First Timers

[charlieshick]

After about 15 years of saying we should, my dad and I are finally coming to Isle Royale. I would appreciate it if someone could look over yet another itinerary and give their opinion.

Monday - Arrive in Rock Harbor on the Isle Royale Queen and hike to Lane Cove
Tuesday- Hike to Moskey Basin via the Greenstone, Mount Ojibway, and Rock Harbor trails. It's the longest hike of the week for us. Is it even doable? I imagine 10 miles is more or less our max for a day. Am I being overly ambitious? We're both in decent shape, but haven't done much hiking.
Wednesday- Moskey Basin to either Lake Richie or W. Chickenbone. Is one of these recommended over the other?
Thursday - Lake Richie or W. Chickenbone to McCargoe Cove.
Friday- McCargoe Cove to Daisy Farm
Saturday- Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor and sail out in the afternoon.

I imagine we could skip Lake Richie/W. Chickenbone in favor of an extra day at either Moskey or McCargoe.

I know that there are plenty of other itineraries out there asking for review, and I appreciate anyone taking the time to look at mine.

[Ingo]

Hey Charlie, I'm more a paddler than a backpacker, so maybe not the best source of advice, but it's certainly doable. But a 10 mile day is nothing for some and hell for others, so it's hard to say. I'd try and get out with full packs and see what you can do--go for a weekend but pack for a week. For myself, I'm pretty miserable after a couple miles with a 35 lb pack, but I've done up to 8 and was fine (but ready to quit). I'm not in the best shape but know how to pace myself and am stubborn .

A couple thoughts:
The climb out of Lane Cove on day 2 is pretty significant--about 500 ft up (if I remember) and steep. But Mount Franklin is a great spot to rest up with great views of the north side and Canada.
Make sure you bring enough water. 2 liters each was not enough for a warm 8 mile day on the ridge.
I'd spend 2 days at Moskey Basin, and head for McCargoe from there. Not that Richie and Chickenbone aren't nice, they are, but I'd rather have the layover day. All of those are nice sites and everyone has their favorites, but the great thing is that they're close enough that you can change your mind as you go--if you don't want to go on to McCargoe you can stop at W Chickenbone. East Chickenbone is the only site that everyone unanimously says stay away from.

Have fun planning and great trip!

[bergman]

Welcome to the forum Charlie!

The hike from LaneCove to MoskeyBasin will leave u and/or your dad with one or more blisters that will mess with your trip so early in the game. Lane Cove is a great spot, but leave it to the very end of your trip. The first half of daisy farm to moskey is a tough trail.

DaisyFarm - West Chickenbone (dayhike to mccargoe cove, then break camp @W CBone) - Moskey (2nites) - 3Mile - LaneCove.

DaisyFarm - Moskey(2nites)- McCargoe - East CBone - Lane Cove.

E. CBone is nowhere near the lake, and its a scramble down to get water; however, it will not be crowded; more importantly, it will put u within striking distance of Lane Cove. U may run out of water by the time u get to Mt. Franklin, but at least it will be downhill from there to lane cove ( and the water from the relatively open big lake will taste amazing - great way to finish the trip).

When u hike out of lane cove on your last day to catch the Queen, your packs wont have much food and the climb back up to the greenstone ridge wont be 1/2 as bad as doing it at the beginning of your trip. Also, from Rock Harbor to 3Mile i would recommend the Tobin Harbor Trail (at the start of the trip as well); much easier on the ankles and knees, and probably feet. I'm looking out for "the old man" (wish I had one to take that hike; it's gonna be special).

[Tom]

Tuesday- Hike to Moskey Basin via the Greenstone, Mount Ojibway, and Rock Harbor trails. It's the longest hike of the week for us. Is it even doable? I imagine 10 miles is more or less our max for a day. Am I being overly ambitious? We're both in decent shape, but haven't done much hiking.

According to my notes, the last time I hiked Lane Cove to Moskey it took me 4hrs 32 minutes of actual hiking on trail. not including breaks. An ugly 4-1/2 hours, with stops at Mt Franklin, Ojibway Tower, and Daisy Farm (for a late lunch.) It was early spring (first boat) and cool, which makes the trails a bit easier. The hike out of Lane Cove to Mt Franklin was about 1:10, and it's mostly uphill, with switchbacks. It's a tough start to the morning. The hike from Franklin to Ojibway is classic Greenstone, and not too bad on the legs. It's then a fairly steep decent down to Daisy on well tread trail. It's the last part, when your legs are tired, that becomes harsh, as the first half of the Rock Harbor trail to Moskey is up and down over plenty of rock. The second half balances out a bit more, and you'll be glad when you finally reach camp.
Doable? Sure, for a hiker with experience. The distance isn't more than you might see typical on the West side of the island, but it seems a lot rougher with more vertical and overall ups and downs, not to mention hiking directly on rock. I might recommend, for a first timer who doesn't know what to expect, to keep the distance shorter, so the opportunity of enjoyment is higher!

[alecto73]

My first trip I did RH to Lane Cove on day 1. It was 90 degrees and sunny at the end of August and that was a "fun" one. I think there's only four sites and luckily there was one left, although I'm sure people would have shared. Many people save Lane Cove for last night. Day two I went from Lane Cove to McCargoe and while it wasn't too bad I did blow through 3+ liters of water. It is very doable but if I ever did Lane Cove again I'd hit it on my way out instead of in. After two trips Moskey is my favorite spot on the island (although the overall Minong experience was unforgettable).

[jrwiesz]

After about 15 years of saying we should, my dad and I are finally coming to Isle Royale. I would appreciate it if someone could look over yet another itinerary and give their opinion.

Monday - Arrive in Rock Harbor on the Isle Royale Queen and hike to Lane Cove
Tuesday- Hike to Moskey Basin via the Greenstone, Mount Ojibway, and Rock Harbor trails. It's the longest hike of the week for us. Is it even doable? I imagine 10 miles is more or less our max for a day. Am I being overly ambitious? We're both in decent shape, but haven't done much hiking.
Wednesday- Moskey Basin to either Lake Richie or W. Chickenbone. Is one of these recommended over the other?
Thursday - Lake Richie or W. Chickenbone to McCargoe Cove.
Friday- McCargoe Cove to Daisy Farm
Saturday- Daisy Farm to Rock Harbor and sail out in the afternoon.

I imagine we could skip Lake Richie/W. Chickenbone in favor of an extra day at either Moskey or McCargoe.

I know that there are plenty of other itineraries out there asking for review, and I appreciate anyone taking the time to look at mine.

Questions?

How old are you and your father?

When do you plan on going to the Isle?

Are you used to walking 5-10 miles a day for 7 days in a row?

Where have you back packed before?

How much do you plan to carry in your packs?

A few comments.

If you're seasoned hikers, and regularly do week long hikes. No problem.

If you have had week long outings a couple times(or never) in the last ten years; you may be a bit ambitious.

7 days food is close to 15#, each.

Keeping gear at 15#, each. Gets you to 30# each, minimum in you packs.

Then there is water.

Enjoy the planning.