Every year I admit to not being organized, but this year is even worse. We thought about going out west this year but decided against it because of the NWA strike. So just last week I made reservations at Pukaskwa National Park for the three of us (Linda Runyon, Linda Crandall, and myself). Fortunately it was fairly easy to throw together my equipment since I’ve been doing this a few years now. This evening Jim and Tommy dropped off Linda at my house and after a few tears we left for Sterling, MI, and Linda Runyon’s house. We ate a dinner of carry-out chicken from Iva’s and then crash for the night.

We left Linda’s house at 8:30 am and stop in Gaylord at ten for breakfast. We stopped for gas at the Soo before crossing into Canada. We left the Soo at 12:45 pm and drive north on Highway 17, past Wawa, arriving in Marathon at 5:20 pm. We find the Harbor Inn where we have reservations for the night. It is a new motel, but is not on the harbor. We have a nice view of a parking lot. We walked around town and discover that much of the harbor is taken up by a paper plant. We had dinner with very slow service. Back in the room we drank some wine, repacked our packs, and went to bed.

It was slow checking out of the motel because of a computer glitch that causes the phone call to disappear. We had breakfast at a different restaurant with slow service. We find the park (645 miles from home) and with some difficulty a park ranger. Registering for our trip is also slow because he is unfamiliar with the computer system. Finally we are on the trail at 10:50 am. It is an easy walk around Hattie Cove. There are extensive boardwalks over low-lying and swampy areas. We walk through the woods and up and over a small ridge. It is generally an unmarked trail, but usually very obvious. On the rocky portions there are frequent rock cairns. Linda C takes the lead on the trail, with me in the middle, and Linda R bringing up the rear. Linda C scrambles over rocks and up and down hills, occasionally waiting for Linda and I to catch up. We took nearly an hour break and had some snack food although we weren’t hungry enough for lunch. On Playter Harbour we found a campsite that was unmarked on our trail guide. It was a really lovely site. We continued on the trail, crossed the suspension bridge over the scenic White River and were to our campsite at the Lower White River by 3:20 pm. The day was mostly sunny and warm. We picked out a pretty site out on a point surrounded on three sides with rocks going down to the water. We shared the rocks with the eight guys from the next campsite. They were members of the Canadian Military Reserves and very friendly. They were swimming, fishing, and just relaxing on the rocks. The three of us went swimming with some difficulty. The rocks were very slippery and the current in the river very swift. But the river felt wonderful and it was worth the effort. We then set up camp, scrunching our tent (the Taj Mahal borrowed from Curt and Denise) onto a very small site. Water was pumped through the new water filter purchased this year. We had our wine and cheese on a rock overlooking the rapids. We were annoyed somewhat by very tiny mosquitoes that didn’t seem to bite. We cooked dinner (Linda R and I split Beef Stroganoff and Linda C had Black Bean Tamale Pie) and had a small campfire to burn what garbage we could. We were all tired, but doing well, especially since I am getting over the cold my father-in-law brought me from Estonia, Linda Runyon pulled a muscle in her back yesterday, and Linda Crandall had an upset stomach this morning. No need to hang food. Each of the camping areas is equipped with a bear box. It is a large metal box you can stow your food in and secure with a clasp. In an attempt to be helpful one of our neighbors brings over a weather radio for us to listen to. There is a 100% chance of rain tomorrow. I am not sure I needed to know that. The guys are chuckling as they are just hiking out tomorrow.

