Ron's Windigo to RH trip

[one]

Name: Ron
Email: rsprill@stanford.edu
Hometown: Pensacola, FL
Arrival Date: 18 June 2013
Departure Date: 24 June 2013
Coming From/Via: Houghton via seaplane

Itinerary:
Tuesday, June 18 –Windigo to North Desor
Wednesday, June 19 - North Desor toTodd Harbor
Thursday, June 20 – Todd Harbor to McCargoe
Friday, June 21 – McCargoe to Moskey Basin
Saturday, June 22 – Moskey Basin to Lane Cove
Sunday, June 23 – Lane Cove to Three Mile
Monday, June 24- Three Mile to Rock Harbor and leave via Seaplane

Notes/Other:
My wife and I are backpacking Isle Royale for the first time. After finishing Pictured Rocks, we decided Isle Royale would be our next big trip. I have done many hikes in Hawaii, Florida, Utah, California, Colorado, and Michigan but I have never been this far North. My wife and I will both be carrying packs weighing less than 20 pounds with water. We have three days hiking more than 11 miles so we are testing our limits tomorrow. If we can’t finish 13 miles in six hours in the 90 degree heat of Florida with 30 pound packs, we might change our itinerary. As of right now, this is the itinerary we are set on.

[MikeT]

Ron,
It is a full itinerary, but doable. You will see a good cross section of the island.
The first day, Windigo to Desor is a butt kicker. Done it. Actually fell asleep on the shore of Desor afterwards.

The one I would be leery of is Moskey to Lane Cove in a day. That one is a long hike. The stretch from Moskey to Daisy is deceiving. There are a lot of rock surfaces and ups and downs and it can be hard on the knees. You also have to go up from there to the Greenstone. Once on the Greenstone though, it is smooth sailing.

The other thought is you do not have an off day. But, you can always skip Three-Mile and do Lane Cove straight to Rock Harbor if you lose a day somewhere.

[one]

What do you think about my plan B? I was really going back and forth with the two.

Windigo to North Desor- 12.9 Miles 18-Jun
North Desor to Todd Harbor- 11.2 Miles 19-Jun
Todd Harbor to McCargoe- 6.6 Miles 20-Jun
McCargoe to Chippewa- 10.6 Miles 21-Jun
Chippewa to Moskey- 6.2 Miles 22-Jun
Moskey to Three Mile- 8.3 Miles 23-Jun
Three Mile to Rock Harbor- 2.7 Miles 24-Jun

The real thing I was have trouble with was deciding if I should head to Lane Cove or Chippewa.

[MikeT]

That looks better in my opinion. I would also choose Chippewa over Lane Cove in this scenario. It is a minor back track of a short distance and Chippewa is worth it as well as Moskey. Lane Cove is nice and has more of a wilderness feel than Chippewa, but it is way out of the way and a dead end. Chippewa however, has spectacular views and a lot of history.

I forgot to mention, the hike from North Desor to Todd is also a tough one. Your first 2 days will be your hardest. You can however go to Little Todd if you do not want to go all the way to Todd. It is a climb down to the campground, but I personally feel it is one of the best "wilderness" campgrounds on the island on Lake Superior. It is also a relatively easy walk (compared to Desor to Little Todd) from there to McCargoe.

I would suggest a stop at Richie CG for lunch on the way to Chippewa. A great view and very peaceful.

Hope this helps. Half the fun is planning (IMHO)

[one]

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate it.

[NancyT]

At the risk of getting in trouble for posting a section of Mike's Book, here is a small example of what you would be in for.

[Tightlines01]

I've yet to go to Chippewa, it's on of the few I haven't gone into yet but hear great things about it. I've been to lane cove and like it as your away from people more because of the dead end.

I'd recommend the second Itineary simply because you'll enjoy more time at Moskey and that's the best site on the island IMO.

[Lucky Chicken]

At the risk of getting in trouble for posting a section of Mike's Book, here is a small example of what you would be in for.

ok... you have peaked my intrest... book title? and where can I get it?

[DonNewcomb]

It's a standard suggestion. Consider taking taking Tobin Harbor Trail into RH rather than Rock Harbor Trail. RHT is a rock scramble along the shore line. THT is a lot easier. Depends on how you are feeling.

[Ingo]

At the risk of getting in trouble for posting a section of Mike's Book, here is a small example of what you would be in for.

ok... you have peaked my intrest... book title? and where can I get it?

http://www.isleroyale.info Besides a wealth of Mike's experience and knowledge, it has GPS data and elevation graphs for every trail on the island.

[NancyT]

Thanks Ingo, been busy this morning and didn't get a chance to reply.

[Lucky Chicken]

Thanks! That will soon be another $40 well spent on backpacking planning resources

[Tightlines01]

Thanks! That will soon be another $40 well spent on backpacking planning resources

Just sent my order in. Can't wait to get the install codes.

[NancyT]

Andy, please email us and tell us what you think of it!
The more comments we can get on the website, the better.

[Tightlines01]

I'll email you more later, but after installing tonight and some browsing, Wow.... detailed doesn't begin to describe it. Nicely done Mike

Andy


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD