Welcome to the forums! You'll love the island. Something very important to know: mid-May is early spring on the island. Expect there to still be snow and even ice in shaded areas and on the north sides of ridges, unless spring is unusually mild or early. Up on the ridge, there will be more exposure ...

Ditto to everything Bobcat1 said about East Chickenbone. I would add that it is not even really in the woods -- much of it is open and exposed on a high ridge. Hot sun will fry you, high winds will toss you around, and a storm won't have anything to slow it down. Definitely continue to McCargoe -- o...

Jim Dufresne has some fairly sensible thoughts on it here, too: https://www.michigantrailmaps.com/a-wil ... le-royale/

I have the original Pocket Rocket 1 and have used it for at least 10 years. I've used it with every random brand of canister I can find, and none have ever caused trouble. It's a wonderful little stove that's incredibly reliable -- it's never failed me. I second Ingo: Take the stove off the canister...

I actually agree with Jon Prain about Lane Cove, but so many people call it a favorite that I decided to add it. Plus you really do get the "full" island experience that way (by which I mean, a good ol' heart-pounder of an uphill hike first thing in the morning). But cutting out Lane Cove would not ...

Here's a suggestion that will show you much of the east end: 9/4: Arrive, Rock Harbor -> Lane Cove (7 miles) 9/5: Lane Cove -> Moskey Basin (11 miles) 9/6: Moskey -> McCargoe Cove (9 miles) 9/7: McCargoe -> Daisy Farm (8 miles) 9/8: Daisy -> Rock Harbor and leave in the afternoon (8 miles) This show...

There often aren't trees with branches that are the right height and strong enough to handle a food bag (and there aren't any bear poles either). At ranger orientation, you'll be told not to bother. I usually double-bag food, put it in my pack, and keep the pack closed and stashed in my tent or shel...

I think I misunderstood your initial posting -- are you going to the island with Mrs. Hooky, or are you each going your separate ways? If you're looking for a light route because your wife isn't interested in a longer one, then I also recommend Lake Richie for your second night (but check the water ...

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice (even going all the way from McCargoe to Chippewa Harbor in one day is doable, although more than I'd enjoy). I second Bobcat1: Take it easy, stop everywhere you possibly can and enjoy the hike. Make decisions about when you're going to stop on the f...

I own the GravityWorks 4.0 and love it. It makes getting water so simple. But to reiterate Ingo and Base654 said, the filter can fail in storage. I stored my GravityWorks filter properly and tested it before my last big trip, and it was as slow as molasses. No amount of back-flushing helped. I had t...

I used to bring lots more freeze-dried meals to use for lunch, but the time and effort to prepare them in the middle of a hike isn't worth it to me. Snacking my way along works better and gives more variety. Breakfasts - I usually use instant oatmeal supplemented with whatever berries are in season ...

Welcome to the forums! A few comments on your plans: - Your description of your hiking experience is helpful. It sounds like you'll be well prepared for the island's terrain, which is quite rocky with a lot of up-and-downs over ridges. My main concern is that you haven't hiked with 25+ pound packs b...

It looks like the gales of November have been coming early this year as well. NMU canceled classes today with up to a foot of snow predicted by the end of the day.

22 days on the island sounds like a dream to me. It will give you the time to see lots of things without pushing yourself harder than necessary, and also letting you wait out rainy days. You could borrow or get an Inreach or similar satellite communicator to send periodic "I'm OK" messages. Have you...

Awesome trip report! I envy the blueberries and thimbleberries that you had. It sounds like you had plenty of success to go with your unsuccess.