It sounds to me like you have a good handle on all the issues. There are folks that have rewarding bushwacking experiences, but they are already familiar with the island, know what they are dealing with, and are looking for that specific challenge. In the past I think you would have had a hard time ...

The "Thank you" function was added as a way to say "I agree" or "good advice" without adding another post. As a feature of the forum software the star rating came along with it--I agree it's meaningless, but just ignore it. My presumption is that it's not simple, and ma...

Does Isle Royale have a weather station? That data feed would be great to watch! The lighthouses: https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=pilm4 https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=roam4 Over the years I've occasionally found stations at Mt Ojibway, Windigo, and/or Mott Isl...

hooky wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 10:32 pm @Ingo you mentioned Mike, has anyone seen or heard from him lately? Seems like it's been several years since he was active.

No, not for a few years that I recall.

But I do like the spreadsheet is set up to hike from node to node. That is a logical way to plan. And a clickable map would be really great :D ! I was wondering where all the mileages came from. There is more detail there than on the maps ive seen. You made me look... I thought I was tracking the s...

As for the planning tool, I know the trails pretty well but still found ithe spreadsheet a bit confusing to use. A web page interface where you could click on a map would be nice. Maybe I will program one when I retire. A web interface would be great! Unfortunate that's not in my skill set. I've al...

Looks like it: https://511mn.org/
It was a mess coming off the bridge in Duluth last year, and doesn't look like it's changed. I'd take the Bong Bridge (US 2). Other than that interchange I-35 looks OK unless they start something new.

I second everything Ingo says above. I would avoid off-trail camping if at all possible. Lake Ojibway - Rolf Petersen and others have been giving presentations that include recent photos of moose stuck up to their armpits in the muck of the drained lake. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole! So...

I'm (finally) buying a Garmin inReach to give my relatives peace of mind. I'm especially a fan of the free check-in messages. Sadly the 20% coupon doesn't work on devices with GPS chips, but the dividend at least takes a bit of the edge off. What is the 20% coupon you speak of? REI gives a "20...

As far as inland I wasn't sure about lake Ojibway. Interestingly Lake Ojibway is/was essentially a huge beaver pond created by literally a very old and large beaver dam. The dam was breached a few years ago and mostly drained it, but I'm not sure of it's current state. Either way, not swimmable! Bu...

The itinerary looks fine, but I wouldn't recommend cross-country camping the first time there. There's a lot of dense vegetation that makes any off-trail travel very difficult in many places and not many conducive spots for a tent. Daisy Farm is the logical alternative, of course. But if you're set ...

For perspective, the first NPS boat of the season (and staff), literally just arrived at Mott Island (park HQ). They've been waiting since 4/15 for a weather window.

Last year the report didn't come out until late Aug. I didn't hear any numbers until I was actually there in July and then got different answers--there's another group that started making estimates using a different method, with pretty different results.

I'm (finally) buying a Garmin inReach to give my relatives peace of mind. I'm especially a fan of the free check-in messages. Sadly the 20% coupon doesn't work on devices with GPS chips, but the dividend at least takes a bit of the edge off. "At campground, all is well." One of mine is &q...

dcclark wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:45 am I'm (finally) buying a Garmin inReach to give my relatives peace of mind. I'm especially a fan of the free check-in messages. Sadly the 20% coupon doesn't work on devices with GPS chips, but the dividend at least takes a bit of the edge off.

"At campground, all is well."