Isle Royale 2024

Preparation and Planning

I’m not sure what initially made us think of going to Isle Royale. I’m pretty sure it was Jake’s idea. He had heard of someone else who had gone and we became invested in finding out how to make it happen. We decided to pitch the idea to our friend Andy and he was crazy enough to jump on board with this adventure!

I started to read every tab available on the Isle Royale NPS official page along with some blogs I could find. Jake also spent time reading different forums online. We knew that if we wanted to go this season we needed to book something early. Jake found posts that stated the best window for visiting the Island was late August/early September. The weather starts to cool down which means bugs start to dissipate with it!

Now that we knew when we wanted to visit the island, it was time to look into how to get there. I did some research and laid out our options to the boys:

• Option 1: 9.5 hours to Houghton, MI and take the 6 hour Ranger III ferry ride to Rock Harbor for $80 per person(one way.) Ranger III schedule also only operates on certain days. So Tuesdays and Fridays are trips to the island while Wednesday and Saturdays are the trips back to Michigan. Also have to keep in mind that Ranger III only goes to Rock Harbor. If you want to go to the Windigo side of the island, that would require another ferry/water taxi.
• Option 2: Drive 10.5 hours to Copper Harbor take the 3.5 hour Queen IV ferry to Rock harbor for $160 per person (round trip.) Queen IV operates on different days depending on the time of season. During peak season, it is everyday. Queen IV has a faster travel time so it is able to make the trip to the island and back in one day! Queen IV also only ports at Rock Harbor, so an additional ferry/water taxi would be needed if we traveled to Windigo.
• Option 3: Drive 12+ hours to Minnesota for similar scenarios. Shorter ferry rides for similar costs. We didn’t look too much into this option because driving the 12 hours just for a shorter ferry ride wasn’t worth it for us.
• Option 4: Drive 9.5 hours to Houghton take a seaplane to either Windigo or Rock Harbor. Seaplane travel time is 35-45 minutes depending on the port. They also take many trips a day. You do have to pay for daily parking too which is like $7 a day.

We opted for the Seaplane. Weighing all the pros and cons, we preferred to possibly spend more money in order to maximize our time on the Island. We also took into consideration that if any of us were to get sea sick on the trip to the island, that would make for a horrible first few days of our trip. It also eliminated for any additional ferries we would have to take on the island. The cost per person was $360 roundtrip. I fudged on our reservation but I’ll touch on that later. I would recommend booking your trip as early as you can!

Next up was planning our route on the island. I am a super visual person. I tried to print out the big map from the NPS website and tape it together but it was just not a good time. I ended up buying the National Geographic Isle Royale map and it was so much better!

Looking at the map, we decided we should hike Port to Port. Based on what I saw on the NPS site, Rock Harbor was the more developed side of the island. I figured it would be nice to start out rough and work our way to showers, restaurant, laundry services, etc. The boys agreed and our plan was developed:

• Leave Indiana Friday 8/23 and drive all the way to Houghton, MI.
• Day 1: 10am flight to Windigo, get our permits and camp fuel then hike on to Island Mine Campground
• Day 2: Island Mine -> South Lake Desor
• Day 3: South Lake Desor -> Lake Hatchet
• Day 4: Lake Hatchet -> West or East Chickenbone depending on how we felt
• Day 5: Chickenbone -> Daisy Farm
• Day 6: Daisy Farm -> Three Mile
• Day 7: Three Mile -> Rock Harbor
• Day 8: Built in zero day. Seaplane leaving 8/31 at 5pm from Rock Harbor.

I had read that the interior lakes sometimes have Algal bloom which are toxic. Water purification does not remove the toxins so we had to look for our worst case scenario if we stumble into this issue. To us, it looked like the Minong Trail would be our best option if that were to occur, due to closer access to Lake Superior water. However, would make for a really hard first day for us. Luckily we didn’t run into any Algal bloom issues but something to think about and plan for!

