Isle Royale Forums

Ok, got a question for something that has been bothering me since my trip.How do they get the timbers way the heck out into the boonies? Most of these planks would not be fun to carry! I ran across a pile stacked up away from the trail on a rock outcrop.do they fly piles in and out with a chopper? Drop by boat? I am just wondering what they do. How do they get these timbers out there efficiently?


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A good question for the park service to answer.

My guess would be a combination of "all of the above".

I think they have a cannon on the ranger. With the proper angle a 2X12 should go over Mt Desor.

Seriously though I've wondered the same at times.

Good one! My other thought was trained beavers that mill on site

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This is something I have also wondered. Maybe a current or former trail crew person could answer this. I have seen them drop off a pile of boards at the dock at Siskiwit once and, passed a crew of 3 where 2 were carrying 1 board and the third carrying a chainsaw. I do not think that is how they do all of them. Especially on a major reconstruction. I wonder if they use something wheeled?? I do not think they can use anything motorized, but there may be a loop hole.
Something I've always wondered about.

I just sent an email to the park service asking the question. Will post the response.

I would guess that IS how they do it... one at a time. Hope we get an answer from them.

Thanks, I was going to call, but one thing leads to another.hope they respond too

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MikeT wrote:I wonder if they use something wheeled?? I do not think they can use anything motorized, but there may be a loop hole.
Something I've always wondered about.

I've wondered about a loophole for maintanence for the last couple of years. Three years ago I did the Minong and the area around the Hatchet lake junction area was very heavily "maintained". It looked like a brush hog went through on the trail as the trail was cleared extreemly consistently about 4' diameter. It was kind of disheartening to see it in that state when I went through.

That makes me wonderabout machines.I think it is jonsered that makes a mini tracked skidder type thing.....check out JONSERED IRON HORSE on you tube.as far as mowing, I have rented smaller self propelled units that could really mow down some large brush.this type of machine would do the job, yet not destroy everything.curious.

tree rattt wrote:Ok, got a question for something that has been bothering me since my trip.How do they get the timbers way the heck out into the boonies? Most of these planks would not be fun to carry! I ran across a pile stacked up away from the trail on a rock outcrop.do they fly piles in and out with a chopper? Drop by boat? I am just wondering what they do. How do they get these timbers out there efficiently?

From the Park Service: "Hi, any place that can't be reached by boat, it is all carried in by hand."

Uggghhhh!!!!!

No ultralight rating for the park service! Count me out for that job!!!!

We were at Merrit Lane last August 2014 and the parks service were jack hammering a new latrine one inch at a time. We pulled in around 3 p.m. and two parks service rangers drenched in sweat had been at it for a week and were looking for at least a 8 ft hole. They looked to be about 5 ft into solid rock. Said the last one lasted about 15 years and hoping to get at leeast 15 out of this one. We dropped our gear and headed to passage island in our kayaks. They were gone by the time we got back and we were gone the next day before they returned. It needed to be done, but it would have been horrible if you planned on hanging at Merrit Lane for a few days.

Trail maintenance in the park service is like being a logger back in the day. From my experience when I was younger and volunteered to maintain some trails in the Smokies you hike some gear up the mountain, go back down for more, and after 3 or 4 trips you have your weeks worth of supplies and all the trail clearing/ maintaining tools you need. Work for a week on a section... carry it all out! It is a lot of work and you get to know one part of trail very well!

Just remember whenever you pass a trail maintainer while hiking to thank them (most are not getting paid) and realize their trail legs are probably some of the best out there (lots of training).

A friend of a friend was on the trail-maintenance crew back in the 1990’s. She kept a journal, which I read. All their equipment was carried in by hand and everything was done by hand. She worked long days in all kinds of weather, but she absolutely loved it.