TR: 6/12-17, 2015, Rock Harbor Loop

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peterd08
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Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2015 4:20 pm

TR: 6/12-17, 2015, Rock Harbor Loop

Post by peterd08 »

This was my first trip (and my husband's first trip!) to Isle Royale, and it definitely didn't disappoint.
Our tentative, pre-trip plan was to hike to 3 Mile on day 1, Moskey Basin on day 2, to McCargoe Cove on day 3, to Daisy Farm via the Greenstone Trail on day 4 and 8.5 miles back to Rock Harbor on Day 5 via the Greenstone Trail.

Overall, our trip was great. We made some changes to our itinerary, which wound up a littler shorter mileage wise:

Day 1 – Rock Harbor to Three Mile
Day 2 – Three Mile to Moskey Basin
Day 3 – Moskey Basin to Daisy Farm
Day 4 – Daisy Farm to Three Mile via Greenstone
Day 5 – Three Mile to Rock Harbor and Stoll Trail

No moose, but we did excitingly see a wolf print while we were on the Greenstone trail. We had great weather the whole time with just a bit of rain on our night at Moskey Basin. We took it slow, as I am very unsteady on my feet, but it was an incredible trip. Here's some highlights:

Day 1: Once we got to Three Mile, there was a group of high schoolers jumping into Lake Superior that we chatted with. It was their last day of 10 on the island. We spent time at shelter #10 watching the sun set and the lake. It was incredibly still on the island that night.
Day 2: We made quick work of the trail to get to Daisy Farm and got to know some women about our age (mid-twenties) we'd ridden on the boat with, Megan, Chelsea, and Nicole, over lunch. The weather was disappointing at Moskey Basin, chilly and threatening rain. We stayed at a tent site (site 5).
Day 3: We changed our plan and returned to Daisy Farm because of the rain overnight. I slip and fall easily and didn't feel like forcing us to go over several ridges that were still wet. We spent a lot of time reading and relaxing in Shelter #13. We also played a card game with the trio of ladies we'd friended up with before settling in for a cold night.
Day 4: Definitely our best day. We headed out of Daisy Farm on the Greenstone Trail and spent time both at Mount Ojibway and Mount Franklin. The weather was perfect for hiking, and we saw a wolf print! The Greenstone was very different from the Rock Harbor Trail and a nice change of pace. We hung out on the dock at Three Mile for the evening
Day 5: We woke up at 6 AM and headed back into Rock Harbor, which we hadn't explored at all on our way in. We made dehydrated hash browns for breakfast (totally worth the effort!) and went out to Scoville Point as a day hike. It was sunny and warm, and a bit bittersweet to know it was our last day on the island.

Full trip report and pictures here
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Lucky Chicken
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Isle Royale Visits: 1
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Re: TR: 6/12-17, 2015, Rock Harbor Loop

Post by Lucky Chicken »

nice trip report! Good luck on the JMT!!
peterd08
NewbieCake
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2015 4:20 pm

Re: TR: 6/12-17, 2015, Rock Harbor Loop

Post by peterd08 »

Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks!
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