The next thing we had to think about was gear. We starting planning this trip around Christmas time, so we used that opportunity to start with buying ourselves new hiking boots. I opted for a pair of Danner hiking boots and Jake found a pair of Vasque for a killer price at REI. Winter in Indiana was tame so we were able to get out and break them in at some parks nearby.

We did a trial run of our camping gear in May at RMNP for 2 nights in the snow. Everything held up and we were able to form a list of a few things we needed to acquire to make our lives easier. The trial run also gave us a gauge on meals. We realized that we could probably share some of our freeze dried meals instead of taking a full 3 meals for 8 days each.

The Trip is Finally Here!

Friday morning 8/23, we checked the weather forecast one last time and packed our bags. Forecast predicted daytime low 70s and nighttime low 60s. Then rain later in the week in the evenings. Perfect weather, right? Once Andy got of work, we hit the road at about 5:30pm. Traffic was great driving through the night! The only thing we have to say about the drive is from about Green Bay, WI to Houghton, MI….not a single place is open in the middle of the night. Thank god we didn’t need gas, we would’ve been SOL! Also, the deer were everywhere. Definitely have to keep your eye out for them at all times!

We made it to Houghton, MI at about 3:00am and tried to sleep in the truck but had little to no success. So once the first coffee/breakfast place opened at 6:30 and drove right over to try and perk up. We spent the rest of our time double checking that are bags are packed tight and making sure we weren’t missing anything.

We arrived at Isle Royale Seaplanes in Hubbel at about 8:45am and unloaded our gear. You are allotted a 45lb bag to take with you and they do weigh it. Once they weigh it they ask you to take everything that is clipped to the outside of the bag or in the pockets out. They store the bags in the pontoon of the plane and often times those loose items will snag or fall off! So be prepared to take everything off!

Here is where I messed up. They were checking us in and confirming our flight and he said “arriving in Windigo today and being picked up in Windigo on 8/31.” My heart sunk a little and I said it should be a pick up in Rock Harbor on 8/31. He went in and talked to the scheduler while I looked again at my reservation. My reservation doesn’t clearly say where pick up is so that was my mistake. Luckily, we were able to talk to them and they had room on a 10:00am flight on 8/31 to squeeze us on leaving Rock Harbor. I was so thankful they could make it work for us instead of having to change our whole itinerary.

Seaplane Booking Lesson: If you want to do Port to Port book the 3 way trip – NOT Roundtrip. Roundtrip is arriving and departing at the same harbor. 3 way trip is arriving at one harbor and departing from another. Sounds obvious but apparently I missed it!

The seaplane ride was the smoothest plane ride I have ever been on. You would think that take off and landing on water would be rougher but it definitely was not! There was a little turbulence at the beginning because of the fog but just for a minute and the rest of the ride was smooth.

Day 1 – Windigo to Island Mine

Once we arrived to Isle Royale, it was a hustle and bustle to get off the plane. You had to get your things and get out of the way so the next people could board. When you arrive via Seaplane, you do not have to check in with a ranger to get your permit. There is an area where you can fill out your own itinerary and move along. However, when we got to the top of hill, a ferry of people had just arrived and the Ranger told us to just hang out with them and get the whole spiel and go through the permit process. While Andy and I listened to the Ranger and got our permit, Jake filled up our Nalgenes with fresh water so we were ready to leave.

Due to taking the plane in, we were unable to carry any camp fuel with us on the flight and knew we would have to stop at the camp store to stock up. Outside the camp store there was a milk crate of camp fuel with a sign that said something along the lines of “take what you need.” I thought that was a great idea! Many people are coming to the island and are unable to travel to and from with the fuel so instead of wasting what wasn’t used, pass it on to the next person! I grabbed 3 cans from the crate that felt mostly full and bought one new can just to be safe!

