What would you do?

Questions about trails and campsites on the island.

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WMI Hiker
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What would you do?

Post by WMI Hiker »

After arriving at Rock Harbor on the Queen and wanting to put some mileage behind us would you hike the shoreline trail to Daisy Farm, past Moskey to Lake Richie, OR would you go up to Mt. Franklin from Three Mile and then camp at West Chickebone? I know the Chickenbone sites are not the most attractive. I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on which trail would be best for speed. Thank you!
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Re: What would you do?

Post by torpified »

If making time was what I cared about, for either route, I'd start on the Tobin Harbor trail, which goes more quickly than its (very fun and scenic) shoreline counterpart.

I walked an approximation of each of those routes in the last few years, and can report roughly how long they took. (Obviously, the actual times don't matter, since they're how long they took me (not you) to walk, and even holding the walker fixed, travel time can vary a lot as a function of conditions. Still the relative times could be informative.) These data points are noisy though---I'm not a careful timekeeper and don't make GPS tracks; the shoreline route doesn't have a fire tower it's mandatory to stop to climb; etc. etc.. I wasn't consciously rushing in either case.

In 2019, I took the Ranger then walked via Mt Franklin to McCargo (via *East* Chickenbone --- is that the one you mean? it's closer to RH). It took < 4 hrs to reach ECB, ~4.5 to get to McCargo. West Chicken Bone's a little closer to ECB than McCargo is, so let's say this data point is: ~4+ hrs from RH to WCB.

In 2021, I walked to Chippewa Harbor from the Queen; it took ~5 hrs. CH is about ~6 miles past Moskey, whereas Lake Richie is more like ~2 miles. So let's say this data point is: <4hrs from RH to LR.

The difference there is well within experimental error, so either you'll have to hope for better data or come up with a tie-breaker!
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Re: What would you do?

Post by torpified »

Just a followup question, WMI Hiker: Are you interested in making time for the sake of making time, or are you on a tight schedule, or . . . ? (I guess a variation on this question is: what's the larger plan that this the stage out of Rock Harbor fits into?)
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Re: What would you do?

Post by WMI Hiker »

Thank you. And thank you for your helpful PM. I a 65 year old guy hiking on my 50th Anniversary of first going to Isle Royale and hiking end to end. I have started training and breaking in new boots. I have over 2000 miles logged there from friend trips, family trips, solo trips, and working there on the Wolf project back when I was in college. But my memory is a little foggy on certain parts of the trails.

I am interested in making time. My youngest daughter and I will hike three days down on the Greenstone and three days back on the Minong.

Any of your trail experience, thoughts, wisdom, will be much appreciated.

Thank you!
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Re: What would you do?

Post by torpified »

WMI Hiker wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 8:12 am
My youngest daughter and I will hike three days down on the Greenstone and three days back on the Minong.

It sounds like you're way better acquainted with the island and its trails than I am! Is the plan to be out 6 nights all together, or 7 (e.g., 3 enroute to Windigo on the Greenstone, a night at Windigo, then 3 enroute to Rock Harbor on the Minong)?

Some more, scattered, thoughts --- I hope others will add others:

-you'll be making tracks! Sometimes, if the schedule permits, it's helpful to punctuate a sustained push with a layover/"rest" (or low mileage) day.

-daylight last for hours on IR in the summer. Do keep in mind that the sun will eventually set, but realize that you don't need to hurry to hike a lot of miles before darkness falls.

-the 6-7 miles into Windigo from Island Mine on the GRT go pretty quickly. If you get to Island Mine in the late (but not too late) afternoon, and you're still feeling good, consider pressing on.

-another opportunity for a mid-hike boost: you can shower (and even do laundry) at Windigo, and buy yourself treats at the store. In theory, resupplying there is also an option, but whenever I've looked into it seriously, I get daunted by the logistics. Still it might be worth pursuing, in order to keep your pack weight down on the outbound leg.

-it would be good to have a variety of fallback plans, in case weather or other unforeseen circumstances disrupt the schedule. Lots of options here.

-please let us know how the trip goes!
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Re: What would you do?

Post by fonixmunkee »

WMI Hiker wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 5:09 pm After arriving at Rock Harbor on the Queen and wanting to put some mileage behind us would you hike the shoreline trail to Daisy Farm, past Moskey to Lake Richie, OR would you go up to Mt. Franklin from Three Mile and then camp at West Chickebone?
West Chickenbone is actually nice. East Chickenbone is blechy. My recommendation would be to go to West Chickenbone. That's a great part of the island.
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