Author: Korin Oliver

The only way to reach Isle Royale National Park is by boat or sea plane (unless you are a crazy good kayaker). This national park is located in Lake Superior and is technically a part of Michigan, although we departed from Minnesota. We decided to leave our camper behind for a few days so we could experience the 99% wilderness that Isle Royale boasts. We arrived by sea plane which gave us a fabulous aerial view of the island. No roads. No cars. Just pristine wilderness to explore.

            Once we were settled and had eaten dinner, we set off on our first hike via the Tobin Harbor trail which connects with the Suzy’s Cave trail. It was around 7pm when we started hiking the 4 mile loop and we figured it would be good timing to see a few animals. We reached Suzy’s Cave around 8:30pm and began our way back to the lodge along the water, watching the colors in the sky change as the sun began to descend. Soon we were met by another hiker who told us that there was a moose directly on the trail. Super excited, we walked a few more feet to see a huge bull moose grazing. He was truly a majestic animal. We took pictures, Eli flossed, and we chatted with the other hikers (one family of 4 and 2 others). It was awesome. We were stoked that we saw a moose so quickly after we had arrived! Minutes ticked by. The moose would take a few steps down the trail, we would take a few steps back on the trail. More minutes went by. Soon, another bull moose came out of the brush and was eating. The moose took a few more steps down the trail, we took a few more steps back on the trail. By this time, it was about 9:30 and we were losing light. We were only about a ½ mile from the harbor and could see the lights however, the moose were not in any rush and it didn’t seem like they were going to leave anytime soon. At this point, the 10 of us decided to make the 3 ½ mile trek back around. As far as light was concerned, Matt had one headlamp and I had my cell phone flashlight to share amongst the entire group. Needless to say, it was an interesting hike back over rocks, roots and brush in the pitch dark. About half way back, Matt (who was leading the group) spotted two large orbs on the trail. A second later, he saw two more sets of smaller orbs. It was another moose and her two calves! The ten of us made some noise and soon, the moose headed back into the forest. We all made it safely back to the lodge around 11pm! Whew! What a first day on a remote island!

            We slept in a bit the next morning and decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather to explore the island by boat. Matt rented a small motorboat and we all jumped in. We zipped over to the Edisen Fishery historic site. We were quickly greeted by a volunteer who told us about the area and then made our way to the Rock Harbor Lighthouse on other side of the island. There was a small museum inside the lighthouse that described the area during the 1800-1900s and a great view from the top! From there, we took another trail to the “Mooseum” where was saw hundreds of moose bones and antlers. We met Candy Peterson, the wife of Rolf Peterson who is a research scientist. Rolf and Candy have been conducting research on the moose and wolves of the island for more than 50 years. The four of us found Candy and her knowledge about the moose extremely interesting, especially since we had just seen five moose the night before. She answered all of our questions and inspired the kids to spend their lives doing something the love, just as she and her husband have done. From the Mooseum, we headed to Moskey Bay. After a quick look around, we took the boat over to Daisy Farm, a beautiful field of daisies and other wild flowers. Next, we headed back to the lodge for a late lunch and to celebrate Eli’s 11^thbirthday. The restaurant didn’t have any dairy free desserts but luckily, I secretly bought a Hostess Apple Pie at a gas station before we were on the island. Later, Matt and Eli took the boat out and tried fishing for the lake trout we had heard so much about. Later that evening, we took the trail to Scoville Point and saw a fox and a bunny while hiking. 

            Our third day on the island, we packed up and got ready to leave. We had a good breakfast and headed down to the dock. A few minutes before our plane was to arrive, the lodge bellhop came to tell us that due to weather, all flights back to Minnesota were cancelled. This meant that we would not be heading back to Minnesota until the following day. We were surprised to say the least. The lodge had one room left (nicer than our first) so we MasterCard-ed the moment and settled in for one more night. We decided to completed one more hike after dinner in search of more moose and we were successful! We found a moose laying down a few feet from the trail. He looked like he was going in and out of sleep. We had all sorts of time to look at him and through the binoculars we could see the veins in his antlers! 

