Isle Royale Forums

Greetings!

I've been doing lots of planning and physical conditioning getting ready for this trip of a lifetime! I just posted one of my possible itineraries on the calendar. I'll be arriving at Windigo via seaplane (8 AM flight) on Saturday, June 25 and hiking to Rock Harbor where my brother-in-law and his family (including two young daughters about 5 and 3 years old) will be spending a few nights. My other itinerary plans are shorter distance in case of weather, however once I start off on the Feldtmann "U" shaped hike before picking up Greenstone to continue east I am pretty well committed to most of that time (can make some short cuts by staying on Greenstone instead of heading up to the eastern 1/3 of Minong). Each day is planned for about 7-1/2 to 10-1/2 miles, well in my comfort zone (with the weight of pack that I plan to carry).

I had the opportunity to hike ISRO with a couple of buddies in 1990 after graduating from Michigan Tech, but didn't at that time. Now I am 49 years old and finally will be getting there and I am so excited! Since the beginning of the year I have lost about 35 pounds in getting in better shape, partly by lifestyle change (I hate to call it a diet) and of course partly by hiking. Everyone that sees me put on a 40 - 50 pound backpack for a 7-1/2 mile hike at a local set of trails after work asks me how long I'm going to be out, but when I explain that it is for training for this trip, they pause a bit and then nod in agreement that it makes sense. I have even put a bowling ball and an antique leather covered medicine ball in my backpack for training (with hills that I climb up and down, at least 2000' - 3000' of elevation changes during the training hikes) along with LOTS of water that I carry. I finish the training hikes during the week at about 10 - 10:30 PM, thank goodness for a good headlamp and familiarity with those trails! Yes, I'm getting in pretty good shape, and noticeably much more than what I was at the beginning of the year. I pushed my limits a couple of weekends ago with a 37 pound weighed pack doing a 16-1/2 mile hike. I finished a little behind what I thought my finish time would be (my wife was patiently waiting at the end of the trail to pick me up) and I was pretty tired out from a lot of rock-hopping on the last 1/3 of that trail, but I felt good enough after resting that night to be able to go out for at least a 10 mile hike the next day (which I didn't do because of some chores that needed being done). During the weekends I'm trying to do 10 - 12 mile hikes with similar weight in my pack as I plan for ISRO and more elevation changes than I plan to experience on ISRO. Given reasonable schedule (not too many chores to do) I expect to do back-to-back hikes on the weekend and at least one or two over-night Friday-Saturay-Sunday trips prior to my adventure on ISRO.

One of the things I plan to do while hiking is stopping at three or four of the summits along my trek to set up a temporary amateur (ham) radio short-wave transmitter/receiver/antenna to make contact with other hams all over the world. It is known as Summits on the Air (SOTA) and is a world-wide activity of both activators (those who operate at the summits, like me) and chasers (those who make contact from the comforts of their own homes, although some are also on other summits). As far as I know only one other ham radio activation of that type has ever been done at ISRO and only one of the four summits (in 2013 at Feldtmann Ridge). Also in the mornings/evenings at the campgrounds I plan to also set up a temporary station in celebration of the National Park Service's 100th anniversary with a year-long ham radio event that is called "National Parks on the Air (NPOTA)" which is very similar to the SOTA activity. I do this all with Morse code (although I may bring a microphone along as well if any fellow hikers would be interested in experiencing this) and I use ear buds, so it is fairly covert. I will be limited by my battery life, but expect to do a total of about 18 to 20 hours of operation along the trail or at the campsites for the week before my batteries give out. Yes, extra weight to carry with the radio and batteries, but I won't have a bowling ball or medicine ball in my backpack during my hike across ISRO, and I'll weigh about 40+ pounds less than I did at the beginning of the year before my hike (and probably weigh a bit less afterwards)! I expect MANY other ham radio operators to be trying to make contact with me while I am there for the week!

This is my first major hike and my first time to ISRO. I've hiked to some of the High Sierra camps at Yosemite and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, staying in comfort at the Phantom Ranch. I expect ISRO to be at least as great if not better than those hikes at much more well known National Parks! Some of my favorite days on the trails are days that I don't see anyone else, although I am not anti-social! When I do meet people on the trail I am always eager to learn more about them as well. So, hopefully I'll make some new friends along my travels!

Cheers,

Mark

Sounds like you'll be physically ready for the trip. You'll love it.

Your SOTA and NPOTA references are pretty intriguing. Any info on the equipment you'll be using?

