TR 8/8 - 8/14, 2021 [backpack][Windigo > IM > SD > HL > W. Chicken > DF > RH]

[CincyIRNPer]

>>>My fiance and I finally made our long-awaited journey to Isle Royale last week via Seaplane. In short, our minds are blown and we can't wait to get back. This was by far our longest backpacking trip, but after a few shakedown hikes, tons of gear research, lots of forum reading, and question-asking, and extensive meal/route planning, we felt prepared along our entire journey. A more detailed version of our moose-filled, Greenstone trek is below:

--> Our journey officially started on Wednesday 8/5 as we made the trek from Cincinnati. We stopped along the way to spend a few days on Huron in the Thumb. Then on Saturday 8/7 we crossed the UP and stayed the night in Copper Harbor, stopping in Munising along the way for lunch.

--> The next day, Sunday 8/8, our seaplane was set to depart Hancock at 2pm. Our flight departed on-time, and we arrived in Windigo around 2:30. I know there is some general seaplane hesitancy on the Island, but it really was a spectacular way to see the island and some breathtaking views of Superior on the way. After our briefing in Windigo, we hit the trail for Island Mine. There is a lot of up and down from Windigo to Island Mine, and with our packs at their heaviest (mine at 42, and my fiance's at 37), we were definitely ready to eat some food to lighten the load. We made it to Island Mine around 7pm and somehow had our pick of the individual sites. We ended up at Site 2, but truthfully there wasn't much difference between the individual sites at Island Mine. All fairly big and open without much privacy, but a neat place nonetheless. We ate our dinner and had bourbon+apple cider and called it a day. The water situation at Island Mine was a little dicey with only a few deep puddles to choose from in the stream, but our CNOC Vecto + Sawyer Squeeze were up to the task. I will say - the outhouse at Island Mine is nearing biohazard status, with a good-sized gap in the floor near the base of the toilet.

Water at Island Mine

--> Monday 8/9: We hiked the 5.5 miles from Island Mine to S. Lake Desor, starting around 10a. It was a much easier trek than our first day, with much of the elevation already out of the way. We chose site #4 for its privacy, shade, and water access. We heard the water at Lake Desor tasted crummy, but we thought it tasted fine after filtering through the Sawyer Squeeze, though we did notice some nonsense floating. Mosquitos at camp were pretty gnarly, but were nonexistent at the lake. We saw an absolutely breathtaking sunset at Lake Desor.

Sunset at Lake Desor

--> Tuesday 8/10: We departed S. Lake Desor around 10a and set out again on the Greenstone for Hatchet Lake (8.1 miles). The trail from Desor to Hatchet had loads of downed trees and was fairly overgrown, but we never had trouble following the trail. We arrived at the Hatchet Lake Junction around 2, before making the brutal trek from the Greenstone to camp. The campground spur here felt particularly brutal after a longer hike, but we saw our first moose right near the junction. A cow moose with a calf crossing the trail about 10 yards ahead of us. Breathtaking. You can see my look of surprise in the photo below. When we got to Hatchet Lake around 2:30, we found every single individual site to be full, but were able to double up in a little hidden spot behind Site #2 after some generous fellow Ohioans offered it up. About 15 minutes after setting up our tent, we got a fairly intense storm, but stayed dry and used the time to relax inside our tent.

Moose at Hatchet Lake

--> Wednesday 8/11: We hit the trail from Hatchet Lake around 8:30am to head to West Chickenbone (7.9m). We got rained on the entire time and were sufficiently drenched upon arrival to Hatchet. We didnt even bother with rainjackets and pants because the rain was so constant, but luckily clothes dried nicely once we arrived. This was a fairly up and down hike, but we were rewarded with some awesome views on some rock outcroppings. We also experienced our first trails marked with cairns here--again we never had any trouble following the trail. We got to W. Chickenbone around noon and had our pick of the place. We chose Site #1 directly on the water, hung up our clothes and swam in the Lake. We didn't learn until afterward that there was a water warning for Chickenbone lake, but felt no ill effects from drinking and swimming in the water. We planned to offer up our large site to another hiker looking for a spot, but no double-ups were needed. We loved Chickenbone Lake, but the mosquitos did come out in a vengeance once the sun went down.

--> Thursday 8/12: We hit the Greenstone around 8am for Daisy Farm. We stayed on the Ridge until we arrived at the Daisy Farm trail to take advantage of the much-talked-about views and were not dissapointed. It was a great hike. Once we arrived, Daisy Farm was packed as expected, but we are tent people, so had no trouble finding an individual tent site. We chose #17 for its privacy, and access to the water. It was a real treat to have a table at our site. We spent a lot of time with Lake Superior on Thursday and got a couple good, chilly swims in. It was a strange reentry to suddenly be around so many people at Daisy Farm, but we were scared off of Moskey, after hearing how crowded it can often get with only a few sites. We were happy with Daisy Farm, and appreciated the shorter hike the next day as we planned to go into Rock.

