Girl Bosses Meet Moose on Isle Royale

By Ryanne Clough

From left, Adrienne Sayad, Claire Yehle, Sophie Kroeger, Harley Pohl-Smith, Ryanne Clough, Nina Isles, Ava Guirl, Liza Webb and Maggie Gavin. (Liz Hattemer)

We spent 11 days being organized, prepared and thorough. We persevered through hikes that felt like they would never end. We popped blisters, sweat through our packs, and cried about life. We made new friends, learned new tricks, and laughed harder than we had ever laughed before.

Our 93-mile journey on Lake Superior’s Isle Royale began on a dinky ole ferry that landed us at the Windigo park entrance, where the rangers noted that of all the National Parks, Isle Royale was the least visited, yet the most revisited. Each morning, we had to tape feet and take care of gnarly blisters. We spent our days chatting about life, solving riddles, playing games, singing songs, and exploring caves and old island towers. Often, we hiked in

the shade of beautiful trees, with blooming wildflowers in the undergrowth. Some days, we hiked along high ridges from which we could see out across Lake Superior. Once, we encountered a sweet little red fox on a ridge, looking for food.

We stayed at breathtaking campsites, often by the lakeside. One afternoon, we watched a beaver jiggling its way across a beach, carrying a branch three times its size. At night, we would share what we were grateful for, enjoy our favorite dessert (fudge jumbles), then huddle together in one of the tents to read our trip book, “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart. Each night before bed, one camper would write in our group journal, “Girl Boss.”

A moose on Isle Royale. (Ray Dumas)

The 4th of July was our favorite day. We had Superior’s Siskiwit Bay to ourselves. On a dock overlooking the lake, we swam, sunbathed, made bomb pizza and organized a backcountry talent show. The girls showed off their singing, dancing and yoga skills, and remixed Lorde’s “Royals” into “Isle Royals.” That evening, we watched a gorgeous sunset from the dock, our feet dangling over the water.

We celebrated Harley’s and Ava’s birthdays on the trip and both girls saw a birthday moose. One was grazing on the trail, the other swimming in the lake. We saw other moose, too, and almost walked right into one. I saw the moose first and yelled “red light!” Then Liza held up her thumb, like the rangers had instructed us, and screamed that the animal was too close. The girls ducked into the chest-high bushes and I followed, after making direct eye contact with the moose. After 15 minutes, the moose had moved on and I gave the all-clear.

We even ended the trip with a moose sighting, watching it swim across the lake at sunrise before hiking to the ferry home. That island, and those girls, will forever have a special place in my heart.

XOXO,

Girl Boss

Ryanne Clough

This article was originally published in the Fall 2021 issue of Songs of the Paddle.