Isle Royale Forums

Hello!

My brother is making a return trip to IR in late Aug. Been a few years since I've been, but attempting to build a itinerary for him. He and his friend are in good shape, but looking for any tips, flaws, or intel on this route:
Day 1 - Fly to RH 8am, hike to Moskey Basin (camp)
Day 2 - Hike Moskey to McCargo Cove (camp)
Day 3 - Hike McCargo to Lane Cove (camp)
Day 4 - Hike Lane back to RH, fly out at 11am.

Grateful for any thoughts.
Thanks!

Looks pretty nice. That hits many of my favorite places and sees nice parts of the Greenstone ridge.

My only question: is your brother confident that he can handle multiple 13+ mile days on the island while hauling a pack? If yes, then the trip looks great.

You could also include some "ditch" options if things don't work well, e.g. stopping at Daisy Farm on Day 1 and then continuing on to Moskey or McCargoe on Day 2 with a shorter overall itinerary.

dcclark wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:34 am You could also include some "ditch" options if things don't work well, e.g. stopping at Daisy Farm on Day 1 and then continuing on to Moskey or McCargoe on Day 2 with a shorter overall itinerary.

Agree you need a backup plan, especially if the flight is delayed, which does happen due to weather.

Could also swap lane cove for three mile? When I hiked through last week around 3pm there were zero camp sites taken. It would be pretty peaceful place when there is only 150 people on the isle.

Thanks for the feedback on having back-up "ditch" plans. Always a great idea.
I'm unfamiliar with the east end of the Island, so just trying to get as much info as I can. Appreciate the info!

Looks great, I've thoroughly enjoyed all the sites you listed, and I think all have the opportunity for a shelter with the exception of Lane. I was at Lane at the end of the season last year and really enjoyed it. The campsites are nicely secluded from each other. McCargoe is great with lots of shelters and a fire pit.

Only thing I would add that I haven't seen mentioned is on the last day, Lane to Rock to catch an 11am is totally manageable, but I think it would just require an early start/good pace or both.

For example, I think the 7 mile segment at a leisurely 1.5 mph means hitting the trail at 6am to get to RH just before takeoff. And coming up out of Lane is decently steep (for a short time) from what I remember. But if brother & friend are fit and fast, should be no trouble even with a later start.

Important to note that I'm biased towards a lot of buffer time on transportation days, so take as many grains of salt as you need.