New gear was:
- Nemo Hornet 2p – loved
- Toaks 650 mL pot and Toaks titanium long handled spoon – loved
- Sea to Summit Trash Dry Sack – This was the best thing I brought along with me. I’m kind of OCD when it comes to organization, and in the past I’ve carried a small garbage bag that always seemed to get torn up. It was great having a sealed trash bag, especially since I carry Tuna/Chicken Creations for lunch.
- Teva Sandals – I’ve never brought camp sandals before and let me tell you it’s something I won’t go without again. Having something to wear besides boots when you get to camp is more tempting than a good meal in my opinion.
- Garmin GPSMAP 67i – I went back and forth between nothing, the inReach mini 2, and the 67i. I went with this and actually much prefer using my map than the GPS. It is nice to have satellite communication if somebody does need to contact me or touch base. I was also surprised by how many in the inReach units I saw, they appear to be quite popular.
Day 1 – Windigo to Huginnin Cove: Got to Houghton at 9:30. I parked downtown near the visitor center and since the doors to Dee Stadium were open I stepped inside (amazing) before heading to the IRNP mainland visitor center (underwhelming). Grabbed lunch before heading to the seaplane early. My pack weighed 41 pounds. My base weight is 26 pounds. When I’m on IR I usually don’t have much of an appetite, so I went back and forth on carrying breakfast for each day. In the end I did, mostly because I got some BP oatmeal for Christmas last year. I ate two of them and carried the rest around for the week. On a related note, I brought Jolly Ranchers with me this year and it was a great trail food. Other luxury food was a pound of beef jerky, 2 ice cream sandwiches, and 2 bags of Peak cookies. Next time I might bring none of these. I also always bring my Helinox Chair Zero and think it’s something I might cut in the future. It has its moments, but more often than not I think I use just because it was expensive and I brought it with me. Seaplane left a little after 2:00. Somewhere near halfway I lose service and I’m off the grid! (I did send one final work email and felt a bit ashamed) Aerial view coming up on Windigo was amazing. After landing we did a self check-in with no orientation, so I got to skip the “Isle Royale is so wild!” spiel. I wasn’t sure if the Windigo store would still be open for the season, but it was. Headed inside to buy fuel and a coke and the lady said that they were doing inventory and today would be the last day they are open. Much like being on IR in May, I looked at the deli sandwiches and snacks, knowing they would be unattainable when I came back to Windigo in a week, but easily visible from outside the locked store… I headed out for Huginnin excited to be back on the trails. When I got to the Minong junction I dropped my pack and hiked the .6 mile stretch and back so I didn’t miss that section. Nothing notable other than I’m trying to hike every trail. It must have been on my first or second boardwalk that I took my eyes off to glance around and fell face first landing on my right hand. It ended up hurting for a few days afterward and I was probably pretty close to breaking my wrist had I landed a little bit differently. I got to Huginnin and after me 4/5 sites were filled. I took site 3 which I thought was a pretty good view. Huginnin itself is gorgeous, but I think I prefer Lane Cove still. After making dinner I grabbed the chair and sat on the shore for a while enjoying the view. A few bugs, but not bad at all. I found a syringe next to my chair, presumably washed ashore. Headed to bed around 9:30 and slept great.
Day 2 – Huginnin Cove to North Lake Desor: So great that the lack of sleep from the trip up north caused me to sleep in until 9:30, and I had 14.4 miles to NLD. By time I broke camp and set out it was 11:10. I wanted to get to NLD by 6:00, so I figured a break at the Minong section and then make the long slog to camp. I really enjoyed the stretch of trail along Superior before turning back inland. On the way to the junction I passed a ranger out on a hike who said they could hear the wolves from Windigo the night before. I at least didn’t hear anything in Huginnin. Took a break at the Minong junction for some lunch, and as I set out there was a couple that was also headed to NLD that night. I thought this section of the Minong had some great views, particularly of the Greenstone in the distance. Besides the few people I passed, I did the last 11.1 miles into camp without taking a break, and remember thinking that had I wanted to take a break most of the stretch where I would have stopped would have been too thick anyway. Around a mile or so from the campground it started to sprinkle. By time I got my tent setup and filled up on water it was a light rain that lasted most of the night. 2/3 sites filled in NLD. I took site 2 which had a pair of crew socks left behind in it. I really love Lake Desor, but each time I’ve been there it’s been raining. I still was able to get some pretty good pictures with the fog in the morning.
