packraft Chippawa Harbor thru inland lakes

[slosteppin]

I'm planning my next (4th) trip to IR and thought I might try a different way. I have a packraft but I'm primarily a hiker. I would start at Rock Harbor
Day 1 - Rock Harbor hike to Lake Richie,
Day 2 - Paddle across lake to Indian Portage Trail & hike to Chippewa Harbor camp,
Day 3 - Paddle west to portage, hike, then paddle to Lake Whittlesey camp
Day 4 - Paddle, portage, paddle to Wood Lake camp
Day 5 - Paddle, portage, paddle to Intermediate Lake Camp
Day 6 - Paddle, portage, paddle to Lake Richie Camp
Days 7 & 8 hike back to Rock Harbor.

Is the general plan workable?

I'm a bit concerned about the paddling part. Getting in and out of the packraft at each point are things the map does not tell me. I've packed into small lakes near home and paddles across the lakes and every situation is different.
I don't fish, just interested in scenery and something different.

I would appreciate any and all comments and suggestions.

[Tom]

My first thought was wondering how you were getting to Rock Harbor; hopping off the boat (and depending on the boat & time of year) the 13mi to Ritchie is doable, but you'll have earned it. I'm also not sure how much extra weight your packraft will laden you with, and if you've hiked the Rock Harbor trail in the past, you'll know it's a bit tougher on the knees than others.
You can also elect to stay at the Lake Ritchie "hiker" site, which would save you the trouble of paddling that day (which you don't note) and then wouldn't need to paddle Day 2 AM, since the camp is already on the Indian Portage trail.
Last, you only seem to have one weather day, so depending on your packraft and it's stability, the issue could be getting across from Wood to Intermediate (through Siskiwit) depending on how the wind has been blowing.

Other than those thoughts, the idea sounds cool and I'd love to hear how it turns out!

[Gimp]

I think that your Day 1 of Rock Harbor to Lake Richie would be challenging with just a backpack. Are you also arriving on the ferry on Day 1? What do you estimate the combined weight of your pack and pack raft, paddle and PFD to be? Have you considered taking the Voyageur II from Rock Harbor to Chippewa Harbor?

[slosteppin]

Thanks for the two quick replies. The packraft + PFD + paddle adds 8 lb which will give me a total pack weight of about 35 lb. I will add two more days for the same route based on your advice. Then, if needed I can hike a longer day to make up time and distance.
The packraft is quite stable but very susceptible to wind.

If I got into too much wind to handle on Siskiwit Lake between Wood Lake camp and to portage to Intermediate Lake would it be possible to land along the east shore? I like options and that looks like to only real problem.

I'm tentatively planning on first and second week of July. I haven't decided yet between the IR Queen and the Ranger. I've done both and each has advantages.

[jrwiesz]

Your first day from RH to LR, after just arriving on the Queen(would be my choice), seems too ambitious to me(Moskey Basin would be quite a hump).

The in/out portage areas you inquired about in your initial post are all relatively gradual, except for the Chippewa to Whittlesey, which is described as steep in other forum threads here.

The area between Wood and Intermediate offers places to bail the paddle should you need to(as I recall).

All of the areas you plan to paddle are pretty long paddles for a pack raft, let alone a canoe/kayak. You're going to paddle this raft for miles to reach your destinations; if you have any wind issues, and have to hug the shorelines in these paddles, this will add more miles to paddling.

I think a lot of people underestimate the inland lakes on the Isle. They have many more different "moods", than those inland lakes of mainland Mich/Wisc/Minn.
Paddling there, has me feeling more like I'm paddling in a fjord, than in a lake; steep drop-offs to deeeep coooold water.

Even "hiking along the shoreline" of most of the lakes is a difficult proposition; no "walk in the park".

