Isle Royale Forums

Last August-Sept I was on Isle Royale for 10 nights...and I got in the water every day, loved the cold!

I want to get as many trail miles under foot without back tracking.

I want to see the east end of Greenstone, haven't seen it east of Lane Cove/Mt Franklin intersection.

But rather than walk all the way back to Rock Harbor...

What if I cross-country hiked SW away from the Hidden Lake dock and swam SE the shortest distance over to Stoll Trail? Anyone know if it's a difficult cliff or if there's a shore?

I have an uninsulated sleeping pad, I was thinking I could blow it up, double it over, put my pack on it, and doggie-paddle to the other side? Looks like .1 or .2 miles across at the most narrow.

Doesn't sound much crazier than diving near the RH Seaplane dock last September to rescue a girl's iPhone

Yes, you are crazy.

Ok, enough silliness. This is a bad plan. Do you have open water swimming experience? At that distance? This is a recipe for drowning even in decent weather. It is much crazier than diving in one place, it's crossing a significant amount of open water.

Aside from experience, the pad definitely won't support your pack. Not to mention the high chance that you'll drop your pack into Tobin anyhow, and that trying to manage all of that will make your swimming harder.

Finally, cross-country hiking in Isle Royale is no joke. That's quite a steep area too.

So, no part of this plan is good. Don't do it.

Ok, I shouldn't' have asked if I'm crazy. I've got lots of proof of that...

I guess what I want to know if it's possible based on the terrain SW of that dock...

Umm... NOT a good idea. For your sake and that of your family and friends, just do the few extra miles on foot; the risks far outweigh the benefits.

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four+ other ways to see that end of the Greenstone:

-water taxi to Hidden Lake, walk back to RH

-Sandy tour to HL, walk back to RH

-canoe to HL, out-and-back to Lane Cove junction

-(if a collaborator can be found) hitch a ride to HL on a canoe someone else is paddling back to RH, walk back to RH

-your original plan, only omitting the swimming part and relying on the kindness of strangers: hike to the Hidden Lake Dock and wait hopefully for a good samaritan to paddle by and offer you a lift.

One additional method is to day-hike to Hidden Lake from Three Mile.

Some years, the MV Sandy runs an early morning hiker special out to the Hidden Lake dock several days each week. Check the Greenstone as soon as it comes out for the year you’re planning for.