Once we had everything we needed we headed out to our first campsite – Island Mine. The trail was about an 8 mile hike. Looking back at the weather post trip, it reached 80 degrees and we felt zero breeze. The Mosquitos were terrible! They just swarmed us and it felt like we would never have enough deet to survive this trip. Andy brought along a bug head net and ended up putting it on. The woods on this trail weren’t dense, it was pretty open spaces. There were a few spots where there were some bushes encroaching the trail but overall not terrible. Towards the intersection to turn onto the trail leading towards Island mine, it started to get hilly. The trail to Island mine was a hill down, a hill up, a hill down, a hill up.

This was a rough day for us but I think our lack of sleep contributed to that a lot. The heat and constant swarm of mosquitos were a real bummer too but we made it to Island Mine Campground. It was pretty spaced out and not at all busy. I think there were 3 other people there besides us. Island mine is the only interior Campground that has a fire ring and we set up our camp right around it and got to work starting a fire.

Note: Island Mine Stream – there was a warning heading out for our trip on the NPS site that said the Island Mine stream was low. It recommended either bringing extra water or plan to reroute to the shore for water. I had asked on a Facebook group if anyone had laid eyes on it and could give more insight on what “low” meant. Most people said that it was in fact low but still plenty of water to supply a whole camp.

Day 2 – Island Mine to South Lake Desor

We were all able to get a good nights sleep and felt good starting out day 2. We took our time getting up, eating breakfast, filling up water and got on the trail to start hiking around 10:00am.

The trail to South Lake Desor was routed to be about 5.5miles. Post trip weather report gave a high of 84 and low of 57. Once again, it was hot and humid with no breeze. Mosquitos were still present on day 2 but a little better than day 1. We definitely started to get into the thicker woods on this trail. It got more dense and there was a lot more up and down hiking. There is zero water on the trail so you have to bring all the water you need from Island Mine. We were hot, tired and very thirsty by the time we reached South Lake Desor.

The best thing about this trail was the Thimbleberries starting to become prevalent. I had lagged behind at the end of day 1 hike and realized that one of the overgrown sections of bushes we little red berries that looked like raspberries. I was so desperate to be at camp that I just kept moving. When I saw more on day 2, I pointed them out to Jake. I told him I thought they were raspberries and after we both tasted them, he said they were thimbleberries. They are such a good treat and extra motivation to keep you moving! 10/10 recommend eating them along the trail!

Once we reached South Lake Desor we dropped our packs at an individual site and looked around at the different sites to see what would work for us. The individual sites kind of had a steep rocky drop to the lake. Jake and I went down to scope out the water and could see a nice beachy area across the way where we assumed the group campsites were. We went back up and told Andy of our findings and decided to take a walk over to check out the group sites. On the way, we ran into a lady who had been traveling to Isle Royale for 20 years. As soon as she heard what we were scoping out, she looked at us and said “Go get your packs, you’re going to want to stay over here were there is a beach.” So we went back and grabbed our packs to camp at group site #2.

Group Site #1 is the one that has access to the sandy beach and you can walk pretty far out without stepping on a rock. We decided to swim and clean up at #2 access because we weren’t sure if she would share with us…We should’ve known better! She was so nice. I will say that there were leaches sighted from our access point so just have to be aware of that. None of us got one on us while in the water but we were cautious. Once we found out our new friend would share her beachy access, we ate our dinner and headed down for a little sunset watch party. We told her our route plans and she gave us some tips!

Remember when I said we may go to East Chickenbone if we were feeling good that day and could push ourselves? She let us know that East Chickenbone does not have direct water access. Even though it looks like it is on the lake, it is actually above the lake and to access the water, you have to climb down steep rocks. So that saved us a few extra miles in a few days! She also gave some tips on packing – she said her backpack only weighs 26lbs. We were in shock. She obviously recommended investing in the Ultralight gear and to learn what you absolutely need and what you don’t. She also suggested taking our freeze dried meals out of the heavy, space consuming bags they are in and put them in Ziploc brand freezer bags. You can then rehydrate in your bowl or jetboil. Her other trail tip was when we head to Rock Harbor – take the Tobin Harbor trail instead of the Rock Harbor trail. She said it is a much better quality trail.