[slosteppin]

I've revised and refined a tentative schedule with extra days for possible problems:

7/7/1 Drive from home to Copper Harbor
7/2 Copper Harbor to Rock Harbor via Isle Royale Queen
7/2 Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm hike - 7.8 miles
7/3 Daisy Farm to Lake Richie Hiker CG – hike 7.6 miles
7/4 Lake Richie Hiker CG to Chippewa Harbor – paddle about 2 miles then hike about 2 miles
7/5 Chippewa Harbor CG to Lake Whittelsey CG – paddle 1.8 mi, hike 0.6, paddle 1.3 mi
7/6 Lake Whittelsey CG to Wood Lake CG – paddle 1 mile, hike 0.6, paddle 0.5 mile
7/7 Wood Lake CG to Intermediate Lake CG – paddle +/- 2 miles, hike 0.4, paddle 1.3 mile
7/8 Intermediate Lake CG to Lake Richie – paddle 0.2, hike 0.6, paddle +/- 2 miles
7/9 Lake Richie CG to Moskey Basin hike 2.1 mile
7/10 Moskey Basin to Three Mile CG hike 7.7 miles
7/11 Three Mile CG to Rock Harbor
7/11 Rock Harbor to Copper Harbor via Isle Royale Queen
7/12 drive from Copper Harbor to home

The hikes are not a problem since my short days on previous trips have been about 10 miles.
The best I can measure on the map the longest paddle will be just over two miles. This is my concern - I don't know if I can do that distance and if so how long it will take. Soon after the ice is gone I will have the packraft in Duck Lake and see what I can do.
I might drop the paddling and just hike again.

All comments and advice are appreciated.

[Ingo]

Just make sure you're comfortable with the paddling distances in the packraft before you go. Since there's no trails along or around the lakes (except Richie to Chippewa) you won't have an option but to paddle or very difficult bushwacking once you commit. I haven't paddled one myself, but I think I'd try a kayak paddle--or maybe that's what you do? Hard for me to imagine leaning over the side, and then the other, and then the other, etc. with a single blade paddle.

Also, prevailing winds in the summer are from the SW. Approx 1/2 the time SW, 1/4 the time NE and the rest from other directions. And the long lakes and C.H. line up perfectly which can make for some hard paddling. I'd probably do the opposite direction for 2 reasons: coming out of Intermediate into Siskiwit if it's bad you'd pretty much get blown back to the portage. If it's that bad coming out of Wood Lake you probably wouldn't make it back there. And I think Whittlesey and C.H. are the worst for lining up with the wind--but you never know and my logic didn't work last time--we paddled into a NE headwind all the way up Whittlesey and C.H.

Get early starts paddling--winds tend to be calmer in the a.m. (but again not always, the Mother Nature thing, you know )

Sounds like a great trip!

[jrwiesz]

Looking much better.

Your shakedown paddles should tell you more; I'm guessing, maybe 1-2 miles an hour progress in the pack raft?

[Tightlines01]

I think your Itineary is much more doable in this version and leaves plenty of wiggle room for adjustment based on desire and inclement weather.

My only concern from that post is the last part where you mention your not sure if you can do the two mile paddle. The isle is not the place to push your limits at especially by yourself as it seems you'll be.

I've looked at Kayaking many of the interior lakes you mentioned but I'm just not comfortable doing it solo yet so I'm still hiking.

Andy

[Wilderness Junkie]

slosteppin,
I'm not sure what type of packraft you have, but if it's an inflatable, you may be overestimating the amount of effort it will take to paddle on a calm day let alone into a headwind.

I was also considering a trip similar to yours until I tested out my packraft in my 5 acre pond in the yard. It took considerable effort to paddle from one end to the other into a mild 5mph breeze, so I can't imagine paddling into a headwind racing down Lake Whittlesey (which I've done in a kayak and it was an extreme effort). While portions of the lake shoreline would allow you to bail and hike, several areas would be very, very tough.

I think your plan to test out your raft in several conditions at home before you get to the IR is the ticket!! You should get a pretty good idea on how far you can travel per day.

Let us know how your test drive goes. Also, I'm curious what type of boat you are bringing!

[Midwest Ed]

In the 1980s, after several hiking only trips I wanted to widen my horizons and had the same plan as you; take in a pack raft. After trying one out (mine was substantially heavier than yours but still much lighter than a canoe of the day) I quickly realized they were really only useful as a means to better fishing, as opposed to shore only casting. Trying to paddle any distance in even a light wind was exhausting. I then borrowed a friend's canoe and drafted a friend to help me portage it. We did much the same route as you plan except we paddled from Rock Harbor.

Maybe things have changed and I hope your testing proves so, but I suggest you also look into renting a Kevlar one man canoe (or lightweight kayak). Your portaging will be only slightly more difficult but I predict your paddling (and overall experience) will be tremendously more enjoyable. Plus, you can always stash the canoe for a day or two and do some light weight hiking if you like.