For a little backstory for those of you who might not know me or my family very well...

About six years ago, when my son was around 12, we decided to start going on backpacking and hiking adventures together. My husband and daughter decided they wanted absolutely no part of those adventures and happily sent us off on our own. From the comfort of home, they kept tabs on us and tracked our progress while we wandered off into the wilderness.

Over the years, those trips became more challenging, more adventurous, and a whole lot more memorable. This summer, those adventures took us to Isle Royale National Park for a backpacking trip we'd been looking forward to for months.

I have to admit, I'm not great at planning trips. I usually throw together a loose itinerary and leave plenty of room to make decisions as we go. Sometimes I only have a vague idea of where we're heading. This last adventure, though, required a little more planning than I was comfortable with. It was a bit overwhelming, and I definitely started overthinking things!

We kicked off the trip by heading to Duluth, Minnesota, and spending some time exploring the city. We found a neat lighthouse museum and caught our first glimpse of Lake Superior. I knew it was big, but I wasn't prepared for just how massive it really is. It feels more like an ocean than any lake I've ever seen. The waves rolled in one after another, and the water stretched farther than I could see.

From there, we headed north, stopping at beaches and scenic pull-offs to hunt for rocks, admire lighthouses, and watch ships come and go through the harbors. Pictured below are the Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors Lighthouse, and the barges at Two Harbors.

This might shock a few of my photographer friends, but I actually enjoy spring and early summer road trips more than fall! Don't get me wrong, the fall colors are gorgeous, but there's something about the wildflowers this time of year. They feel so alive with their bright colors, buzzing bees, and fluttering butterflies. The ditches along our route were absolutely filled with wildflowers!

When Evan and I travel, we usually camp or boondock, so finding a good place to spend the night can sometimes be a challenge. Thankfully, we found some great spots along this trip. Along the way, we also discovered several hiking areas we'd love to come back and explore someday. The Superior Hiking Trail sure looks interesting...

Now for the main event... Isle Royale National Park!

Early Monday morning, we boarded the Voyageur II in Grand Portage, Minnesota, and made the two-hour journey to Windigo on the southwest end of the island. After checking in at the ranger station, explaining our route, picking up our permits, and giving our backpacks one final once-over, we headed into the backcountry.

Our plan was simple: hike the 32-mile Feldtmann Loop over three days, then spend the fourth morning relaxing in Windigo while we waited for the ferry to take us back to the mainland.

Of course, one of the reasons I hate making plans is because things rarely go according to plan anyway!

Our first stretch of the hike was an 8.5-mile trek from Windigo to a primitive campground at Feldtmann Lake. A few miles in, it started to rain. That really wasn't a big deal, except the foliage was unbelievably dense. I'm talking Jurassic Park-level ferns and other plants. My son is 5'9", and some of the ferns were taller than his shoulders!

The trail was still visible... most of the time. Between the rain and brushing against all those soaking wet plants, we were getting drenched from every direction.

About three-quarters of the way to camp, I really started to struggle. I'm guessing it was allergies, but my sinuses hurt so badly, and I started dealing with what felt like vertigo. It was awful and really slowed me down. I've never experienced anything quite like that before. Have you?

After what felt like an eternity, but was actually about six hours, we finally made it to Feldtmann Lake. Just as we picked out a campsite and got ready to pitch the tent, the rain really started coming down. We got the full experience of trying to set up a tent in the middle of a thunderstorm...

Our first priority was simple: get dry.

After taking off my backpack, I realized it was much wetter than it should have been. Thanks to the rain, I hadn't noticed that my water bladder had developed a leak and soaked the inside of my pack. Thankfully, I packed everything in water-resistant bags, so most of my gear stayed dry. Unfortunately, the backpack itself and the jacket I had carelessly stuffed inside were completely soaked.

After getting dry, taking some Benadryl, eating an okay-ish meal, and squeezing in a short nap, I started to feel a lot better. I really need to look into tastier backpacking meals!

The next morning, though, we had a difficult decision to make. Between how I had felt at the end of the hike, how slowly I had been moving, and the fact that I was now down a two-liter water bladder, I was really hesitant to head farther into the backcountry. If I started feeling worse, we couldn't just call for help or hitchhike our way out. The route we had planned also included a nine-mile stretch without any access to water to filter until the very end. I had a small Nalgene bottle, but I didn't think that would be enough water for the trip!

In the end, we decided to skip the Feldtmann Loop, spend an extra night at Feldtmann Lake while everything dried out, and hike back the way we came on day three. I didn't have any trouble hiking back out, but this time I made sure to take my allergy medicine right before we left. Looking back, I think I either forgot to take it the morning we started hiking or took it way too early since we had to be at the dock by 6:45 a.m.

As it turns out, staying an extra day meant we really got to enjoy the beauty of Feldtmann Lake. The water was so clear we could see fish, and leeches (eww!) swimming near the shore. There were wildflowers everywhere, beautiful trees, and all kinds of wildlife. We even spotted a gorgeous bull moose and took the short hike over to Rainbow Cove.

It ended up being one of my favorite days of the trip. Instead of rushing to the next destination, we got to slow down and simply enjoy the beauty of the island.

The morning we were getting ready to leave the island, we were wandering through the Washington Creek campground when we had a very unexpected visitor...

Washington Creek is the campground closest to the Windigo dock, so it was also the busiest one we stayed at. We were standing off the trail reading one of the informational bulletin boards when I happened to glance to my right. Just in time, I spotted a wolf calmly trotting down the path toward us.

I don't think either of us took a breath. He was a lot closer than I would have preferred!

We estimated he passed within about 15 to 20 yards of us. Thankfully, we were standing off the trail, and he drifted to the far side of the path, stepping into the tall grass as he casually trotted by and down the path. He looked in our direction but didn't seem the least bit interested in us.

As soon as he was gone, we reported the sighting to the rangers. The whole island is part of a research study on wolves and moose, so they requested that we report sightings. They were both concerned that he had been wandering so close to a campground and excited to see the photo I had managed to capture. Thankfully, I already had my camera hanging around my neck while standing at the information board because the whole encounter lasted only a few seconds!

After a rather grueling ferry ride back to Minnesota, we decided on a whim to head over to Ely, visit the International Wolf Center, and explore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness before making our way home.

Ely, MN is a charming town with one heck of a 4th of July parade! It sits on the edge of the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters, an area that provides incredible habitat for one of the largest wild wolf populations in the contiguous United States.

North of Ely, we found a beautiful permit-free backcountry campsite just a short hike from the truck. It sat right along a beautiful lake, and all evening, and again in the early morning, we could hear wolves howling. It was a bit eerie as sometimes they sounded rather close by!

I was absolutely thrilled that I could hear them. Even with my hearing aids, there are still plenty of sounds I miss, so that was a pretty special moment for me.

...Or maybe we were just a little crazy for setting up camp that close to them!

Looking back, we didn't complete the hike we set out to do, but I wouldn't change a thing. We traded miles for memories, saw a wolf and moose in the wild, listened to wolves howl from our campsite, and spent time soaking in some of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. Sometimes the best adventures aren't the ones that go according to plan. They're the ones that remind you to slow down, stay flexible, and enjoy wherever the trail leads.

What's the best unexpected detour you've ever taken on a trip? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.