IR Trip 6/6-6/10 2014

[juanton1610]

• 6/5/14- Road trip to Copper Harbor, MI
• Start: 7:00 am
• Weather: Sunny, 70-80F
Josie had a very stubborn cough and cold. We stopped near Wausau for cold chicken sandwiches, fruit, chips and salsa, and jerky. We almost hit a porcupine after we crossed into the UP. The weather was beautiful for the drive

We stayed at Northport Motel. It was a cheap room with a bed, a TV, and a shower which was all we were looking for. We ate supper of cold chicken sandwiches with fruit, chips and salsa, and jerky. We went to Brickhouse Brewery for a beer- very nice place to sit and talk. We met a couple locals who invited us to the other bar which is "Zik's" if I remember correctly. We stopped in one of the gift shops afterward. The town was relatively empty as we walked around. We walked down to the public dock and took a couple pictures. We headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

• 6/6/14- Ferry to the Island. Hike to Lane Cove. (6.9 mi)
• Start: 5:30 am
• Weather: Sunny and Breezy, temp in the AM was around 50F
We ate granola with powdered milk for breakfast and some fruit. The black flies were TERRIBLE while waiting to board the ferry. Ride to the island was uneventful other than the noticeable lack of people. There might have been 10 people on board. There was a mix of day trippers and backpackers. There was also a group of two men and two boys who were canoeing and fishing. We would meet them a few more times on the trip. We bought a coffee on the boat to share. We ate lunch on the boat which consisted of summer sausage sandwiches with cheese.
○ We stood for the ranger orientation and then turned in our itinerary. The planned itinerary was:
§ Rock Harbor to Lane Cove
§ Lane Cove to Moskey Basin
§ Moskey Basin to McCargo Cove
§ McCargo Cove to Daisy Farm
§ Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor
We filled our water bladders, repacked our packs, and did a final weigh-in. Mine was a 38lbs and Josie was at 44 lbs. I'm not sure how they were so lopsided because we weighed them before we left and they were even. We redistributed the weight so they were even. The weather was still sunny and low-mid 70s. The trail to Lane Cove was covered in moose sign. I made the comment that it was like walking through a moose barn yard with how much moose feces were on the trail. We saw two moose feeding in the lake to the left heading up Mt Franklin after we were off the Tobin Harbor trail. There were also lots of garter snakes on the trail and wolf scat on the trail down into Lane Cove. There were a lot of trees across the trail. We did not run into trail maintenance people until the last full day. Trees across the trail became the norm for the trip.

• Arrived in Lane Cove at 4:15pm
We setup camp and I filtered water. The water was very cold as Lake Superior was only 38F at the time. We had chicken quesadillas for supper which were not very good. We only had chicken and cheese in them. We will probably not have them again. We also boiled some water for tea. We explored the campground. There was one other couple in the campground. The mosquitoes were there but not bad. We were glad we brought bug nets. The mosquitoes got progressively worse over the course of the trip on the trail. Black flies were non-existent on the island. My left foot arch was sore after filtering water. It was probably due to the coldness of the water. We enjoyed the sunset and went to bed. There was lots of condensation in the tent during the night using a REI Camp Dome 2. We opened the windows which helped. There were a lot of ship horns during the night and we heard wolves at 4:00AM. There was a ominous blanket of clouds at 7AM on 6/7

• 6/7/14 Lane Cove to Daisy Farm (7.2 mi)
Breakfast every morning was instant oatmeal with honey, peanut butter, and powdered milk. We both found one packet of oatmeal plus the other additions filled us up until we stopped for a trail mix or jerky snack mid morning on every day.
• Broke camp at 9:50am
Rain started just as we were finishing packing and it would not stop until 3 or so and planned on hiking to Moskey Basin. We hiked pretty fast this day with only a break at the top of the trial out of Lane Cove. The rain was cold and driving out of the north with wind gusts up to 20mph on the Greenstone Ridge. I made the call to stop at Daisy Farm and try to dry out. The trails around the camp ground were mostly flooded. We arrived at DF around 1:30. It was 62F outside. We claimed a shelter, changed into warm clothes and hung wet clothes. We ate a lunch of tuna packs, cheese and dried bread with trail mix and jerky. Both pairs of boots were soaked through. I was using Vasque Talus which were only wet inside because of the rain making it through my rain pants. Josie was wearing Oboz which claimed to be waterproof. She likes the fit of them but Oboz are not waterproof, no matter what a salesman or their advertising claims. Our shoulders and hips were sore but supper was delicious. We ate mac and cheese which is one of our favorite meals. There was a talk being held on the moose and wolves by one of the researchers on the island. It was interesting and we talked afterward and she gave us the tip to setup the tent in the shelter to increase warmth. The stove, an old 440A, was acting up.It started smoking out of the plunger which was concerning. I think I may have oiled it incorrectly before the trip. The plunger seemed to be dried out after the smoke because it did not pump as smoothly. I decided to try using the silicone grease that came with the water filter when we got to McCargoe cove the next day. I was a little concerned about the heat spec on the grease but did not have much choice. It turned out to be and excellent idea and I did not have trouble for the rest of the trip.

