The very start of Summer on Isle Royale!

June, 2016:  Wildflowers erupted all over the island with the arrival of June.  Summer has begun!  We moved back in to our house in Rock Harbor and were once again, connected to the main trail system in the park.  Early June was rather foggy, but gradually the sunshine returned and brought many calm days.  We began exploring more and more in our Porta-bote...a 12 foot foldable skiff that we have with a 6 hp engine in the back.

Early in the month, we had a great visit from our friends Christy and Paul and their two kids.  Jasper had so much fun having playmates for a short time.  We got out on some great hikes and took our boat out for some exploring.    

In the middle of the month, we took the Ranger III off the island and drove down state for brother Mark's wedding.  We saw many family and friends during this whirlwind tour.  On our second to last night we stayed at the Bass Family's cottage on Lake Michigan, where we were able to swim and play on the beach.  Our final night of travels was spent at Lake Michigan Rec Area in the lower part of the UP.  We camped here with a strong wind off of Lake Michigan from the south.  The hypnotic sound of waves lulled us to sleep.

Back on Isle Royale, we got out on an overnight camping trip to Daisy Farm near the end of the month.  During this trip, we hiked the Daisy Farm triangle and saw 3 moose (cow and two calves)swimming in Lake Ojibway.   

Wildflower hike

Eastern Columbine

Susanna at the helm of our little boat!

Red fox along the trail

Out exploring in our boat with Christy, Paul and kids

Found this little explorer at Suzy's Cave out during one of my trail patrols! 

Great friends at the Bass Family cottage on Lake Michigan

Jasper finds a dragon fly very interesting!

Ahhh.... Summer!

 



Later Spring on the Island...

May, 2016:  May began with lots of sunny skies, but by the end of the month, rainy and foggy weather was the norm.  Temps stayed cool throughout most of the month.  Susanna and Jasper arrived on the island.  We stayed living at Mott Island while some work was done on our house in Rock Harbor.  Flowers began to bloom and visitors began to trickle in.  It's an exciting time of year!  Many adventures are yet in front of us!

Calypso Orchid

Canoe Patrol along Amygdaloid Island

View of Canada to the North of Isle Royale

The rugged interior of Amygdaloid Island

A cold day at Mott Island



Susanna and Jasper on Mott Island on a warm day in May



A glorious sunset...

Early Spring on the Island

April, 2016:  On the 20th of April, I made the crossing back to Isle Royale.  There was less ice than the previous two springs, but it was still quite plentiful in the shallower bays.  Snow was still quite deep in places, especially on the North facing slopes.  After a night in Amygdaloid, I set up life in a small cabin on Mott Island.  Next came the long process of getting ready for the season and doing some early season patrols.  No visitors to the island meant a very remote experience.  Plentiful sunshine and many calm days meant incredible paddling and hiking!



Patrol vessel "Goshawk"

Lots of snow still on the North Shore of Isle Royale

Ahhh... Isle Royale kayaking!

A thin layer of ice on an early morning paddle!

Ojibway Tower

Early season Moose

Wolf print in the snow at Todd Harbor!

Ranger III at Mott

The very start of the Pacific Crest Trail!

March, 2016:  In mid March, my brother John and I began an epic adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California.  We got dropped off at the Mexican border and started hiking north with a goal of the Pines to Palms highway, some 151 miles to the north!  What an adventure it was!  Nine glorious days on the trail, with nothing to do but hike and soak in the grand scene of deserts and mountains, sunshine, flowers, stars and solitude...

Day 1:  Campsite with views back towards Mexica

Day 2:  Hiking down towards Lake Morena

Day 3:  Climbing up into the Laguna Mountains



Day 4:  High in the Laguna Mountains looking down towards the desert way below

Day 5:  The northern end of the Laguna Mountains, just before the desert!

Day 6:  San Felipe Hills

Day 7:  Eagle Rock, just outside of Warner Springs

Day 8:  First light from an incredible, boulder-filled campsite

The dynamic duo!



Day 9:  Looking north towards Mt. San Jacinto

  

To the Canyon Country!

Bryce Canyon at the tail end of winter

March, 2016:  After our time in the Grand Canyon in early February, we went to Las Vegas to visit Susanna's parents.  I stayed only a few days before flying to southern California and then taking a boat to Catalina Island for two weeks of dive training.  In early March, after my return to Las Vegas, we journeyed into the heart of the canyon country of southern Utah and Northern Arizona.  It was amazing to see these great parks in the late reaches of winter and early reaches of spring.  We visited Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Escalante National Monument, Capital Reef National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Natural Bridges National Monument, Navajo National Monument and finally Pipe Spring National Historic Site.  We had a great variety in weather, from quite warm in Zion and Capital Reef, to cool and sunny at Bryce, to a major snowstorm at Navajo.  Here are some of the highlights:

Our campsite in Zion NP

Zion NP at sunset

Hiking down into Bryce Canyon

Escalante National Monument

A remote drive in Capital Reef NP!

Capital Reef NP at sunset

Enjoying a campfire at Capital Reef NP

A confident hiker in Natural Bridges NM

Sipapu Bridge, Natural Bridges NM

Jasper LOVED this hike down to Sipapu Bridge.  It involved ladders and other crazy obstacles! 

   

Our campsite on a very cold morning at Navajo NM, Arizona

After the storm!  Navajo NM