The Whittlesey portage is fast and easy. I stay at Wood Lake and can portage and canoe it in about 20 minutes, in the dark. My solo canoe is 26 pounds. I like to walleye fish the last couple of hours of daylight there. And the boardwalks are low and dry. I plan to be in that area the whole month of...

I'm ashamed to say that I build my backpacking menus around instant coffee, poptarts, and ramen.

Torpified, don't be ashamed! It seems to work well for you as you certainly cruise across the island at a quick pace!

I use Mountain House for my evening meals. On the lighter side, I like Mary Janes Farm (dehydrated) for lunch. I found out about Mary Janes Farm when I was subscribed to Backpacker Magazine. It is pretty tasty food! During the day I snack on Cliff Bars and bagels.

https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/

Nice license plate Ingo! I really like the design and the colors.

The portage from Chippewa Harbor to Whittlesey isn't fun, but at least it's pretty short. The trail is filled with boulders that you need to snake around, while climbing and descending two small ridges -- not too much fun with a canoe on your shoulders. The Whittlesey to Wood Lake trail is mostly f...

I have been to Sargent a few times, hiking in to fish. Went in off the Greenstone. A good friend took a canoe in from MacCargoe. Paddled across from the dock and bushwacked, portaged his canoe into Sargent. No trail to speak of. Nice lake. That sounds like what a good friend of mine and I refer to ...

When are you thinking? Because next summer I hope to pick up the pieces of the route I planned for last summer and finish it off after several days getting there, with Malone Bay to Chippewa Harbor. I will be paddling and portaging my kayak but I am also adept at portaging lighter canoes. If the sc...

If you get tired of aspens, you can forswear the Sierra and drive up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

I never get tired of aspens. Having lived in Colorado, I really miss the gold of the aspens and the blue skies of Colorado. Fall is the best time in the Rockies.

Base654 offers good information/advice here. I only want to add that if you are staying at Todd Harbor at any point in your trip, check out the graffiti in the lone shelter. I was impressed by the attitude of this young lady!

May be a deficiency in your radio. It is quite possible that the radio user was deficient! I assume you tried other waether channel? I could see not getting weather channels inland. I use a Standard Horizon 370 (I think) and can usually get either MN or MI NWS or the Thunder Bay station (metric tho...

Why do you consider the marine radio useless?

Because the only weather reports I could hear were in French and I don't know how to speak French.

I admire your courage taking on this trip with MS. Thank you! Seriously, I would look for a partner. Further, recommend you carry a marine radio, whistles, & flares. You would be found eventually; but the speed of your capture will most likely not be a safe or relaxing one. The people who get thems...

I hope that system will be much better for the preservation of the site for generations to come. I hope so too! With the population increase in Colorado and the popularity of hiking/climbing in the mountains, the permit system might have to be implemented in other areas of Colorado too. It is getti...

Thank you Ingo for your response to my questions! I read about the portage in Jim Dufresne's guide book. I don't like portaging a canoe over boardwalks either but I can manage them if they are low to the ground. I don't know how gymnasts can do what they do on the balance beam, only four inches wide...

I am planning my next trip (June 2020) to the Isle and have a couple of questions for you veteran paddlers. My plan is to canoe from Chippewa Harbor to Malone Bay, via Lake Whittlesey, Wood Lake, and then Siskiwit Lake. I understand that there is a boardwalk between Lake Whittlesey and Wood Lake thr...