We began our long walk toward the gas station, pausing occasionally to cock a thumb at the rare passing car. I wasn’t too put out by our situation. Doug had been an insightful and humorous listener on the ride up and, as we hadn’t planned on hitting the trail till morning, I had nothing more important to be doing at the moment than spending time with him on this little pre-adventure. Besides, with each passing car, I was learning how to string together profanity in ways I had never even considered before. Eventually, the kindness of Michiganders (and one loquacious Canadian on his way home from a hockey tournament) came through, and we were soon back at the car with a very expensive gallon of gas. We spent the night in at a motel not too far from the trailhead, staying up way too late talking as Doug packed and re-packed his backpack.
Morning dawned on a beautiful day. The skies were a clear blue with the kind of fluffy clouds that landscape photographers dream of. From my vantage point by the hotel balcony overlooking Lake Superior, I noticed that the ice shelf extended as far as I could see. Not even a trace of open water. Out in the distance, a train of snowmobilers headed across the bay on the frozen lake, and my heart gave a little lurch. I began to suspect that something awesome might be about to happen.
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Onto The Shelf
Fanf*#@!ingtastic! Looks like a great trip. You two are quite the match. I hope to run into you someday Ike.
Ok, Ike. You have really out-done yourself on this one! Great writing, fabulous pictures. You picked a good hiking partner too.
Ike,
You write some of the most enjoyable trip reports and I appreciate the time and energy you invest on your wonderful photography. I realize that this trip happened a couple months ago but I hope you find peace with the grief that has found you.
Take care,
Ian
Great story and some stunning pictures. You guys are awesome !!!
I agree with Ken across the board.
Thought I might clarify a few things here:
I enjoyed Ike's disclaimer. You see, after we actually headed out onto the shelf, under the ruse of wanting to take pictures with a person in them, Ike would send me on ahead to 'pose' for one shot after another. I was simply too nice to tell him that I realized he was doing this more times than he had pictures to show for it – in other words he was sending me ahead to ensure the ice shelf was safe before moving forward…… What a pal…..
RE: "I began to worry that Doug might begin to question my good judgment before the day was done. “No worries”, he replied with a grin." — I'm not sure what gave Ike the idea that I thought he had good judgement to begin with. After all, he's invited me twice to join him on a trip….. Just sayin'
RE: "I suspected he was probably playing to my delicate mood, but decided to exploit it fully. “Separate your legs a little”, I coached, or “Make it look like you’re walking”, or “Turn to your left a smudge”." — No kidding! I was waiting for him to tell me what my motivation was as I looked at some particular landmark. Sheesh….
RE: "This led to numerous interesting messages from Doug’s brother, like “Dude! What? Are you still sitting in the exact same spot? Lamest. Trip. Ever.”" LOL! True story.
RE: "I had solidified a relationship with a good friend, taking time to talk and to listen." — Indeed, Ike is a great hiking companion. Jump at the chance to hike with him if offered!
Too bad Ike left off the bit about the (I believe it was a) chunk of ice that followed us for quite a ways during the second day's snowstorm. Ike even veered far to the left while I continued forward so we could try and figure out what was following us. We both got quite the laugh out of that one! And our version of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" entertained us quite a bit during that snowstorm, as well!
Thanks, Ike, for letting me join you on such a great adventure, and for once again putting up with my frequent language flourishes! Great writeup and photos!
I think this is my all time favorite BPL trip report. Wonderful photos of a great winter landscape, superb writing, and two of our finest dudes having a great time together. Thanks to both of you for sharing this adventure with us.
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Most everything that I could think of has already been said, Ike.
Thank you both for sharing this adventure!
What a great trip report! I'm sorry to hear about whatever grief life threw your way, and I hope you come out of it all the stronger and ready for the next challenge. I too find nature to be rather soothing… but its really those moments (like the one in the storm photo) where you are fighting, as you said, internal battles that mirror those on the exterior; that makes self-reflection and emotional growth so possible in the backcountry. The soothing element of nature is often the one people reach for the most; when in fact, sometimes, I find that the challenge of the difficult, uncomfortable or even scary moments become the ones that help me progress the most. Keep the trip reports coming please!
Great adventure. Thanks for sharing all of that with us.
Great report… thank you for sharing both your emotions and your trip with us.
What an exquisitely written report. Don't know that I've ever read one that better expresses all that the right trip, with the right person, and, yes, the right conditions, can be. As for the pictures, I have no words…
Thanks for sharing, Ike.
Bravo Ike,
Hope to see you and Rog for another trip soon.
Evocative, haunting and beautiful. Between this and 'Into the Gray', you're turning trip reports into an art form.
Thanks for sharing. Looks like a unique experience for sure!
Ike and Doug,
What a trip !!!
Top shelf I say.
Great photos too, can you share the model of camera you used ?
Beautiful storytelling Ike. Bravo.
Thanks so much for sharing your adventure!
I finally got around to reading this. What a winter you had (back home-ish for me)! All the family and friends sounded very glad to be done with it.
Keep up the good work Ike. Wilderness is medicine.
As others have said…great adventure and photos. Thanks for sharing the unique perspective.
Tom
this is awesome!
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