Nice list. I noticed you have two cans of fuel. Do you need two cans or would a single larger can give you the 16 boils you need? I also like to take a small piece of tyvek (2'x4'). Great for covering a wet log for sitting, for setting your pack on when packing or unpacking, and as a vestibule/door ...

Worked great for me. Nice job!

Only suggestion I have would be to replace "(c)" with "camp" in the descriptions. It's only a 1 character penalty, but offers more clarity.

The eastern third of the island offers good fishing on the inland lakes. With 4 backpackers, it's not hard to divvy up a backpacking skillet, cooking oil, breading, foil, etc. We've done the same and had great meals from Chickbone, Richie and Mason. Superior is a different matter. We've only had luc...

I don't think I've ever encountered enough mud to worry about it. If I did, I'd probably choose a different place to hike.

Do you have two sets of baskets small and large? Small baskets might come in handy for crossing a beaver dam. Large baskets are overkill. I've gone without baskets for many years to avoid dragging in the undergrowth. Also, the greenstone and minong trails are heavily travelled, so undergrowth won't ...

Name: Buckeye (Evan) Hometown: Dayton, Ohio Arrival Date: Aug 28 Departure Date: Sept 2 Coming From/Via: Hancock/Seaplane Itinerary: Day0: Rock Harbor arrival - Water Taxi to Malone Bay Day1: Malone to Hatchet Lake Day2: Hatchet to Little Todd Harbor Day3: Little Todd to North Lake Desor Day4: Desor...

The only way I wouldn't bring one is if I was going to be on the Lake Superior shoreline the whole time and the extended forecast included a breeze the whole trip. I always bring one, but have only used it once in 5 trips. One evening at West Chickenbone when there was no breeze...

Thanks for this trip report.
We are considering an itinerary starting in Malone this year. We are hoping to cover most of the remaining trails we haven't yet hiked on this trip.

Brian,

Thanks for sharing this. I use CalTopo for all of my backpacking trips. For my last ISRO trip in 2021, it took quite a bit of work to use. This will be a big help to all.

I agree with everyone on the Todd Harbor choice over McCargo Cove. Last fall McCargo was packed. We hiked on to East Chickenbone, even though we couldn't get water there (We carried extra water for the night). The hike from TH to LC will be a tough one at ~20 miles!

Was there in September and that trail was is good condition. The beaver dams were open and the ponds were dry. The trails around the ponds was clearly marked.

is there any place on Isle Royale that folks go cliff jumping? There's a good spot with 10-12 ft rocks and deep water on Lake Richie. It is located right before the trail turns away from the lake toward West Chickenbone. It is also a great spot for catching a Northern Pike! :D Too bad about the alg...

I would make sure your choice includes camping on Lake Superior at some point. so I would recommend the Moskey option. After hiking from Windigo to the Indian portage trail on the Greenstone, I'm not sure I'd hike back up to Ojibway. If you are flying out of Hancock, we'll be on the same plane into ...

You wouldn't think scheduling a plane would be so hard. I submitted a request on 6/28 and didn't hear anything until 7/16. I was told I would hear back within a week when I called, so I assumed I wasn't going to hear anything. In the meantime I scheduled ferry trips that I had to cancel and eat the ...

In 4 trips. from the first week of August through the first week of September, I've only had mosquito swarms at Lane Cove. There was little wind and they appeared around sunset. It was easy to avoid them by going to bed. I think we have also seen a few in the swampy areas in the interior of the isla...