impossible questions, but: trail: from hidden lake dock up to lookout louise (a choice that sneaks in the canoeing necessary to reach the trailhead) campground: Feldtmann Lake! It's true, my site was basically an outdoor anteroom to the campground outhouse---but the nonstop moose traffic, and option...

More or less that itinerary, at more or less that time of year, was my first trip---I also felt the pull of walking across the island, and the Greenstone Ridge looms large in wide-angle accounts of options. I loved it. I also agree that stretches of its western half *are* a tunnel of trees. You'll b...

I think, if there was an algal bloom at Hatchet, I'd reroute to stay at Superior sites: carry on to Todd that night, then McCargo (or Moskey) the next, before arriving at Daisy as scheduled. I guess that's changing up the whole itinerary though---not optimal for a thorough hike! Another idea (not fa...

I agree that getting to Rock Harbor in time for a cheeseburger before meeting the plane could mean skedaddling on Day 6. A way to finesse that while sticking with the Minong plan would be to press on past Todd Harbor to McCargo on day 4, then target Daisy Farm or 3 Mile on Day 5. 3 Mile would give y...

favorite quote, because it sounds so much like something out of the Brothers Grimm: "“When wolves set the table there are many uninvited guests."

Some quick thoughts about the trail runners question: calibration: according to fastestknowntime.com, the current FKT on the Greenstone ridge trail is around 7 hours. The official route follows the GRT to its eastern terminus, and ends at the Hidden Lake Dock. So it's a mile or so longer than your s...

Cloud's Rest from the Tioga Pass road climbs about 1800 feet, sometimes over very rough trail, over 7 miles, one way. If you can dayhike that without plunging irrevocably into despair (or Tenaya canyon), you should be able to manage any of the individual days on your itinerary, provided your pack we...

Monument Rock that is correct! It's along the trail up to Lookout Louise from Hidden Lake Dock. My first inkling of its existence came from a framed olde tyme ferry service advertisement that was hanging in the Rock Harbor Lodge common area. When I saw it with my own eyes, I found it less imposing ...

This very low-quality image is from this past July:

@Kelly: ooooo---I don't think I've seen or heard tell of those. I'd say that I was stumped, only all the trees in the picture are intact. So: I'm going to guess in the vicinity of Daisy Farm, just because there seems to be a lot of vestigial infrastructure there. It's not a great guess though: the b...

this is a guess---I haven't been exactly there, just there-ish. Is it the powderhouse at Senter Point?

+1 for seeing at night!

"thorough hike" is WAAAAAY better than what I was about to suggest: A Minong Omnium --- or a Minongium for short (not that shortening anything is a desideratum!).

Thanks for the report on what sounds like a very soothing visit! Just reading about it lowered my blood pressure. Until I got to this, which sent my heart racing with excitement: There is a brick oven type structure at that shelter. Could Belle Isle be the location of my oft-fantasized IR pop up bri...

my linguistic intuitions resemble dcclark's: thru hikes are continuous routes, with canonical acronyms; when they traverse wilderness areas, they're often criss-crossed by "lesser" trails; thru-hikes are the interstates and the 'lesser" trails are the blue highways. On IR, it's all bl...