--> Friday 8/13: We hit the Rock Harbor Trail around 8am, and were again met with rain, but nothing serious. Our Daisy Farm decision was made even better by what happened next ... we saw a swimming cow moose and calf crossing between Daisy Farm and Three Mile, across from Caribou Island (Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIDTV7B63LQ). Truly spectacular. After watching them cross for about 10 minutes, they finally came ashore and crossed the trail. We were about 30 yards ahead at that point to give them plenty of space, but heard Momma Moose caused a few problems for groups behind us on the trail, blocking the way for an hour or two. After the wonder and awe of the swimming moose wore off, Superior view after Superior view kept us going. The Rock Harbor trail is definitely tough (and tougher when slick), but man those views are worth every step. We loved this hike and stopped along the way a lot for photos and deep breaths. Upon arrival into Rock Harbor, more "people-shock," but the beers made it worth it. We had fun sitting on the picnic tables, drinking our Two Hearteds, chatting with others about their journeys. We planned to stay in a shelter at Rock Harbor that night, but ended up being able to snag a room in the Lodge for our final night which was a real treat after a week on the trail.

--> Saturday 8/14: We finished up our trail breakfasts and got coffees at the Greenstone Grill, before hanging at Tobin Harbor for a few hours. Our flight wasn't until 3 but there was plenty to do and see until then. We mostly sat in awe of our week and enjoyed being so close to Lake Superior. This place really does have a lot of magic in it.

--> GEAR: We were super pleased to have upgraded our Sawyer bags with the CNOC Vecto. The Vecto makes collecting water muuuuch easier, especially with the drought conditions on the island. We were a little surprised that we weren't warned about the water in Chickenbone Lake, but no harm no foul.

We were also a little surprised to not need our cold gear until we were at Daisy, but it was good to have nonetheless. Pro tip: the Decathlon Mountain Backpacking Jacket is warm, cheap ($45), packs down perfectly inside its pocket, and makes a peeerfect camp pillow.

We were also verrry thankful to have brought knock-off Thermarest seats for camp. Next time, I think we may invest in a camping chair or two because our backs really needed a rest after long days on the trail.

Finally, Gaia GPS Premium with our routes pre-loaded, and the NatGeo National Parks maps saved offline made for easy mileage check-ins, though we did bring a paper map and compass backup. Gaia was also super easy on my iPhone 7 battery as well, only needing to recharge 2x, and never taking more than ~20% of my phone's battery for the 3-4 times I'd check it along our way. I highly recommend Gaia.

Overall, I'm not really sure how the trip could have been any better. We loved chatting with others on the trail, and were continually shocked at how friendly every single person was, and really enjoyed swapping intel with other groups as they passed. We can not wait to come back.

Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way, whether in the Forums, or on the trail!

[Midwest Ed]

I have a sincere appreciation of the solitude offered by The Island, especially while solo hiking or taking a break, hopefully sitting on a ridge. But I also very much share your enjoyment of talking with others. Besides being centrally located, offering many day trip options, this is what Daisy Farm is good for, swapping stories and making friends. Your notation of far fewer mosquitos near the Big Lake demonstrates why I prefer Lakeside campgrounds (although the black flies can be worse there during their season).

[kolo]

Thanks for a great trip report! Really liked the picture of the sunset and video of the cow moose and calf! Glad to hear that you had a good trip and that you will be back. That is usually the case as Isle Royale/Lake Superior can get to your soul.

[CincyIRNPer]

It certainly has mine. We were both a little teary on our return flight as we passed over the Greenstone back to real life. The solitude of the island was really beyond even my wildest expectations. I'm looking forward to venturing off the Greenstone more next time to get more time on Superior.

[torpified]

Thanks for the great report!

[dcclark]

Nice report -- thanks for sharing all of your thoughts!

Side note: I really like Locus Map Pro (Android only) for maps. You can set it up to use <1% battery per hour, even if I'm tracking all day long. It has offline maps and can pre-load tracks. Basically, I don't even notice the battery hit from the GPS, especially since I also use the phone as a camera!

[wjblazek]

Thanks for the pic of the water/mud at IM!!!
We were headed there back on 7/10 but turned around when we heard what the water was like there.
Now we are really glad we did turn around! :whew emoji:

Thanks for the great TR!!