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Tag: island

An Island, A Wedding….and Rose hips

by Peter on Sep.23, 2009, under thoughts, travel

Isle-Royale2-2695 It’s been a week since I last posted, an unusually long time for me, but I had a good excuse. For the better part of last week I have been on Isle Royale, or traveling to get there and home again. If you are not familiar with Isle Royale-don’t be ashamed, most people aren’t-it is a large island in the middle of Lake Superior. To access the island one must travel to the northern most tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan then take a 3-5 hour ferry ride out into the lake. It is truly one of the remotest places in the continuous 48. As such it is the least visited National Park, making it a haven for those seeking solitude and nature. It is also an important research center for many scientists wishing to study wildlife, their interactions with their environments and mankind’s impact on that environment. It is also amazingly beautiful! It is no wonder that, although it is the least visited National Park, it also has the highest return rate. So what prompted this journey to this remote island? A wedding of course! Both my brother and wife have spent numerous summers working on the island as park rangers. They met on the island, got engaged on the island and felt that the island was the most appropriate place to exchange their vows. It was a small, intimate wedding held on the shores of one of the 400+ smaller islands that surround the large one. I’ve been in weddings large and small, extravagant and simple, but this one was one of the most perfect ceremonies I have ever had the pleasure to witness. For those of you thinking what a great idea for a wedding, please realize that the park discourages larger groups due to their impact on the environment and you won’t find any amenities. Remember this is first and foremost a nature reserve and everything they do revolves around that. (continue reading…)