TR: 08/19-08/26, 2022 [Rock to Windigo via Minong Ridge]

[JPlant]

Isle Royale Trip Report: August 19, 2022 – August 26, 2022

This trip was my third time on Isle Royale and my second solo trip. It was my first time on the Minong Ridge. I really wanted to see what the Minong had to offer. I’ve heard so much about how remote and difficult it is, so I gave myself as much time to complete it as I could.

Photos of the trip can be found here


I planned to arrive on the last seaplane of the day from Hancock to Rock Harbor August 19th and return on the earliest seaplane from Windigo to Hancock on August 26th. My itinerary had me staying one night each at Daisy Farm, McCargo Cove, Todd Harbor, Little Todd, North Desor, and Washington Creek, with an extra day built in for contingencies. I stuck to my itinerary pretty closely, but on my second to last night I decided to stop at Huggnin Cove before going to Washington Creek.

08/19/22: Grand Rapids > Hancock > Rock Harbor > Daisy Farm
I had an uneventful drive up from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I didn’t really stop until I got into Houghton around 2:45. My seaplane was scheduled to leave at 4 and I needed to be at the dock by 3:30. That gave me a little bit of time to grab lunch at Roy’s. I had their turkey and cranberry pastie which tastes like thanksgiving dinner in a pastie shell. I know it’s not traditional, but man is it tasty! The planes were running on schedule, so I changed into my hiking clothes and waited to board. My pack containing 8 days’ worth of food weighed in at 40 pounds on the scale at the seaplane dock. The flight over was smooth and calm. I love the feeling of taking off and landing on water. There’s no jolt of landing on land. You just speed up and somehow, you’re in the air without feeling any difference. I was in one of the newer Beavers with the red and white livery. I didn’t notice any difference in the flight itself, just newer looking instrumentation in the cockpit.

On landing at Rock Harbor, we were instructed to do a self-check-in at a designated tent. There was no ranger talk or guidance other than posted signage. I bought fuel at the store and hit the trail a few minutes after 5pm. The Tobin Harbor trail was only open to the Suzy’s Cave cutoff. They were still working on putting out the Mount Franklin Fire. I didn’t notice any smoke, but I did see a gray area from the plane as we were landing. The Tobin Harbor trail is a smooth mostly level dirt trail that makes for easy hiking. I cut over to Suzy’s Cave, snapping a few photos along the way and proceeded down the Rock Harbor trail through Three Mile and into Daisy Farm. I was leapfrogging on the trail with a group of three MTU students who were there for their first trip on the island.

When I got into Daisy Farm, I found all the shelters, individual sites, and group sites occupied. It was super busy on the eastern end of the island during my time there. I had noticed what seemed to be another solo hiker occupying a shelter alone and approached him to see if he’d be willing to share the shelter for a night. He was initially hesitant but accepted when I told him that everything else was occupied. Tom was a nice, retired fellow from the UP. We discussed our love of pulp novels in the backcountry. He liked mysteries; I like Sci-Fi.

I had a minor gear failure the first night using my REI Magma trail quilt. The point where the sides of the quilt come together to form the footbox was either poorly stitched or a weak point in the design. The stitching there tore and began to leak down feathers all over the shelter. I patched it using some Tenacious Tape that lasted until my final night when the tape began to fail.

08/20/22: Daisy Farm > McCargo Cove
Aside from that, my night was mostly pleasant. I got up later than usual, ate some breakfast, said goodbye to Tom, and hit the trail toward McCargo. I decided to not add the extra mileage to the Ojibway Tower. I’d seen it before, and my pack was still feeling heavy at this point. I took the Daisy Farm trail up to the Greenstone. Along the way there is a marshy beaver dam that has a beautiful rock outcropping. I stopped to take a few photos. Once I got up on the Greenstone, I hiked for a while before finding a lovely flat rock in the shade covered with moss where I decided to take a morning snack break and nap. I stopped again for lunch at the waterfront for East Chickenbone campground. I was hoping to use the beach area to rinse off some of my sweat, but there wasn’t much beach, and the water was murky. Even if there hadn’t been a cyanobacteria warning for Chickenbone Lake, I don’t think I’d want to stay at the campground. It’s a long haul to get water to the campsites and the sites themselves don’t have much to recommend them either.