Yeah, so equipment is a big deal. I would like to carry something light weight. I have some very small and simple rigs that are built into an Altoids tin, but their performance isn't suitable to handle the large number of stations that I expect to be calling me. I have taken an Elecraft KX1 (12 ounces) to Yosemite and that worked out well, but in a recent comparison between that rig and a larger Elecraft K2 (about 4 pounds) while on the trail the K2 was by far a better rig, much more features, better receiver and filtering, etc. Yet, I didn't want to lug along that bigger rig. After some deliberation I sold my KX1 and recently purchased an Elecraft KX3 which is about as fully featured as the K2 and weighs in at 1.5 pounds, so about double the weight of the original KX1. If you've never heard of Elecraft before, it is sort of like what Heathkit used to be back in the 60's and 70's, a company that puts out very good equipment that hams can build on their own, kits. Anyway, the KX3 seems to be just right for me for both this trip as well as future SOTA activations and other uses. I actually sold two radios, the KX1 and a Yaesu FT-100 mobile rig with some accessories, to find the purchase of the new rig. It is the first new rig that I bought in the past 10 years.

How to power it? LiPo batteries have very good power density for their size/weight. I acquired some 10 Amp-Hour rechargeable batteries recently that should last for about 9 hours of operating with the KX3 at a power level of 5W output. I'll be taking two of them along to get me through the trip. I figure 1-1/2 to 2 hours per SOTA activation and a couple of hours of operating at the campgrounds in the evening. These type of batteries are often used in mult-rotor radio controlled hobby crowd (drones), so they are easily available. I haven't invested in a solar panel for charging them yet but that may come if I decide someday to go on extended remote trips.

The antenna is a simple wire going up into a tree or supported by the lookout towers at the summits. I had one that was made by LNR Precision that I liked pretty well and they also made a similar one that is lighter weight and advertised as Trail Friendly so I just purchased that. It is constructed of #26 AWG (thin and light) wire. I had been feeding the antenna (connecting between the radio and the antenna) with either a 6' length or a 25' length or RG-8X coaxial cable, but I have also lightened up that choice for this trip using a 15' length of RG-174 with BNC connectors, much smaller and lighter.

The Morse code is sent with paddles, one side closes a contact making the dots and the other side closes a contact making the dashes. My regular paddles are pretty heavy, 3 pounds, but I have a trail friendly version that weighs in at 1.6 ounces.

First, congrats on the 'lifestyle change.' Using the new you to keep active is a great way to continue to stay healthy. Enjoy!

Second, I think the KX3 is the way to go. I brought a 40m 'altoid' with simple wire on a hike about five years ago. I think I squeezed one contact out of it; the biggest issue seemed to be that it was stormy (thus noisy) much of the trip, and I had no options to switch to another band.
A fellow ham, N0GRM, brought his KX3 two years ago and had better luck. He wrote about his adventure in this newsletter, starting on page 12. (http://www.radioham.org/radioham_files/ ... _Final.pdf)
Neither of us (nor a few other hams I know that have gone out) have activated under SOTA, so hopefully you get a pileup!

I had debated bringing HF gear for this year's trip to honor NPOTA, but it's looking like it will be a paddle trip and mostly along the lake, and the one-two combo of low elevation and wet conditions has me thinking it might just stay home.

73
Tom (N0UHR)

Thanks, Tom, looking forward to checking out the article in the newsletter!

I didn't take my KX1 to the bottom of the Grand Canyon as I thought it would be challenging to get a signal out of that deep of a hole, but I would think that the I should be able to get my signal out okay from the campsites and along the shoreline about just as well as from the summits. Take-off angle for radio propagation on the 20m and 40m bands will be 20 - 40 degrees or higher so it should work pretty well. Doing SOTA activations here in central PA I easily work stations throughout the US and Canada and occasionally get a few stations in Europe that call me.

I put my rig and one battery in a pseudo-Pelican case to protect it, one that I bought from Walmart, and had to add my own protective foam which I cut to size. Supposedly it is water proof, but I wouldn't want to throw it in a lake to find out. In your case I would invest in a real Pelican case and bring it along. If you do, let me know when you will be there as I would love to work you!

It appears that the only SOTA activation from ISRO was done by AI8Z in 2013 at Feldtmann Ridge. I see that there is a planned NPOTA activation for Field Day weekend (the same weekend I plan to arrive!) by AC8XI on ISRO (NP31). It would be cool to work him while I'm there!

Anyway, back on topic to hiking and the campgrounds, I posted my hike on the calendar, at least the "Plan A" hike. As this is my first trip, I welcome any comments regarding my planned route. I figure that if the WX looks iffy I may cut out the Feldtmann Ridge to save an extra 20 miles/2 days which puts me back at Rock Harbor (and my family) a bit sooner. I could save a few miles but maybe not much time by cutting out the eastern portion of the Minong and just staying on the Greenstone, but I'm looking forward to the variety if it works out. Other than that I am not sure there is much of a contingency plan for getting from Point A (Windigo) to Point B (Rock Harbor). Once I'm committed to Feldtmann at the beginning of the hike it locks in the extra 2 days.