Lower White River to Willow River (5.3 miles in 6 hours and 45 minutes hiking time in the rain)

The weather forecast was correct. It began raining just as we got up at 7 am and continued all day. We ate breakfast and packed up the camp and the rain continued to increase. Before we even left, Linda R slipped on the rocks getting water and bruised or broke her tailbone. We left the campsite at 9:20 am. At eleven we took a break at the Upper White River campsite area and had a snack. It was depressing to think we had been on the trail for an hour and a half and had not even started the White River to Willow River stretch. But the day was warm and although we were wet we were not cold. Linda C hiked with her jacket on, but Linda R and I went most of the day without a jacket. At 2:00 pm we took a half-hour break in the woods and ate some beef jerky. The going was very slow. Much of today’s trail was over very slippery rocks, but you had to be deliberate with every step, even on the easy stretches. I constantly thought about how easily Dolores had fallen in her front yard and severely broken her ankle. I sure did not want to do it here. We did see a couple of grouse in the woods, but mostly moss, lichens, and mushrooms. Just when I wondered if my shoes could get any wetter, we were forced to go through a puddle that was over our boots. And, yes, they could be wetter. Linda R took several falls today and both her knees were bothering her. Her tailbone did not bother her while hiking, but sitting was very uncomfortable. We arrived at the campsites at 5:20 pm. It looked like the nicest site was out on a rocky point. Unfortunately you had to go over a stretch of driftwood logs and loose rocks to get there. Linda C had the most energy and volunteered to go check it out. She went out and looked around and motioned us to join her. It was a lovely site and worth getting to. It even stopped raining for awhile. We set up the tent and put it and the rainfly in the breeze on the point. It dried out pretty well and we got it set up just before it began to rain again. We used both the ropes designated for hanging food, one for a clothesline and the other to secure the rain fly on the tent. The tent site and fire pit areas are sheltered in the woods. There are nice benches near the fire pit. We cooked dinner and started and kept a fire going for awhile. The bear box is back near the trail across the loose rock and logs. Linda C made two treacherous trips there this evening. Linda R cannot sit or sleep on her front or back without pain, so it is a narcotic night for her tonight. We all go to bed exhausted, but happy to have made today’s hike with no broken legs or ankles and happy to have dry sleeping bags in a dry tent.

We were in good shape in the tent overnight. The rain stopped but the dripping from the trees continued. It is cooler this morning, but clear skies and sunshine. We fetched food from the bear box, ate breakfast, did laundry, and spread out our packs and contents to dry. Linda R is still in some pain so a change of itinerary is in order. We are taking today as a layover day and staying put another night. There are no complaints from any of us about not going on today. Linda C and I stash the food after breakfast and continue around the bay to check out the other campsites – all currently unoccupied. They are on a beautiful sandy beach. Our site is nicer. We carried some firewood back with us. Then we all went in the water to clean up. We bathed sitting in the shallow water. Then Linda R and I went out further to swim a little. Back at the site, clean and dried off, we sat on a rock for lunch overlooking our bay. We weren’t quite done when Linda C spotted a black bear on the beach across from us. He headed along toward us going into and out of the woods, checking the other campsites. We gathered up our remaining food and the Lindas put it on the privy roof, while I tried to keep an eye on the bear. There is no doubt the bear would have beat us to the bear box. He disappeared into the woods at about the trail and we didn’t see him again. After some time had passed and there was still no sign of the bear, we retrieved the food and all three went down to the bear box to stash it. We continued on to try and find bear prints in the sand. We did. We gathered kindling on the way back. We met a lone hiker at the trail. We had originally seen him attempting to get his stove operational at the parking lot at Hattie Cove. He laid up yesterday in the rain. I guess I am glad we hiked then, so that we could have this beautiful sunny day here today. We warned him about the bear and to be careful about his food. He seemed very unconcerned. Later a group of seven hikers came from the other direction and took the first campsite. I’m glad we bathed when alone. Linda R headed to the tent for a nap. Linda C headed over the rocks to the lake side to read. I found a spot in the shade on the bay side to read. The peace ended at 4:30 pm with our new neighbors yelling, "Bear!" All seven of them came out of the woods onto the beach. Then the bear was on the beach. With the men there for comparison I could tell the bear was big! He nosed around their site for about a half-hour. Three guys made a break for the bear box. He did grab one pack, but never got any food. They felt they could not stay there though. They packed up and headed back across the Willow River and out to the point. We could see them on a ridge across the bay from us. We got our dinner food and found a nice breezy spot in the rocks away from our campsite. The wine, cheese, and crackers were especially nice tonight. Our spot in the sun on the rocks was quite warm and comfy. When Linda C felt the need to "go," she did it on the rocks, thinking that bears might respect people who mark their territories. Except for some anxiety about the return of the bear, it was a lovely evening. Linda and I split Chicken Polynesian, and Linda C had Cheese Enchilada Ranchero. We cleaned up immediately after eating, got a good fire going, and burned our garbage. We relaxed out on the rocks watching the stars. The night was absolutely clear and the stars fabulous. We headed into the tent about ten when it got too cool. It really did cool down and I had to zip up the foot and snug the hood on my sleeping bag tonight.

