As usual, the alarm went off way to early, but it was our notification to get up and out the door for the ferry. A quick glance out the window reinforced what I had heard overnight, it was rainy and windy, the next few hours were going to be interesting. We ate a quick breakfast of cereal and muffins before loading up our gear and made the short journey to the marina. As we got on the boat I saw Josh getting loaded up with his sons and father. We chatted a little bit, and it was clear his boys were excited.
The first 20 minutes or so away from dock weren’t too bad, but as soon as we left the protection of the harbor the Voyager II started bobbing and getting pushed about by the waves. This continued all the way to the entrance to Washington Harbor, and it was pretty clear when we were within the protective shores of the island as the lake seemed to just calm down at the flick of a switch. Once at the Windigo dock everyone filed of the boat and everyone gathered under the pavilion to listen to Ranger Val’s talk, then we were off to the visitor center to fill out our backcountry permits and right back on the boat for the next part of our journey.
The next few hours were pleasant compared to the first two. The North shore of the island is somewhat protected when storms like this one hit it so instead of the 8′ high waves we were dealing with it seemed like barely a ripple. As we were about half way to McCargoe Cove I was talking to a lady who would be kayaking with her companion for a few days and noticed something white on shore. Was that ice? In June? I didn’t have the camera out because of the rain so I quickly ran back into the cabin to grab it and snapped a few pictures from the protection of the little canopy over the benches on the tail. Soon we would pass Todd Harbor, then Hawk Island, and finally into McCargoe Cove where our journey would officially start. As we turned in there was a pair of loons near the entrance of the cove and they kicked their webbed feet in the air at us almost as if they were welcoming us to their home.
As we arrived at the dock it took the boatman several tries to hook the cleat on the dock with the mooring rope, but after the third approach he finally got it. They quickly unloaded us and were off to finish their day at Rock Harbor. Our next task was to scramble up the hillside to find shelter. This was no easy task with the wet rock and steep hill, but shelter #6 was clear so we settled there for the night hanging up some of our gear to dry. At least it had a little view of the cove, even if it was foggy.
After a brief discussion we decided to seek out the Minong Mine, so up the ridge we went for nearly a mile before we arrived at the intersection. Down and left for Minong Mine, up and to the right for Todd Harbor. We would turn right on Sunday, so left it was. Shortly after starting our decent we came across a familiar log railing that prevent wandering hikers from falling into the old mineshafts. I noticed a fog coming up from the shaft, and when I looked down there was more ice. We continued a little further down the trail and saw another opening, then a little further down the horizontal opening you see in so many photos with the rails running into it never to come back out. Being the adventurous type, we were on IsRo aferall, we decided to take a peek inside. As we crossed over the old light gage rails Laura dunked her foot. We could see the second shaft and way back to the third where we saw the ice previously. A combination of the humidity, the warm air outside, and the ice in the shaft was creating a beautiful and somewhat mysterious fog. The colors of the oxidized minerals on the mine walls were like something you’d see in a movie on an alien landscape. After our curiosity was satisfied at the shaft we continued down the hill until we found the scree field of leftover tailings from the mining process. If you’ve ridden or visited the Cuyuna Lakes Recreational Area you may be familiar with the flat shattered rocks yourself. These were no different other than the color. After wandering around there for a bit we came across another old mine shaft, and then finally back up the hill. Before heading back to the campground we tried to find Pine Point, but we couldn’t tell if we ever got there because of the fog. The surface here was rocky and steep, but it gave us a good feel for what the next day would be like with our packs on. Exposed wet rock, and undefined trails with nothing but a few cairns to guide you.
After a little more wandering we made our way back to the shelter, and as we were coming up on the group campground Laura saw a wolf dart across the trail. I didn’t see it myself but I had no reason to doubt her as we’d seen them on the island during our first trip. That doesn’t mean I didn’t tease her about it though. Once back I quickly set up the camp stove and got water boiling, Laura got dug out the Cache Lake Chicken Stew and Mountain House lasagna from one of our packs. The stew was much better than I’d expected, but with all the cooking we do at home the lasagna needed some additional spices. It’s a good thing we brought some little spice bottles along with us!
After cleaning up dinner and walking down to the shore for pictures we finally turned in for the night. The erie calls of the nesting loons were a welcoming sound. We were finally back and it felt good because this trip was over a year in the planning.
(Mis)Adventures with Frankie 
Nice journaling
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