Newbies first trip to IR

[TerryDunn]

Well I just got back from my 1st every trip to Isle Royale. I wanted to share my thoughts and how it went. First off the beauty of the place is unbelievable. Pictures do not do it justice. My itinerary changed from the discussion I started at the beginning of this post. We arrived via Copper Harbor on the Queen. Rough 6' waves and 60% of the people were barfing over the railings. I did not thank God get sick. The Captain said it was pretty rough, of coarse I didn't know any better, just thought it was normal. The ride back was much smoother.

When we got through the little Ranger talk and got our camping tag, I strapped on my backpack for the first time fully loaded in my life. (I know I should have trial run before hand) and headed out to Lane Cove. We took the Tobin Harbor Trail and covered the first three miles with no issues. I thought to myself, "what are these guys talking about, this was a breeze" only to have to eat my words a few hours later. We stumbled into Lane Cove camp site #3 around 5:15, dropped my pack and sucked water for 15 mins. My legs were cramping as it was about 73 degrees and I was sweating profusely. (I got behind on drinking water) I didn't want to do anything but drink water. I was pretty sure I was never going to climb out of this cove, I would just lie here and die..After about 30 mins though I began to recuperate and see this gorgeous cove. Only one other person was in camp. We set up our tents, again first time testing out equipment and then to my surprise felt like having dinner. First thing I begin to realize is that I had twice as much food as I needed. I wasn't even hungry but knew I needed to have something. I spent the rest of the evening just looking out over the water and enjoying the sun setting. I was so at peace. As we finally climbed into our tents for the evening I had doubts about being able to get out in the morning.

Day #2 Heading to Moskey Basin (Yea right!) We started out, my calve muscle were sore (oh I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot to top it off) but we were being positive. To my surprise we came out pretty strong and reach Mt Franklin in pretty good time. We sat there taking in the view and eating Sardines and crackers, well at least I did. After a 30 min break we continued on the the tower and again rested. I was pretty tuckered out by then. But down we went into Daisy Farm. As much as I wanted to see Moskey basin there was no way I was going to push my luck with that. We agreed to settle in there for the night. Its was pretty crowded but we made good time so we got a site and settled in.

Day #3 We had a gorgeous sunrise and and I was thinking that the 4 miles to Three Mile was going to be a breeze, but was wrong. I think what surprised me the most about this place was the trails, maybe in my mind I thought they would all be about 3' Wide with pine needle bedding. This place was hard on my feet, ankles, well just about everything. So even though it was only 4 miles I was tuckered out from the rocky shoreline, having to carefully place each step. I decided to use trekking poles and was thankful for the extra legs for stability and balance. It did dawn on my that the pack weight did not bother nearly as much as I thought, I was a little sore on the neck but as time went I got good at adjusting the pack to fit my needs and did well with it. I was also wondering about all these pesky flies everyone talked about. Not any issues with mosquitos or flys! Just as quick as I typed this as we got near Three Mile the invasion was on, they were all over my buddy for some reason more than me but it was bad. It was a short day and I thought all we were going to do was lay in our tents for the rest of the day. Instead we found a shelter, so we moved into it for that final night and it was great not dealing with the flies. I NEVER take naps, ever until I llayed out my Thermarest and sleeping bag and said I would just close my eyes a few minutes. Two hours later I awoke from the best nap ever and a refreshing wind off the Lake. To our pleasant surprise the flies stopped swarming and biting! We had a great evening. I got up at 6am and sat on the waters edge on a log with a cup of Starbuck Via and thought "it doesn't get better than this".

Day #4 We had a nice final hike into Rock Harbor about 2 hours early. Went over to the cafe and got a burger and beer, enjoyed just sitting around. Loaded back on the Queen and finished up back in Copper Harbor

I cannot tell you how happy I was to make this trip and it will now be a annual adventure of mine till I explore more of this magical place. The advise I received on the forum was spectacular but could not have prepared me for how difficult the "trails" were. But I kept my head up, and pressed on not once complaining but determine to enjoy every minute of my short stay. My equipment performed well with no issues. I now know things I can leave behind next time. Perfect weather the entire time. Meet great people every camp and enjoyed stories with others. All in all for this 60 year old that never carried a pack before I felt I did well other than the sore body, each day I strapped it on and looked forward to it.

[Ingo]

Thanks for the report Terry! It's a special place isn't it.

[jerry]

Terry, Hope to hear that you make it back next year to IR. I've got a few years on you (12),therefore, I know how good it feels to make it to the grill for the sandwich and beer. IR is definitely a pleasant place to visit. Thanks for the report.

[TerryDunn]

Definitely coming back Jerry. Ingo, yes it is wonderful place