While sitting by the lake and eating my lunch, the trio from MTU came down the trail to get water. I warned them about the cyanobacteria, but they were in a bit of an urgent situation. They had broken two water pumps and were relying on one person’s Sawyer Squeeze. They didn’t want to fill their hydration pack from the Squeeze, so they needed water. A little while later, I ran into them filtering from a running stream, which seemed a better choice. We leapfrogged again the rest of the way to McCargo.

McCargo was almost as busy as Daisy Farm. All the individual sites and shelters were full. I ended up tripling up on a group site with two pairs of other hikers. I set up my tent and took another nap for an hour or so, then brought my food and water stuff down to the dock to have dinner. There were several people in the area near the dock including a large group of young men celebrating one fellow’s bachelor party on the island. We were treated to a show by an adult loon who was hunting for two young loons and showing them how to catch fish. We watched this for quite a while until it began to get dark. I also decided to try my backpacking bourbon mule cocktail that I developed before the trip. It was quite tasty.

I approached a small group of folks at the campfire and enjoyed the comradery there. One guy noticed an olive-green stuff sack in the brush and discovered an apparently very expensive night-vision scope in it. The bachelor party guys tried it out and promised to turn it in to the ranger station at Rock Harbor later in their trip. I was getting tired, so I headed back to my tent to read for a bit before falling asleep.

08/21/22: McCargo Cove > Todd Harbor
I wasn’t pushing any huge mileage this trip, so I allowed myself to sleep in a bit, then brought my coffee and breakfast down to the dock and enjoyed the misty morning light over the cove. I filled up my water bottles and began the hike toward the Minong Mine around 9:30. The hike to the mine is pretty easy. I stopped for a while, took off my pack, and explored the mine openings, rusty artifacts, and piles of poor rock. I thought I had remembered another mine opening from a previous trip but was unable to locate it. Regardless, it’s a cool site and worth the side trip to see if you find yourself in McCargo Cove.

I climbed back up to the trail hoping that I would have more solitude than I had experienced in the previous two days and maybe see a few moose by hiking quietly. Unfortunately, this section of trail, while quieter than I had experienced so far, was still pretty busy and I wouldn’t see a moose for a few more days.

My first section of exposed rock also offered my first opportunity to get misdirected. There was a very obvious trail that headed up the ridge and a tiny cairn that guided me forward below it. I followed the higher trail bringing to mind advice I had been given that on the Minong, if you are unsure of the direction, go up. The side trail, up the ridge, led me to a rocky scramble that needed hands and feet to negotiate. I thought to myself that if this is what the Minong trail is like, it deserves its reputation. The side trail led to a gorgeous overlook to the north with a view of Superior and Canada. There was, however, no path to continue. So, I climbed back down to the fork in the trail and continued in the direction of the cairn.

The trail from here to Todd Harbor offers many overlooks and exposed ridges. I got to see some sort of raptor flying over Otter Lake. I initially thought it was a bald eagle because of its light-colored tail, but when I saw it again, it didn’t look like an eagle. There were some challenging ups and downs, but overall, the trail was not particularly difficult. I got into Todd Harbor in time for a late lunch and met another pair of hikers who had already claimed the shelter. I grabbed campsite 4 because it was nearest the water. I ate some lunch, set up camp and washed myself and my clothes in the harbor. I decided I wanted to explore the Todd Harbor area and the nearby Haytown Mine. All that was visible of the mine was a simple pit surrounded by a fence and a pile of waste rock near the beach. Todd Harbor was beautiful! I think it may be one of my favorite campgrounds on the island.

