Adam Berger

After a particularly cold night, the men woke, breakfasted, and were visited by the superintendent of the nearby land company camp they had seen the previous day. He informed the Abbie men that they were camped at the best local trout fishing spot. E.W. Sparrow and Howard Longyear, wearing high rubber boots, waded along the edges of the channel. J.M. Longyear and Mr. Clark set out in the skiff. Both Longyear brothers caught trout that day.

Adam Berger

E.W. Sparrow set out in the morning to fish for trout. He didn’t catch any fish, but he did find some small agates in the rocks. The rest of the crew, seeing the treasures he had collected, set to work finding their own agates. While they hunted for stones in the small cove, they could see the bluffs of Isle Royale and Thunder Bay in the distance.

They set off on their final push to Isle Royale. The lake was still as they rounded Hat Point, but then a strong wind picked up. The crew raised a sail and coasted to Isle Royale. While passing the Rock of Ages the men sang the hymn of the same name and snapped some photos. They then headed to Washington Harbor, noticing a fishing village on a small nearby island and the new camp of a land company exploring Isle Royale for copper. Upon reaching the mouth of the Washington River, the crew hacked a tent-sized clearing in the brush and set up their own humbler camp.

Adam Berger
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The Abbie men purchased some fresh herring and whitefish from their new Norwegian friend to provision their onward journey. At 8:30 AM, with help from their Norwegian fisherman host, the crew got the Abbie out of the river and back into Superior. At noon they stopped at Grand Marais, Minnesota. At the end of the day, they stopped at a protected cove they dubbed Agate Cove. They struggled to find enough driftwood for a fire. 

Adam Berger
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Heavy rain during the night gave way to fair weather in the early morning. The Abbie continued on its way, passing Native American encampments and fishing cabins on the craggy coast. At one point, Howard Longyear set a moth on the water and saw a large trout surface for it. He insisted the ship stop for a while so the men could try their luck fishing. Unfortunately, no trout were caught for dinner.

The Abbie ran aground in the mouth of Cross River and was pulled free by a local fisherman who fell into the water while wrestling the ship clear. The stranger, who turned out to be Norwegian, shared a meal of a tasty rabbit stew with the crew. With Mox translating, the Norwegian fisherman explained that his family had been homesteading nearby for four years. The Abbie’s crew visited the man’s house and met his family. The man told his guests he had done some mineral exploration near his house, but so far had not turned up any valuable ore. Mox advised him to be patient, stating that if ore were there it would not get away. 

Adam Berger
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Winds from the northeast gave way to a storm, and lightning forced the Abbie to shelter on the shore. When the storm subsided, travel resumed, and the Abbie cruised to Two Harbors, coasting into the port on a large wave. While the rest of the crew trudged through the red mud of the town’s streets to reach the post office and send mail, Mox remained on the Abbie. That night, the men camped on Encampment Island, surrounded by fog. 

Adam Berger
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In the morning, the men patched a leak in the ship. By 10:30 AM, the Abbie was back in motion, heading across Superior Bay to Duluth. The men resupplied while in the city. A small boy watching the activity remarked aloud that the peculiar craft must be a grocery-boat. The Abbie men went to a restaurant and found it lacking, concluding they must have been spoiled by the excellent cooking Mox and Henry Longyear had provided throughout the trip. By 5 PM, the ship continued on, leaving Dr. Tappey behind to return to his home and medical practice. 

​Adam Berger
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​Dr. Tappey announced that he needed to abandon the expedition in Duluth. The crew joked that his patients were better off without him, but the doctor insisted that he needed to return to work. The expedition was behind schedule, and Dr. Tappey realized he did not have time to get to Isle Royale as originally planned. The Abbie stopped for the night at Dutchman’s Creek, and the men camped overlooking the electric lights of Duluth, dining and playing cards all together one last night. The game, as usual, was Crazy Pedro.

Adam Berger
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The men woke to strong wind and waves. By noon, the weather cleared, and the Abbie chugged west along the coast. The ship passed picturesque rock formations west of Sand Island, and the crew wished they had more time to explore. After nearly running aground in shallow water multiple times, the Abbie stopped for the night, and the crew made camp on the beach. They drank champagne purchased by Dr. Tappey in Bayfield as a treat. 

Adam Berger

​​The ship cruised past the spruce and tamarack swamp near the Bad River, and across Chequamegon Bay, where high waves threatened the voyage. Around 3 PM the Abbie stopped at Bayfield to resupply. A store clerk gifted the crew fresh lettuce, and after only canned food, it was gladly received. They continued, stopping for dinner at Red Cliff Bay. At sunset a man stopped by and offered to sell the crew trout. E.W. Sparrow refused, saying they had plenty of beef to eat. When the would-be vendor left, Sparrow banged his fist on the table, proclaiming that he would rather starve than buy trout on a fishing trip. 

Adam Berger
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​After eating breakfast, J.M. Longyear and E.W. Sparrow set out to take some photos. After lunch, Sparrow submitted to his ongoing temptation to see what would happen if he lit a fire in the plentiful driftwood. Although he started it far from camp, the men were soon scrambling to douse the fire with water as it blew in the direction of their tent. The fire abated, Sparrow, J.M. Longyear, and Howard Longyear went for a hike to see more falls. When they returned to camp, Mr. Clark scolded Sparrow for starting the fire. To smooth over rough feelings, Sparrow challenged the men to a shooting match with his revolver. Then they played cards until bedtime.