A Superior Journey

Day 4 (June 4): Friday began in a remarkable way.  As I was fixing hot chocolate in the shelter I heard sounds coming from over the ridge across the cove.  I awakened Kyle and asked him to listen.  What followed was truly memorable.  A wolf pack was calling and howling.  The sounds came from two directions and were moving toward each other.  To the right were the classic and prolonged howls you associate with nature films.  Intermingled with the howls were barks, growls, and other dog sounds.  To the left, and more stationary, were occasional howls but mostly high-pitched calls and whines that seemed puppy-like in nature.  The calls went on until they merged.  A silence of a minute or so then followed.  Then the hearty adult howls & barks, as well as the puppy chorus, continued.  The sounds faded as the pack moved further away and over the ridge.

     Thinking back on the moment I can almost see the wolves racing back to their young.  A caretaker adult or two probably was with the pups.  As the adults neared their young they howled to let them know of their approach.  Perhaps their sounds meant, “We have food and are coming!”  When they met you can imagine the dog greeting behavior that ensued and represented the minute or so of silent interlude.  Then more barks and howls signifying perhaps, “OK, we’re together—the pack is whole—it’s time to go!”  What a rare treat for Kyle and me!

     After speaking with some of the Earthwatch volunteers who were camped at the cove in preparation for bushwhacking after moose bones Kyle and I prepared to depart for the day’s hike.  We packed out of McCargoe Cove and were on the trail at about 8:00.  This was to be the first leg of the rugged Minong Trail.  The Minong is a progressively sapping trail that features lots of elevation changes, bogs, beaver dam crossings, numerous rocks & roots, and some tough days.  Minong is a Chippewa word that loosely translates to “A Fine Place” and was the original name for the island itself.  The Minong Trail, despite its difficulties, in my opinion is the most beautiful on the Island and was one that Kyle and I had hiked the previous year.  That had been a rather dry year and this was far from that so we wondered how some of the more boggy areas would be.  Fortunately, the first seven-mile section to Todd Harbor, while challenging, was not the wettest section of this taxing trail.

     Kyle and I made our first applications of moleskin today.  Blisters and some hot spots had developed after yesterday’s hike in the mud.  It is always best to attend to your feet as nothing can more easily ruin a backpacking trip than nagging foot problems.  What wonderful stuff moleskin is!  It made the day’s rocks and roots much more bearable for both of us.

     The first section of the Minong is scenic but the least interesting of the four legs of the trail.  While there were some lovely birch stands and rocky ridges where you can look out at the Canadian shore, some of the trail was a bit of a woods walk.  However, this is a tiring stretch as the trail drifts up and down along what was originally a fire fighter’s path.  There are numerous short ascents and descents that feature lots of rocks, each of which presents an opportunity to slip or turn an ankle.  Once atop the ridges there are some spectacular views.  Early on in the hike both Kyle and I were drenched in sweat and we drank a great deal of water during the morning.