After a challenging hike on and off trail, you'll be glad to set up your tent and cook a simple meal over a single-burner stove. Double tents are encouraged to minimize pack weight, and foods are limited to typical backpacking fare. Despite the lack of variety, it is remarkable how good instant noodles Stroganoff can taste in the waning light of the north woods. If you're lucky, you may fall asleep to the ethereal sound of wolves howling. The basic objective of each hiking team is very simple-to carefully search as much area as possible for moose bones. We are often busy doing other things, of course, especially observing moose and other wildlife, and there are opportunities for learning a lot of natural history about this secluded island. Your group will be completely on its own, out of contact with other people. You will see Isle Royale (a portion of it at least) in a way that very few people ever do, and you will come away with an understanding of how the "real world" and its non-human inhabitants function!

Isle Royale National Park was established in 1931, and today is the least-visited National Park in the US outside of Alaska. The island is visited by about 15,000 people between mid-April and November, and it is closed to visitors during the winter. Most visitors come in late July and August. Isle Royale was established as a National Park to preserve its unique and isolated northern forest environment. Its scenic beauty is not as dramatic as some other parks, but the island, its flora and fauna, and its Lake Superior shoreline possess a quiet charm which brings visitors back year after year.

Surrounded as it is by the cold waters of Lake Superior, the island tends to be cooler than the mainland in summer. The topography of Isle Royale is dominated by a series of parallel bedrock ridges which run the length of the island. Valleys between ridges tend to contain wet swamps or beaver ponds. Northern hardwood forests in the interior contain yellow birch and sugar maple, but most of the island is dominated by boreal forests of white spruce, balsam fir, white birch, and aspen. Northern white cedar dominates most wetland forests. Throughout Isle Royale maximum elevation above Lake Superior is only about 700 feet (213 meters).

Mammal life most likely to be observed by Earthwatch participants includes moose, snowshoe hare, beaver, red fox, and red squirrel. River otter have increased dramatically in the past decade. All signs of wolves (scats, droppings, howling) will be closely monitored. Sightings are extremely rare because of strong avoidance behavior on the part of the wolves. Bird life is similar to that of the surrounding mainland, with a wide variety of northern warblers, thrushes, ducks, and raptors. Osprey and bald eagle are becoming more evident.

The flora contains abundant species of bog plants, several species of plants more typical of Arctic regions (along Lake Superior), and an outstanding array of several dozen orchid species. Various kinds of edible wild fruit are available in August, such as blueberries, raspberries, and thimbleberries.

Lake Superior is too cold for swimming or even wading in May/June, but in August a dip may be possible. Fishing is possible in inland lakes (northern pike) or Lake Superior (lake trout, whitefish), and real fishing enthusiasts might consider staying a few extra days to devote themselves to this activity.

Dr. Rolf Peterson's website

Isle Royale video

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