Isle Royale Forums

good evening folks. First time trip to ISRO Looking to spend 12 days there. Looking for some feedback on the trip.

Day 1 rock harbor to daisy farm
Day 2 daisy farm to mccargoe cove
Day 3 mccargoe cove to little Todd
Day 4 little Todd to north desor
Day 5 north desor to Washington creek
Day 6 either rest at washington creek or make time up time for being lost/fatigued
Day 7 Washington creek to south desor
Day 8 south desor to hatchet lake
Day 9 hatchet lake to moskey basin
Day10 moskey basin to rock harbor.

Any feedback would be helpful!

Welcome!

I am thinking you have a lot of experience based on the long miles you are planning.
I personally would not attempt this. The miles are too long and there are no plans for swing days based on the trail conditions. The Minong section can be VERY hard to walk when it is wet and VERY hot on the ridges in the sun.

Day 1 rock harbor to daisy farm - 7.1 : This is doable, take the Tobin Harbor trail vs. along Rock Harbor
Day 2 daisy farm to mccargoe cove - 8 : Doable
Day 3 mccargoe cove to little Todd - 13.3 : This will be a long day. The trail is not terribly hard (easy after Todd Harbor), but challenging none the less.
Day 4 little Todd to north desor - 5.7 : a VERY hard section of trail. It would be terrible after the previous days hike
Day 5 north desor to Washington creek - 12.6 : the first 5 miles or so of this section is VERY hard. A long grueling day after the previous 2 days
Day 6 either rest at washington creek or make time up time for being lost/fatigued : I would not spend an extra day here. I would make a stay at Todd Harbor instead of trying to go from McCargoe to Little Todd in one day.
Day 7 Washington creek to south desor - 11.3 : the first 6 miles of this section is almost entirely uphill. Not very steep, but continuous
Day 8 south desor to hatchet lake - 8.3 : a relatively easy section of trail
Day 9 hatchet lake to moskey basin - 13.4 ; a long hike. Going west to east, it is not as bad as east to west. This direction it is going down most of the time, but it would be another long day.
Day10 moskey basin to rock harbor - 11 : another very long hike. This is not as easy as it looks. Moskey to Daisy can be hard as there are a lot of rock surfaces that are hard on the knees.
Counting the rest day: this would average 9 miles per day

I would try to trim the miles down so you can enjoy the places more.
Just my opinion

Bug season starts to crank up about that time also. Don't underestimate its effect.

Sounds like if you're looking at 12 days you have a little cushion. I've only done the eastern half of the island but Moskey to Rock Harbor would not be a fun day, and could be impossible if that's your "go home" day. I did Moskey to 3-Mile and it was tough, but not awful. The trail can be VERY muddy, and the rocks can be very slick, too. June brings storms almost every day.

Here's another thought about mid-June, from the perspective of someone who likes going for long walks. That far north, that near to the summer solstice, the sun rises around 6 am and sets around 10 pm. Add about 45 minutes on each side of light-enough-to-walk twilight. True, you're planning long days. But you're planning them when and where the days are long. You might find, when you start walking, that your original itinerary feels not only manageable, but about right. (I walked long [for an elderly lady] days on my mid-June trip last year. Even though I didn't hurry, I got to camp with so many hours of daylight to spare that I wouldn't have minded having had to walk a few more hours.)

Such things are impossible to predict with certainty, depending as they do on vagaries of weather, trail conditions, physical condition, wildlife encounters, aesthetic paralysis at overlooks, mood, hiking style. . . . In an acronyn, YMMV. Fortunately, you're not locked into an itinerary pegged to reserved campsites. You can leave Rock Harbor armed with and prepared for a host of contingency plans, and enact the one that makes the most sense.

Thanks everyone!

Hey folks updated our trip
Day 1: rock harbor to daisy farm
Day 2: daisy to mccargoe
Day 3: mccargoe Todd harbor
Day 4: Todd to lil Todd
Day 5: lil Todd to n desor
Day 6: n desor to Washington
Day 7: Washington to s desor
Day 8: s desor to hatchet
Day 9: hatchet to moskey bay
Day 10: moskey to lane cove
Day 11: lane to rock harbor
Day 12: explore around rock harbor

Nice plan, Kbranni! That said I cannot imagine carrying that much food going into a trip! The great benefit is the pack just gets lighter as you go!