Wegimind (Sam Campbell's Island)

The quest for Sam Campbell's island is complete. Sam Campbell was a nature enthusiast, photographer, writer, lecturer, and philosopher who lived in the north woods of Wisconsin around the time of World War 2. Paul grew up reading and being read these books, and has always wanted to see the island sanctuary. When we first imagined this trip it was something we put on the list to see even though it isn't actually a National Park. Then we had to find it. Turns out, the location of the island isn't really well documented. But we were able to narrow down the location and finally pinpoint the island. Unfortunately we weren't able to find anything that indicated whether or not the island is open for public use, so we decided to go find out!

After leaving Voyageurs NP we spent the night with Doug and Tanya Hardt. After supper we decided to have a bonfire and enjoy the evening outside. Boy were we glad we did! Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights) came out to dance and play! It was incredible to see! None of us had seen it before, so it was even more exciting! I can't wait to see it up in Alaska or Canada someday! The next morning we got up and did some paddle boarding, Tanya stuffed us absolutely full of food, then we packed up and headed out!

Wisconsin!

The plan we came up with for visiting the island was to start with the Sam Campbell Memorial Trail. This trail leads along the north shore of the lake, out to Wegimind Point from where you can see his island, and on to Vanishing Lake, which features strongly in many of his stories. The plan was to scope out the island from the trail and see if it looked like something we could get out to, either by kayak, or by swimming!

We got to the island Friday night as it was getting dark, so we postponed our research until Saturday morning! We camped on Sam Campbell Road nearby the trailhead. When we got up the next morning we had breakfast, drove to the trailhead, and set out!

The trail was everything we thought it could have been, and more! So much better than we imagined! Along the trail there were wooden signs with thoughts and quotes from Sam that revealed the nature of the forest that the trail wound through. Each of the signs correlated the forest nearby with a thought from Sam. Also the signs were beautifully made, in good repair, and just seemed to fit in with the forest setting.

The forest... what to say. It felt like we were walking through the perfect fairy tale woods. There were old trees, towering above new growth. Some areas had experienced fires, and were younger forest. Some areas had escaped and were old and wise. The forest seemed to draw us in, we just wanted to explore! Not too much undergrowth most places, some that were thicker and full. The view through the trees promised adventure and possibility that felt like we were right in the middle of one of Sam's books.

We made our way out to Vanishing Lake (still not vanished completely!) and walked around. Sadly we didn't find Inky, Bobbette, Rack and Ruin, or any of Sam's other friends, but we did see some red squirrels who I am sure are descendants of Still-Mo! After Vanishing Lake we headed for Wegimind Point and a view of the island. As we made our way out along the point, and the lake revealed itself, excitement rose!

We reached the end of the point, and the lake came into full view! The island sat less than 1000 feet from us across the water! So close! Only 1 part of our journey remained! The swim! We had settled on swimming for 2 reasons: 1) it sounded like a fun way to visit the island, and 2) there didn't seem to be a convenient boat launch. We had our swimming suits on, hid our stuff in bush, waded into the water, and started off! There were a few boats, around, and it was cool water, so we swam briskly! Also the water was a metallic red color, which we weren't too sure about, but there were water skiers out, so it must be safe, right?

Sam Campbell's Sanctuary!

When we reached the island we got out the GoPro and started to explore. Unfortunately after venturing about 20' inland we found someone hanging laundry on their clothesline. Huh... they didn't see us though, and it seemed like it might not be the best plan to show up unannounced if this was private property. After weighing our options we decided that it would be wise to head back to the trail. We had made it to the island, that was enough for the time being. So we hopped back into the water and swam back to the point. After drying off and heading back to the car we decided to email the historical society that is responsible for the trail and see if the island is actually open to the public or not. We haven't heard anything back... yet...

Seeing the island, and walking through the forest was such an amazing experience. I felt the peace and the pull of the North Woods that Sam so loved, if only for a day. I know that the area is no longer the wilderness that it was when he was there, but the woods still hold the mystery and beauty. If you have ever read anything by Sam Campbell, take a walk along the trail (it takes about an hour) and see some of the world that Sam lived in. It will be worth your time.