Cool this morning, but still mostly blue skies with just a few clouds. We got up at 7:30 am. There was no sign of a bear having visited. We saw the guys up across the way. Heard them yell at us, but couldn’t understand them. We got our breakfast food, ate, and stowed the garbage back in the bear box. We are really trying to be careful with our food and I am careful to always have my whistle with me. We filtered some water in preparation for a day hike. Then the group of seven guys was packed up and back down on the beach. Linda R sat and read while Linda C and I went to talk to them. They yelled to us this morning because the bear was on the beach. We never saw it. Fortunately it was moving away from us. It crossed the river and climbed to their site, where they were just finishing breakfast. They broke camp as fast as they could, pitched some eggs, potatoes, and fajitas into their fire pit, and left. They were on the beach repacking their backpacks and heading to White River. The Lindas and I talked it over and decided to stick with our original plan of this morning - to do the small loop the other side of the river as a day hike and stay one more night here. We headed out for our day hike at noon, crossing over the Willow River on a narrow suspension bridge and heading along the trail toward their makeshift campsite. We did not see the hornet nest or hornets we had been warned about after the last campsite, which was just fine. We had a nice view of our campsite across the bay from the higher elevation. We heard and then saw two loons swimming and diving in the bay. When we got to the site the guys had camped at there was still food in the fire pit. So the bear did not get it. We also saw the small mountain ash they said the bear had knocked over. Puzzling behavior. We continued on to a rocky outcropping on the lake for a lunch break. The sky had clouded over and the wind was quite strong off the lake. I had just finished writing in my journal and was getting down to some serious snacking when I saw a bear at the edge of the woods not far from us. He was headed in the other direction and soon disappeared over a rock. We quickly finished eating the beef jerky, our smelliest food. We washed our hands, packed up our few things, and said, "Now what?" Then I spotted the bear up a tree not far from where it had disappeared. If we continued on the loop as planned we’d have to go by the bear. So we backtracked. We stopped for another break and reading at 2:45 pm on the last rocky outcropping right overlooking the outlet of the Willow River. Read till 4:00 pm, snacking on dried cherries and almonds. We watched two more lone hikers emerge from the trail onto the beach. One guy went to our site to check it out then went to one of the sites along the beach. The other guy did not stop to camp. We hiked on back to our site and went out to wash up and bathe, with clothes today. The original lone hiker that we referred to as the "Weirdo" was filtering water from a log on the beach. We brought back dinner, straightened up our campsite, and went to a different rocky cove to prepare dinner tonight. There was wine and cheese first, then Chili Mac for Linda and I, and Garden Pasta for Linda C. We are planning to hike tomorrow so ate the heaviest cheese and heaviest chocolate bar that we had left. We had a fire to take care of the garbage, but it was too warm to enjoy it. We went back out to our rock for some more star-gazing. It was a little cloudy, but we still had some great views. Linda C stayed up later than Linda R or I and the sky cleared up even more. It was still fairly warm when I went to bed at 10:30 pm.