            The following day we had a very intense game of National Park Monopoly before leaving Isle Royale National Park. As we flew over the island, I thought about the island, the animals and how God orchestrated such a beautiful place. I felt blessed to have had the experience with my family and terribly emotional as I realized that our 2019 summer adventure was coming to a close. 

By: Eli

Ok, before going to Yoho National Park we hiked Johnston Canyon and all the way to the ink-pots. This hike should have a do not do sign at the start. The ink-pots were just ponds basically. No not even basically, they just were ponds. After this hike I felt like Dad was like, “Now young Eli you shall die!” Then Darth Sam drastically saved me from emperor Dad with a cookie and yadda yadda you know the rest…   

The Kickinghorse Campground is where we stayed in Yoho. It was awesome. You had a circle of treeless campsites with mountains circling the campground. The campers were parked on the outer rim and in the middle, there was a grassy field. In the middle of the field there were a few rocks and under those rocks lived 7 little red squirrels, 5 babies and 2 parents. And what was the most awesome about it was that the squirrels got so close that I could pet them!  

Sadly, there is not much to write about Yoho. We only stayed 1 night there. Also, who named this place? Was it Sponge-Bob or maybe it was Jack Sparrow? Or was it named after a guy that that really liked pirates? Anyway, moving on… The next day we hiked to Takakkaw Falls. I’m not even going to guess who named that. While we were driving there we saw a huge moose but let’s get to the falls. The falls were beautiful. Dad and I hiked almost to the top and felt the mist on our skin. The view was beautiful. They are the second longest falls in Canada. My dad and I put a tiny rock onto a rock pile and scurried down to the bottom before a ranger came to tell us to get down!

Peace from the Plains of Canada. -Eli

by: Korin            

I grew up in a family that went camping. From an early age I remember fishing, hiking and of course, playing cards. I guess this is how my passion for travelling and seeing the beauty of God’s creation began. Over the years, my parents have camped all over North America. So, naturally, when Matt and I began thinking about our summer plans, I asked my mom what our family still needed to see. She urged us to visit the Canadian Rockies. 

            We were greeted in Banff National Park by a beautiful view of towering peaks and a mysterious feel as a storm had just passed. After seeing some elk along the road, finding our campsite in the Two Jack Lakeside Campground and setting up, we headed into the nearby town, also named Banff. The town was picturesque and bursting with people as we went to the visitor’s center, ran a few errands, and had dinner. The next morning, we set off on our hike to Sunshine Meadows. To get to the meadow and three alpine lakes, we took a gondola and then a chair lift up the mountain. We then had a lovely short hike down the beautiful lakes in the valley. 

            After spending a few nights in the Banff area, we headed to Johnston Canyon and hiked approximately 7 miles to the Ink Pots. Honestly, the canyon was pretty but the trail was so crowded it was anything but peaceful. Matt later compared it to a conga line. Later that night we stayed in Yoho National Park which Eli will tell you about. The following day we arrived in the Lake Louise area of Banff National Park. When we arrived, I was pretty disappointed with how crowded it was. The parking for Lake Louise and Moraine Lake was full. We learned that people were walking several miles to Lake Louise and that the shuttles were operating with a two hour wait. Furthermore, I was under the impression that our campsite in Lake Louise Campground would be within walking distance to the lake but I soon realized that it was several miles away. We headed to our campsite, set up the pop-up and had lunch. A few hours later that we learned that we were in the wrong campsite and had to move. What a day! After dinner we decided to try our luck at getting a parking spot and exploring the area a bit. We found a spot at Lake Louise and headed towards the lake. The water was a beautiful glacial green-blue with a significant mountain backdrop. We explored a bit and moved on to Moraine Lake. Here, we climbed the Rock Trail to get a view of the lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Despite the amount of people there, the scene was magnificent and the color of the water with the peaks in the background was astounding.

