McCargoe Cove -> Rock Harbor - Route Suggestions?

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ibrocn

McCargoe Cove -> Rock Harbor - Route Suggestions?

Post by ibrocn »

Hi! I'm going to Isle Royale the second week in August with two friends. We have ferry tickets that have us arriving in McCargoe Cove and departing from Rock Harbor with four nights in between. We're all in decent shape and have some backpacking experience, but none of us have been to Isle Royale. We want to enjoy the experience and not kill ourselves with a ton of miles. Here's our hiking route currently. I'd love to hear any feedback from folks that have been there before. Are there any highlights we're going to miss going this route? Are these distances too aggressive? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Day 1: Arrive in McCargoe Cove @ 3pm and hike to Moskey Basin - 8.6mi (Any concerns about getting to the Moskey campground too late? We want to catch the sunrise here.)
Day 2: Moskey Basin to Daisy Farm - 3.9mi (Arrive early at Daisy Farm and do a day hike up to the Greenstone to check out the fire tower and Mt. Ojibway.)
Day 3: Daisy Farm to Lane Cove via Three Mile CG - 8.4mi (Check out Siskowit Mine along the way.)
Day 4: Lane Cove to Rock Harbor - 6.9mi (Hike in the morning and spend the afternoon checking out the Rock Harbor area.)

Thanks,
Brian
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Re: McCargoe Cove -> Rock Harbor - Route Suggestions?

Post by jrwiesz »

You'll be able to say you scrambled over the backbone of Isle Royale, several times! :shock:

Your first day will be a scramble, up and over, your second day will be a scramble, up and back, your third day will be a scramble, up and over, and your final day will be a scramble, up and over.

Enjoy :?:

IMHO that is a healthy itinerary. Maybe a bit much for some. Be in packing shape when you hit the ground running. 8)
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Re: McCargoe Cove -> Rock Harbor - Route Suggestions?

Post by Midwest Ed »

The Ranger who will greet you at McCargoe Cove will ask you to turn in your itineray, but you are free to change it up should conditions require it. One of the good things about being on the east end is the higher density of campgrounds and higher number of campgrounds. This increases your flexibility should you discover the physical shape of one or more of you was misjudged or conditions on the ground change.

I used to "kill myself" trying to put as many miles behind me as possible. Unfortunately as a result there are many sections of trails where the main memory that was created was simply that of my feet moving.
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Re: McCargoe Cove -> Rock Harbor - Route Suggestions?

Post by Base654 »

Having light to get to Moskey won't be a problem unless it's cloudy, the sun stays up late. 8 mile days are borderline workouts, add in going over the spine and you might be approching your "enjoy and not kill" desire. You will have that decided after you get to Moskey. Backup plans are never a bad idea anyway. I use 2 miles an hour as MY speed with friends, a bit faster on my own. Add in a couple breaks (or slow downs for hills) and lunch we are closer to 1.5 mph.

It does sound like a fun time.
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Re: McCargoe Cove -> Rock Harbor - Route Suggestions?

Post by MikeT »

Brian,
Day One: You should be arriving at 2pm (EDT) / 1pm (CDT) thus gaining another hour. It is a long day, but the only tough climbs are up from West Chickenbone to the Greenstone and up from Lake Richie until heading down to Moskey.
Day Two: an easy day
Day Three: That is a long day. I'm not sure the mine site is worth the extra miles. The hike up Mount Ojibway trail is much easier than the hike up Mount Franklin trail (plus you will be hiking down it the next day). The trail down to Lane cove is almost all downhill, but it is steep at times and hard on the knees.
Day Four: A perfect hike... up the Greenstone, then down.

Have a great trip!
Mike T.
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