Minong Ridge - good idea?

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nickybates92
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Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by nickybates92 »

Hi everyone,

My dad and I are looking to do a week-ish long trip to the Isle next summer/fall. As we look over the different trails and trip options, we keep coming back to Minong. It's appealing to him, as someone who's been to the island before, as a new challenge, but I mixed feelings -I'm apprehensive but love a good physical challenge. He backpacked extensively in lots of backcountry places in his 20s/30s, but hasn't much since then. This will be my first backpacking trip, though I worked at a summer camp for 5 years and am very experienced with wilderness first aid and basic survival skills.

I'm not so much worried that we'll be in shape for it, but more that we'll get horribly lost or something. Is Minong too dangerous for a beginner and her dad? Would compass reading classes be useful? Any advice you can pass on about the Minong trail would be very much appreciated!
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by fonixmunkee »

Nickybates92, welcome to the Isle Royale forums.

Rest easy: while the Minong is the most strenuous and remote trail on the island, it's not like the backcountry of Yellowstone. The trails are clearly marked, and you have one great guide the entire time: Lake Superior.

Most trails are easily identifiable most of the hiking season. The Minong is only hard to identify along the expansive rock ridges it traverses. However, blazes on the rock and cairn piles guide you in these locations.

Now, with that all said, you should absolutely take compass-reading class (I think EVERYONE should), and you should absolutely bring a map and compass. They are a light-weight emergency tool that will also provide you with a piece-of-mind.

Safe travels in 2018, and hopefully we see more of you on the IR forms.
nickybates92
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by nickybates92 »

Thanks, fonixmunkee! I was picturing Yellowstone backcountry, so I'm glad it's not quite like that! I'm going to keep checking REI for compass reading classes, but where else would you be able to take a class like that? We're Detroit area if that's helpful.

We're looking at September 2017 to set out - very excited!
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by JerryB »

If you do the Minong, please read the many trip reports on this site for some key points. The trail can be difficult to follow in spots--more so than any other trail on the island. At one point, just after a beaver dam crossing, the trail appears to split. I only knew which leg to follow based on prior reading. One final comment: The Minong ridges are very slippery when wet. I took several spills there in a storm.
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by jerry »

JerryB is correct, you could learn a lot from reading some of the trip reports. If you are going from east to west, JerryB's comment is true. I was with a very experience person with survival training and we got lost right after the beaver dam crossing. If its not raining as it was for us, the Minong is a nice challenge.
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by MikeT »

In my opinion, the Minong is the ultimate trail to hike on the island for wilderness. The Greenstone is the classic Isle Royale hike. When is the last time your Dad has hiked?? Has he done the Greenstone??

Those questions would help in a further response.

As said by others, you cannot get terribly lost, but you can get disoriented (lost) and have to backtrack.
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by nickybates92 »

I'll double check with my dad how long it's been for him since he backpacked, but if I was in my lifetime, I wasn't old enough to remember - I think it was before my parents married in '89, so it's been a few decades. He went to Isle Royale once as a teenager, but that's it.

I think he feels like he's seen most of the Isle and wants to do this before his knees get too bad to hike.
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by JerryB »

The Minong is great, but so are many other hikes on the island. Ask your dad if has been to McCargo, Moskey and Chippewa, for example. Or maybe a hike to Malone and a pick up there. The Feldtman Loop gives a great taste of many aspects of the island.
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by torpified »

I bet you and your dad will have a blast! While you're waiting for the hand-on class, you can peruse REI's pretty comprehensive on-line compass tutorial:
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice ... asics.html
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by dbarry »

The Minong isn't a good idea, it's a great idea. As a 57 year old solo hiker with bad knees, I can tell you it's feasible. I did it, even through a long burned out stretch where there was no visible trail.

Take your time. I recommend trekking poles for bad knees. Keep a careful eye out for the cairns, and double back if you need to. You will absolutely love it. It's how hiking should be. Don't let anyone talk you out of it.
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by Midwest Ed »

Welcome nickybates92. It looks like you have your "several" positive answers.

The Minong Ridge Trail is considered by most people to be the most difficult section of trail on The Island. It may be the most difficult but it is by no means dangerous. It's been referred to occasionally as more technical than other of the Island trails but people that have spent time on higher altitude treks out west may confuse this description of "technical" as requiring climbing with rope gear, etc. Nothing could further from the reality of the Minong. The Minong is probably the least well maintained on the Island so your feet are going to get more wet than other places and the trail is not as well marked or as well trodden so paying attention to your route is important. The difficulty of many of The Island's trails deals with the footing due to rockiness and thin soil exposing many roots. There are several sections both on the Minong and elsewhere where you will spend a long time stepping up and down a lot without any real significant change in elevation. The only real net effect of this is your ankles and thighs get a super workout. I find that moving too fast requires looking at ones feet all the time and thus the majority of your memories are the tops of your boots instead of things much more beautiful around you.

You do have an option that you can implement to hedge your bet a bit. I suggest you start on the north-east end and head towards Windigo. If you do the opposite and start in Windigo then your first night just might be spent at North Lake Desor campground. You will have just finished maybe the roughest and longest section. If you're having second thoughts that night it will be a bit late as you sort of just reached the "point of no return". Going backward or forward could both be arduous choices. Starting on the north-east end would allow you to get things worked out much more slowly as you go and still maintain options for alternate routes. You could start at Rock Harbor or MacCargoe Cove. Once your reach Todd Harbor you can make the final decision to "go for it" or head to Hatchet Lake to finish along the Greenstone Ridge Trail. People's philosophy differ but leaving the hardest for last offers a lighter pack and both your body and rhythm are more broken in. Others might say towards the end, your body and feet might be nearing worn out. Not watching for blisters cropping up is one of people's primary mistakes. Stop often and check for foot and boot troubles long before your feet tell you something is wrong. Apply some mole skin at or before the first sign of issues.
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by JohnMcCormick »

The Minong was my introduction to Isle Royale. I was pretty intimidated, but it's a really nice hike!
Pack full water and refill when you can - there were some stretches where we got thirsty and that led to less enjoyment of the ridge.
Take breaks. There are great vistas. Dropping packs and scouting ahead helped us a few times when we were unsure what a cairn was trying to tell us.
I second Midwest Ed to start from the North rather than out of Windigo. I tend to find a day or two of lower distances helps me find my legs - that Windigo to North Desor would not treat me kindly as a day one route!
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Re: Minong Ridge - good idea?

Post by philranger »

Nicky - I'll speak as the Dad in your trip. My daughter and I did the Minong in 2013. See the trail report called "Kari and Wally tackle the Minong 8/10/13 - 8/15/13". I have been to Isle Royale 8 times. 4 have been with my daughter Kari. She also spent time on camp staffs. In fact, when I took my BSA Troop to Philmont in 2012, the crew elected Kari as the Crew Leader. Overall, the Minong was a nice hike with very beautiful camps, but that last day was long.
Isle Royale Trips: 2005-RH to Windigo via Greenstone. 2006-McCargoe Cove to Chippewa Harbor. 2007-RH to Daisy Farm and back. 2008-Feltmann loop. 2009-McCargoe Cove to Chippewa Harbor. 2013-Minong Ridge. 2014-Windigo+Huginnin Cove. 2015-Lookout Louise to LC to DF to MB. 2018-McCargoe to Todd to HL to Malone Bay. 2021-Windigo/Huginnin. 2022-RH-DF-MB-CH
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