Dear Diary

Saturday, October 5

Dear Diary,

Morning — Opened the boathouse, got paper supplies (stored in a shed where mice won't destroy

them), and started cleaning bathrooms. Lots of mouse poop, but only a few mice. Swept boathouse,

more mice in there. Stinks!

Had a quick breakfast and greeted the 10:00 a.m. Karfi. Asked every camper how they’re doing. Some

are okay; others are leaving because of mice. Ranger Brian pulled up. Mice were jumping out of the

trash bags in the red wagon on the back of his UTV. He said northwest gale winds are expected

tomorrow and if so, the Karfi won’t be coming in. He’ll let us know when he’s certain.

Noon — Talked to campers who were heading out. Had them put their gear on the dock to be loaded.

Greeted the noon boat and answered all the day trippers' questions. Talked to newly arriving campers

about mice and what they could do to cope with them.

Ranger Brian and boat captain confirmed no boats will run tomorrow, Sunday. Must notify all campers:

they must leave today or stay until Monday. No one will be able to leave tomorrow even if the mice are

too much for them.

Dane and I took off on the UTV to inform campers. Many were already planning on leaving; some

have to work on Monday; and many couldn’t be found as they were hiking and not at their campsites.

Dane dropped me off and I started packing up the cabin and cleaning. He went to the boathouse to

count monies from the week's merchandise and wood sales and prepare the final deposit. We’ll take the

last ferry out today. We have a reservation at Sunrise Cabin on Washington Island Sunday night; not

sure what we’ll do tonight.

1 p.m. — In between greeting boats, cleaning, answering questions, and finding the missing campers,

we learned the docents at the lighthouse needed to be picked up. Dane finished the money, took our

garbage out, and hightailed it to the lighthouse to fetch them. I returned to packing, sweeping, and

mopping.

2 p.m. — Ran back to meet the 2 p.m. boat. Too many people wanting to board, and day trippers

worrying they’ll be left behind and have to wait until the last boat at 4 p.m. But after dropping off a full

boat of campers, the captain made a second run to pick up the day trippers. Dane pulled up to the dock

just in time with the docents, so they were able to load up too and get off the island.

Dane had to refund campers for the wood they'd bought but didn’t have a chance to use. Then he joined

me at the cabin to help clean the gas stove and refrigerator, and heat water to wash the dishes.

I packed the cooler, stripped the sheets, and stuffed them in our dry bag along with our clothes. Dane

loaded the UTV, took our gear to the dock, and came back to pick me up as I was finishing mopping

the floor.

4 p.m. — With just minutes to spare, we joined campers and day visitors at the dock for the last boat

off the island till Monday. Surprisingly, two campers arrived on that boat, knowing they’d have to stay

until Monday and there’d likely be no wood sales.

All gear got loaded onto the boat, then the departing campers, the day visitors, and lastly, Dane and I.

When we finally sat down, we looked at each other and high-fived.

As the boat pulled out, we waved goodbye to Rock Island and all its mice. We hope the island has a

cold, cold winter.

Sunday, October 6

Dear Diary,

We woke this morning after a restful sleep at Sunrise Cabin on Washington Island. True to its name, the

sunrise was spectacular. We were glad that Gabrielle, one of the owners, was able to let us get in one

day early.

After breakfast, we biked to the dock where the Karfi sat. We wanted to see the northwest winds and

waves that prevented it from sailing. But from that vantage the lake looked calm.

Later this evening, we watched a video on Facebook made by a couple still on Rock. The waves were

crashing over the pier in front of the boathouse with alarming force. Anyone trying to stand there, let

alone load and unload a boat, would have been swept into the roiling surf.

We spent the day biking and hiking (mice free!), feeling grateful that the boat captain and the ranger

were skilled at making that kind of call. We’re hopeful the DNR will be as skilled on how to handle the

mouse infestation.