Day 3 – South Lake Desor – Lake Hatchet

The worst day…8.1 miles. First of all, all these campsites on lakes, you climb down to at the end of your long day hike. Well, then you realize you start your next day with an immediate incline hike. It’s terrible. So we climb out of South Lake Desor and start our hike. It is even hotter than the previous 2 days and so humid we can barely breathe. We took a break at one point and a nice couple walks by and they happen to have the weather on their gps and he tells us is 86 degrees and there is no breeze. The air is just stagnent. This is where I decided the only way to proceed was to take the shirt off and chug on in my bra. Also turned my pants into shorts. The trail is dense, sometimes you can barely see the trail until you’re on it. It is constant vertical uphill and downhill as you are climbing the greenstone ridge. By the time we reached Ishpeming Point we were feeling rough. All the water we had between the 3 of us was 4 Nalgenes full. There is no where along the trail to refill water. I was able to get a little bit of service once at Ishpeming point and check in with our families.

Ishpeming Point is also where we heard the Minong trail horror story. As we were climbing up to the tower there were a few solo hikers who passed us and once we got to the tower there were two boys sitting there. They told us they are a group of 4 that had also started hiking on Saturday but decided to hike the Minong Trail. One guy kept going towards Lake Desor to grab a campsite while the 2 waited for their 4th friend who was taking it slow. Day 1, one of the boys was so dehydrated he collapsed. The other 3 boys had to take turns helping him get to camp along with carrying his bag. They said they hiked 5 miles in the dark. Their itinerary had them arriving in Rock Harbor that day but due to all that had happened, they decided to reroute back to Windigo. Also, one of the dudes pulled out a block of cheese and a thing of summer sausage from his bag. Talk about extra weight you regretted! The boys were nice enough to warn us of the decent into Lake Hatchet. They said it was hella steep.

So we realized we can’t just sit here and rest any longer, we needed to continue facing this trail head on. We were trying so hard not to just chug all of our water in one sitting, we knew we needed to make it last the rest of our hike if we could. It was terrible. We all started to struggle hard! Our bodies were so tired and our vision started to narrow. There are rocky open spaces and you can barely tell where the trail is. Then once you get to the Lake Hatchet trail sign and all you want to do is die, you realize you have to climb straight down .3 miles to camp. Oh my god, It was terrible. You want to stop and take a break but you also know that if you stop you don’t know if you’ll be able to get back up. As soon as we reached the bottom of the hill and had our first access to Lake hatchet we dropped packs and grabbed our sawyers to chug water. Andy and I sat there at the water for probably 45 minutes trying to cool off and rehydrate.

Once Jake rehydrated enough he moved on to scope out a campsite for us. He landed on Group Site #3. It was spacious and had good water access. We saw the couple (John and Makenna) who we met on the trail with the gps walk by and invited them to stay at our site with us. A little while later we saw a couple (Chris and Sarah) who were on our seaplane with us and who we saw at our previous 2 campsites walk by. We invited them to join us too.

It’s a really cool experience to see how the island brings so many people together because we all know we all went through the same hard as hell crap that day. We were all able to bond over how terrible it was and how terrible the climb the next day will be.

Lake Hatchet had a few more leaches in the water than I was comfortable with. I got a tiny baby leach on my toe that I was able to just pluck off. Sarah said she got a pretty decent size one on her but she was able to pluck it off quickly. We decided to fill our Sea to Summit Water cell with water and hang it up to rinse off for the day instead of swimming.

John pulled out his handy dandy gps to look at the weather and warned us that it was to storm tonight. So we set up for rain! Good news is that the rain brought cooler temperatures.

The official post trip report on temps for Day 3 was a high of 90 and low of 66.

