Unusual (?) things

[altivo]

From brunbera and songcoyote:

A CD you own that you don't think anyone else on your friendslist does: This is probably too easy. Picking from the top of a stack, Granada: Jim Riggs plays the Grande Barton Organ.

A book you own that you don't think anyone else on your friendslist does: Also probably too easy. let's go with Willow Song by Richard Amory (soft core gay male fantasy, oddly like furry fiction except the associations are with trees rather than animals.)

A movie you own that you don't think anyone else on your friendslist does: I'm a silent film fan, so let's pick The Return of Grey Wolf (1922) with James Pierce and Helen Lynch, featuring the dog Leader.

A place you've visited that you don't think anyone else on your friendslist has: The top of the Greenstone Ridge, backbone of Isle Royale in the middle of Lake Superior? Edit: OK, dogteam has been there. Guess I was wrong trying to pick the most secluded place. How about the most obscure? On top of a hill locally known as the "Old Maid's Nipple" to watch the sun set behind Torch Lake in Antrim County, Michigan.

A piece of technology or any tool you own that you think no-one else on your friendslist has: A raddle, weaver's tool used to spread and count warp threads while dressing a floor loom.

Comments

Re: Both wrong...

[linnaeus.livejournal.com]

I don't count since I'm not on your friends list, but duncandahusky brought this post to my attention. I hiked the Greenstone Ridge in September of 97, and it was one of the best experiences of my life so far. I really need to make it back there one of these days. Now if you'd said Minong Ridge, you probably would have been the only one. Apparently that's about as secluded as you can get on the island. Anyway, good to hear of someone else who's got an appreciation of such a special place.

Take Care,
Linnaeus

Re: Both wrong...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I've been on Minong, but only for a few miles. We covered most of Greenstone that year. I'd really like to tour the outlying little islands by canoe, actually.

Yes, it's a very special place, and I'm glad it is isolated enough and lacks any mineral resources that the Bush administration wants to exploit, so it will remain free of snowmobiles and oil rigs.

Re: Both wrong...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, and you are on my friends list now. Anyone who appreciates Isle Royale is definitely a step up in my estimation. :)

Re: Both wrong...

[linnaeus.livejournal.com]

Likewise. :)

Hiking Minong end to end is something that I'd definitely like to do at some point, it's supposed to be pretty hard, but the solitude makes it worth it.

We took the ferry from Grand Portage to Wendigo and hiked the Greenstone trail east to Rock Harbor in about four and a half days. This was in September after enough of a cold snap to kill off most of the bugs, which was a Very Good Thing. On an interpretive trail near Rock Harbor they had excerpts from the journal of a mining engineer back when they were trying to make a go of copper mining in the 1800s. It was stuff along the lines of "mosquitoes and black flies are so thick that my body is one continuous welt. God, I hate this place." :)

Re: Both wrong...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We flew in and out from Houghton because one of our party insisted he would die of seasickness. But it had the advantage that we could get to Windigo on the day the park opened in the spring, before the ferry was running to that end. We did, fortunately, have good weather except for heavy fog and drizzle on the last day. Took six days to go end to end, which would have been more leisurely except we made side trips. I'd have to look at a map to tell you the whole route, but most of the distance hiking after the first day was on the ridge. We'd climb down at night and go north or south, mostly camping in regular campgrounds, though we spent one night at Hatchet Lake all by ourselves as I recall. Managed to visit both the north and south shores, and never saw anyone except in the larger campgrounds nearer to Rock Harbor.

Gosh, now when was that? I hate to admit how long ago it was... spring of 1981 sounds right. I know about black flies and mosquitoes, but not from Isle Royale. We were so early in the year they weren't out yet. On the other hand, the concern and paranoia over liver flukes did make drinking water a real nuisance. Boil, filter, iodize. When you mix iodized water with powdered milk it turns blue...