Feedback on itinerary

[scouterjanek]

Hi,
I will be leading a group of scouts and adults August 17-21, 4 nights on the island. We are a mixed bag of experienced backpackers from expert, to novice. 6 youth And 4 Adults. Our itinerary is day 1 rh to daisy farm, daisy farm to McCargoe Cove, McCargoe to Moskey, Moskey to Three Mile, Three mile to RH to depart. We have several warm up trips planned and a conditioning plan. With a target pack weight of 30 #, we expect to be pleasantly tired. Any feed back would be appreciated.
Janek

[Donk_67]

What time does your ferry arrive in RH? I know the Queen from Copper Harbor arrives around noon meaning your trail time will start around 1. Day one looks to be your longest day because of possible late start and heaviest pack weights. Looks to be doable, but I'd keep a close eye on the novice members of your group, including adults in that category. Take time to filter water along the way on your first day (easy access to water) so you don't have to carry much. Day two is a bit further between water sources. Enjoy your trip.

[scouterjanek]

Thanks on that. We were figuring on taking advantage of any daylight we had on our first day. Also figuring on taking the Tobin trail to start, hearing that it is less rugged. We have shake down week end trips planned from April thru July where we hope to fine tune pack weight, get "used" to the average distance hiked.
Janek

[Redbad]

Tobin will make the first day much easier. There is one area of technical trail after the crossover to the Rock Harbor trail that might be difficult due to weather conditions, especially if it is raining.

You will be passing through the 3 Mile campground on the way to Daisy Farm, so depending on weather, you might want to change your itinerary before you head out. Doing a 7 mile hike in the rain on the first day might not be the idea of fun for some of your Scouts.

You may want to consider stopping at the Mt. Objibway fire tower on the way to McCargo cove. There are spectacular views from the tower. However, this would add some distance to Day 2.

Your itinerary is very doable and should be an adventure for all involved.

[Donk_67]

Thanks on that. We were figuring on taking advantage of any daylight we had on our first day. Also figuring on taking the Tobin trail to start, hearing that it is less rugged. We have shake down week end trips planned from April thru July where we hope to fine tune pack weight, get "used" to the average distance hiked.
Janek

Sounds like the patrol will be prepared, tho the terrain on IR is tough to prepare for with it's near constant up and down. Tobin is definitely easier. I like the Rock Harbor trail; maybe consider taking that route back to Rock Harbor from your last camp at 3 mile if health and time allow.

Enjoy your trip. If this is a first visit, chances are it won't be the last visit for some if not all of your patrol.

[scouterjanek]

Hiking back we were planning the rh trail from 3 mile. Like to keep the scenery "new" and it will be a short hike out.
Much of the training hikes and trips are planned around broken ground or elevation changes on the ice age trail in wisconsin.
Some of our boys have hiked in the Rockies. We planned the trip around the moon phase for darkest skies. Hoping to get lucky with the aurora.

[tree rattt]

Sounds like a good trip! If you are training on the Ice age trail then you should be prepared for the ups and downs. We train on the Langlade and Lincoln sections. Some of those hills get pretty big, 250' on a few of them. 30 lb pack should be good and doable. I would also recomend the tower on the way to Mcargo.It isn't likely going to be a very hard day,that section of trail isn't too bad at all.You should be able to make good time.Get rockin early and you may even have time to swim with the leeches in Mcargo, or check out the Minong mine. It is an easy little hike, and worth it .Deffinately a day to really hydrate or carry a little extra water for this day.I don't recall much for water at all on the ridge.Chicken bone is the closest I think. Your troop will have a blast!Good luck and have fun!

[Buckeye]

Janek,

I led a group of scouts on a similar itinerary back in August of 2011. The only concern I would have is the leg from Daisy to McCargoe. If you have adults or boys that are not in good physical shape, it will be a hard hike for them. Sticking to the Tobin Harbor trail on your first day will help. We did the Rock Harbor trail on day one and it works your legs harder due to uneven footing.

The tower is worth a side trip for the view and blueberries, but will add about a mile to your day. There is no water from Daisy until Chickenbone, so make sure everyone carries plenty of water.
There is great fishing on the inland lakes that you will be passing. We caught northern pike at Chickenbone and Lake Richie. No license is needed for inland fishing.
You will find a bounty of thimbleberries everywhere from East to West Chickenbone. The plants are about 5-6ft tall on both sides of the trail. You can graze while you walk. The boys loved it!

Plan your route carefully. The park service wants you to stick to your group site itinerary.

Don't underestimate the conditioning needed for IR. Our family went back to IR this past summer, 2 weeks after backpacking 100+ miles at Philmont. My sons (15 & 17yrs) and I agreed, IR has some of the toughest trails you will find. What they lack in elevation change, they make up for in uneven footing. On many trails you rarely take 2 steps in a row that don't encounter a root, rock or climbing over something. We jokingly say the only smooth trails on IR are boardwalks.

Have a great trip. You and the scouts will never forget it!

Evan

[scouterjanek]

Thanks Evan,
We have a conditioning program in place that will also step up endurance in the three weeks prior to our trip. most, if not all will be using hiking poles- We are considering skipping the tower on the way to McCargoe, hitting that instead on our way out as a side trip. Park service already indicated they would likely place us back at DF on the way out. Our first tune up trip [12 mile over nighter] on the Ice age trail pointed out some things that some of the Scouts needed to tweak. Our next tune up will be hut to hut in the Kettle Moraine trail, hope to get in about 25 miles in on that one.

Janek