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Day 1, July 29
Waking up early at the Ramada Inn in Hancock, we were already exhausted. Our drive to Hancock was just over seven hours and took us a total of 450 miles. With a large amount of coffee and mounting excitement, we pushed through the fatigue and drove the short distance to the seaplane dock. We arrived and the shock of the seaplane is something I won’t soon forget. While the Ranger III was large and spacious, the seaplane looked to me like it could never fit six people with gear in tow. Matt remarked that our plane was small, but I had to inform him that we were in the even smaller one behind it.

On the seaplane to the island.

less traveled, and has less rock scrambling than the Rock Harbor path, so we prefer that way. At Threemile, we stopped to have our lunchtime comfort food of meats, cheeses, and different crackers. The campground’s picnic tables offer a
view of Lake Superior and the scenery did not disappoint.

Rock Harbor Sign – Beginning of Adventure
out of the sun as the afternoon had started to grow warm. We set up our gear, filtered our water from Lake Superior, and had our re-hydrated dinners from Pack-It-Gourmet (a favorite of ours). We watched the sunset and moonlight reflect off
of the water, a bit tired from the travel, but excited to take the Minong Ridge across the island and see some trails that we had yet to experience.
Day 2, July 30
As I lay in the comfort of my quilt, I awoke to the sound of splashing. I was sure that this would be the moose encounter that I so craved on the island and walked to the beach. Though I was initially disappointed that there were no moose to be found, I was greeted with a gorgeous sunrise and a group of loons meandering their way through the water while producing their haunting calls.

Daisy Farm Sunrise

Ashley relaxing in the cold water at Moskey Basin.

Our setup in a Moskey Basin shelter.
Day 3, July 31
The loons were out in force, and their melodies lifted me from a refreshing sleep. Matt and I drank our coffees and watched the sunrise across the basin. Though disappointed at another moose-less morning, I could hardly complain about the scenery. After our usual breakfast, we started our trip to Chippewa Harbor, hearing the forest still absolutely buzzing with the sound of insects hungry for our blood.

Moskey Basin camp sunrise

On the Chippewa Harbor dock, looking for moose
See Part 2 here!

Chippewa Harbor Shelter.
I’m loving reading about your trip last year! We will be going in mid-June this year for the first time, so it’s nice to read about your experience beforehand.
Thank you Jessica! You’ll have a blast on the island! Do you have a route planned? If you’d like to see more on the island, you can check out the video version of this trip and another one from 2017 on our YouTube channel as well.