We were up at 7:30 am to a breezy, overcast day. It allowed us to take down the tent totally dry. We had only tea and shortbread for breakfast and continued packing up. We carried our packs down to the bear box and finished packing the food there. We hit the trail back to the White River at 10:10 am. It was a much nicer hike without the rain. We traveled in about half the time. We stopped up high on a rocky outcropping with a little view of Lake Superior for lunch. In the rain we couldn’t even see the lake. The sky totally cleared up and we enjoyed lunch in the full sunshine. I was really winded and hot going up the rocks in the sun. It made me really appreciate the walks in the woods in the shade. After a 45-minute break we were back on the trail and at the first Upper White River campsite by 2:15 pm. The first two campsites were in the woods with difficult access to the water, but they were unoccupied. We checked out the next site. It was unoccupied too and situated in a very pretty spot just below Chigamiwinigum Falls, but the tent site was unacceptable for three people. So we went back to the first sites, picked the one we liked best, set up our tent, unloaded sleeping bags, and stashed most of our food in the bear box. Then we took our packs to the other site by the falls. We stashed our dinner food in their bear box. We went out on the rocks below the falls and went in swimming. Unfortunately we have left the toiletries at the last bear box or someone took them by mistake. So we did the best we could cleaning up. The water was very pleasant and we were able to get in an area with no current. Drying off in the sun on the rocks was nice. I filtered water, while the Lindas read. The waterfall was very noisy, so conversation was difficult. We retrieved the food and found a different spot on the rocks overlooking the falls to cook. We have seen very few people today and no one since reaching these campsites. We are still enjoying wine with our cheese and crackers. The wine we have been drinking on the trip is Rosemont Shiraz 1996. Tonight’s entrees are Beef Stroganoff and Pasta Primavera. This site too was picturesque but very noisy. We had to shout to hear each other even sitting close together. As we were ready to enjoy our tea after dinner, we realized it was getting dark quickly. We packed everything up and hiked through the woods back to where our tent was set up. The Lindas were carrying their cups of tea. All three of us were wearing our headlamps. The site has two crudely built chairs and lots of firewood. We were all so warm that we didn’t feel like starting a fire. No star gazing tonight. Even if the sky was clear, you couldn’t see it through the trees. We all read for awhile. Then Linda R made a small fire to burn the garbage. I should explain that when we leave a site we pick through the fire pit and carry out any garbage not consumed by the fire. Burning does reduce the volume of garbage and also takes care of any food odor. We enjoyed the fire awhile, read some more, and went to bed.

I looked at my watch at 5:45 am and immediately after it began to rain. It only lasted for about five minutes. I must have slept well during the night, because Linda R said there was lightning, thunder, and rain. I have been taking sleeping pills every night while camping, otherwise I don’t sleep well. Linda C wears ear plugs so she doesn’t have to hear me snore. And Linda R just sleeps. I dreamt about Grandma Florence last night. Today is her birthday, the first since she died. We got up around 7:00 am. The skies are overcast and water is dripping from the trees. We packed up the tent quickly, packed up our bags and had breakfast. There is no good access to water here, so we boiled filtered water. It went quickly. So did my breakfast. Shortly after eating, I threw up my tea and shortbread. I don’t know why. We left at our normal 9:20 am. In the woods we passed lots of bunchberry and Clintonia, but none with berries on them. Today there were a few ferns, but not really very many. We were back to the bridge over the White River in an hour and to the campsite on Playter Harbour by noon. The going was fairly easy, but the trail was quite wet. Although there was not much color change, there were more yellow and fallen leaves on the trail today than on Sunday. Linda R took another fall on a wooden walkway, but landed in soft moss. Her knees are quite swollen and I know they are bothering her, yet she rarely complains. Day hikers were at the site, but didn’t stay long. We climbed out on the rocks for lunch. I was quite hungry since I started with an empty stomach. Since no one was here, we decided to stay. We set up the tent then went swimming. The shallow little bay was quite warm and a little mucky. There were two outlets to the harbor area. Even though the water was cooler it was wonderful. It was deep enough to swim, but had a nice sand bottom if you wanted to stand. We cleaned up the best we could without soap. Just as we were getting dry clothes on a lone day hiker that we passed earlier came by. He has been car camping and day hiking. He told us about running into a bear at the parking lot of Gargantua Bay in Lake Superior Provincial Park just a few days ago. That is where we were hiking last year at this time. It has been a very dry summer of few berries, so the bears are hungry everywhere. When it was raining all day on Monday, I was wondering why I did this. Well it is for days like today, when I can swim, read, and sun myself on a rock overlooking a beautiful harbor. We had our one day of rain on Monday and it has been nice weather ever since. We have had some terrific campsites and beautiful views. We’ve survived scrapes, bruises, insect bites, aches, pains, and bear apprehension. But I also appreciate what I didn’t do, like think about school schedules and appointments at the allergist and orthodontist. I have responsibilities here, but they are different ones. And just maybe the family appreciates me a little more when I return. Back to responsibilities. We all enjoyed reading in the afternoon, and even just soaking up sun on the rocks. I felt like an iguana. We saw, and heard, several flocks of geese flying high in the sky in the shape of a V. I pumped water standing in the middle of the little inlet. Linda R helps by handling the full and empty bottles. Our dinner spot is out on the rocks where there is sun almost all day long. It is our last night in the wilderness and we still have a little bit of wine with our cheese and crackers. Linda and I share Lasagna and Linda has Pasta Vegetable Parmesan. We are wondering how much lighter our packs are going out than hiking in. We had a little bit of color for sunset. We built a small fire to burn garbage mostly. Then we went back out on the rock for star watching. There have been some small mosquitoes during most of our trip. But they are not the insects that have been bothering me. I have some very, very itchy bites that may have been caused by flies or spiders. It was not quite as clear as the night at Willow River, but pretty good. We watch lightning behind the ridge across the harbor and nickname it the southern lights. We lay on the rocks until it got too chilly and then went to bed.

