Isle Royale Forums

Give me a week or so, and I'll have my report up. Temps were cool. Lots of rain - Rangers say 4 inches in one of the days alone. Didn't have to use bug juice at all, but everything was treated with permethrin before I hit the trail. All the rain this week should make the bug situation worse next week.

Later,
Sean

P.S. If the attached photos are a bit too dark, I apologize. I'm using a dual-boot system, and I think I've only got one side color managed. I'll do better in the actual report.

P.S.S. I started out the 9 days with just over 17 pounds (gear and consumables). Last day I was down to about 9 pounds with a pound of food leftover. The ultralight mentality allowed me to cover the whole Minong Ridge Trail in 15 hours of hiking, which took place over two days.

Look forward to your report. Please include a gear list[including photo equip] in your report. Nice pics btw.

Yeah, how did you make out with your glove situation?

I'm craving reading about someones trip. At least give us a couple more crumbs Sean if you do not think you will get to writing to TR before the weekend I am anxiously forward to reading it. Can't wait!

I left the gloves at home as a last-minute decision. I must have been getting my forecast out of Houghton, because it was 10-15 degrees colder than what I had read before I left. Needless to say, I should have had the gloves.

I'll have something up soon. I just need a couple days to recuperate and contemplate.

Here are a couple of snapshots of my sleep system - one of the ways I keep everything so light:

1. Grand Trunk Nano-7 Hammock (stripped of original hardware, 4.5oz)
2. MLD UL Hammock Tarp (4.7oz)
3. Amsteel Blue and Lash-It (rope lines and guylines for hammock and tarp - spliced by yours truly, ~2.5oz)
4. ZPacks 30-degree down sleeping bag (weighs in at 14oz)
5. 1/8" Gossamer Gear sleeping pad (~2oz)

I've started to get back into the swing of things. I haven't "officially" written the report yet ... I wanted to let my blisters heal before I hit the keyboard.

However, here are a couple of photos from the isle:

https://plus.google.com/photos/11161728 ... 6985759297

Sean

photosean wrote: https://plus.google.com/photos/11161728 ... 6985759297

Crap, those are nice photos! I especially love the one of the fog on the trail/meadow.

And plus one for using Google+, sir!

Not bad for a 9-ounce point-and-shoot that fits on my shoulder strap. I did miss the "big guns" a couple of times. I usually carry a Nikon D3s (sometimes 2 bodies) and enough glass to cover 14mm to 300mm in my bag. I just can't bring myself to bring any of that gear on one of my trips.

fonixmunkee wrote:
And plus one for using Google+, sir!

+1 on that +1

Great job on the pics Sean! I'll be there 8-6-12! Woohoo!!!

photosean wrote:Not bad for a 9-ounce point-and-shoot that fits on my shoulder strap. I did miss the "big guns" a couple of times. I usually carry a Nikon D3s (sometimes 2 bodies) and enough glass to cover 14mm to 300mm in my bag. I just can't bring myself to bring any of that gear on one of my trips.

What's your 9oz P&S? I'll be carrying a D7000 w/ 18-200 DX zoom and a chest harness. 4 lb 1 oz all up. That's my compromise .

Getting the weight on your chest is the smartest way to go. Plus your camera is always right in front of you when you need it. If my camera was anywhere in my backpack I know I wouldn't stop hiking to take it out.

I use a Lumix LX3 (the newer LX5 has been out for more than a year). I did have to carry an extra battery (in the backpack). On a 5-day trip, I can get by with just one battery. This 9-day'r took every last bit of power from both batteries.

Here's a link to a preview/review of the camera:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmclx3

Yeah, I just picked up the chest harness for this trip. I do have a Lumix FZ-8 I could take (and have taken) and really like, but in light of the justifications I made to my wife when I got the D7000, I really don't have any choice but to take it even if I'd rather go lighter--the weight is an offset for marital bliss . (just had our 30th anniversary ). In any case, I've liked about every Lumix I've seen, esp. for outdoor work.

photosean wrote:I use a Lumix LX3 Here's a link to a preview/review of the camera:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmclx3

Very nice photos Sean. So you work for a newspaper? That was always my secondary passion (and kept me in spending money through school) but I put it way on hold for my primary. Since I gave up the Nikon I bought in high school in 1970, I've gone down the all in one Cannon long optical zoom (S5-IS presently) path as a weight/cost compromise, but the autofocus performance (especially at long FL) is still disappointing. The Lumix review's coverage of the "optional" viewfinder is non existent. What are the options? ~Ed