A comprehensive question

[dcclark]

Hm, that's an interesting question!

In my mind, "through-hike" only makes sense for linear trails -- things like the AT, NCT, PCT, etc. Trails where you can walk the whole thing in one long line. So, at least in my book, the term "through hike" doesn't really apply to a place like Isle Royale, with many interconnected loops and spurs.

If I had to choose something, the closest thing to a "through hike" on the island would be an end-to-end, Greenstone and/or Minong -- something that crosses the entire park, gives a thorough sampling of what it has to offer, but doesn't necessarily cover every bit and piece. Or perhaps a big perimeter loop: Rock Harbor trail to the Greenstone, Feldtmann Loop, then back around on the Minong and complete the Greenstone back to Rock harbor.

I definitely get the urge to see all of the island (I feel that too, and I've nearly achieved a similar goal for the Porcupine Mountains -- another place where "through hike" would be mostly meaningless). Due to all of the loops and spurs, I feel much more willing to see the island in bits and pieces, and say that I've "done the whole island" even though it happened over many years.

[torpified]

my linguistic intuitions resemble dcclark's: thru hikes are continuous routes, with canonical acronyms; when they traverse wilderness areas, they're often criss-crossed by "lesser" trails; thru-hikes are the interstates and the 'lesser" trails are the blue highways. On IR, it's all blue highway!

[Kelly]

You're both right.

(And yet there is what the Ozark Trail intends to be (at least in Missouri) and and is not yet (also known as "I'm over-complicating this".) I think about through-hiking it as well.)

I too have already seen most of the island accessible by trail, and still I return.

[Bobcat1]

Isle Royale’s configuration does not really lend itself to my definition of a through-hike. My definition is something along the lines of: start someplace at a well-defined start, eventually end someplace else at a well-defined end, and the hike is long enough so that the hiking itself becomes a lifestyle. You could do the thought experiment of what would give YOU the sense of completion and accomplishment you are looking for? One hike worthy of consideration would be from Lookout Louise to aWindigo and back to Rock Harbor, using the Minong one way and the RH-part of GRT-Feldman Loop on the other way. I think that’s around 75 miles , with no backtracking, and would take a moderate hiker something like 9-12 days. Faster hikers have undoubtedly done it faster, and someone probably has a record time, but that’s not what I choose to hike for.

[Kelly]

Yeah. I've really latched onto the idea of hiking all the trails in a single visit. I prefer a leisurely place, so there's no danger of me racing through the experience. Being there for over a month sounds like a great plan!

And I'd like to be able to describe it in a couple of words, like through hike (which I accept is not a good term for this).

But so far nothing.

[backwoods doc]

How about a "thorough hike"?

[Kelly]

How about a "thorough hike"?

And there it was, all the time, just waiting for the right person to notice!

Thanks!

[torpified]

"thorough hike" is WAAAAAY better than what I was about to suggest: A Minong Omnium --- or a Minongium for short (not that shortening anything is a desideratum!).

[Bobcat1]

A hike majeur? I think “fait accompli” would also apply, once you’ve done it.

[Kelly]

A hike majeur? I think “fait accompli” would also apply, once you’ve done it.

I like the nod to the French origins of the current name of the park.

[Kelly]

"thorough hike" is WAAAAAY better than what I was about to suggest: A Minong Omnium --- or a Minongium for short (not that shortening anything is a desideratum!).

I'm now calling it a Minong thorough hike.

After a (uh) thorough review of the itinerary over the weekend, there are two spreadsheets:

• Itinerary 1: A Minong thorough hike

• Itinerary 2: A Minong thorough hike

The Passage Island part of the trip is always going to be the most difficult, because success depends on weather conditions and the kindness of friends. Putting it at the front end of the trip has its advantages.

Neither version contains any zero days at this point, and neither are likely be completed in fewer than 40 days.

The AllTrails version of each itinerary can be reviewed at the following:

• Itinerary 1: A Minong thorough hike

• Itinerary 2: A Minong thorough hike