I took my book down to the waterfront and read for a while until dinner time. Around dinner time, a neighbor staying at campsite 5 said he saw a wolf walk through his campsite carrying a small rodent of some sort. I will admit to quite a bit of jealousy for that sighting. I had dinner and continued to hang out by the waterfront until sunset. Todd Harbor sunsets are gorgeous! The campground is positioned so that sunsets are perfectly centered in the harbor. A little while later, it was time for bed.

08/22/22: Todd Harbor > Little Todd
I again gave myself some time to sleep in. I had some coffee and breakfast on the waterfront, then packed my backpack before hitting the trail. This section was similar to the previous section. There were some ups and downs, some stream crossings that involved rock hopping to get across, and some beautiful overlooks to the north. It was remarkable how much less traffic the trail got after the Hatchet Lake cutoff. You could easily see at the junction by how much grass was on the trail headed to Little Todd versus the raw dirt headed to Hatchet Lake. I began to notice more mosquitoes on some of the low sections on this trail. I stopped for the first time on this trip to apply picardin which helped a bit. It was an enjoyable, occasionally challenging, but accessible hike.

I got into Little Todd for a late lunch. I set up my tent at campsite 2 and brought my sitting pad and quilt down to the beach to read and nap until dinner time. A little after 4pm the sky began to darken, and I heard thunder to the west. I decided to collect all my gear and button down the tent in case it stormed. When the raindrops started, I ducked into the tent and read for a bit while nipping at my bourbon. The rain only lasted for an hour or so. Afterwards, I made some dinner on the beach then went exploring on the point west of the campground. I bushwhacked through quite a bit of wet underbrush and got myself quite soaked. I did a bit of rock hopping on the huge boulders along the shore taking photos along the way. I chatted for a while with a couple of women from Minneapolis and a young man from Cleveland on the beach. Since everything was wet, I decided it wasn’t worth starting a campfire. After a sunset that was less charismatic than the previous one, I headed to bed.

08/23/22: Little Todd > North Lake Desor
I woke to a gray morning and ate the Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy that I’d been saving for the difficult hike from Little Todd to North Desor. I had heard that this section was the most challenging hiking on the island. It turns out that, while it was indeed challenging, it was also some of the most rewarding hiking of the trip. There were plenty of climbs up to and down from exposed ridges, including some scrambles that were more vertical than horizontal. I would say, however, that mile for mile, the Rock Harbor trail was more taxing on the body than any section of the Minong Ridge. It certainly helped that the sky was overcast, and I wasn’t baking in the sun all day. I can definitely see how a hot day on this section could make for a miserable hike. I saw a couple of other hikers headed in the opposite direction and stopped periodically for rest and snacks.

It was a short day by the mileage, and I ended up in North Desor early in the day. I rinsed myself and some of my clothes in the lake and dried them on the rocks by the shore after setting up camp in campsite 2. A little while later a father and his 16-year-old son came into camp while I was resting at the lakeside. I filled up my water and noticed that the water at Lake Desor tasted awful. There were lots of floating things in the water that caused me to pre-filter the water through a handkerchief. Still, the water tasted of mold or dirt. I was worried that the lake water might be contaminated with cyanobacteria. I would learn later that Lake Desor has a reputation for tasting awful and that there was nothing wrong with the water. My campsite neighbors sounded like someone was having serious stomach issues, so I went over and introduced myself. The 16-year-old was vomiting and not feeling well. I offered some of my ginger juice to help settle his stomach and wished them a good night. I settled into my tent and read for a bit when I heard another group coming in late to the campsite.

