Apostle Islands Archives - Inkwells & Images

In August we got the change to sail around the Apostle Islands with some friends. We also got the chance to tackle Hike #1 of our #50HikesWI project: Stockton Island.

Hike #1: Stockton Island

First of all, a confession: we didn’t make the whole hike. We didn’t have time while we were on our trip. But we did get to do part of it, and considering Stockton Island is a little hard to get to, we’re counting it.

This is a big deal for this rule-follower.

The forest was so lovely. I could have stayed and taken thousands of pictures just on this short trail. The island was in the height of its blooming season – in fact, there were signs at the ranger station saying that the berries along the trail were ripe and to be on the lookout for bears taking advantage of the season.

We didn’t see any bear, sadly (luckily).

The forest smelled sweet and crisp: surprisingly unlike the forests here in southern Wisconsin. The Apostle Islands had a freshness to them that most places – even state parks – don’t have. They really are still wild.

We ended up back at Julian Bay where the Wylie Coyote was anchored. We splashed around a bit, and made sure to take one more group photo before heading back to Bayfield.

This was maybe the coolest hike we’ll do as part of our #50HikesWI project. I mean, not many others are going to involve a sailboat as means of transportation.

What summer adventure will you remember as your favorite as we head toward fall?

This is definitely mine.

It was nine years ago this summer that Scott and I said “I do” and began life together with a trip to northern Wisconsin.

[Ok – I said “I do,” Scott said “yep!” Seriously. I can’t make this stuff up.]

He was 21, and I was just a month shy of 19 (it sounds SO MUCH BETTER than 18, doesn’t it?), so a week at a rented cabin was all we could afford. And it turned out to be perfect, really.

[Minus me getting hit in the face with a rock from a lawn mower, discovering I was probably allergic to deet while hiking, and slamming three fingers in the door of the truck – all hilarious in hindsight, not so much then.]

So, yeah: perfect. Just what we needed: some time together after spending a year apart living in different states.

We fell so in love with the northern part of the state that when we returned home and Scott started his new job the next day, he chose a photo of a sailboat and the caption “Our retirement in Bayfield” as his security image and code word on his 401k account.

SO IN LOVE, mind you, that we never bothered to drive the six hours north since then. Not in nine whole years.

We did, however, manage to spend some time sailing in Prince Edward Island and even a little bit right here in Madison.

[Ever want to get divorced? Take a sailing class together from a college kid. Trust me.]

Divorce-sailing-class aside, we’ve fallen in love with sailing from a few stolen hours here and there since falling in love with the idea of sailing in the Apostle Islands nine years ago.

So when friends invited us to go sailing with them IN the Apostle Islands, we said “yep!” in true Scott fashion.

After months of looking forward to it, we set sail on a Friday morning from the Apostle Islands Yacht Club in Bayfield, WI. And we had an awesome time.

First Up: Supply Run

Only the essentials. Like pastries.

That right there? That’s called “Wine Bread.” Yep, again.

And coffee with the Kraken on it? Pour me a cup.

While I am still not a fan of fish, I was a fan of the fish shop’s signage.

Friday: Actual Sailing

We cruised out and around Madeleine Island and toward Michigan Island Friday morning. The wind was really light, so it took awhile, but with a little help from the motor we made it there in the afternoon under completely clear skies.

Michigan Island has two lighthouses: the smaller one (immediately above) that was built in the wrong spot, and the taller one that Scott and I are standing on (above). It was really neat to be able to look down on a lighthouse from, well, another lighthouse. You can read the whole story here.

We played on the beach for a while before heading over to Presque Isle Bay on Stockton Island to drop anchor for the night. Scott and I got to sleep on the pile of sails you can barely see in this photo below.

Besides the mosquitoes (we had nets to cover us, but their buzzing was almost as bad!), it was a one-in-a-million chance to sleep out under the stars on the deck of a sailboat.

Our view:

Saturday: Devil’s Island

Wisconsin seems to have an obsession with parks with the name “devil” in them. I think it’s safe to say that Devil’s Lake State Park is the most popular in the state without looking up hard data, and I would wager that if it were easier to get to, Devil’s Island would be the most popular spot in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. They both feature stunning rock formations and rugged terrain, but the state park is right off the highway and the island is accessible only by personal boat.

Luckily, we were on a personal boat (Thanks, Mark & Jeri!): the Wylie Coyote.

We anchored on the eastern shore of the island and rowed in, took a short tour of the lighthouse, and hiked to the western shore where there were far, far less people hanging around.

Just this one kayaker trekking along.

The current Devil’s Island Light has been in operation since 1901, and is a third order Fresnel Lens. Everyone seemed really excited to go see this thing and I honestly had no idea what they were all talking about.

Turns out, they are really, really cool. And really rare. And huge. (for reference, Scott is about 6’1″).

And hard to photograph.

These are the Devil’s Island sea caves, which we got to row through (no photos of the insides – water + camera = no good). Similar caves are found along all the outer islands and along the National Lakeshore. We got to walk through the lakeshore “ice caves” when Lake Superior froze over this last winter.

We also took this opportunity to go swimming in the caves, which was an experience unlike any other. If you get the chance, do it!

Saturday night we anchored at York Island to keep out of some southern winds, but we didn’t go ashore at all.

Sunday: Stockton Island

Sunday morning we caught our first good wind of the whole weekend and headed back to Stockton Island to go ashore and tackle Hike #1 in our #50HikesWI project. More photos of that next week.

And then we headed back to Bayfield.