Naked in the Stream: Isle Royale Stories

by Vic Foerster, Joyce Koskenmaki (Illustrator)

A wilderness island in Lake Superior calls Vic Foerster to cross the world's largest Great Lake, land on the island's rocky shore, hike its bony spine, fish its shoal embedded coves, and fall in love with it all. Bug included. After thirty years worth of visits to Isle Royale National Park, Foerster records his experiences in this narrative. Funny and poignant, riveting and heart thumping, these true stories entertain and inform the reader.

Genres: Nature, Environment

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

For close to thirty years, Vic Foerster has visited Isle Royale with family and friends. His passion for the natural world and for all things Isle Royale is contagious and conveyed through his book, Naked in the Stream: Isle Royale Stories.

Vic, a consulting arborist, serves tree care clients throughout Southwest Michigan. He is also author of several articles about tree care published in Tree Care Industry Magazine, Arbor Age Magazine, and Michigan Landscape. His writing about Isle Royale has appeared in Silent Sports Magazine and the Jack Pine Warbler.

Vic lives in Grand Rapids Michigan with his wife of thirty-five years. This is Foersters first book.

"

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved these stories by the person who lived them. Because I love all things Isle Royale, I picked up this book even though I anticipated nothing more than a charming amateur effort. Instead I was astounded by the quality of the writing. I felt every one of the author’s adventures as though they were my own. Thrillingly told tales of Lake Superior’s strength and beauty—it’s qualities I’ve long loved, myself— along with detailed accounts of adventures shared between the author and his wilderness companion, had me shivering from the cold gusts coming off the pages even in my too warm July home. This is a perfect book for anyone drawn to natural adventures and the many lessons they teach.

[Annalisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were boring towards the end. Plus shouldn’t the story the book is named after take place on the island?

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed reading about place I know.

[Curtis Anthony Bozif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never been to Isle Royal. Decided to read this book in order to get a more in depth and personalized account of the island than I could have by reading an article on the internet or in a travel brochure. It helps that Foerster is not a bad writer. He covers a lot of different aspects of the island and the Keweenaw Peninsula. And, many of the stories are quite charming. The admiration he throws on his friend Ken is a bit much, though. The author is also Christian, and I'll admit I winced every time he mentioned "faith," and "spiritual growth," and "the Almighty." But, that being said, he doesn't hit you over the head with this kind of language. Which is good. He's not the first person to come to these things by his experiences with nature.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a native Michigander, I was very interested in what conditions are like in the Keweenaw peninsula area. The author captured this place in vivid detail and with a nice touch of humor. Highly entertaining, even if here and there the descriptions got a little long for me and I couldn't picture what he was describing. Setting that aside, I highly recommend this book for it's sense of adventure and the author's detailed knowledge of a place he loves and visited for over 30 years. Hikers, take note.

[Zinta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the U.P., is easily one of my favorite areas around, and within that, the Keweenaw Peninsula. On a clear day, standing on the Keweenaw and looking across the sparkling mirror of Lake Superior, one can just see the outline of Isle Royale on the horizon. Somehow, getting there has long evaded me, even as I have lived on and now often travel to the Keweenaw to rejuvenate my spirit. That must change, and soon—and so, in that effort to at last make that wilderness adventure happen, I decided to pick up a book about Isle Royale written by someone who really knows the island.

Vic Foerster, arborist by trade, is a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the Lower Peninsula, but has been making annual trips to Isle Royale for nearly 40 years. So many wonderful and wild places to go, but there is no place as pristine, he says, as Isle Royale for the true wilderness experience. (I had the pleasure of interviewing Vic Foerster in December 2011 for a local radio station, and got to ask questions that go even beyond what he shares with readers in this collection of 18 stories.)

Naked in the Stream is reading pleasure. Foerster’s writing style is clean and clear, flowing as a river, and his stories educate and enchant, inspire and amuse. He is not afraid to look a tad foolish, as he writes about his initial lack of expertise in the wild, unable to sleep in his flimsy tent as two randy moose do a boisterous mating dance just outside. He often lets Ken, his frequent travel companion and fishing buddy, take the limelight and outshine him in ability to catch the bigger fish sooner, or withstand the obstacles and challenges of the trail.