08/24/22: North Lake Desor > Huggnin Cove
I awoke to the sound of rain on my tent and began to consider taking a zero day at N Desor. The rain soon stopped temporarily so I got up to filter water and eat breakfast. Soon the rain would begin again, so I checked the weather report on my Garmin and asked my loved ones if there was any inclement weather headed my way. It looked like light rain off and on throughout the day without any storms, so I decided to go ahead and hike. I figured I’d have a better chance at seeing wildlife and less of a chance of running into other people. I chatted briefly with the camper who came in late the previous night and shared the forecast with him. He had decided to take a rest day so that he and his daughter could wait out the rain. I put on my poncho and rain pants and started hiking west. I told myself that I would decide a whether to push on to Huggnin Cove or head straight into Washington Creek when I reached the junction. Huggnin would add another mile and a half after an already taxing nearly 13-mile day.

Not far out of N Desor was a beautiful overlook affording views of Lake Superior and Lake Desor. I was also able to get cell phone service at the top of the ridge, so I called my girlfriend and sent out a few texts. It looked like there might be more rain coming, so I didn’t dally too long on the ridge and hiked onward. About another mile onward, in the middle of a young maple forest, I saw the unmistakable shape of a cow moose ahead of me on the trail. She scampered off as soon as she heard me but lingered in the woods off the trail so I could get a photo.

A few miles further and I would encounter the only place where I would feel like I might be truly lost. I was hiking past one of the first beaver dams of the day and then along a stream coming from the dam. There was one set of ribbons that I noticed marking the trail followed by an obviously well-traveled trail straight ahead. I followed the trail, passing a trail camera along the way and entering a very marshy area with lots of skunk cabbage. I followed what looked like the trail including human footprints into the middle of a swamp where the trail just stopped. I got worried because it was the obvious direction that the trail went, and I feared I was lost in the middle of nowhere. I checked my Garmin which said that the actual trail was quite a bit north of my current location, so I backtracked to the trail camera and then to the ribbons. There I saw that my view of the next set of ribbons I should have followed had been blocked by a tree. I should have crossed the stream on a fallen log rather than taking the path forward. I was soon back on the regular trail and learned that if I see one set of ribbons, I need to look for more. This would be important as I crossed a few more beaver dams throughout the day.

The trail continued up and down as the height of the Minong Ridge descended to the west. There was one particularly disconcerting area walking through fields of goldenrod where there were thousands of striped flies that looked like bees who buzzed extremely loudly as they were displaced by the hundreds with each step through the fields. The day was long, and I stopped a few times to rest and eat, but the hiking was not difficult. I found raspberries and blueberries in addition to the ever-present thimbleberries along the trail and enjoyed them as I hiked. When I got the East Huggnin Cove junction, I decided that I was dry enough and had enough energy to go on to Huggnin rather than straight into Washington Creek. This allowed me to hike my favorite bit of trail on the whole island, the mile or so of the East Huggnin Cove trail that follows Lake Superior. I love the mossy rocks, plant life, and views of Lake Superior from that section. I got into Hugginin Cove late. I had time to rinse myself and some clothes, set up camp, eat some food, and go to bed. I awoke a few times in the night to see if the northern lights were visible, but they were not.

08/25/22: Huggnin Cove > Washington Creek
I had a short hike today, but I didn’t want to dally too long. I hoped I’d be able to secure a shelter at Washington Creek so I could spread out my gear and let it dry after yesterday’s rainy hike. After a quick breakfast made up of a fig bar and a turkey stick, I packed up and headed to Washington Creek. It was a quick hike that only took about two hours. I found shelter 14 unoccupied, so I settled in and hung up my wet gear. I ate an early lunch and checked out the rest of the sites and shelters at Washington Creek. Then I walked into Windigo to check out the flush toilets, ranger station, and store. I found that the store only sells pizza between 3 and 5, so I bought a couple of beers and headed back to my shelter. I brought my sit pad to the creekside and read while enjoying a couple of Keweenaw Beers. When 3 o’clock rolled around, I went back to the store to get a pizza and another beer which I enjoyed at a picnic table outside of the store.

