[John Pearson]

In early August, nine Iowa kayakers journeyed in the Apostle Island National Lakeshore, located on Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. Starting at Little Sand Bay, we paddled to Sand Island in the late afternoon (after a day of driving from Iowa) and set up camp after a quick visit to the Swallow Point sea caves.

The next morning we split into two groups, one paddling to Devil’s Island on the outer edge of the archipelago (there are 22 islands in the Apostles), the other circumnavigating Sand Island. I was with the Sand Island group as we paddled through incredibly calm water on a 12-mile loop. Typical of Lake Superior, the water was incredibly clear with views of sandy or rocky bottoms over 20 feet beneath our kayaks; you could hover over your own shadow far below on the lake bottom. On a narrow beach on the far side of the island, Brian spotted a black bear, which reared up on its hind legs to watch us briefly before bolting into the woods. We went ashore to find its prints, which were very obvious and fresh (adorned here and there with equally obvious and fresh piles of bear dung); in fact, there were TWO sets of prints, one of the adult we had seen and another of a cub that we had not.

We paddled through more sea caves and found ourselves on a windless shoreline where thousands of flies swarmed from the warm mainland to cover our kayaks, clothing, and PFDs; they had been very bothersome in the still, humid air the previous evening as we set up camp and as we packed our boats this morning; their annoying habit of piercing our socks quickly earned them the name of “ankle-biters.” But as we rounded a point, a brisk wind blew them all away and the cooler, breezier conditions that prevailed for the rest of the week kept them at bay. We completed our circumnavigation in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming off the beach by our campsite and resting in the breezy (now fly-free) shade. Night brought a stunning display of the Milky Way, and lots of shooting stars.

We enjoyed calm, sunny days and Milky Way nights for the rest of our time in the islands, another additional three days. On our third day, we paddled 12 miles to Oak Island, with some of us stopping briefly at York Island to examine a tombolo (a sand spit between two bedrock islands, often containing interesting wetlands) and Raspberry Island (where a brief thunderstorm prevented us from leaving shore immediately, but did not prevent a spontaneous game of croquet in the lightkeeper’s yard behind the lighthouse).

Several of our original party needed to return to civilization the next day and paddled back to Little Sand Bay in the morning (nearly being caught in a roving fog bank that “ate” nearby islands), but four of us extended our stay with a circumnavigation of Oak Island that day, replete with more calm water, sea caves, stone-skipping on a cobbly beach and even an evening walk into a lakeside bog. We intended to start our return to Iowa the next morning, but could not resist stopping at Meyer’s Beach for a “quick” trip to the Melikwe Bay sea caves on the mainland shore (thus delaying our intended departure from “late morning” to “late afternoon.”

Here’s a slideshow of our journey:
http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m149/JoPears5/Apostles%202007/?albumview=slideshow

[ion maiden]

Wow...looks like Red Rock on steroids! Thanks for the (as-always) beautiful descriptive writing (you consistently provide excellent examples of what I strive to do in school--and out of school when I have time to think about it). Thanks also for the fantastic slide show. I have never seen one like that before.

The caves look amazing! So do the flies, but for an entirely different reason. Glad to hear that the weather was so cooperative and that the trip was so enjoyable!
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Tires...
Must...retrieve...tires...

[Bearsfan]

John:

That's awesome! I love the photos. Sounds like you had a great trip. I've been to Lake Superior many times and have always wanted to paddle the Apostle Islands. I'm surprised the flies were so bad in August. Seems like they usually subside by then.

We were in the Boundary Waters around the same time and got to see the meteor shower as well. That is certainly something to remember.

Thanks for taking us along.
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Bearsfan (Paul)

[Gutwrencher]

Bravo, John! Amazing slide show...thanks for sharing! You've made me even more excited about getting to the Islands in 2010. I need to hit all the major Iowa streams first before going on that one....but my plans are in motion. Hmmmm....maybe thats just ONE of the reasons I'm getting a true sea kayak!

Bearsfan, thats sweet you hit the BW around the same time. The BWCA is on the agenda for 2008....can't wait!
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Paddle Plannage(next 20): Beaver Creek 8-4 (Polk County), Rathbun, Middle Raccoon (Coon Rapids), South Raccoon Overnighter (2nd week August)

[John Pearson]

I returned to the Apostles in August 2009 for another kayak-camping trip. I accompanied fellow Iowans Steve Parrish and Brian Lange, James Keyes and Bret Ensor from Nebraska, and on our first day, Dave and Kathy from Minnesota. For a map of the archipelago and our route through it, click on this weblink: http://tinyurl.com/Pearson-Apostles-2009-SPOT . This map was generated by an online mapping service based on the GPS coordinates relayed by a compact satellite tracking device that I carry on the deck of my kayak, a “SPOT Messenger”; with recent upgrades, this website now integrates maps, photos, and a descriptive text of my route, colorfully naming the package an “Adventure Story”. (To activate the display of the map and photos, hover your cursor over the big blank square at the bottom of the page.)

I also loaded several photos into a short Photobucket slideshow:
http://tinyurl.com/Pearson-Apostles-2009

Dave "("GitchieGumeeGuy") writes a blog about Lake Superior ("The Lake is the Boss") and featured our trip for his entry for August 6: http://gitcheegumeeguy.blogspot.com/