[at-l] Okay, trip report kinda, sorta (long)

[Patrick Loomis" <ploomis@triton.net (Patrick Loomis)]

I've been mostly lurking but here's a trip report from last October

North Manitou Island October 2001


Holy Cow, what a week. Temperatures in the upper sixties and rain one day,
winds of 60+ knots the next. Sleet, rain, wind and a leaky tent. A sleeping
bag with a blown out zipper and high temperatures in the low thirties. Did I
mention rain and a leaky tent? Not a single deer in sight (nor a married one
either). Twenty foot waves and no boat on Friday. Eating like kings the
first three or four days. Pretty much noodles and oatmeal the last three or
four days. Oh yeah, rain and a leaky tent! One more thing, had a great time!
Went with Wade Perkins who I went with in 1997. Picture this, it's raining,
really, really raining. We're soaked for the second day in a row. The
leaking tent, (have I mentioned that yet?) is really leaking, our garbage
bag repair works excellent. Not a drop is leaking in through the very leaky
rain fly. Instead it all rolls off to the side of the tent down the doors
and in through the zippers. A regular flood. I'm seriously thinking an Ark
might be a good idea. Wade crawls into the tent, mutters something under his
breath and then says aloud "I'm beginning to lose my sense of humor". It was
at that point, in the midst of a very wet evening, with me trying valiantly
to swing the cooking tarp into position in an attempt to alleviate the sink
or swim conditions that prevailed that night, that I started to sing. "Don't
let the rain come down, don't let the rain come down, my roof's got a hole
in it and I might drown". After three of four choruses Wade says to me,
"Don't give up your day job" he also told me to do something that I don't
believe is anatomically possible. It was at that point that I knew Wade was
lying. He wasn't losing his sense of humor, it had abandoned him long since
on that mosquito infested afternoon. That's right, October 24th in northern
Michigan and we had spent the afternoon swatting swarms of voracious
mosquitoes. Things improved as soon as I had the cooking tarp in position
over the tent. Wade's sense of humor returned, I didn't quit my day
job....yet, and I was no longer being requested to perform unnatural acts
upon myself. The next day we hiked on over to the west side of the island to
see what 60+ knot winds and 20 foot waves were really like. Well, they were
just like that, 60+ knots and 20 foot waves. Horizontal rain and sleet,
standing on the edge of a twenty foot drop down to the beach and leaning out
over and feeling the wind push you back, holding you suspended at a 45°
angle. Then with a mighty gust, blowing you back onto safe and sane footing.
Walking down to the beach and watching the huge breakers tumbling a quarter
mile out where they first hit a sand bar. Watching them reform into 7 to 10
foot waves that wash right up to our feet. That afternoon, breaking camp,
just in case the boat does run tomorrow because there's a forecast of 1 to 3
inches of snow and we don't want to try breaking camp and traveling 3 miles
back to the village in three inches of snow. Running, that's right, running
back towards the village, listening to a 3fer of BTO. I was in a groove.

Did you know that it is always windy on Lake Michigan in October?  Five
times I've been there (North Manitou Island) in October and five times it's
been extremely windy at some point during my stay.

Lesson learned: when hunting/camping partner says, "Oh yeah, I've got a tent
with a rain fly and it's been sealed." Insist on actually seeing the tent.
Make sure your definitions are equivalent.
For instance, tent
My definition: hoop or dome tent with full coverage rain fly seam sealed
inside and out and tested in the rain.
His definition: large 10'X14' three room cabin tent with 8'X10' fly that has
been sprayed haphazardly with camp dry.
Do you see what I mean?
Pat Loomis (who in the future will always inspect before getting stuck for 6
days on an island with no way off)

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