First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Questions about trails and campsites on the island.

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mrgpk
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First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by mrgpk »

Again, what an awesome site. I wish I had found it sooner.

My fiance and me have hiked a lot of the UP, but this is our first trip to IR. It is also our longest trip together. 7 nights will be the most for me by a couple of nights, but it's 4 more than she has done before. We've hiked this mileage together at the Pictured Rocks in 4 days and 3 nights (didn't mean to hustle so hard, but we cut a day to dodge a really nasty change in the weather and burned through 17 miles in a day). We're both in pretty good shape and pretty minimalist packers. My luxury item I carry is a small AM/FM radio (great for weather), hers is a pillow.

All that said, does this seem like a pretty reasonable itinerary? Here's the plan so far. 8/8 - 8/15

East Lansing to Houghton Friday.
Night #1: Seaplane to RH Saturday morning. Water Taxi (need to arrange) to Hidden Lake, hike to Lane Cove - 8.1 miles.
Night #2: Lane Cove to West Chickenbone Lake - 12.7 miles.
Night #3: West Chickenbone Lake to Hatchet Lake - 7.9 miles.
Night #4: Hatchet Lake to South Lake Desor - 7.6 miles.
Night #5: South Lake Desor to Windigo - 11.3 miles.
Total: +/- 48 miles with two fudge/bonus nights.

Option #1 for the bonus nights is to split the last leg of the trip (night #5) into two nights w/ a night at Island Mine. Option #2 is to add a night at Huginnin Cove. I like having the flex in there to deal with weather, muscles, blisters and whatnot or to just relax a day.

So any feedback is appreciated. I'm sure I'll have more questions as the planning for this gets nailed down.

On yeah... anyone else hiking in this timeframe, keep your eyes peeled on the 11th & 12th for the Perseids Meteor Shower!!!
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Keweenaw
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by Keweenaw »

If it were me I wouldn't bother with Island Mine - the trail trends downhill from Desor South to Windigo and it's at the end of your trip so it's an easy walk. I would instead go for the Hugginin Cove option. That would make the day a bit longer, but still pretty easy hiking.

Desor is a nice place to spend a rest day if you are so inclined. For a little adventure hike East out of the campground, going upslope enough to get into the open woods and hike to the East corner of the lake. You will find a somewhat disturbed area with remnants of the old campground and if you head uphill you should be able to find the old trail that leads back up to the Greenstone, complete with neat dry-laid stone faced switchbacks at the top.

Bob
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by Kevinl »

I love planning flex days. Also, option 2 kicks butt over option 1. A third option would be to hike down the hill from Island Mine to Siskiwit Bay, which can be a cool campground.
mrgpk
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by mrgpk »

Yes, option 2 is much better. Option 1 is more of a crappy weather, trashed feet option.

Right now I can't catch the water taxi to Hidden Lake the day I arrive. I'd have to wait until 8:30AM the next day which burns a night.

Is there much to do at the visitor center? Would I have a problem getting a campsite at RH at 1:00 in the afternoon?

Or... should I just skip the Lookout Louise to Mount Franklin leg and avoid the water taxi all together?
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Keweenaw
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by Keweenaw »

Generally speaking you should be able to get a campsite, but maybe not a shelter - hard to predict.

Plenty to do around Rock Harbor, including hiking out to Scoville Point. You could also do a 1/2 day canoe rental and paddle around Tobin Harbor. May be an evening program that night - check with the Ranger. The Visitor Center itself is pretty small - you could see all there is to see there in an hour max.

We just hiked the Lookout Louise - Mt. Franklin section this Spring and it wasn't anything really special except for the fact that not many people hike it. The trail is actually pretty faint in places. You do get to see Monument Rock and Hidden Lake by going that way.

So it kind of depends on how quickly you want to get out into the wild.

Bob
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mrgpk
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by mrgpk »

Thanks for the input on Lookout Louise. Given that we have deep options and are already over budget, we are probably just going to see how fate smiles on us when we arrive. If we can get transportation over to hidden lake, great! Otherwise we'll hoof it to Lane Cove, great! Or we'll stay a night in Rock Harbor, great!

One thing we are considering now is hiking from Lane Cove to McCargoe Cove instead of Lane Cove to West Chickenbone. We would then go through West Chickenbone on our way to Hatchet Lake. We could also use a bonus night and stay in both places.

Any feedback on that idea?

Right now, the only concern I have hanging over my head is the stove situation. I was hoping more people would comment in that thread to alleviate my fears. It seems to work great for the few minutes I have tested it, but I'd love to hear from someone else that has used Primus fuels that I won't have any problems over the week.
mrgpk
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by mrgpk »

Ok, re: stove fuel =)

I am an engineer (BS Biosystems Engineering, MSU) so I really ought to know better (and do). So I think this just goes to show how a little paranoia (broken stove = cold, crunchy dinners for 7 nights) + the gear manufacturers' marketing machine = a lapse in good sense.

After reading this:
http://www.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forum ... +different
and this:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... e_faq.html

I am down to almost 0 worry =)
Life is good.
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DonNewcomb
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by DonNewcomb »

I think the bottom line is to test your stove with canisters from a variety of manufacturers in the back yard or on weekend trips where failure is not a big deal. After all, one of the advantages of the gas stoves is supposed to be that you can check them in your luggage and buy the fuel after you get where. In this situation you can't count on getting your favorite brand and will have to make do with what you can get.

n.b. I recall walking through village markets in Greece and seeing stacks of generic Gaz-type canisters in the stalls. This is what many housewives used for cooking. No concern about compatibility or brand name there. They all seemed to work.
mrgpk
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Re: First IR trip - 8d/7n - Greenstone here we come!

Post by mrgpk »

Departing for Houghton in 3 hours.

Packed and ready to go. We're around 65lbs total (dry and without fuel) between the two of us with 24 lbs of food or so. Heavier than I'd like for this sort of terrain, but what can you do? We should be cruising the last few days when we've knocked the food down!

We are trying an experiment with Repel's Lemon Eucalyptus bug dope (with a small back up of 15% picaridin). We can hardly stand DEET for 3 night trips. Seven is out of the question. We both carry headnets and lightweight long sleeves. I'll be sure to let you know how it works out.

We also have about 3 lbs of rain gear between us (suits, pack covers, ground cover, extra socks). So that ought to help guarantee a dry week for everyone.

Thanks to everyone who has tackled my questions and offered advice, and to everyone who shares their knowledge here!
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