For the second year in a row, it was a pleasure to lead a Team River Runner kayak camping trip in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Last week, 17 participants, (including nine military veterans, some with disabilities) enjoyed the spectacular beauty of this Lake Superior archipelago of 21 islands.
SATURDAY, JULY 28
Our paddlers arrived Saturday, July 28 at the Little Sand Bay campground from TRR chapters across TRR North Central Region.
From the Milwaukee chapter: John “JB”, Fred, Linda “LT”, Michael and Tim. From Green Bay: David “DT”, John, Paula and me. From Minneapolis: “Bots”, Brian, Cohen and Kelly. From Decatur: Darren. From St. Louis: Devin and Greg. And from Battle Creek: Dave.
That evening we sat around a roaring campfire and introduced ourselves one by one. Some gave just cursory descriptions at first. Name. Home town. Previous kayaking experience. Others revealed more. Military background. Life challenges. Their stage of healing.
As with last year’s TRR trip in the Apostle Islands, our weather this year was perfect… except for that one day when Lake Superior reminded us who’s in charge. More about that in a moment.
SUNDAY, JULY 29
Sunday morning we enjoyed sunny skies and calm water for our 3.5-mile paddle from Little Sand Bay to Sand Island. I was happy to see those conditions, knowing our group ranged from highly skilled coastal kayak instructors to beginner paddlers.
After setting up camp on Sand Island, most of the group paddled to (and into) the nearby sea caves of Sand Island. It was fun to experience the caves through the eyes of our group’s first-time visitors.
A few of us also enjoyed a third paddle on Sunday — a sunset cruise back to the Sand Island sea caves.
MONDAY, JULY 30
Monday was another calm and spectacular day. For our longest paddle of the week, we set out from Sand Island that morning to visit the lighthouse on Raspberry Island, with stops on York Island on the way out and back.
Around the campfire that evening, several participants acknowledged that the 15-mile round trip was the longest they had ever done. They were proud of it and I was proud of them.
TUESDAY, JULY 31
Tuesday. Another beautiful, calm day and a trip to the Sand Island lighthouse. Once again we paddled through the sea caves on our way. That evening after returning, a couple of us offered rolling lessons in the warm water (71⁰ F) near our camp site.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1
And then came Wednesday. A cold front dropped high temperatures from the mid-80s down to the lower 60s (with a low in the upper 40s that night) and brought 15-20 knot northeast winds and 6-8 foot waves. A definite “no paddle” day. Instead, many of us hiked the 2-mile trail from our campsite to the lighthouse. There Superior impressed us with the fury of her waves crashing against the rocky shore and splashing more than 20 feet into the air.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2
Thursday was our target day to return to the mainland. Luckily Lake Superior cooperated and gave us gentle six-inch waves so we were able to return to Little Sand Bay on schedule. After packing up gear and kayaks, we all drove to Bayfield for lunch to celebrate our adventure and our new friendships. Outside the restaurant we said our good-byes with handshakes and hugs. And we vowed to paddle together again.
