What do you never leave home (to Isle Royale) without?

[DonNewcomb]

A small 'box' of wine for the first two or three nights. When empty, it folds up small and goes into my garbage bag.

They make a special platypus just for wine but I find the regular platypuses work just fine. If you burp all the air out the wine won't go bad. That's for the first couple of nights. After that, we get down to the hard stuff. My favorite for short trips is Tullamore Dew.

[Gimp]

Be prepared for rain and have rain gear of some sort. Preferably a rain jacket with a hood. I was in Rock Harbor last August when a strong gale blew through and caused my float plane ride to be delayed by a few days as well as canceling a trip by the Queen. The temperature dropped and it rained for at least 36 hours straight. I saw many people stumbling into Rock Harbor soaking wet and looking very close to hypothermia. They didn't have anything in the way of rain protection. I've had hypothermia twice in my life and am always concerned about it. I survived the first two events because someone noticed I'd become an unresponsive zombie. Now that I hike alone, avoidance is always on my mind.

If you are worried about weight, remind yourself that Isle Royale is usually cool in the mornings and evenings so a rain jacket always provides the necessary warmth, as well as wind protection. Even in a shelter it was cold and breezy. BTW, people also came off of the trail who didn't have so much as a tarp to sleep under. They assumed that a shelter would always be available. That's a bad assumption. Lastly let me add 'sufficient calories'. I saw worn out looking people surviving on 190 calorie packages of ramen soup so they had to have been running a significant calorie deficit on the trail. Your body can't fight off cold and wet conditions let alone have a good hike in good conditions on a starvation level diet.

[Backpacker534]

Gimp, I couldn't agree more. Aside from my previous post in this thread, the other item I never leave for any hike without is rain gear. I think almost every hike I have been on I have encountered rain. There is nothing more draining than being wet, especially when the temps are cold. Even though my pack weighs more with rain gear, I always bring it along!

[discoverykayak]

From a kayaking point of view, there is a long list of things I would not go without. First thing is (like everyone else) rain gear. I like the ultra cheep crap from Wal-Mart because I never feel bad about ripping a hole through it. Second would have to be neoprene socks. I circumnavigated in five days and every time I got in and out of the boat my feet froze for about 10 minutes! Third is my trusty closed-cell foam sleepig mat. There's just something about strapping a bulky waterproof mat to the rear deck and being able to pull it off to catch a nice midday nap in the sun on the rocks or to have a soft place to eat lunch. Other than that, I'd say a nice light paddle! Carbon fiber all the way! I did the first half of the trip with an aluminum/plastic paddle, second half with a full carbon fiber. THe difference was mind blowing!

From a hiking point of view, I'm convinced it is still rain gear (though I've not hiked more than 3 miles on the island... yet!). Next time I go on any trip (hiking or kayaking) I'd like to take a bible. Any suggestions on a nice compact NIV?

[Chorizo]

My wife and I took headnets every year for many years and never used them. We never needed them. Those were all trips we took in early June when the bugs can be bad. Living on water in N. Wisconsin we consider ourselves fairly bug resistant. Well about 4-5 years ago we took our most ambitious trip to the island. We backpacked about 110mi in 8 gorgeous and sunny days and had one of our best trips ever. That trip would have lasted only 1mi and been our worst ever without our headnets. We would not have been able to continue that trip without them. While we didn't have them on the whole trip we had them off and on all day each day. The bugs, mostly 'squitos and blackflies were absolutely unreal. Our last day out there we met a woman up on Mount Franklin who had met Candy Peterson while she was out on the trail birdwatching (actually I think she said she was counting birdcalls as a part of an annual survey). She told us Candy had said to her that it was the worst year she'd ever seen for bugs in all her years on the island. Since then we have used our headnets sparingly but carry them each time knowing their true worth.

We will never leave our headnets at home.

Also, nobody likes to wear DEET. Most of us avoid it if we can. But we will definitely have some with us every time 'cause that trip would have been over without it too.

[johnhens]

My little AM/FM radio. When I can't sleep (beacuse I am too excited about being on the Island) I like to listen to the radio.
One time there, I was able to get a NPR Canada type station at night. There was a kind of announcement program where folks used the radio as a means of communication ie: Jim H, I will not be able to meet up with you at Sanders Bend on 5/23, I am delayed because of high water. Bill M. I listened way later than I should have.

[Backpacker534]

My buddy normally brings along a small am/fm radio as well. One cold, rainy night we were sitting inside the shelter playing cards and passing time when he turned on the radio and started scanning stations. He stumbled upon an unknown radio station that mesmerized us for a very long time. It had a probably 2 or 3 minute repeating loop of some kind of techno music. We listened for quite a while and eventually moved on. We periodically went back to the station but never once heard a voice, a DJ or a station identifier. It just added to the mystique of a pitch black Isle Royale night, the steady pitter-patter of rain and the cold night air. Who knows, maybe we stumbled on a pirate radio station or better yet, a "Numbers Station". Spooky......

Numbers Stations - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_station
The Conet Project - http://www.irdial.com/conet.htm

[jerry]

I love to bring along sweet and salty peanut chewy granola bars, apples, and oat meal cookies. My doctor wants to know how many beers I bring along too.

[DonNewcomb]

We will never leave our headnets at home.

That's one of those one ounce insurance policies. They cost almost nothing to carry but can be worth their weight in gold if you need one.

[jerry]

You guys are correct about the headnets. If you've seen an old man carrying a fresh loaf of cinnamin and raisin bread that's me. Usually bring that too.

[Tampico]

Who knows, maybe we stumbled on a pirate radio station or better yet, a "Numbers Station". Spooky......

You didn't say what band you were listening to (AM or FM), but a numbers station on either band is unlikely.

"Pirate" radio is actually pretty common on FM because the hardware is dirt-cheap and easily available. Why someone would set up a pirate station on the north shore of MN is a mystery.

I'm a licensed amateur and shortwave listener and I often encounter stations I can't explain; some of it can be pretty weird.

[Tom]

I'm a licensed amateur and shortwave listener and I often encounter stations I can't explain; some of it can be pretty weird.

73, Tampico! There is actually a few of us on the forum with our geek licenses!
-N0UHR


The only thing I find odd about the radio stations of the Northern MN woods is the high density of "All Polka, all the time" format stations.

[Tampico]

I'm a licensed amateur and shortwave listener and I often encounter stations I can't explain; some of it can be pretty weird.

73, Tampico! There is actually a few of us on the forum with our geek licenses!
-N0UHR


The only thing I find odd about the radio stations of the Northern MN woods is the high density of "All Polka, all the time" format stations.

73 Tom. KD0ANL here. I'll be at the MM show and I hope to catch your presentation.

[Ingo]

The only thing I find odd about the radio stations of the Northern MN woods is the high density of "All Polka, all the time" format stations.

When I worked in R.H. in '79 the only reliable station was an AM Finnish one in the U.P. Talk about polkas! And announcers you couldn't understand--expect for a few Finns.

[Kevinl]

Now I can't stop wondering what kind of music pirates listen to.