Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Questions about trails and campsites on the island.

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Nick
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by Nick »

# 1 Day One - Rock Harbor to Threemile # 2 - Same
Day Two - Threemile to McCargoe Cove - Same (increases trail mileage 50% from 1st itinerary)
Day Three - McCargoe Cove to Lake Ritchie - Same
Day Four - Lake Ritchie to Chippewa Harbor - Same
Day Five - Chippewa Harbor to Moskey Basin - Stay at CH another day
Day Six - Stay at Moskey Basin another day - CH to Moskey Basin
Day Seven - Moskey Basin to Threemile - Same
Day Eight - Threemile to Rock Harbor - Same

I think that is doable, keeping in mind that you might have to hunker down at any point because of the weather. I did nine days at CH last May and loved it. I did day explorations as well as multiple day hikes to Richey and Moskey Basin.
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by ulmer1 »

Thanks again Nick for you input!! I appreciate and understand your comment regarding hunkering down based upon weather. I hate to keep referring to our Yosemite experience last September, but we had a pretty tight schedule there from Toulumne Meadows down to the valley floor, including Half Dome. We stayed on schedule through sleet, an all-day downpour, plus several days of t-shirt/shorts. Hopefully we will be seasoned enough for whatever the Good Lord gives us!
Of course hunkering down in the shelters available is probably much different than if we would have been stuck in our small tents in YNP.
Would you mind sharing your complete itinerary? I am curious with your schedule, plus really interested in where your base camps were when you did your day hikes to Lake Ritchie and Moskey Basin. Several of us are interested in fishing, and one of you guys talked about both of those locations being pretty descent places. Consequently I was thinking we might use those locatoins for overnights. But as always throughout all of this, input from you fellows is greatly appreciated!!
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Nick
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by Nick »

Over the years, I've base camped at Daisy Farm, Chippewa Harbor, McCargo Cove, Belle Isle, and Malone Bay, Stays have been as long as 14 days (usually May before stay limits). Moskey Basin is nice because you can fish the basin or do a quick, short hike up to Lake Richie, too. Chippewa has had some good fishing right from the dock at the campground as well as exploring and a fairly easy hike up to Richie. McCargo is great because it is a short hike to Chickenbone Lake and there are are mines to explore as well.

Now that I've hiked every trail on the Island (it took 35 years to do that) and have 3/4 of the island circumnavigated by kayak (I've been at that since '03), I've become more of a low mileage, high sensory input kind of person. I, personally, can sit for hours with a good book and watch the waves or a creek and get as much enjoyment as I did when I would hike the length of the island, pushing myself daily and suffering some of the ailments of old age.

Back in '81, I saw the following graffiti on the wall of a shelter at Daisy Farm: "17 miles in 5 1/2 days; casual camping strikes again." I've kind of adopted that philosophy. Much better than, "We hiked out 18 miles and limped and crawled back 18 miles" written in the same shelter.
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by jerry »

Nick,
Since you've hike every trail on the island, does that mean you had to hike Mott Island and Passage Island too?
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Nick
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by Nick »

Not Passage as I was not comfortable with a solo paddle out there and my paddle partner at the time was not comfortable with that either. For that matter, I've not been out to Menagerie Island either, but hope to.
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by ulmer1 »

Nick, Ingo, and others - since there hasn't been much activity here over the past few weeks, I want to say thanks to all of you for your help! Your suggestions have been great, especially since they are based on years of experiences, both good and bad. Unfortunately Nick, none of us have the years left to take IRNP in as slowly as you have, but I clearly got your message and will plan our outing accordingly! Any additional insight from anyone is still welcomed! We are all looking forward to a great experience at this well-kept secret of a National Park!!
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by ulmer1 »

With everything falling into place (I hope,) here is our final schedule. Any and all suggestions/reactions welcomed!!

September 10: Board Isle Royale Queen for IRNP. After registering our itinerary, hike to Threemile Campsite via Tobin
Harbor Trail.
September 11: Hike to McCargo Cove via Mt. Franklin/Greenstone Ridge/East Chickenbone Lake Trails.
September 12: Hike to Lake Richie via Indian Portage Trail.
September 13: Hike to Chippewa Harbor via Indian Portage Trail.
September 14: Either stay second night here or hike to Moskey Basin.
September 15: Depending upon what we did on 9/14, hike to Moskey Basin or staying second night at Moskey Basin.
September 16: Hike to Threemile.
September 17: Hike to Rock Harbor via shoreline trail. If up for it/enough time, walk to Scoville Point before catching
ferry back to Copper Harbor.

We are down to only six, so do not have a "group" status, which is good. The two we lost were our "younger" hikers, so now our average age is up to 65!! Plan to do a lot of fishing throughout trip. Looking forward to a great experience!! Thanks again for all your suggestions throughout these several months leading up to our adventure.
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by lzc »

HI
Just returned from our first trip. We took the Queen and were VERY glad we had motion sick patches for the ride back. It was...um...interesting. I highly recommend the patch if you are in any way prone to motion sickness.

I have two bad knees and this is what we did:
First 1/2 day: hike Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm (could have gone farther, but took a sign to heart...the sign said something like "this is for fun, not to test your endurance"
Second day: Daisy up the ridge, across, and down to Moskey (15mile) It was ok on the 2 bad knees, but wish we'd taken it a bit slower and enjoyed ourselves more.
We liked Daisy more than Moskey...there was more of a sense of community at Daisy. We met a lot of cool people there.
Third day: hike to Lodge so I could ice my knees (~12miles)!
Fourth-Sixth: hike out from Lodge and take boat tours. My favorite trail was actually to Scoville point to see the sunrise!

Hope the restaurant is open. Sweet young kids working there, great to chat with and have a cold beer.

As a 36yr old with two bad knees, my learnings are to intersperse the long with short hikes better. We did a 15mile day followed by a 12 mile day....that was painful and most certainly un-fun.

Thought we'd only do this park once in our lives...NOPE, already planning our next trip after we do Glacier, lol.
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by Ingo »

Sounds like a good plan to me! (well any plan that involves I.R. is good to me :D ) Have a great trip and be sure to give us a report!
22: BI-PC-BI-RH, 21: RH-ML-DF-MB-DF, 18: MC-PC-BI-DB-RH-DF, 17: WI-IM-SB-FL-WC, 16: RH-CI-TI-RH, 14: BI-ML-CI-CH-MB, 13: RH-PI, 12: MC-CB-HL-TH, 11: WC-HC-WC, 09: MC-BI-DN-RH, 05: MI-CI-MB-DF-RH-TM-RH, 02: MC-LR-WL-CH, 01: BI-DB-RH, 79: worked RH
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Re: Ist Time "Seniors" Need Advice

Post by ulmer1 »

Hey Ingo - Appreciate your reply. I realize that we are spending alot of time on the trail and maybe not enough R&R, just kicking back and totally taking in IRNP, but this might be our only trip there so we decided this was our best option. We leave SE Ohio at 4:30 am this Sunday and are really looking forward to this adventure!! Hope to have a memorable report for you when we return! Special thanks to all you guys for your very helpful input early in our planning!
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