• Friday-What'sUP September 5 - 08:37 am

Over on the western end of Isle Royale, you'll find Windigo, which is a starting point for many a backpacker, including William Pekuri and the rest of these hearty hikers. From what I could gather from the photos in William's gallery album, they weren't just taking a hike, they were actually Geocaching over there, thus the photo of Jerod with his GPS in front of the Windigo sign. Then we get a feel of being on the hike with a shot from the back of the line, along with some of the antics of fellow hikers while taking a break. William named that third photo, "Some boys never grow up."

And finally, so you can see a bit of what they were enjoying while hiking, the "Wetlands" photo has been included. That pretty much embodies what Isle Royale is all about.... beautiful, peaceful, and enjoyable wilderness experiences.

Someday I will make it to Isle Royale. Looks like they had fun.

Windigo is also a part of Indian legend. A Windigo is a beast that stalks wanderers of the Northwoods. It is said to be a tall, thin very strong creature that can run exceptionally fast. People who survive a Windigo attack get Windigo fever and can turn into a Windigo. To kill one you must burn its heart of ice.

There is actually a scientific basis in the Windigo legends. There is a condition known as Windigo psychosis that appears to affect some people after they have been isolated and starving for a period of time.

Thanks Dr Nat. Always wondered about the meaning behind Windigo legend.I personally like the word windigo, some words are just cool sounding hey? This word is a beatiful teal-colored word to me, my favorite color along with purple. Call me crazy!

In Algonquian mythology
The Wendigo is part of the traditional belief systems of various Algonquian-speaking tribes in the northern United States and Canada, most notably the Ojibwa/Saulteaux, the Cree, and the Innu/Naskapi/Montagnais.[4] Though descriptions varied somewhat, common to all these cultures was the conception of Wendigos as malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural beings (manitous) of great spiritual power.[5] They were strongly associated with the Winter, the North, and coldness, as well as with famine and starvation.[6] Basil Johnston, an Ojibwa teacher and scholar from Ontario, gives one description of how Wendigos were viewed:[7]

“ The Weendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Weendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody [....] Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Weendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption. ”

At the same time, Wendigos were embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess; never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they were constantly searching for new victims. In some traditions, humans who became overpowered by greed could turn into Wendigos; the Wendigo myth thus served as a method of encouraging cooperation and moderation.[8]

Among the Ojibwa, Eastern Cree, Westmain Swampy Cree, and Innu/Naskapi/Montagnais, Wendigos were said to be giants, many times larger than human beings (a characteristic absent from the Wendigo myth in the other Algonquian cultures).[9] Whenever a Wendigo ate another person, it would grow larger, in proportion to the meal it had just eaten, so that it could never be full.[10] Wendigos were therefore simultaneously constantly gorging themselves and emaciated from starvation.

Never been 2 Isle Royale, but it's certainly scenic, as these pictures attest 2.

For those of you who might be interested here is a site about the Windigo: http://dinojoe.8m.com/crypto/windigo.html