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This year’s trip was a unique backpacking adventure to say the least. Our high
adventure coordinator, Mr. Wayne Gulliford, searched extensively to locate an
isolated island in the northwest corner of Lake Superior named Isle Royale National
Park that offered an exceptional chance to backpack in the wilderness In addition
to Wayne, the crew consisted of our crew leader Bill B., his assistant Shane M.,
chaplain’s aide Sean K., medic Pat M., scribe Mike L., quartermaster Bob D., and
cook Joe B. along with assistant leaders Tom Dombai and Jim (Luca)Biasi.
Planning for the trip started in December of 2010 with electing crew positions and
learning basic backpacking skills and leave no trace principles. The remoteness of
this national park dictated that everyone know how to care for themselves and this
fragile environment. Our training started with a simple five mile hike and graduated
into two, fifteen mile weekend treks with overnight bivouacs along the Ice Age Trail in
Southern Wisconsin and culminated with a weekend at Devil’s Lake State Park,
where scouts got their first taste of the vertical part of backpacking.
After months of weighing food and gear, honing camping skills and learning how to
live out of a pack, we were finally ready for the adventure to begin. On Friday
evening, June 17th, the crew met in the school parking lot and loaded food, gear
and people into two vehicles and drove 450 miles north through the night, arriving in
Copper Harbor, Michigan very early in the morning. We awoke at 6 AM to get some
breakfast in a small restaurant where we ate and changed into our hiking clothes.
Then it was back to the parking field where we would leave the cars for a week and
load packs with food and get to the waiting ferry for the start of a very long day.
After loading gear and at least sixty passengers, the ferry left a little after 8 and
started a three and a half hour ferry ride across a quiet Lake Superior. Wayne had
informed us that when the lake gets rough, many passengers have been known to
lose their lunch over the side of the ship. Instead most of us were able to take short
naps to prepare us for an eight mile hike once we got onto the island.
adventure coordinator, Mr. Wayne Gulliford, searched extensively to locate an
isolated island in the northwest corner of Lake Superior named Isle Royale National
Park that offered an exceptional chance to backpack in the wilderness In addition
to Wayne, the crew consisted of our crew leader Bill B., his assistant Shane M.,
chaplain’s aide Sean K., medic Pat M., scribe Mike L., quartermaster Bob D., and
cook Joe B. along with assistant leaders Tom Dombai and Jim (Luca)Biasi.
Planning for the trip started in December of 2010 with electing crew positions and
learning basic backpacking skills and leave no trace principles. The remoteness of
this national park dictated that everyone know how to care for themselves and this
fragile environment. Our training started with a simple five mile hike and graduated
into two, fifteen mile weekend treks with overnight bivouacs along the Ice Age Trail in
Southern Wisconsin and culminated with a weekend at Devil’s Lake State Park,
where scouts got their first taste of the vertical part of backpacking.
After months of weighing food and gear, honing camping skills and learning how to
live out of a pack, we were finally ready for the adventure to begin. On Friday
evening, June 17th, the crew met in the school parking lot and loaded food, gear
and people into two vehicles and drove 450 miles north through the night, arriving in
Copper Harbor, Michigan very early in the morning. We awoke at 6 AM to get some
breakfast in a small restaurant where we ate and changed into our hiking clothes.
Then it was back to the parking field where we would leave the cars for a week and
load packs with food and get to the waiting ferry for the start of a very long day.
After loading gear and at least sixty passengers, the ferry left a little after 8 and
started a three and a half hour ferry ride across a quiet Lake Superior. Wayne had
informed us that when the lake gets rough, many passengers have been known to
lose their lunch over the side of the ship. Instead most of us were able to take short
naps to prepare us for an eight mile hike once we got onto the island.
| JUNE 17 - 26 |
We arrived at Rock Harbor on Isle Royale around noon and after an orientation
meeting, we found a picnic table to eat sub sandwiches, load up on water, weigh our
packs and finally start our backpacking adventure into the wilderness. Our first day
followed the water’s edge, with a quick stop at Suzy’s Cave and past some small
open pit mines. The ridge that runs down the spine of the island is called the
Greenstone and got its name from the color of weathered copper.
After arriving at our first campground, Daisy Farm, and locating the group camp
sites, we came to a terrible realization: we could not have a fire. That may not sound
bad but our first dinner was to be steaks roasted over coals along with mash
potatoes and green beans and since there was no fuel for the stoves planned for
this meal, it became a major concern. Wayne cooked the steaks so that they wouldn’
t end up as hockey pucks while the cooks prepared the potatoes and beans. Dinner
was exceptional!
meeting, we found a picnic table to eat sub sandwiches, load up on water, weigh our
packs and finally start our backpacking adventure into the wilderness. Our first day
followed the water’s edge, with a quick stop at Suzy’s Cave and past some small
open pit mines. The ridge that runs down the spine of the island is called the
Greenstone and got its name from the color of weathered copper.
After arriving at our first campground, Daisy Farm, and locating the group camp
sites, we came to a terrible realization: we could not have a fire. That may not sound
bad but our first dinner was to be steaks roasted over coals along with mash
potatoes and green beans and since there was no fuel for the stoves planned for
this meal, it became a major concern. Wayne cooked the steaks so that they wouldn’
t end up as hockey pucks while the cooks prepared the potatoes and beans. Dinner
was exceptional!
