Added: 01/20/2006 |
Experience hazards of wilderness survival in Isle RoyaleAs a country of contrasts, the United States features a diversity of opposite landscapes, ranging from giant human-made masterpieces and huge wilderness areas, which are designated as the National Heritage of the country. National parks, such as Redwood, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone and a lot more, are world-renowned as the only-of-the-kind places on our planet. Natural wonders, preserved and protected in the USA national parks, are at times unimaginable and indescribable in words.
For instance, the Isle Royale National Park's ecological system is unique with many features, not found anywhere else. The park encompasses eight hundred and fifty square miles, while ninety nine percent of the land area is the federally designated wilderness. The crystal clear waters, rugged shoreline, cool climate, wolves and moose are characteristics of the Isle Royale national Park.
Wolf and moose populations make the object for scientific researches and studies to investigate predator-prey relationships in a closed environment. There are about twenty five wolves and one thousand moose in the Isle National Park and dogs are not allowed to the area to protect wolves from canine diseases. Moreover, the ecological study of wolves on the Isle Royale is the longest running large mammal predator-prey study on the earth. The research has shown that all members of the Isle Royale wolf population descended from a single female, which arrived during the late 1940s.
The Isle Royale has one hundred and sixty five miles of scenic trails. The Greenstone Ridge is a high ridge in the center of the park with the longest trail (forty miles) from one end of the island to another one, which can be done in a four or five day hike. The Greenstone Ridge, which forms the backbone of the Isle Royale, is thought by many geologists to be a portion of the largest lava flow on the earth.
The island was once a site of the fishing industry, native copper mining and resort community. Hence, today you may not only take a sightseeing hike to view the Isle Royale panorama and abundant wildlife, including moose and foxes, but also hike scenic trails or take a cruise to beautiful spots of the island, comprising historic lighthouses, explore abandoned copper mines, and visit a historic commercial fishery, still in the operation. There are also canoe and kayak routes along coastal bays and inland lakes.
Kids and their parents can as well participate in the Junior Ranger Program that takes a day or two to complete. Children with their parents and rangers solve the riddles of life on the Isle Royale. The program is highly challenging and the graduates are awarded a badge and certificate by a ranger.
The Isle Royale National Park has only two areas, developed for the tourist service, Windigo and Rock Harbor with campsites, camp stores, showers, restaurants and a boat dock. Only Rock Harbor and thirty six designated wilderness campsites provide a sleeping accommodation. Some campsites are accessible only by a private boat, a trail or a canoe/kayak on the interior lakes. Due to the difficulty of the travel and the hazards of wilderness survival, the Isle Royale National Park is closed in winter (the only national park in the US that is seasonally closed). Nevertheless, if you enjoy these very features of the travel or want to experience a survival on a remote, isolated and primitive wilderness archipelago for the first time, you will hardly find a better place than the Isle Royale National Park.
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