Day 3 – North Lake Desor to Little Todd: I woke up and made breakfast. As I was waiting for my oatmeal to rehydrate I heard my spoon rattle and had to scare off a squirrel who was looking for a free meal. I was just about to set out at 10:30 and the couple came in that I saw at the Minong junction the day before. They didn’t make the long stretch and had to setup camp in the rain about a mile from NLD the night before. I knew from my research that while the stretch of trail today was short, it was supposed to be the most challenging on the island. Good to know, but I’m pretty good with following trails, so I’m not really worried about it. Well – that is until I lost the trail about 15 minutes in on the second ridge. The cool thing about the Garmin is I can see my path, so it’s funny to look back as I was wandering now. I remember reading somewhere on these forums that on the Minong if you lose the trail keep going higher. That is great advice, but obviously it’s not going to work every time. I missed a cut down low to the right, and embarrassingly before I found the right trail I took another path that it looked like could have been the trail. After this first 5 or 10 minute delay I got off track a couple more times, but caught it pretty quickly. Whatever topo map I have loaded on the Garmin is not very accurate. It was close, but I was hardly ever on trail according to it. Overall this was a fairly difficult stretch with lots of rock and moss. The rain from the night before made footing poor and slippery, and two times I fell. When I hiked the Greenstone my first year I didn’t bring trekking poles, last year I did. Sometimes I like to just carry them with me instead of using them, but for this stretch they sure do come in handy. As you’re headed east there is a section where you come out and see a few high tiers of ridge that you have to climb. It’s cool because you can see right away that the trail follows along the high climb, but up until now you’ve only seen areas like this and not had to climb them, so it was an unexpected surprise. The last stretch before Little Todd is all rock and slow. According to the Garmin I was doing 2.7 mph for the first two days, but this stretch I was well under 2 mph. It was short but after the long hike yesterday it took a lot out of me. The rain had stopped by early morning, but the sun didn’t start coming out until right about the time that I headed down into Little Todd around 2:00. Grabbing site 2 (which had sunglasses and flip flops left behind) with my spirits boosted considerably, I set up camp, hung a clothesline, did some camp laundry, grabbed some firewood, and hung out by Lake Superior for a couple of hours. Little Todd campground is spectacular, and definitely in my top 3. By the time I got a fire going around 6:00 all four sites were filled. I chatted with somebody around my fire for a couple of hours before turning in around 10:30.
Day 4 – Zero Day at Little Todd: Not much to report here. When I say zero day, I mean I did almost nothing today.
Day 5 – Little Todd to Lake Richie: The waves from Little Todd for the last day and a half had been roaring. I set my alarm to get an early start and it was going off for a half hour without me even hearing it. Originally my plan was to spend night 4 in Todd Harbor. I wanted to stay in campgrounds this trip that I hadn’t been to yet, so by taking an unplanned zero day my options were go to West Chickenbone or push 19.6 miles to Lake Richie. I set out at 8:45. The change in trail once you pass Little Todd is significant. The rest of the Minong is pretty straightforward and an easy hike. I did enjoy the stretch from Little Todd to the Hatchet Lake junction a lot with some nice open views of marshes and fields. I got to Todd Harbor for lunch at 11:30 and was excited to try my Mountain House Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. More like yellow water and crunchy noodles… 1/5 would not recommend. I thought the view of Otter Lake and Beaver Lake just west of McCargoe were top notch, and if I ever decided to bushwack somewhere that might be the place. I was going to stop at McCargoe to fill up with water but once I saw that there was a shortcut through the group campsites, I figured I’d wait until West Chickenbone. On the WC trail I was waiting to come to the lengthy stretch of boardwalk just outside of the camp. It was memorable because last year we might have been the first ones to cross it and had to reach with our poles to pull together boards and make our way across. Somehow, we did it and stayed dry. Approaching the boardwalk, the first thing I notice is brand new boards, so I’m thinking, great, it’s been repaired! About halfway across I step on a board and it sinks about 20 inches into water, soaking both of my feet. What had been a great hike so far suddenly wasn’t so much fun. I’ve always thought of West Chickenbone as someplace to avoid, probably because it’s on so many itineraries with its location on the Greenstone, but passing through for the second time I realized that it’s a pretty darn nice campground with some great views! I also forgot how steep the climbs are going from campgrounds back up to the ridge. At the Lake Richie/Greenstone junction (soaking boots and all) I talked to a group of people who saw some good moose action at Island Mine the night before. My moose count is still at zero. Got into Lake Richie around 5:30, took site 3, and there was 1/4 tent sites filled and 1/2 group sites filled. As far as campsite views go, site 3 is tough to beat, with a great cut out overlooking the lake. Some bird action on the lake, but not much else going on. I really enjoy camping on the interior lakes, and think Lake Richie is also one of my top 3 campgrounds. I like how the tent pads are up the ridge and off the trail. There’s also a decent amount of blockage between sites with trees.