After pizza, I decided to take the nature trail around Windigo to see what it was like. It offered a sampling of what the rest of the island hiking had to offer in a compact setting. The only thing it really lacked was the high ridge views on exposed rock and the experience of beaver dams. When I got back to my shelter, there was a cow moose in the creek right below my shelter. I snapped a few photos, then decided to share the information with other campers. Soon the moose became annoyed with the attention and wandered back into the woods. There wasn’t much else for me to do, so I collected my now dry gear and read for a while before bedtime.

08/26/22
I set my alarm early this morning so I could get packed up and to the seaplane dock by 8:30 for my 9:00 flight. I got up, packed up, ate breakfast, and hiked down to the dock after turning in my permit at the ranger station. The flight back was uneventful in the older Beaver that has blue and green on white livery. We arrived in Hancock flying right over the Ranger III leaving Houghton and the lift bridge. I stopped again at Roy’s and picked up a half dozen frozen turkey pasties for later and a breakfast pastie for now before taking a leisurely drive back home.

Gear:
Granite Gear Crown 60 Pack: Performed well. Was mostly comfortable. The frame sheet was squeaky when not perfectly adjusted. That got annoying after a bit.

Tarptent Protrail Tent: Other than a bit of condensation, it kept me dry. Single wall shelters are prone to condensation.

Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core SLX Sleeping Pad: This is about as comfortable as it gets in the backcountry. I love the inflator bag that I got with it. Makes set up a breeze.

REI Magma Trail Quilt 30: This was a nice addition to my pack. It was a pound lighter than my closest sleeping bag. I probably wouldn't want to take it below 45 degrees. It was warm enough for this trip. It does have a design flaw where the sides meet the footbox. The stitching is weak there and it tore, leaking feathers. I patched it with Tenacious Tape, but I may return it and buy a different quilt.

REI Flash Hiking Boots: Reasonably lightweight. Not really waterproof as advertised. Comfortable, but I still ended up with a few blisters on my bad foot.

Cascade Mountain Tech carbon fiber trekking poles: Performed as advertised. I liked the extended grip on the up-and-down sections of trail. I could grab the lower foam handles on uphills and the top of the cork grip on downhills.

Onewind Poncho/tarp: Silnylon and waterproof. Covered my camera on the Peak Designs capture clip. Allowed me freedom of my arms. I don’t like not being able to roll up sleeves and this allowed my arms to be free. I liked it. It also could serve as a secondary shelter or windscreen in a shelter.

Fujifilm X-T1 Mirrorless camera with stock 18-135 zoom lens: Bulky and a bit heavy, but weather sealed. It's an older camera, but takes nice photos and I don't have to worry about babying it.

[torpified]

great trip, and report, and pictures! I love how wily the first moose sighted looks. I think she's pretty sure you can't see her.

It sounds like the island was hopping---but did you have Huginnin Cove to yourself? And are you at liberty to share the backwoods bourbon cocktail recipe??

[Bobcat1]

Thanks for the report! And the pictures. That stretch of the Huginnin Cove trail is one of my favorites too - along with the Greenstone going east between Hatchet Lake and Chickenbone Junction. And the Feldtmann Ridge near the observation tower. And Mt. Franklin views..... I still tend toward Scoville Point as my most favorite.

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing!

[dcclark]

Thanks for the trip report - I enjoyed it! I swear I've read similar stories about that spot with the flagging tape many times this year. Seems like the wrong path gets twice as much traffic: Once on the way in, again on the way out!

[JPlant]

It sounds like the island was hopping---but did you have Huginnin Cove to yourself? And are you at liberty to share the backwoods bourbon cocktail recipe??

Unfortunately there were at least two other groups at Huggnin. I would have taken site 2 if it was open. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the sites. I took the first one I walked into because I was beat after 14.4 miles from N. Desor.

Here's the recipe for the pack mule cocktail. I posted it to reddit this evening.