{"product_id":"failing-isle-royale-not-making-it-across-the-least-visited-national-park-in-the-country","title":"Failing Isle Royale: Not Making It Across The Least Visited National Park In The Country","description":"Disclaimer\nIsle Royale is forty-five miles long and five miles wide. It is made of volcanic rock and is dotted with campgrounds connected by a network of trails that have been there for thousands of years. There are National Forests and a National Waterfront in Michigan, but it is the only National Park in the state and the whole island comprises the park.\n\nIt is by far the largest island in Lake Superior, so big that it has its own lakes with their own islands and it is surrounded by an archipelago of hundreds of smaller islands. It is an idyllic, remote wilderness composed of jagged rock and abundant northern flora and fauna. The hiking can be unforgiving.\n\nThis travelogue chronicles my attempt to hike from one end of Isle Royale to the other end and back again. A double through hike. I wrote it in a notebook during the trip and added some details when I got home. Parenthetical remarks refer to things that happened at exactly the time I was writing, such as squirrels chattering or running by, or they are notes from way after the fact.\n\nWhat you are reading are the thoughts of a person on a quest for adventure. I’m not an experienced writer and I’m even less experienced at hiking. This isn’t a normal book. I wanted to bring the reader on the trip with me and experience my feelings and perspective. I didn’t set out to write a bestseller. It is enough that it exists as an artifact available for those brave enough to read it.\n\nI left mid-Michigan and drove to St. Ignace. From there I drove to Houghton and took a boat called the Ranger III to the northern waters of Lake Superior near Canada and landed on the island.\n\nI intended to start in the outpost of Rock Harbor, cross the entire island, pick up a food drop in Windigo, the outpost on the other side, and hike back to Rock Harbor over nineteen days. The trip was a graduation from the stagnation that my life had fallen into and also to prove my sanity. It was a long road and a lot of work to gain the clarity needed to go on this trip. I had been unemployed for years when I set out and I intended to get a job when I got back if it all went well. This was my last hurrah, an experiment in living.\n\nThis is the story of my solo hike, and even though I set out alone, I wouldn’t have gotten very far by myself. This document is dedicated to the people I met along the way. Not just the people I met on this trip, but everyone who has been a part of my life. Thank you.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: B0CVXN95BM\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.B0CVXN95BM.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Lost And Found\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43335079198781,"sku":"BVV.B0CVXN95BM.G","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/B0CVXN95BM-0.jpg?v=1783717088","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/failing-isle-royale-not-making-it-across-the-least-visited-national-park-in-the-country","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}