...our eyes lock!
This moose rippled with muscles and had a rack you could use for
an umbrella. It stood taller than me and said "youz looking at
me?" I immediately thought "escape" and quickly plotted my
departure from the picnic table. I guess it tired of waiting
for me to respond so it continued down the pathway. It passed
within 6 meters. Close enough for this mug.
Clydesdale with a couple of trees growing out of his head!
Next morning, I'm up at the crack of dawn (not always a pretty
sight) and blowing through a few rolls of film. Between last
night and this morning I've used every piece of equipment except
the extension tubes.
We decide to use the day for recovery and do a short hike (4.5
miles) to Island Mine campground. There, we are completely by
ourselves and have a terrific firepit. We scrounge up enough
deadwood to keep the fire going until January. White man builds
large fire--stands far--becomes bug food. First battle with
bugs. Noseeums, gnats, or whatever they are, they are more of a
bother than a pain. Suddenly they clear out and we figure out
that a distant thunderstorm is no longer all that distant. We
dive into the tent and are inundated with rain, lightening and
thunder that reverberates from ridge to ridge.
Morning comes, the rain lulls and we pack up while we have a
chance. Thunder still rumbles, but we get packed up without
eating any breakfast. Oh, the night before, I use the campfire
to dispose of unused food--no need to carry three pounds of
stuff you'll never eat. I've been averaging 1200 calories per
day since we've arrived on the Island.
We hike back to Windigo and Joe grabs the same shelter we had
before. About a mile or two short of the end of the trail I
found an interesting scene worthy of Zuikos. Sending him on
ahead I stay behind for a half-hour shooting a few scenes.
The ductape on my blisters does a lot better than moleskin.
Nevertheless, my right heal has a blister the size of Texas.
Ripped, oozing and raw, it isn't a pretty site. Nothing another
layer of tape can't take care of, though.
We were going to camp the last night at Huginnin Cove, but
between the rain, health (creeping doom), and lazyness we
overnighted in Windigo instead. Good thing--my backpack started
giving up the ghost and I had two straps break and a section
start to tear out. A bit of creative engineering kept it in one
piece (relatively so) for the last few miles. But it has
experienced its last trip.
I got a shower (best $3.00 I've ever spent) and headed back to
camp when I saw this female moose in the bay. It was not 5
meters from shore and completely submerged except for her spine.
Rushing back to the shelter (ok, a hobble) I got my OM-4,
200/4, monopod and a roll of Delta 400 which I pushed to 1600.
I grunted and hobbled back to the moose and proceeded to shoot a
roll of frame-filling headshots of this moose--until she decided
to come ashore and chase me down. My knees and ankles could
only allow me to hobble so I quickly dove behind a rack of
canoes. That satisfied her so she grunted and headed up the
hill and into the woods.
Friday morning, I'm going to solo hike up to Huginnin Cove. I
pack a water bottle, toilet paper and a couple rolls of Delta
400 in my fannypack and grab the XA. I'm off to a good pace
(necessary because of the boat schedule). It drizzles a little
and I see lots of photo opportunities. Over the next couple of
hours I've shot almost three rolls of film on this loop. Best
photography of the trip and it's all B&W, ISO 400, handheld and
the XA. I return with just one picture left on the roll.
Note: Huginnin Cove is absolutely one of the most beautiful
spots I've ever seen. I could have camped a week there!
Boat ride back was fine. After changing into some less smelly
duds we head on over to the casino/restaruant where we can find
ourselves huge hunks of dead cow. A 12oz ribeye later, I'm well
sated.
The Holiday Inn Express in Superior, Wisconsin was a welcome
sight. A nice comfy bed, a long, hot shower and six hours of
"The Speed Channel" had me well relaxed.
I haven't tallied the film consumption yet, nor the damaged
equipment--yes, a couple things came through a little scathed.
But I'm looking forward to processing the film this week.
AG-Schnozz
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