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Isle Royale end-to-end solo loop hike part 14: South Lake Desor to Hatchet Lake
Day 9 on Isle Royale – where does the time go? This would be a “short” backpacking day for me – only 9.2 miles.
I left S Lake Desor campground around 8:30 am – late for me. The trail was muddy as I headed out on the campground spur. It became pretty overgrown not long after that. I had a small climb where I had a bit of an open view – there hadn’t been many of those on the Greenstone Ridge Trail.
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Ishpeming Fire Tower on Isle Royale
Shortly before the halfway point to my final destination at Hatchet Lake, I reached the Ishpeming fire tower. It’s retired – no longer staffed – but makes a great place to stop and rest in the shade underneath. I stopped for a snack and spent some time talking to a fellow backpacker, Mike, who I’d met on the trail a couple of days before. At 70 years old he was visiting all the National Parks. Well not just visiting – experiencing. He went out and bought backpacking gear for his trip to Isle Royale so he could get the full experience. You meet the best people on Isle Royale!
Hiking the Greenstone Ridge Trail
The sun came out on my hike, which was good as I hadn’t seen much of it lately. My camera batteries were only running low since I was using a solar panel to charge them. There were some moments in the open with the sun shining down. There were also some muddy areas as it had rained so much lately. Much of the trail was overgrown with tall grass, which made it hard to see the trail and also made it hard to walk as it wrapped around my ankles while hiking.
Plants on the Greenstone Ridge Trail
I saw lots of flowers and other interesting plants along the trail. And also a lot of ferns – I love ferns! – though I don’t have any pictures of them.
Thimbleberries on Isle Royale
When I started from Rock Harbor, the thimbleberries were in bloom. Now I passed unripe berries. I was bummed they weren’t ripe because I had never had a thimbleberry before and I was hoping to try one.
But then along the trail to Hatchet Lake campground it finally happened – I found ripe thimbleberries! There were about 5 o 6 ripe berries on the bushes along the trail. Yes, I put one on my finger, and yes I ate them! I really liked them – they taste like a mix between a raspberry and a cranberry – just the right amount of tartness. Of course, fruit always tastes better when you’ve been on the trail a while!
Approaching Hatchet Lake campground
A few miles before the Hatchet Lake campground, I noticed the ground becoming more rocky and there were more open spaces instead of dense woods. For those last few miles the trail alternated between open and rocky and dense and overgrown. As I got closer to the campground spur, I was up on a ridge and could see Hatchet Lake in the distance.
From the campground spur it was .5 miles to the campground, and it was all a steep downhill. I was already dreading the climb out the next morning.
Hatchet Lake campground, Isle Royale
I reached Hatchet Lake campground after hiking just over 9 miles. It was only 1:15 pm so I had plenty of time to get cleaned up. The sun came out, and I was able to charge my camera batteries, too.
The campsites were very secluded, tucked into the trees. I couldn’t even see another campsite from where I was, though I know they were there. The lake looked deep blue and there was a beaver swimming in it at dusk.
After sunset, I went back to my tent, avoiding the mosquitos. It was a beautiful, still night, not even a leaf blowing. I left my rain fly pulled back to enjoy the beautiful night. About 15 minutes after that it started raining – which is what always happens when you decide you don’t need the rain fly. I quick pulled it down and fell asleep to the sound of the rain.