You are the only one that can evaluate your son. Kids are so hard to predict. I brought my 11 year old son to IR about 12 years ago. In between all the drama and stress we both had an unforgettably great time. He still talks about it. But given your experience levels, I would suggest a far less aggr...

. . . then water taxi back to Rock Harbor The water taxi (operated by the Lodge/National Park Concessions) does not operate all the way to Windigo. You do have options even though Michigan is your starting point. The Voyageur II (passenger ferry stationed in Minnesota) stops at Windigo then overnig...

I would not worry about Daisy Farm filling up (unless you meant that you don’t like it crowded). Around the 4th of July can be the busiest week and I know that Daisy Farm has “filled up” per se but it is the largest camp ground with 16 shelters, 6 tent sites and 3 groups sites. It may be crowded but...

It’s probably fair to say that on average the trails on Isle Royale are not as difficult as Yosemite. The overall elevations and elevation transitions are lower than Yosemite. But there are stretches of IR trails that can be quite tiring and challenging. The trail from Three Mile to Moskey Basin is ...

Believe it or not, my first backpacking experience (on Isle Royale no less) included a cast iron fry pan. :oops: I then started reading Colin Fletcher. He was quite popular in the 70s. I will always remember his quote, “Watch the ounces and the pounds will watch themselves.” I took it to heart. My s...

Thanks for all the details. It's been several years since I've worked on downsizing any of my equipment. I'm getting interested in doing some more of it.

alecto73 wrote: Base: ~ 9Lbs
Water: ~ 5Lbs
Food + fuel: ~ 6Lbs
~20Lbs

I would love to see your itemized list of gear with weights. Maybe post it in the Gear and Supplies forum to not "clutter up" the itineraries.

I chose the Canon Powershot Sx series because, for me, it offers a great compromise between the point and shoot and a DSLR. I started with the same S1 scotty mentions but it’s only 3 MP. I traded up to the S5 for under $350 with 8 MP, 12X optical zoom (35mm equivalent = 36-432), Macro and Super Macr...

I'm sold Ingo. Sounds like a great trip. When can we leave? I would be curious to know what the extra charge would be for the extra pickup and drop off via the Voyageur II. All the campgrounds on Lake Superior (accessible by boat) are 3 night consecutive stays, with the exception of Rock Harbor and ...

Your two best resources are the National Park Service newsletter for Isle Royale called the Greenstone and to read the past posts right here. The Greenstone contains all the regulations needed and many recommendations. The 2012 issue should be published soon. http://www.nps.gov/isro/planyourvisit/up...

If you've ever had the chance to watch a flock 'circle,' it's quite something. Along the Mississippi where I live there can be congregations numbering in the thousands. It can be quite spectacular. They take advantage of the numerous dams as do eagles for fishing. This video of a flock swarming or ...

If this year is like last, in a month or two I won't be able to step into my yard w/o getting at least one tick. The deer do like to bed and graze in the yard, though. Ironically I'm probably safer from ticks out camping and hiking. Not sure what to make of the fact we've never had Lymes or Rocky M...

Hello Bill: There is one important piece of information that you have not yet shared in any of your various posts. How long do you intend to stay on the Island? Repeating what has been said, there are strict limits for consecutive nights stayed at every campground. In general, for inland campgrounds...

johnhens wrote:I will be at the NPS booth. I think we will have the TI/NG Map, DuFresnes Book, and a few others available.

Great news John. It will be good to see you again. I am planning to be there Friday and Saturday. I am looking forward to hopefully meeting other forum members as well.

It looks like the presenters and session schedules have been set for this year's Canoecopia in Madison, Wi, March 9 - 11. http://www.canoecopia.com/ I attended last year for the first time and had a blast. I plan to attend again this year and hope to again meet some forum members; not to mention tha...