28 Aug 2026
I thought for sure I’d sleep like a log considering how not great I’d been feeling, but all I could think about was that cougar stalking around somewhere on the island and how I’d probably never even hear him coming.
It was a long night.
When I finally started to drift off, the birds were waking up and the sun was beginning to rise.
Not a great way to end my trip. But I did remember to pick up breakfast when I was in town yesterday, so I enjoyed this raspberry scone:
Took a shower:
(not bad for camp showers- a fair bit of sand had been tracked in, but the water was hot and there was good pressure- the only downside was 1 of the 2 showers was out of order so there was a bit of a wait)
Packed up camp:
I arrived at the dock as they were loading and was one of the last to board the ferry:
There was totally room for that car on the right to pull forward a bit- instead, they only partially lifted the ramp so as not to hit the bikes mounted on the back:
Farewell, Madeline Island!
Hello again, Bayfield!
Since it’s still early and I’ve got a long drive ahead of me, I stopped into this little shop for some coffee:
and a muffin- who doesn’t love second breakfast!?
I wandered around downtown for a while, popping in and out of the little shops, but apparently forgot to take a picture of the main drag, so enjoy this helpful map:
I’m not sure what this fluffy, flowering tree is called, but it was shedding purple everywhere:
Then it was back on the road and an uneventful trip back home:
Minus the getting sick part yesterday, this was a fun trip. I struggled more than I thought I should that first day- I didn’t think my pack was overly heavy (about 25lbs) or that the trail was too tough:
(I discovered afterwards that I can use my hiking app to see elevation changes)
But I did it! And maybe I just need to get out and hike a bit more frequently to keep in trail shape. Oh bummer, more hiking… I think I can handle that 🙂