I was thinking of taking a small collapsible fishing pole along to add to the variety of my meals at the campsites in addition to the freeze-dried packs I will take.

Any ideas on how many others I can expect to see along the trail or at the campsites during my hike at that time of year?

BTW, my Kelty Trekker is down for the moment, waiting for repairs from Kelty. They are claiming a 4 - 6 week turn-around which puts it dangerously close to the time of my trip. I inquired on purchasing a replacment hip/waist belt but they are out of stock on shoulder straps and waist/hip belts and don't expect to get stock until June 1. So, should I buy a new pack? I'm looking online for alternatives, maybe a used Trekker that is cheap enough that I could use for "spare parts" to get going sooner than later. This is putting a damper on my training for the moment as well! The Osprey Atmos 65 AG or Gregory Baltoro 65 would be high on my list, but I would rather not have to go spend another $200+. As the Kelty external frame does squeek a bit I'm thinking having a quieter internal frame pack might be nice. I should probably post this question on the equipment forum instead.

It may be more than you wish to spend, but I really like the Osprey Atmos AG. Very comfortable. The only aspect of it I do not like is how the belt stays closed on itself; it makes it a little tricky to get it on. First the arms go in but the belt is doubled over on itself behind your back. This is only a minor annoyance.

Buy a used or new one? http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... r&_sacat=0

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... ty+trekker

Pirate the parts you need if you buy used/or new!

FYI, I always had good luck with a phone signal, on the rocks, coming down from Tobin Harbor trail into Three Mile camp. I'm not familiar if that means anything compared to a short-wave signal/reception?
Also, at the Greenstone trail junction at Lane Cove/Lookout Louise/Three Mile I had a signal.

Yes, I've been considering getting a used one that if it is the same I can use as spare parts. Found some good deals on LetGo but so far none of those sellers have gotten back to me. eBay seems a bit overpriced, but I have to do something ...
Last night for my training hike I did an extra hill climb and an extra 1.5 miles while carrying my lighter pack.

I do like the Baltoro line... Very comfy packs. I also do like the Atmos (both are top rated packs) but Osprey doesn't fit my spine very well, so that's just not a pack for me. I do think, if you plan to stay with backpacking, that an internal frame pack is worth the investment.
As for the number of others on the trail, that's always a guess, but based on that time window I would say that 'on trail' you might come across 0-6 people on any given day (perhaps more on the Greenstone, but not overwhelmingly) and then finding most camps to have handfuls in each; with perhaps not all individual sites in use. Again, highly variable and hard to predict, but that's based on my own experiences on the Island around that time. I'll never forget a mid-June trip that brought me hiking into a barren Daisy Farm over 10 years ago. By evening, only one other shelter was occupied. The ranger came around and marveled; he noted that just the night before the camp was entirely full with some folks doubling up. So, you never know what a day may bring...

Mark,

It looks like I'll miss you by a few days -- I'll also be on my first trip, in theory from Windigo to Rock Harbor -- but I want to register my admiration for your goals and your training regimen. A bowling ball AND a medicine ball! (Where do you even find a medicine ball??) My meager counterpart is to clomp around a pancake-flat county park with a few 8-lb barbells stashed in something I hope appears to bystanders to be a book bag. Best of luck with the radio wrangling, and keep up the good work!

LR

Thanks for the comments on my determination for training! My wife has commented that it has been easy for me to lose about 40 pounds since the beginning of the year. You know, it wasn't that hard, but she wasn't out there hiking on the trails with me, sweating those pounds away, hiking for 4 hours after working all day and finishing up in the dark. Now she finally chuckles when she asks if I want to go out for dinner and I reply "Sure! I'll be having an apple and a granola bar out on the trail tonight, Honey. See you later!"

As far as the medicine ball, well, my wife finds all sorts of things at yard sales, estate sales, flea markets, antique stores, etc. The medicine ball is leather covered and had been sitting on a shelf at home for decoration. Oh, and the bowling ball, it is small, not a full sized 16 pounder, it was used for duck pin bowling, if anyone knows what that is. A regulation duck pin bowling ball is 4-3/4 to 5" diameter and weighs about 3-1/2 pounds. Still, impressive to say that I carry around a bowling ball, isn't it?

by my lights, it's even more impressive that it's duck pin, even if it's lighter than our native midwestern bowling balls. Novelty counts!

Maybe I am an ultralight wannabe

That sounds like a Backpacker Magazine article just waiting to be written.

Upgrade your Bowling Ball
How a duckpin ball will save weight and pack space.
By Backpacker Contributor Mark_NK8Q

Hi Mark,

Interesting post. I'm officially a HAM (tech) though I operate very little. Since I'm gearing up for my first IR trip (in September) and was planning to pick up a weather radio, any suggestions on something I could operate with?

TIA