            Due to the weather, we decided to postpone our Banff hikes and head to Jasper National Park the next morning. After a two-hour car ride along the stunning Icefields Parkway, we arrived at the Columbia Icefields. We boarded a massive “Ice Explorer” all-terrain vehicle (AKA a monster truck) to a place where we could walk on, feel and drink from the Athabasca Glacier. It was extremely chilly on the glacier, but it was an incredible experience. We finished the adventure with a jaw-dropping walk along the glass floored Skywalk on the edge of a cliff!

            We woke the kids up at 5:30 AM the next morning in order to get a parking spot at Lake Louise. I wanted to complete a 12-mile loop hike which included two tea houses (tiny cafés in the middle of the mountains). I mean, who wouldn’t want to be rewarded in the middle of their hike with tea and biscuits? We arrived at the parking lot at 6:01 and snagged a spot. The parking lot was full by 6:25. After Matt made coffee and breakfast on the truck tailgate, we were on the trail! The start of the hike was tough and had significant elevation gain. We opted to do the Little Beehive lookout which brought us to a view of the lake and the next valley. We pressed onward to the first tea house and we were not disappointed. Overlooking Lake Agnes sat a quaint and charming tea house. While inside we had tea, biscuits and a homemade VEGAN apple blueberry crumble! Needless to say, Eli was ecstatic and everyone got a nice rest from the first few miles. We took the Highline Trail that connected us to the second destination: Plain of Six Glaciers. In Glacier National Park, we hiked to one glacier but this hike brought us to six at one time! It was lunchtime when we got to the second tea house and the glaciers. The tea house was nice but didn’t have as many options as the first, so we had some lemonade and snacks but followed up with our own packed sandwiches and snacks down by the viewing benches. We gazed up at the incredible view for quite a while. While we were there, a sound sort of like thunder erupted and a piece of one glacier fell off. It was spectacular. The hike finished with a crowded walk along Lake Louise. Overall, the day had been delightful and the views quite memorable. 

            Our last day in the Canadian Rockies once again began early. We wanted to hike to Consolation Lake which is located in the Lake Moraine area. We reached the parking lot at 5:58 AM and it was full! Yes. Full at 5:58 AM. We went up the road about ¾ of a mile and found a turnout that hadn’t been occupied yet, so we quickly grabbed it. The trail to Consolation Lake was nice and pretty flat which was welcomed as we were still recovering from the long hike the day before. There was a rock scramble at the end which led us to another glacial lake in a gorgeous valley. Matt and Eli fished for a bit and then we headed back to Lake Moraine. After walking along the lake, we decided it was time to beat the impending storm and head back to the pop-up. We relaxed all afternoon (some of us even took naps), Matt fished on the Bow River and we ended the night with some intense card playing!

We had to deal with some weather and significant crowds but all in all, our time in the Canadian Rockies was enjoyable. The days gave me time to reflect on my camping experiences as a child and how much my family and the surroundings influenced me as we walked along trails, fished for elusive trout and sat around countless campfires. That is what I hope these summer camping trips bring to my own kids. A sense of amazement of God’s creation. An adventurous spirit willing to walk the extra mile to see what is just beyond the bend. A family closeness that is weaved through uninterrupted conversations and experiences together.

By Korin

I wanted to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park last summer but we just couldn’t squeeze it into our trip. From everything I had researched, I thought the park would be similar to Badlands National Park and in some ways, it was. The park is divided up into three sections: North Unit, Elkhorn Ranch, South Unit. We arrived in the south unit and headed straight for the visitor’s center. We watched the park movie, went through the museum, and took a tour of Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Cabin. We learned that Theodore Roosevelt came to the North Dakota Badlands in 1883 to hunt buffalo (bison). During his first trip he shot a buffalo, bought into a ranch, and entered the cattle business. He returned to New York, but headed back to the Badlands in 1884 to grieve and find solitude after his wife and mother died on the same day. During his presidency, Roosevelt credited his time in North Dakota as inspiring his later wilderness preservation efforts within the United States. 