Day 6 – Lake Richie to Chippewa Harbor: I heard some wolves from camp this morning and had a short hike to Chippewa Harbor. Hard to believe my hiking is almost at an end, but when you knock out 40% of your total mileage in one day I guess that happens. On the trail to CH I came across what I believe are fresh wolf prints in the mud, but I honestly cannot tell the difference between them and fox tracks, so I’m not really sure. I heard lots of loud noises along the trail and am sure there were moose nearby, but even after waiting for 10 minutes in one spot never did see anything. I passed one guy near CH that said I pushed one away as he was watching it, so at least somebody got to see it. I thought the CH trail was nice, but thought that the hike into the campground took forever. After 20 miles the day before my legs were sore, and although I was doing okay, I was ready to relax. Got into camp and took shelter #2. By the end of the day every tent site, shelter, and the group site were in use. Chippewa Harbor is stunning, probably the best views I’ve come across on IR. I’m not a great photographer, but even I can hardly mess up some of the views here. The shots I took in the afternoon were good. I was looking towards the west and taking in the views from the dock, then turned east to get some pictures of the harbor opening, then noticed that one of the guys from the Connecticut group who was using the group site was knee deep walking into the water naked about 50 yards from me. I figured I was done with pictures for the moment. The shots in the morning with the sunrise, fog, and reflections of the trees off the water were just breathtaking, and I’m planning on printing one of them off for our living room. In the shelter next to me was a 73 year old woman who was on her 9th IR trip paddling around. A group of four young guys came into camp around 6:00 p.m. and took a tent site. They were having a great time, went for a swim, and got a kick out of the echoes in Chippewa Harbor with “Isle Royale is so wild! How wild is it?” Doh! I did have to hear it this trip after all! As I walked out of my shelter late in the day I had my first experience with a fox in my campsite who was curious to see what he could run off with. I was surprised that they just don’t care about you, and I might have been able to pet it if I wanted to. I was in bed around 9. This trip instead of taking a book I used hoopla to rent books from the local library, so that was a great way to save weight. As I was laying there reading, I heard music start to play. At first I thought it might be the lady next to me, but after listening it was actually the group of young guys that brought a guitar with them and were doing 4 part harmonies with an acoustic guitar, almost folk music from what I could hear. As somebody who appreciates serenity, this was a pleasant interruption.
Day 7 – Chippewa Harbor to Washington Creek: About 25 people waiting to board the Voyageur for Windigo, so we cleared out the campground. While we were waiting to board I overheard an off duty ranger talking about the island; rescues, statistics, services, etc. A couple things he mentioned that I thought were interesting is that in 2024 (he said within a year, so not sure when) the pavilions in Rock Harbor and Windigo will have wifi in them for visitors to use. IRNP has apparently submitted a grant or proposal as well to be open year round. If I recall correctly, the options they have are to remain open year round with staffing, remain open year round without staffing, or keep it as it currently is closing from November to April. I boarded the Voyageur as they dropped off somebody staying in CH for 2 weeks, and headed to Windigo. I thought it would be easy to get a shelter in Washington Creek, but for second time in as many stays there I grabbed the last one. Later that day I did the Windigo Nature Trail and had low expectations, but actually thought it was a lovely little trail with lots to offer. In all reality, it’s a lot of what you see 20 miles away just outside of “town”.
Day 8 – Travel: Packed up and headed to the seaplane dock for a 9:00 flight. There were two guys getting off the plane that would be flying back from Rock Harbor for their return flight. Nothing unusual about that, except the following day was the last day they were flying for the season. Hey, better them than me! Watching Isle Royale depart from view as I flew away brought a melancholy end to another great trip.
In the UP the leaves were just starting to change colors on my trip up. On IR there was no color at all until the last day or two. When I got back to the UP there was quite a bit of color in the leaves, so I was surprised that the UP seemed to be slightly ahead of IR with fall colors. I really enjoyed going in September. There are obvious drawbacks like the stores being closed, transportation options being more limited, and weather being a concern, but this was my favorite time to go. I’ve always been hesitant to go in peak season because I just don’t want to deal with full campgrounds. I’d like to try a trip in the last week of September. If REI lets me use the 20% coupon on the Rab 360 sleeping bag next year I might make that my target timeframe in the future. Another thought is that after seeing IR with a season to grow my previous thoughts of attempting to bushwack turned from unlikely to extremely unlikely. I also have to come up with some better meal options in the future. I did mostly BP, MH, and Peak the last few years and was okay with it, but for some reason this year I was expecting to enjoy them and they were all just kind of mediocre. The BP Fettuccine Alfredo with Red Peppers was a keeper though.
