Stunning. Peaceful. Wild.
40 miles in 4 days. Feldtmann Lake Loop clockwise then Huginnin Cove Loop counterclockwise.
Highlights: There are too many highlights to list. I will try and go in order of our trip. We met some very cool people. Three siblings in their 20's from Minnesota with a great sense of humor; a dad and young adult daughter from Michigan with a calm and determined core; an ultra athletic couple honeymooning with crazy mileage in the park; a self-proclaimed "gypsy on the inside, old lady on the outside" with stories of Haight Ashbury from her youth; and a retired couple from Oregon on their quest to visit every National Park (43 down!). We also had miles and many hours with solitude interspersed with wildlife encounters. We learned the ease of sleeping in a screened shelter at Siskiwit Bay, the areas at Feldtmann Lake campground that the wildlife love the most (sites 1 and 2), and the serene feeling that a magnificent sunset provides. The first and last day we did not see any moose and the second and third we saw three and ten. We watched a clever fox try his best to poach campers food and were astounded to see how fast and far moose can swim. We jumped over mud, balanced on rock, and waded through chest high foliage for miles on end. We marveled at the power of beavers and the beauty of the loons call. The list goes on.
Lowlights: The first 8 miles from Windigo to Siskiwit Bay were fairly boring. I could have easily been walking on the Ice Age Trail. Don't get me wrong, I like a walk in the woods, but, after the work it takes to get to the island, you certainly are hoping for more than average. That said, I am glad we got that over with on the first day rather than the last. There are certainly many periods throughout where you are in a green tunnel, but that was by far the longest stretch of 'meh'. There were about 4 miles out of Siskiwit Bay to Feldtmann Lake where the foliage covered the trail and rose to our chests. It got old. We also like to hit the trail a little early, so we were soaked with dew by the time we got through it.
Tips: Our big dilemma was how to get there. The total travel time was similar out of Minnesota as it was out of Wisconsin. We ultimately decided to drive more and ferry less. This was a good choice. It was a 6.5 hour drive and 1.5 hour ferry ride. We arrived the night before and set up camp at a casino. It is just a glorified parking lot with grass, but it is a space. In retrospect, we probably could have just car slept...but likely not as comfortably. The perk was it had a shower, which we took advantage of before and after the trip. We took the Seahunter and the crew is great. The rangers are also great, but you need to arrive with patience because everyone getting off the ferry needs to head in to get a permit or day pass. You need to be prepared to wait. We did the Feldtmann Lake loop clockwise. I highly recommend this. It gets the boring part over with early. By adding in the figure eight to Huginnin Cove we were able to stop by the Windigo Store on Day 3 and resupply and grab some beers. This is a nice perk. My favorite sites were either of the shelters at Siskiwit Bay, Sites 2, 1, and 4 (in order of preference) at Feldtman Lake, and Sites 1, 2, and 5 at Huginnin Cove. They are all first come/first serve, and most of them are great, so there is not much need to stress about it. Last note: If you are riding on the outside on the ferry, bundle up. It gets cold. I had my puffy, rain jacket, and gloves for the ride back and I was comfortable.
Comments