After setting up the trailer and exploring the Little Missouri river behind our campsite, we searched for wildlife on the scenic loop drive. The turnouts in the park were beautiful and we soon spotted a herd of wild horses. The horses were truly magnificent creatures, they were a rainbow of colors, ranging from a midnight black and chestnut brown to a blinding white. We followed them in our car as they made their way down a hill and to a watering hole. We ended our evening with a ranger lead moonlit hike on the Wind Canyon Trail. 

In the morning, we decided to go back to the Scenic Loop Drive to look for bison. We hiked the Buck Hill trail and part of the old east entrance where we spotted a bison and a multitude of prairie dogs. We decided to press down the road to try and find more bison. Just before we got back to our campground, we saw a bison jam (it’s like a traffic jam, just with bison occupying most of the road)! A huge herd of bison was moving through the area. We pulled over and ate our lunch as the bison grazed their lunch in an adjacent field. We finished our trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park by hiking the Painted Canyon Nature Trail in the rain. It was a beautiful, quiet and wet (it was raining) hike. 

Overall, Theodore Roosevelt National Park had great history, hiking and wildlife. The story behind the park and its namesake, President Roosevelt was extremely interesting. The hillsides were full of beautiful green grasses and yellow clover. We were able to spot several wild animals including: wild horses, bison, prairie rattle snakes, frogs, sage grouse, bunnies and bats. The park was not easy to get to but was definitely worth seeing!

Cuyahoga National Park lies between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Cuyahoga’s main attraction is the history of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which is fed by the Cuyahoga River. The canal opened in 1827 and provided transportation for traders and settlers. By the twentieth century, it was considered the most polluted river in the United States. In fact, the river was so polluted that it had 13 fires, the last of which was in 1969. At this point, public outcry was so great that a conservation effort was launched. In 1974 the Cuyahoga Valley became a National Recreation Area and in 2000 it was named a National Park.

We began our exploration of the park at the Boston Store Visitors Center. After learning a bit about the park, we hiked the Ledges Trail, an easy 2-mile loop. The kids, noticing the easily accessible cliffs above the trail, tracked our every movement and had a wonderful time sneaking up on us. Next we made our way to the most popular attraction in the park, Brandywine Falls. It was just a short walk to see the 60 foot waterfall, which was beautiful, but did not compare to some of the other natural wonders we had seen out west. We ended our Cuyahoga experience at the Canal Exploration Center in the north end of the park. Here we were able to learn a lot about how the canal was created, the lock system that was used, and what life was like when the canal boats were at their peak. We also learned that the canal helped Ohio financially, which allowed the state to lay down more railroad track than any other state. Ironically, the railroad put the canal boats out of business due to their speed and comfort. Although our time at Cuyahoga was brief, it was an interesting park with a checkered past. Thankfully, the park and river are recovering significantly each year and will be available to future generations to enjoy.

By Sam

I was expecting to loathe the Badlands. I thought it would be dry and dull and full of despair, just like the desert. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Once we arrived at our campground, our first order of business was to celebrate Eli’s 10^th birthday by sticking candles in a chicken patty like a cake. As Mom said, “nothing says happy 10^th birthday like a chicken patty.” At sunset, we went on a drive through the prairie to look for animals, and even though we saw a herd of magnificent big-horned sheep, the beauty of the landscape stole our attention. The sun was the color of a ripe nectarine, and hung smoldering and casting shadows in the sky. It set the strange rock formations and hills aglow. The next day, we hiked a couple trails that wove through the hills of rock and cliffs, and explored the visitor center. Even though we didn’t stay long in the Badlands, the sights and scenery convinced me that it would not join my list of Most Despised National Parks (hint: all of them are in the desert and give me rashes), in fact, I rather enjoyed our jaunt there.