations and to believe that there will be rest, joy and happiness past that next hill, if I only stick around long enough to see it. And that’s something I will always be grateful for.

Highlights Soren Toegel

During our trip we had a few highlights. They include seeing moose, or at least seeing them vicariously through Justin’s account of his twilight hikes, hiking to Suzy’s Cave, exploring the Passage Island Lighthouse in the rain, swimming in Lake Superior, Jacob and Brad catching fish and cooking them, and baking bread in the gimbled oven while heeled over in the wind.