Looking for itinerary suggestions: Windigo to Rock Harbor

[DanC]

Given our current winter weather, my wife and I are starting to plan an August IR backpacking trip.
We're both IR newbies: I did a solo Greenstone trip about 15 years ago, but my wife has never been there. We'd like to see the best that IR has to offer.
Our tentative plans are:
Day 1: Arrive Windigo 11am (via Sea Hunter)
Day 5: Arrive in Rock Harbor (staying in the Lodge that night)
Day 6: Dep Rock Harbor on 9am Voyageur to GP

Although we are experienced backpackers, we'd like to minimize the number of over-10-mile days.
Any suggestions for the ideal 5-day Windigo to Rock Harbor trip?
The obvious Greenstone option would be:
Day 1: Windigo to Lake Desor (12 miles - a bit long for a 1st day)
Day 2: Lake Desor to Hatchet (8.1 miles)
Day 3: Hatchet to W Chickenbone (7.9 miles)
Day 4: W Chickenbone to Three Mile (12.5 miles)
Day 5: Three Mile to Rock Harbor (2.7 miles - leaving plenty of time for an afternoon dayhike)

I see that there are Feldtmann and/or Minong options. So, I'd appreciate this group's collective wisdom on the best way to tie together a 5-day trip.

Thanks,
Dan

[Tom]

Given your W-E direction, and wanting to keep the mileage reasonable, I think starting out on the Greenstone is the way to go. You're a bit short on a time to add the Feldtman loop, and the Minong from Windigo to Desor North would be a heckuva first day introduction to the Isle. The path from Windigo to Desor South, as you may recall, is well tread and fairly easy on the legs, albeit mostly an incline and a hike between the trees. Although it's long, it's doable for experienced hikers and allows you to bypass Island Mine, which is nothing amazing in August, and could have water issues that time of year. (Note: You can also get an hour or so earlier start by taking the Voyageur II to Windigo, if the schedule works out.)
Your second night, then, is perhaps naturally Hatchet.
From there, unless you're deadset on sticking to the Greenstone, I might suggest bumping to the South shore. Depending on how August is doing, the Greenstone can be hot and dry, whereas dropping down to the lakeside can be cooler with more options for water. Both offer their share of views.

Day 3: Hatchet to Lake Richie. 11.1, but the extra distance off the Greenstone (from the Chickenbone camp) is mostly a nice decline off the ridge, and a fairly easy hike. If you're feeling good, I can tease you and say that the 2.1 beyond that to Moskey is a cakewalk... So, you have 'options.' A Moskey sunrise is legendary.

Day 4: Here is where you start to play out the 'crowd' game. Depending on the day, you could have the Queen arriving, and the Ranger possibly coming or going. This will all impact how the East side camps fill up, and when/what time of day. August is going to be a 'busier' month. Your ultimate goal will be to arrive at Rock Harbor for your final night, just to make sure you don't miss the V-II departure. (Although technically you can pull an early morning at Three-Mile, but why risk it.) I'd shoot for this day to either hike to Daisy Farm or Threemile. Depending on when you depart Moskey or Ritchie, and depending on the other Ferries, you'll either be hiking into camp with other hikers approaching, or other hikers packing out. Staying at Daisy (5.8 from Ritchie, 3.9 from Moskey) provides the option to set up camp and dayhike the "Triangle" to the tower.

Day 5: Get thee to Rock Harbor. Not a bad hike from either Daisy or Threemile, just be sure to cut over to the Tobin Harbor trail at Suzy's Cave for the pine-needle highway.
You'll still have plenty of time to explore RH, and perhaps take in the Stoll trail.

This is, of course, my mid-winter punditry, and many others will have valid ideas, as well!

[DanC]

Tom: Thanks for your suggestion to think about moving off the Greenstone, and heading down to Lake Richie.

As long as I'm thinking-out-of-the-Greenstone-box, I see that there are many posts of enthusiasm for the Feldtmann loop and the 2 campgrounds there. So, I'll be considering adding 2 more hiking days to the start of my trip:
Day 1: Windigo to Feldtmann Lake
Day 2: Feldtmann Lake to Siskiwit Bay
Day 3: Siskiwit Bay to Lake Desor S
Day 4: Lake Desor S to Hatchet
Day 5: Hatchet to Lake Ritchie
Day 6: Lake Ritchie to Daisy Farm
Day 7: Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor

With this itinerary, the longest hike would be on Day 5 (11.1 mi), (and Tom writes that it's an easy hike). This would keep us on a very leisurely pace, allowing us time to smell the flowers and the moose poop.

Regarding Island Mine: I now recall staying there on my previous trip. Although the site was pleasant enough, the water source was a pathetic little stream.

[Tom]

Day 1: Windigo to Feldtmann Lake
Day 2: Feldtmann Lake to Siskiwit Bay
Day 3: Siskiwit Bay to Lake Desor S
Day 4: Lake Desor S to Hatchet
Day 5: Hatchet to Lake Ritchie
Day 6: Lake Ritchie to Daisy Farm
Day 7: Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor.

THIS would be an awesome hike, IMHO. A great cross-section of what the Isle has to offer. A few longer days, sure, but I don't think you'll find many of us on this forum that don't love the Feldtmann loop. As an intro-to-IR hike for your wife, it gives you an added bonus instead of hiking up the Greenstone through the trees on your first day. Within the first couple miles toward Feldtmann, you'll hit the Grace Overlook, and get a great "Wow, this is why I'm here" perspective. From there, it's up and down a few places (through some interesting geology, like the old shoreline), a hike through a swamp, and eventually you might feel the breeze blowing up through the valley as you approach Feldtmann. Your chances of seeing a moose in the first day or two are also better than average, and that always keeps the spirits up!
The first couple days will be 'slightly' tougher, with more up and down, all of it following a fairly well tread footpath on soil/roots/some rock. A few ridges to hike up. Day 2 isn't bad once you're up the ridge, and then slowly decline toward camp. Day 3 will perhaps be the toughest 'hike' in terms of vertical. Day 4, you're on top the ridge with not too much up and down, and most of it gradual. Day 5, the same (keep that in mind when you're coming "down" the ridge about .75 mile out from Chickenbone. Going the other way is less fun) with more descent; Day 6 and 7 are a wildly different type of trail than you've been on. The first part of Day 6 will seem more familiar, but the second half of the trail from Moskey to Chickenbone is a leg burner/hard on the feet. Day 7 not quite as bad, but still a fair amount of climbing about rock faces and looking for cairns. (Although it's pretty easy to tell where the trail is.)

[Vandy]

I did the Feldtman loop and then the Greenstone to Hatchet on my 2011 trip. Trip report here: http://www.isleroyaleforums.com/viewtop ... f=8&t=1528

I think it is well worth the extra days needed to pull it off.

[DanC]

I did the Feldtman loop and then the Greenstone to Hatchet on my 2011 trip. Trip report here: http://www.isleroyaleforums.com/viewtop ... f=8&t=1528

I think it is well worth the extra days needed to pull it off.

Thanks for pointing out your (thorough) trip report. This makes it clear that by crossing the island in a Windigo->RH direction, we'll have lots of routing options beginning at Hatchet Lake, depending on conditions (our own physical state, the weather, etc).

Dan