By John Keefover of Keefography
Isle Royale National Park
Backpacking Trip Report May 24 - June 1st 2021
If you enjoy this free content please consider making a CONTRIBUTION, buying my 2023 PHOTOGRAPHY CALENDAR, purchasing PRINTS, and following along on Social Media at Instagram, Facebook, & YouTube. Your support is greatly appreciated to help cover travel costs, permits, gear acquisitions, and time commitments needed to get outside and share these adventures with you all. Thank you!
DAY 5 - MAY 28 2021
Todd Harbor to South Lake Desor: 11.7 miles
It was by far the coldest night of the trip. Before bed last night Chad fired up his weather radio and we were able to pick up the nearby Canadian forecast. There was a frost warning and it did get down to freezing temps. I decided not to get up for sunrise just to stay as warm as I could in the tent before getting going.
Woke up to the sound of a JetBoil at 7:30. I let out a big yawn and Ben returned with an agreeing “yuuuppp.” I asked if he could bring me the camp stove and I was able to boil up my water for breakfast in bed. That’s my kind of cooking on the trail! It’s weird not having to worry about hanging your food at night outside of camp, but with no bears on the island you’re able to keep them with you.
We were all moving pretty slow this morning even in the cold so we got a late start on the day’s hike. There are no shelters where we’re headed at South Lake Desor though so we weren’t particularly in a rush. Once on the trail we cruised through pretty easy terrain for the most part.
Nick and Chad crossing a small stream on a nice wooden bridge.
At one point we came across some guys who said there were 2 spots ahead with lots of beaver activity flooding the trail and re-routing it before we hit Hatchet Lake on our way. These were the spots marked with pink flags that the ranger in Rock Harbor told us about before. The first and largest one had a massive beaver dam that you walk across! That was pretty cool. The next one was not so cool though... There was a small broken bridge crossing. Ben went first and trusted it a little too much. He hopped over to one of the boards and it ended up sliding out from underneath him. He went falling into the shallow river. Luckily he was alright and all of his gear seemed to be fine. We had a slight scare because the tip of his big wildlife lens on his camera dipped in the water a bit. There was a little bit of condensation built up on the inside of the glass but as we found out later in the day and more so later in the trip, it cleared up mostly while drying out in the sun. After watching that fall, Nick, Chad and I went further along the river to find a few logs that we could cross on and met up with a wet Ben.
Ben on a huge beaver dam crossing.
The rest of the way was a beautiful green forest that was really coming to life in the spring now. We followed along a ridge with Hatchet Lake on the other side until we reached the trail juncture to hop back on the Greenstone Trail from the Minong Trail. At Hatchet Lake we filled up on water and had some snacks. We’ll stop for lunch once we hit the Ishpeming Point Fire Tower in about 4 miles. After that it’s another 4 to our destination at South Lake Desor. There’s no water on the way so we’re rationing until we get to camp.
The climb out of Hatchet Lake was quite the hike. Once on the Greenstone again though we were cruising! There were a few big downed trees that we had to go around, but other than that we were in the zone. Walking silently now on a mission. We all felt great though. The trail was already starting to become so green and lush. It felt like summer but without the heat and no bugs from the freezing nights.
The last stretch to the tower was very swampy and muddy. The tower itself was not what we were expecting either after first visiting the Mount Ojibway Fire Tower. Even though it was the highest point of this ridge it was very grown in all around, and the top platform of the tower was falling apart. Definitely not seeing any fires from up there. It was also locked prohibiting you from climbing it at all. It did make for a good spot for lunch though in the shade underneath.
The section of the trail going from the tower to Desor was noticeably filled with wildflowers! We had some amazing time coming out here weather and season wise. About a mile and a half out from Desor we got a nice view of the lake and the impressive Mount Desor off in the distance. We’ll be hiking that tomorrow!
Islands on Lake Desor from an overlook before getting to the campsite.
We got into camp a little after dinner time and were worried we might not get a spot. Every campground we’ve been at filled up around then and that’s what people we’ve passed on the trail have been saying too. Still can’t believe how many people are out here! Not sure if it’s because it’s now Memorial Day Weekend or if that’s just how it’s going to be this year with people getting out after being stuck inside all last year from the pandemic... Anyways we got to the campground and managed to get one of the last open individual tent sites that fit all 4 of our tents and had lake access. The couple we’ve seen at the last 2 campgrounds we were at also claimed the last site here next to us!
We went down the steep hill to the lake for water and to soak our feet. It felt very much like the BWCA(Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness) on this inland lake. We ate our dinners on the shore here but the wind picked up off the water and got cold. Ben and I decided to go shoot the woodland around us for golden hour. It was good finally getting some trail shots with nice soft light instead of the harsh midday light we’ve had while hiking. After we lost our good lighting we went back to chill at camp for a bit before bed.
Trip Report from backpacking the 42 mile long Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail. It follows sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.