Early May Clothing

[alecto73]

For those who have hiked the island (and particularly the Minong) in early season - I'm curious what clothes you wore and what you packed. I have a pretty good idea what I'm going with based on some of my colder trips to other places but I'd like to hear about items you've gone with and the wins and fails.

[MikeT]

I've hiked the Minong many times, but only once in the spring. Only once off the first boat. Only once solo. Interestingly, they were the same trip. I experienced the gambit of weather. In the following order:
- Todd Harbor in shorts chasing early bugs away, basking in the sun with my water getting chilled in a patch of snow in the forest
- Little Todd Harbor watching the weather change and hoping I had enough fire starter to beat the increasing wind, only to get the fire started, and have sideways rain to where I had to hit the tent, and watch the fire die to the sound of huge waves on the lake. A terrible thing:-)
- Lake Desor North enjoying the sun after the hard walk in sunny crisp weather. Becoming one with the rocks as it got dark and deciding I could eat and sleep when I got back. But, I could not feel the way I felt right then.
- Staying in a backcountry camp I call 6-Mile creek. Being happy the rain had turned to ice pellets because the tent would not get wet and I had to carry it.
- Walking the last hard stretch from the backcountry camp to where Huginnin Cove East trail cuts in and getting pelted by ice pellets, having to turn my head to avoid previous pellets. Losing my hat in the wind and not thinking twice about not going back for it. It was down a steep incline and all I could think about was moving on.

Ok. You see by my answer based on one trip. A little bit everything!

Layers…

[alecto73]

Wondering about water crossings. Any where I might be carrying my pack above my head?

[fonixmunkee]

Wondering about water crossings. Any where I might be carrying my pack above my head?

There's barely any water on the Minong, let alone enough to make it a water crossing. I'd think you'll be fine with normal clothing.

[MikeT]

There are two water crossings just before coming to Little Tood Harbor campground trail. The second one is absolutely terrible. Unless they have built a bridge over it since 2009, it is a made up of cedar logs and requires a good stick to balance yourself. There are usually some handy near the crossing.

[Blackdog]

alecto73, here's the water crossing just before Little Todd Harbor...go to the left after the 'bridge'. I took this picture in June 2011

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x38 ... 0_0093.jpg

[MikeT]

When I was there in May, the water was rapidly flowing over it.

[alecto73]

Good stuff. Exactly the kind of information I'm curious about right now. To be honest I pretty much have my prep work in the can at this point. I was teetering on just how much probably-would-only-have-needed-it-had-I-not-brought-it gear. I'm low enough with my base weight that I can eat a pound of extra clothes for staying warm and dry, or at least warmER and dryER without getting too close to where a frameless pack like my Jam can get a little uncomfy. I think mostly I'm just stuck here two weeks out and daydreaming about the Minong. I'm pretty excited. It's what I wanted to do my first time there but I knew where my experience level was and felt like something less ambitious was in order for my first trip to a place like this. Now I'm a long way from that backpacker, and I learned more on that trip than likely any other since. So on that note - tell me more Minong stories. I'll start a new thread called "Minong Stories" and let y'all gab away. In the meantime I'll see what we have for pictures. As far as that crossing - I'm rockin' trekking poles these days so that sort of thing is less daunting, especially since going to the trail runners and finding out that I can walk in water for an hour and be fine. Compared to the lifelong fight with blisters from ALL heavy boots (I felt the Zamberlans were the best but it just wasn't meant to be). It does give me a bit of a gauge on how it will be relative to the Greenstone, and trails close to Rock Harbor. Delightfully unrefined?

New thread
http://www.isleroyaleforums.com/viewtop ... f=4&t=1801