Route options for 2013!

[Wilderness Junkie]

I'm already thinking about 2013 plans and I've got a few ideas to bounce off the forum for daily hikes / paddles. Vacation time is always a premium for me since I camp with the family and hunt in the fall, so a few of these suggestions might seem aggressive. I'm in good shape and been to the island a few times so I know what the trails are like.

The idea is to get to either Lake Richie and / or Chickenbone as quick as possible for some fishing and see as much trail as possible. It will be a solo trip, so I can set my own pace.

So here are a few thoughts:

Arrive on the Queen @ RH and depart asap (assuming 12 as worst case). If I bring along my kayak as my own personal water taxi, I'm wondering if I would have time to paddle from RH to Daisy Farm, stash the kayak and my last nights food and hike to either Moskey (3.9 miles) or hoof it into Lake Ritchie (5.8 miles). I'm guessing the paddle with only take a couple hours, so I'm thinking i would have time and get to Lake Richie before dark. Any thoughts? This scenario would allow me to return along the Greenstone to Daisy from W. Chickenbone where I plan to spend a night and not need to backtrack. I would then hop in the kayak for the return paddle to RH on the morning of departure.

Another crazy option would be to compress the trip into a 3 nighter by heading out early on the day of departure (boat leaves at 2:45) and hiking from W. Chickenbone to Daisy then paddling back to RH. That's approx 7 miles of hiking (coming along the Greenstone) then 6 ish miles of paddling.

A 4 night stay would look like this:
RH to Lake Richie (1st night)
Lake Richie to W. Chickenbone (2nd and 3rd night)
W. Chickenbone to Daisy (4th night)
Daisy to RH for departure.

Some may think I'm crazy to ditch the kayak, but I'm bringing an ultralight packraft for inland lake fishing.

So what are your thoughts on the initial leg?

I guess what I'm looking for is some actual elapsed times for a Daisy to Lake Richie hike and / or W.Chickenbone to Daisy.

Thanks everyone!!

[Ingo]

Yes, I think you're crazy ... But given that, it seems like a lot of hassle to bring the kayak just to go to/from Daisy Farm. I'd consider paddling all the way to Moskey. If you're set on getting up on the ridge you could loop back thru Daisy Farm from W Chickenbone -- the last day would be hike 4 miles and paddle 10 to get to the boat on time. And if you come to your sanity while there you might just skip Daisy Farm and enjoy a little more fishing or do some day hiking without another boat on your back (i'm thinking "Uugghh" no matter how light it is). Have fun and stay crazy !

[Redbad]

If you have an Alpacka type packraft, you could ditch the kayak. An Alpacka would have a slower top speed than a kayak due to the shorter length, but you should be able to paddle from RH to DF or MB in 6-8 hours tops.

Keep in mind that Rock Harbor does occasionally get rough seas (one of the Rangers told me about 6-8 foot waves in Rock Harbor). Such conditions would shut down small boat activity and might shut down portions of the Rock Harbor trail.

Good luck!

[Wilderness Junkie]

Yes, I think you're crazy

LOL...that's what I needed to hear.

My plan is to pick up an Alpha packboat, but from what i've read, the paddling is very slow and cumbersome. Any headwind over 5-10mph will not really allow forward progress. The kayak would still be a much quicker, more efficient way to cover ground - er water.

I finally sat down and figured by the time I lose 2-3mpg with the kayak on the roof (it's roughly a 1000 mile round trip for me) and the extra $50 for the boat ride over for the kayak, it's not worth it.

Since it's a solo trip, I think I will just monitor the forum and see if I can split a water taxi ride with another memeber. For $100, it would be worth it to get to Moskey or even Chippewa on the first day to skp the RH to MB hike. The main reason for skipping the RH to MB hiking is that I've done that route twice. I'd rather get to MB quick and explore some new areas.

Anyhow, thanks for the input. I needed someone to smack some sense into me. I think the plan will be for a 4 night trip so that I'm not so rushed. Even on my previous 7 day trips, I wish I had more time......

[fonixmunkee]

I've always thought of doming a similar trip. Nice to know others are thinking of it, too. Maybe I'll let you rough it out and then see if it's worthwhile afterword.