TR: 1Sept-6Sept 2017 [RH to Windigo to RH]

[vgeh]

Here is the trip report I posted in Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/com ... Ultralight

I wanted to post here in the forum directly but due to formatting issues it would take me more time to individually hyperlink all the images linked to the reddit post.

Trails in the order of hike:
a. RH
1. Tobin Harbor
2. Mt Franklin
3. Greenstone Ridge
b. Windigo
4. W Huginnin cove
5. E Huginnin cove
6. Minong Ridge
7. Indian Portage
8. Lake Richie
9. Rock Harbor
10. Stoll
c. RH

Campsites: (All were tent sites. RH was a group tent site since all individual spots were taken by the time I arrived).
Day 1: W Chickenbone
Day 2: Washington Creek
Day 3: N Desor Lake
Day 4: McCargoe Cove
Day 5: Rock Harbor

Note: I did not hike all of these trails completely. For example, I skipped the 4.8 miles of Greenstone Ridge trail east of Mt Franklin junction. If you combine both the trails and campsites above you would get an idea of my hike itinerary. Hope this helps.

Although the reddit post is tailored to the subreddit I posted and focused less on the trip, I covered most details required for planning. If you have any specific questions or need more details about certain aspect of the trip, please let me know.


I also have plenty of pictures taken that did not make it to the reddit post. I will create a cloud album soon and post the link here. Thanks again for answering my questions and helping me before the trip.

[torpified]

Thanks-- that is some excellent coverage. I love the moose video!

Sorry about the soggy feet. I usually walk in trail runners and dirty girl gaiters (which you might want to check out if you're looking for light and snug: https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/). I've learned to use waterproof hiking boots and burlier gaiters on IR.

[paulbates]

Nice! Some really long days! Glad you go through the rain and not feeling well. We hiked through in the rain a couple of days and ended up soaked at the campsite... that's difficult!

Thanks for the reports and all of the pictures and videos, really enjoyed it!

Paul

[Midwest Ed]

Those are some heavily saturated feet and hands. Were you wearing nitrile gloves? At least you have some nice weather during daylight hours.

[vgeh]

Thanks-- that is some excellent coverage. I love the moose video!

Sorry about the soggy feet. I usually walk in trail runners and dirty girl gaiters (which you might want to check out if you're looking for light and snug: https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/). I've learned to use waterproof hiking boots and burlier gaiters on IR.

iphone did not capture it good. In addition to that uploads ruin the quality even more. I will share the direct video links later.

When I decided to upgrade my REI gaiter, it was either dirtygirl or Altra. Since I had the option of pairing the same brand gaiter & shoe, I went with Altra. I thought they would go well with each other. Let me see if I can return Altra and get dirtygirl, if not at least a smaller size Altra by exchanging this medium size.

Waterproof for hiking will not work for me. My legs sweat like a stream when it is not ventilated and they are also heavy.

[vgeh]

Those are some heavily saturated feet and hands. Were you wearing nitrile gloves? At least you have some nice weather during daylight hours.

I was using a Neoprene gardening gloves(link below) for rain protection. But I kept removing the glove for various reasons(food, phone, etc) so my hands were wet although I had glove on most of the time. I am sure my hands could have been easily protected by properly using the gloves. But anyways, the temperature were high enough that I did not worry about it at all. Legs were well cleaned and taken care for recovery before sleep so that I can be ready for next morning hike. Except for swollen legs for last 2 days, I had no problem at all. My leg is back to normal now. I even went for a trail build & maintenance work today.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Grease-Monke ... /202188319

[Midwest Ed]

Just my opinion, but the totally waterproof nature of the glove added to (or probably was responsible for) the water logging of the skin on your hands and fingers. All perspiration and moisture from outside is trapped and has only one place to go, into your skin.

[fonixmunkee]

Great trip report, but sad to see all the "fails." I can't believe how fast you hike (run).

P.S., you are also the first person to use Reddit for a trip report on the forum. Congrats!

[vgeh]

Just my opinion, but the totally waterproof nature of the glove added to (or probably was responsible for) the water logging of the skin on your hands and fingers. All perspiration and moisture from outside is trapped and has only one place to go, into your skin.

I too have the same opinion. I did not use the glove on 3rd and 4th. But I wasn't able to do direct comparison between glove vs no glove since it did not rain all day on 3rd and 4th like 2nd.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I will make sure to test this hypothesis next time.

[vgeh]

Great trip report, but sad to see all the "fails." I can't believe how fast you hike (run).

P.S., you are also the first person to use Reddit for a trip report on the forum. Congrats!

Thanks! Actually when I see the report or just recall my experience, all I could say is positives. The cons are part of the trip and it adds to the experience. Backpacking trips are adventure and I had a great adventure!

The only days I could have jogged are day 1 and 2. I was stopping every few minutes to enjoy the scenery and take pics on day 1, so I did not care about time at all to jog. Since it was raining almost all day on day 2, the terrain was difficult to jog with backpack. I was actually ahead of my plan anyways so did not even think of jogging. Thanks to the weather. This was the day, I stopped very few times to take pics and enjoy the scenic views since it was either raining or foggy/cloudy.

Maybe my general hiking pace combined with long days helped me cover the distances.

[JackieMitchell]

Thanks for posting this. I was wondering how many people do a round trip hiking from Rock Harbor to Windigo and back. There seems to be a lot of one-way travel, but I just looked at what taking the ferry back to Rock Harbor would cost for our group, and it would be steep! We are more flexible with time than with money.