06/04/2026
📸 PRESEASON 2026 – THE RETURN
On May 1st, Ray and I climbed aboard the Hazy J with Justin and pointed the bow toward Isle Royale. It was a day we'd been looking forward to ever since leaving the island last fall.
The contrast was almost comical. Less than a week earlier I was in Jamaica for my daughter Alyssa's wedding, surrounded by palm trees, sunshine, and 89 degree temperatures. A few days later I was crossing Lake Superior toward an island where ice still gripped many of the harbors and the water at Blake Point was just 36 degrees.
Winter wasn't quite ready to let go.
Rock Harbor was mostly open, but many protected coves and harbors around the island were still frozen. Tobin Harbor remained choked with ice in places, and there were no leaves on the trees, few migratory birds, and very little sign of spring beyond a handful of resident species.
What stood out most was the silence.
No sirens.
No traffic.
No motorcycles screaming down the road.
No barking dogs.
No lawnmowers.
No trains.
No neighbors yelling.
No kids playing in the street.
Just the occasional eagle overhead and the whisper of wind through the spruce trees, and every so often the faint sound of an airplane headed toward Thunder Bay.
Then silence again.
The kind of silence that's becoming harder and harder to find in the modern world.
Over the next several weeks I'll be sharing photos from Ray's and my 12-day preseason adventure. Ice-covered harbors, quiet trails, sunsets in Tobin Harbor, fishing trips, wildlife encounters, and those special days when Isle Royale is waking up from winter but the summer crowds haven't arrived yet.
For me, this is one of the most magical times of the entire year to be on the island.
👉 If you could visit Isle Royale at any time of year, when would you choose?
