What sort of hiking and backpacking experience does your crew have? Where have they hiked? It depends on your answers, but in general I would not count on averaging 12 miles per day. That's pushing it a lot on rugged terrain, and doesn't leave you with a lot of wiggle room in case of weather or inju...

I've had good luck with Darn Tough, Smartwool, Fits, and Wigwam socks. They all have mostly-wool socks that are comfy and padded well and last a long time. On me, Fits is tighter, Wigwam looser, Darn Tough and Smartwool are in between. I really don't like waterproof socks. Just like a "breathab...

Then on my departure day I could hit Tobin, Hidden Lake or Scoville Point -anyplace that increases my chances of seeing moose. Any wisdom you can impart is appreciated! As Ingo said, moose are more about luck than anything. But you can increase your luck by getting up early and looking in swampy ar...

Whenever you stay a night at a campground, it goes on your itinerary -- even if you didn't have to backpack in to it. :) Every campground is first-come, first-serve. Rock Harbor is a huge campground, but it still does fill up when the ferries are in dock. Rock Harbor is also limited to a one night s...

9 days is a long time to go "embracing the stink". LOL. Thanks for the feedback. Everyone else on the island's in the same situation... so you can make it work too! :) One year, four of us met on the trail during a 5-day trip, and we were also on the same boat heading back to Copper Harbo...

Welcome to the forums! (And to the island... you'll be back!) The itinerary is just a guideline -- you are free to change your mind as much and as often as you want. Rangers might give you a bit of advice (e.g. "that's a really long day" or "there will probably be a lot of people at T...

A small suggestion: Convert this to a Google Sheet, so that it can be more easily shared online instead of having to download it.

A great route and trip. I have done it several times. You chose Todd Harbor over McCargo and neither choice would be wrong. Staying in McCargoe on our first night was also a consideration, but I think I want to save the "extra" night for later in the trip if need be. We'll see! The good n...

There was some sort of announcement on the Facebook page that all of the "Wise Old Man" stuff is free now.

Do I have to pick just one? If so, here it is: The island is rougher hiking than I expected. The constant up-and-downs over ridges really wear on me. As a result, I would have planned shorter hiking days than I usually expect to do. This is true even with lots of experience on the UP mainland and in...

As of this moment, your post has a "12.5%" rating, and I really don't know what that means. It makes things look negative when they certainly aren't! As of this moment, fonixmunkee's first post in this thread currently has 8 likes; the most likes in this thread. Also, my post has 1 likes....

I like the ability to like/thank the author of a post without having to add another post. The star rating at the bottom of the post and the metrics at the very right under the username/picture ("Has thanked", "Been thanked") are a unnecessary distraction, IMO. As of this moment,...

I dry my filter just as Grizzly described. I don't dry it in the fridge, but in a cool, dark, dry place with at least a little air circulation (basically an interior room of the house). I also tilt the filter element itself up on an angle to encourage water to drain out, and then reverse it every no...

I sometimes carry a NOAA radio similar to Bobcat. I've had a lot of trouble getting signal from near lake level -- for example, Rock Harbor, Daisy Farm, Moskey. Up on the ridges I got great reception. That all depends on atmospheric conditions too, but I've never had consistently good reception when...

Gravity filters are so very, very worth it. I have a Platypus GravityWorks and even bring it with me on solo trips. I have never considered gravity filters. I know that a lot of people love them but usually when I want water I'm on the move and don't want to take the time. But this trip will be wit...