July 2026 • Year Two

Second Annual
Apostle Islands Adventure

A few days away from notifications. Paddleboards loaded with everything we need. Coffee by the water. One tradition worth keeping.

LaunchBuffalo Bay
Home baseHermit Island
This year's maybeBasswood Island

The information we actually need first

Weather + maps

THU • JUL 30
⛈️
83° / 66°

Warm and humid. A spotty afternoon thunderstorm is possible.

FRI • JUL 31
🌥️
78° / 63°

Cloudy and humid. Another spotty afternoon thunderstorm is possible.

SAT • AUG 1
⛅
80° / 59°

Partly sunny and humid.

SUN • AUG 2
☀️
81° / 61°

Humid with plenty of sunshine.

Actual marine check

Sand Island to Bayfield • LSZ147

Checked against the National Weather Service and NOAA buoy observations late Sunday, July 26, 2026.

No small-craft advisory shown for LSZ147
Current nearshore forecast Waves 1 ft or less overnight

Southwest wind around 5 kt, becoming east toward daybreak. Showers and thunderstorms possible, with patchy smoke after midnight.

Monday NE 5–10 kt • waves 1–2 ft

Morning showers and thunderstorms possible, then only a slight shower chance in the afternoon.

Tuesday Light winds • waves 1 ft or less

Variable winds becoming east around 5 kt. Mostly sunny.

Outer-lake buoy 45006 NE 7.8 kt • gusts 11.7 kt

Water 51.6°F, air 52.9°F, reported wave height 0.0 ft at 11:50 PM EDT July 26. This buoy is well offshore and is context, not a substitute for Red Cliff or LSZ147 conditions.

For the July 30–August 2 trip:

The official NWS nearshore marine forecast does not yet extend through the full trip window. The current check is useful for the trend, but it is not a valid crossing forecast for Thursday through Sunday. The site now links directly to the official zone and real-time Red Cliff wave page so it can be checked again when the trip window enters the forecast period.

Open official LSZ147 forecast Open Red Cliff real-time waves Open NOAA buoy 45006

Actual map • OpenStreetMap

Buffalo Bay → Hermit → Basswood

This is a real geographic basemap, not an illustrated route. Zoom and pan directly in the map. The markers and dashed planning line remain in the interactive map farther down the site.

A Buffalo Bay launch: 46.853667, -90.786167 H Hermit Island: 46.8862, -90.6880 B Basswood Island: 46.8568, -90.7379
Open the full map

Why we come back

Last year, we found something worth turning into a tradition.

It is not really about “going camping.” It is the quiet crossing, the weird little discoveries, the campfire meals, the lake changing every hour, and having nobody to answer to but each other and the weather.

Ashley and Brittany smiling together at their island campsite
☕

Slow mornings

Coffee by the lake before the day decides what it wants to be.

🏝️

Keep exploring

One more shoreline, rock shelf, hidden corner, or place to hang a hammock.

😂

Stories to keep

The things that go slightly wrong are usually the stories that survive the longest.

Ashley and Brittany exploring red sandstone formations

Year one

We started a tradition.

We crossed to Hermit, made camp, climbed around sandstone, found quiet beaches, and learned that we were definitely doing this again.

This year's adventure

Same islands. A little farther.

Hermit is home base. Basswood is the extra adventure if the lake gives us the opening. If not, Hermit has never disappointed us.

Things we hope to do

Before we leave

Interactive route map

Zoom into the islands.

Real basemap, real island geography. The dashed lines show the idea, not a navigation track. The lake decides the exact route.

StartBuffalo Bay

Boards loaded, last-minute checks, then out.

HomeHermit

Camp, coffee, shoreline exploring, and no schedule.

MaybeBasswood

A day trip if conditions and energy feel right.

Last year's little moments

The photos already tell the story.

Loaded paddleboards resting on a rocky Lake Superior shoreline
Everything we needed, carried on the boards.
Brittany hanging a hammock in dense island greenery
Camp does not feel real until the hammocks are up.
Red sandstone rocks in clear Lake Superior water
The kind of place we almost walked past.
Two paddleboards on a quiet beach beside Lake Superior

Camp life

There is nowhere else we need to be.

Set up the hammocks. Protect the dry socks. Make coffee. Wander. Swim. Cook dinner over the fire. Stay out until the stars show up.

Morning coffee check

What is the lake doing right now?

The four-day air forecast is above. This card is for the conditions that decide whether today is a crossing day, a shoreline day, or another-cup-of-coffee day.

Live marine check

Use this quick field card to record the newest official forecast and what the lake looks like from shore before heading out.

Lake Superior gets the final vote.
Cold-water reality: Lake Superior’s average summer surface temperature is about 59°F. Keep PFDs and leashes on, even when the air feels hot.

What's coming with us

Our trip, not a generic camping list.

Brittany is packing her own full setup. This tracks the gear we photographed, Ashley's system, and the handful of things worth cross-checking before launch.

Sleep + camp

Coffee + food

Water + power

On the boards

Small things that matter

Shared cross-check

Today's story

Write down the parts we will forget first.

Year two

Until next year.

Some traditions start by accident. The good ones become annual.