There are some great fish stories in this collection, but also insights into the differences between camping in solitude, camping with a best buddy, or camping with one’s child. Since the stories cover such an extended time span, there are interesting differences to observe in the experience (such as few if any female campers to later become predominantly female campers), although these usually pertain to the traveler and, happily, not to the island itself, which has more or less remained the same—wild and beautiful.

My favorites among the stories were about the man who crosses the watery distance between Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula (anyone who is at all acquainted with Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake, will know this is a dangerous proposition) alone in a kayak, and the story of how Foerster’s enchantment with the Keweenaw began. This beginning is actually the very last story in the collection, and once read, it feels right just there.

Worthy of note is the cover artist and illustrator, Joyce Koskenmaki. The cover is being sold as a poster, and it is beautiful with its midnight blue, dotted with stars, empty boat on the mirror of the lake below. Her illustrations also lead into each of the stories.

Vic Foerster writes that Isle Royale is the least visited of all our national parks. Difficulty in reaching it seems to be the reason why, but a part of me cheers for that—one wants at least a few parts of the earth to remain as they are, untamed. His book lets others enjoy it vicariously, but for some of us, inspire an itinerary …

[Sam Dicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read a nonfiction book that had me more immersed than Naked in the Stream by Vic Forester. He writes it in such a way that you find yourself experiencing the stories as he tells them. This book follows Vic and his friend Ken and their many journeys to Isle Royale, an island on Lake Superior
In this book, Vic talks about the mishaps and adventures he and Ken have experienced in their numerous journeys to Isle Royale. With each visit they gain more experience from their visits and learn what to prepare for in subsequent trips. These stories range from discovering how to make the perfect pancake over a campfire, to having the fish they caught eaten by seagulls, to witnessing the Northern Lights, to surviving a storm on the boat ride to Isle Royale. Many of these stories are humorous and enjoyable.
Anyone who is looking for an interesting and enjoyable nature book should read Naked in the Stream. Forester brings out the nature side in all of us. I found myself wanting to travel to Isle Royale and live out the experience that he is recounting. This book is 283 pages in length, which isn't unreasonable. I found similar personality traits in Vic and Ken that I find in myself, which made them easy to like. The main message of this book is there is always something new you can learn from a journey.

[Don Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vic does a great job making the reader feel as if he was right there, experiencing the adventures. I could hear the twigs cracking under my feet while walking along the paths of Isle Royale as I was reading. My heart was in my throat more than once, and if I didn't know for sure that the author and his buddy Ken are still alive, I would have been very worried about them during the title story of the book.

You'll experience a full range of emotions during while reading these true stories--loving the adventure every step of the way.

[Michael Kuhne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foerster's first book contains both first person narratives as well as third person accounts. This is non-fiction wilderness writing. My favorites included Foerster's recounting of his brother-in-law sea kayaking from Isle Royale to Dollar Bay, the rescue of a family caught in a canoe off the shore of Eagle River, and a first-person account of hiking from Lac La Belle around the Keewenaw Point during Michigan Tech's spring break.

[Jill Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put this book in your backpack

...before you head out to the island. I'd meant to read it beforehand but time got away from me so I ended up stashing it in the top of my backpack before a 6-day trek at the end of July. I read it every night in the shelters, then retold the stories the next day to the five women I was hiking with. Forrester's voice is quiet yet clear, and somehow perfectly reflects the island's own personality.

[Dooug · Rating 3 out of 5]

haven't read much adventure in a while, but i spent a couple weeks up in the keweenaw this year and got this book to motivate me to get to isle royale. not the best writing ever, but heart felt and at times dramatic enough that I couldn't put it down. it is a work of love undeniably.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like wilderness and adventure stories, so I've read a lot, and this one is great. Clear, concise prose - lush descriptions of the island, lake and its wildlife. There's humor, sorrow, and even suspense. The author just nails it. It's also a fairly thin volume - good to tuck in your backpack.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Reminded me of "A Walk In the Woods" by Bill Bryson. Several short stories of Vic' and Ken's adventures on Isle Royale . It gave a good imaginative impression of the Isle with much humor.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little redundant but with absolute flashes of brilliant, harrowing, emotion elicitng prose.

[Olivia Alkema · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The stories were exciting, touching, and real. Well written and a wonderful read!