We forced ourselves up at 7:30 am even though it was still raining. It had been raining for some time and showed no sign of letting up. The tent held up well and is very cozy and mostly dry. Linda C was sleeping on a little lake that soaked through some. We packed our packs in the tent as much as we could. Linda C ran out to use the privy and brought back the food and stove to be packed up. Eventually we had to get out and pack the tent. We did and broke camp at the usual 9:20 am. I hiked in the rain with dry boots for about an hour. This section of trail is very easy even in the wet conditions. Once my boots were wet it is even easier, as I no longer attempted to avoid puddles. In addition to making hiking easier, hiking sticks are good for telling the depth of puddles. Lots of the areas look like prime moose country. Not only did we never see a moose, though, we also never even saw moose droppings. Twice we saw scat and I could not identify either one. They were both small, unsegmented, and definitely not moose. We hiked pretty non-stop with no major breaks and were back to the parking lot and the van by 11:40 am. Unfortunately Linda C fell just before we got back, but seems to be okay. We were all wet and chilly once we are done hiking. We piled the wet stuff in the van and drove to the Hattie Cove Campground where we found warm showers. It was one of the nicest showers I have ever had. In an hour we were all clean and in dry clothes. We drove back to Marathon for lunch at the Lunch Box. The food was delicious and the service slow. Once we were clean, dry, warm, and well-fed, the trick was to stay awake driving back to the Soo. I drove as far as Wawa where we stopped for drinks. Then Linda R drove to the Holiday Inn in the Canadian Soo, with a stop at the Woodcarver for souvenirs. We checked in and asked about a good restaurant. We had dinner at North 82. The food was good, but too much too late in the evening. Back at the room, I called Steve to wish him a happy anniversary. We were married seventeen years ago today. I talked to Amy too. I had forgotten Scott and Kelsey would be there too. I admitted as much and that I had forgotten about my family as well. Steve said, "That’s why you go on these trips." He knew all along.

Linda R and I went swimming at about 7:30 am. Surprisingly we spent more time in the pool than the hot tub. It was just too hot. The pool felt wonderful. Linda C got up and went to the restaurant with her book for a cup of tea. We showered and joined her for breakfast. We left the duty-free store at 10:30 am and were to Linda R’s in Sterling by 2:15 pm. We visited with Charley for a few minutes, then Linda C and I left at 3:00 pm. We got to Linda’s a little after five. She had to wake Tommy from a nap to say hello. I was home by six. I am glad to be home again!