• 6/8/14 Daisy Farm to McCargoe Cove by W. Chickenbone (10.6 mi)
• Broke camp at 8:45 AM
Our boots were very wet and I assumed the trails were as well. I made the call to hike in our camp shoes. This turned out to be a very good idea due to the trail conditions after all of the rain. Even the trails at the top of the ridge were soaked and muddy. At some points we were wading through water up to our knees near Daisy Farm. Josie had water shoes. I was using Walmart brand sport sandals similar to Teva brand sandals. They were $15 well spent. We saw three moose coming out of Daisy farm along with fresh wolf tracks and a bull snake. We stopped for lunch of tuna or salmon packs, seasoned dried bread and cheese with trail mix for desert. We stopped to filter water at W. Chickenbone site #7. Josie carried a 2L bladder and a 1L bottle, I carried a 1L bladder and a 1L bottle. We found this to be more than enough to get us to the next water source. I also carried an empty 0.5 gal milk jug that we used to carry water to camp for supper and breakfast. I filtered water and suggested we wash off our feet and put on our boots for the last three miles to try to dry the insides out. Josie got a large leech on her foot while she was washing her feet. I got it off before it attached. We hiked on to McCargoe and were glad that we made it. This was by far the most brutal day of hiking. We both enjoyed it but it was tiring hiking through mud all day. When we got to McCargoe we found out that Josie was starting to get blisters and her boots were not drying out. My feet only had a slight rub mark from my sandals. She was a trooper and did not complain about them but I know they were painful to hike on. I made a point to continually ask her how they were doing for the rest of the trip. One doubled the size of her small toe. She was able to avoid popping them until we were back at the hotel. When we got to McCargoe I laid on the dock and ate trail mix enjoying the freedom of the pack. I found out my neck was sunburned. This was the warmest day and I would estimate the temperature at around 75F.

I decided to go up and explore Minong Mine. Josie stayed back; I think she was done hiking for the day by this point. I hiked light to the mine. I was glad I went up there. The mosquitoes were thick but the bug net did it's job. There was still a large sheet of ice in the mine shaft that has a barrier around it. We at Jerky and potatoes for supper which was really good. I decided to lighten Josie's pack for the rest of the trip due to the blisters.

• 6/9/14- McCargoe to Three Mile (12.4 mi)
We broke camp at 8:30. The weather was cloudy and would remain cloudy and cool most of the day. We planned to stop at E Chickenbone to filter water. The plan was to drink 1L of water before we reached the water stop. The top of Josie's foot was very sore. Looking back it was probably from hiking in the water shoes the day before. When we go back I will make sure we both have the athletic sandals I used. She had to stop a few times because of the soreness. I was pretty worried about her.

When we arrived at the water stop near E. Chickenbone she made a wrap for her foot that seemed to help. The water stop at E. Chickenbone seemed like it was about .25 mi off the trial and was really over grown. We enjoyed the Greenstone Ridge without the driving rain and wind from a couple days before. Josie's blisters got worse. I would recommend avoiding Oboz shoes at all costs for hiking. Seriously. We stopped once other than snack breaks and lunch for a retaping. We made it to Three Mile with all blisters and feet intact. We made chicken and stuffing for supper. The stuffing burned to the bottom of the pot because the stuffing was added before the water was boiling.

• 6/10/14- Three Mile to Rock Harbor- (2.7 mi)
This was the coldest morning; the temp was 40F. We woke up early enough to catch the sunrise which was gratifying. The morning and the rest of the day was bright and sunny. I thought I caught Josie's cold at some point but it turned out to be allergies aggravated but the blueberry pollen. I don't normally have allergies. We had a long breakfast with a few cups of tea rather than the normal one. We took a few more pictures and headed out. We broke camp at 9:20 am. We stopped at Suzy's Cave. I had Josie lead the whole way since she declined to lead on the other days. I thought she would enjoy being able to seemingly have the trail to herself. I think she did after a while. We were glad we made the push to Three Mile rather than stopping at Daisy Farm again, which was considered. It was a nice short hike from Three Mile. We arrived at Rock Harbor around 10:45 am. I handed in our permits with the changes. We chowed down on a burger at the restaurant on the island and boarded the boat for the mainland. We ate pizza at The Mariner North when we got back to Copper Harbor.

Overall it was a successful trip. We both enjoyed ourselves and both want to go back. I'm sure Josie will buy some different shoes before then.

[Lucky Chicken]

Great trip report!

Mole skin and duct tape is the best blister preventer and cure that I have found when on the trail! Just cut a hole in a pice of mole skin a little bigger than the blister and stick that "doughnut" around it cut another piece the same size without a hole, and put it fuzzy side toward the blister, then duct tape over the whole thing (make sure the tape is smooth and dosent have any wrinkles). The slick surface of the tape greatly reduces friction and lets the blisters heal. It is always easier to catch them as hot spots or small blisters and treat them early.

Glad you both had fun! Hopefully many more trips are in your future and maybe I'll see you there.

[juanton1610]

Hello Lucky Chicken,

We did use the method you refer to and it worked great for helping to avoid pain and popping; although I wish we could have caught them earlier. One thing I forgot to mention was I applied Gold Bond medicated foot/body powder liberally to my toes each morning making sure to get in between my toes and on the underside of the foot. I've found this worked well on previous trips elsewhere. My feet were always dry at the end of the day, except for the day where it rained.

[tree rattt]

Nice trip report! Not sure if it is propper or not ....but I have to pop a blister if I can. Hurts so bad it feels good Before our last trip I pounded foot health and care into my daughters brain so hard that we stopped about every 2 miles for a powder and inspection......hey it works for Nascar!and after nine days of that we were almost as fast at a tire change ! Sounds like you starred adversity down and had a good time, after all if it all goes perfectly smooth there isn't any adventure......just kidding!!.... smooth is always good.