1st Time on IR -- Itinerary Help!

Questions about trails and campsites on the island.

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DocHoff37
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1st Time on IR -- Itinerary Help!

Post by DocHoff37 »

Hello,

Three friends and I will be departing from Grand Portage to begin a thru-hike from Windigo on Fri, 8/29. We are all in excellent hiking and general shape; several of us have put on 100+ miles this summer on the SHT and NE U.S.

I'm curious just how crazy it would be to do the Minong Ridge Trail as we arrive on 7/29 ~10AM at Windigo and leave ~8AM on Tues, 9/2 from Rock Harbor.

Tentative Itinerary:
Day 1: Windigo to North Lake Desor
Day 2: N Desor to Todd Harbor
Day 3: Todd Harbor to either E Chickenbone or Daisy Farm
Day 4: end at Rock Harbor
Day 5: ferry back to Grand Portage

I am open to suggested routes and itineraries. Our priorities are a) solitude/ privacy, b) enjoy an amazing island and c) love it enough to come back next year!

Since we all live in MN, we could do the Minong another trip with a few extra days. LMK what you think!

Happy hiking,

~Matt
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Ingo
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Re: 1st Time on IR -- Itinerary Help!

Post by Ingo »

Can't say I've done it, but from what I understand the first day would be crazy. Hardest section of trail on the island + longest distance between campsites + late start after the early morning boat ride = :shock: . I know some folks who might do that (and maybe even enjoy it), but they're all a little crazy themselves. I think you'll enjoy the experience more if you take the Greenstone ridge and save the Minong for the next the trip.
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head2north
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Re: 1st Time on IR -- Itinerary Help!

Post by head2north »

The Windigo to North Desor is a tough first day off the boat. My dad and I did the Windigo/Rock Harbor hike via the Minong
some years back. It was a 7 hour when-is-this-going-to-end ordeal, but the elation upon arrival to North Desor worth it.

Your second day bypassing Little Todd would make my eyes wider than a Windigo/North Desor hike. The North Desor to
Little Todd section is tough with major up/downs on the rock ridge. So going all the way to Todd Harbor after that section
is ambitious.

But the main question is how does this route parallel your expectations. If you enjoy the longer days and want to tackle the
toughest trail (Minong) to Rock Harbor in four days, it is very doable.
DocHoff37
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Re: 1st Time on IR -- Itinerary Help!

Post by DocHoff37 »

Thanks for the replies! Nice to get some input.

We could also forgo making it to Rock Harbor and reschedule with the ferry to collect us at Chippewa Harbor.

How about...

Day 1: Greenstone Ridge to South Lake Desor (or Hatchet Lake), stay the night
Day 2: push to Todd Harbor, stay the night
Day 3: head to E Chickenbone (or Daisy), stay the night
Day 4: get as close to Rock Harbor as possible, 8AM ferry on Day 5.

ALSO I'm curious what other itineraries may be suggested... if we decided to avoid the thru hike and get picked up at Chippewa Harbor, would this be a good one:
Day 1: GRT to South Desor or Hatchet Lake
Day 2: cut up to the MRT and Todd Harbor site
Day 3: head through McCargoe to Wst Chickenbone (or Lake Ritche)
Day 4: continue to Chippewa Harbor
Day 5: ferry at 10AM in Chippewa Harbor

THANKS!
tree rattt
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Re: 1st Time on IR -- Itinerary Help!

Post by tree rattt »

Hello.We just did the Minong last spring.I agree with headed2north....good comments. I have to chucklle about the comment of a hours long when is this going to end tour! You can see alot of the ups and downs .....it also takes a keen eye to keep on trail. The trail has a combination of cairn stones and a few orange blazez....if I recall the color correctly ;) A bit of wet weather could quickly make the trip immpossible going all the way to RH.I personally would recomend the Hugginin cove loop, minong RT, then out at MCcargo or Chippewa. It sounds like you really want to claim the minong.....I was compelled to do it myself ....It was worth it! :) Long days sound doable for your group....just a suggestion if you take the Hugginin you may want to get a backcountry permit, just in case the day runs short.The only other suggestion Many would recomend is leave a little wiggle room somewhere. IR can turn on you when it gets wet ....and those ridges will bake you! Water up whenever you can ...especially this time of year!
Last edited by tree rattt on Thu Aug 28, 2014 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
drmarv
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Re: 1st Time on IR -- Itinerary Help!

Post by drmarv »

I completed that same hike 4 years ago but w/ an extra day. Everything that has been said about the difficulty of your agenda is correct but it sounds like you have been preparing for this. I would suggest a few changes to you plan.
Day 1: Windigo to ND
Day 2: ND to Little Todd (this will give you a chance to rest and spend more time enjoying the views).
Day 3: Little Todd to McCargo (its a longer day but very doable)
Day 4: McCargo to Chippewa Harbor (this is one of my favorite sites and you can make arrangements for the boat to pick you up there on its way back to Windigo and MN).

While this won't get you to RH, it will allow you to experience the Minong Trail.

When we did this hike we came out of RH and hiked two days to Chippewa Harbor where the boat picked us up and took us to Windigo. It was Sept 7th and we got a late start for ND (noon). We got there just before dark. The next day we hiked to LT and the next to McCargo. From there we went back to Daisey Farm and then on to RH where we spent an extra night due to the high winds and waves out on the lake. All in all an excellent trip.

I hope this helps.
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