Madeline Island

I mean, I know they’re in the area, and I’m carrying bear spray, just in case, but apparently the state park is less concerned about them than the town park.

The town park, however, had bathrooms and an ice cold water fountain! Water always tastes better when it’s cold.

My trail wrapped around to the inlet of the lagoon:

and I found the other end of the boardwalk:

Views of the lagoon are much better from this part of the trail:

There was even a viewing platform:

I had heard a loon calling while on the first part of the trail and finally found him:

I also spotted a pair of swans:

And this friend, who kept diving under the water:

There was a canoe launch a little further up the trail and the water here was so calm!

I found a few lilies:

and while this seemed like a great place for wildlife to hang out, I didn’t spot anything:

The loop felt much longer than the advertised 4 miles- maybe they aren’t including the portion that passes through the town park? I’ll have to map that out when I get home.

and there’s an observation deck just a short ways in:

but the side trails look like this:

I mean, they’re open and sunny and it’s a beautiful day out, but also ticks…

All I could think of was how I haven’t picked up any ticks yet this trip and I’d hate to ruin that streak. So I stuck to the wide Casper Trail and had hiked almost the full mile when my guts started rumbling ominously.

I hightailed it back toward the car and was about halfway there before realizing I wasn’t going to make it.

Fortunately, there are lots of privacy trees just off the trail and several nearby maples with nice large leaves. If I had been thinking, I also had the napkins from my scone, but that would go against the whole “leave no trace” since I did not have enough time to dig a cathole.

Sorry, not sorry.

Really glad there aren’t very many people on this trail and that I have soap and water back at the car.

I think my body really wants me to be done hiking.

But it’s only midafternoon and I didn’t bring a hammock or anything to do back at my campsite (besides a book and some crossword puzzles), so I decided to drive around the island for a bit and at least check out the other hike I had planned.

I was not expecting the pavement to just end:

I’m glad I decided to not do this hike:

Why hike through the woods when there’s a gorgeous shoreline just a short distance away!?

As I made my way back to the park, I spotted a very large cat. I’m pretty sure it was a cougar based on its size and tail… I absolutely should have just grabbed my cellphone, which was sitting in the cup holder next to me, but I wanted a good picture and went for the big camera, and by the time I pulled it out of my bag, he had disappeared.

Shoot.

I didn’t realize there were cougars here… they scare me more than bears!

Since I did not get a shot of him, here’s a snake that may or may not be alive…

The Bayview Trail was the highlight of my hikes here yesterday, and I want to soak my sore feet in the chilly lake, so I dropped my car back at camp and hit the trail again:

I scoped out a few sites along the way that would work:

But ultimately headed back to Viewpoint Rock and my selfie-spot:

There was a nice ledge just off the side of the rock here, so I climbed down:

and while the water still wasn’t as cold as I had hoped it would be, it did feel amazing!

Back at camp, I made dinner:

and dug a just-in-case cathole.

It’s about a 5 minute walk to the bathrooms, and that’s about as much warning as my guts give me before they empty.

Better safe than sorry.

On my way back from said bathrooms, I noticed the moon looked rather red… turns out there was an eclipse tonight! I probably should have pulled out the big camera, but I’m feeling a bit drained so the best I can do is this shot of the starry sky.

Good night!