Day 4 – Lake Hatchet to West Chickenbone

Ah, the morning of day 4. The moment we dreaded climbing that steep .3 miles out of Lake Hatchet Campground. But, up we went. It was hard but we planned to take a break at the top if we survived.

Hike from Lake Hatchet to West Chickenbone is about 7.9 miles. Post trip weather report said it was a high of 73 and low of 61. Although it was cooler, there was still very little breeze most of the time and our bodies were tired after yesterday. There were a lot more lookout points we could stop and enjoy too. The trail was a lot more rocky now and still had a lot of up and downs.

West Chickenbone Campground was the busiest we had been to yet. We chose Individual Campsite #4 to camp at. We got a nice breeze from the lake and had room for John and Makenna to join us once they arrived. Chris and Sarah found a nice spot further down but still came and visited for awhile.

We decided to take a long look at the map and our options for here on out once we were set up at camp. We knew that the trek to East Chickenbone alone was going to be hard. The top of West Chickenbone campsite trail is our first spot to detour if we chose. Looking at the map we decided it would probably be in our best interests to reroute on a trail that may be less strenuous and also be able to experience something other than the Greenstone. We decided that the next day we would reroute down to Lake Ritchie and over to Moskey Basin for either lunch or stay overnight. If we decided to move on from Moskey, we would stay the night at Daisy. If we stayed at Moskey we would push the next day to make it to Three Mile. We told the others our plans and they were also convinced that it sounded much better than staying on the Greenstone and switched up their plans as well.

Day 5 – West Chickenbone to Lake Ritchie to Moskey Basin

The Trail to Moskey Basin was 5.7 mi. The hike out of West Chickenbone was probably the hardest part of the day. The Indian Portage Trail was so much easier than the Greenstone. It was more down hill with a few uphill spots. The weather was finally a lot nicer – high of 66 and low of 46. There were more smaller lakes along the trail so it gave ample opportunity to stop for sightseeing breaks. The lakes also brought refill of our water bottles and cool breezes to dry our sweat and cool us down.

We met an older group of 6 hikers as we were leaving Lake Ritchie. They asked us our plans and we told them we may try to make it to Daisy Farm today. They looked as us and said “Nah, your going to want to stay at Moskey Basin. Go to camp site #5. The views are amazing and its not super busy.” We were like, ok, guess we’ll see! Lake Ritchie to Moskey basin was more of the same terrain. Not super easy on our tired and sore bodies, but still a lot better than what we had been hiking.

Once we got to Moskey Basin we took a look around and found campsite #5 like they told us. We prepped our lunch and relaxed for a while before deciding we would stay here for the night and give our bodies a much needed break. Moskey Basin was the first campsite we reached that had shelters, they are interesting and I’m sure nice for people who want a break from setting up their tents! It is also the first campsite we reached that had the wolf interaction warnings and asked for people to put our food in designated food storage containers (literally just giant dog cages wolves can’t get into.) The giant dock at Moskey Basin was cool too, we had fun trying to see if we could label landmarks in the distance off the dock. Moskey got busier and busier as we were there. Everyone had to share their campsites and shelters. We had an older gentleman join us. He is also a seasoned Isle Royale traveler who does photography. Jake had talked about how he would like to portage around the island but had questions about the logistics of it plus carrying your gear. This guy had a 5lb inflatable Raft called an Alpaca Pine Raft, so we took note to look into that for the future!

Wildlife Sighting: there were lots of snakes at Moskey Basin. We saw a cute little Red fox running around our campsite! We were warned when we arrived on the island that there are fox that likes to steal boots and make sure you tie them up at night.

This was the first night Jake and I struggled to stay warm in our hammocks. There was a strong breeze coming in from the lake and we could feel our cold hammocks through our layers of clothes and sleeping bags. I got up to go pee in the middle of the night and stared at the stars for a while. I had really hoped I would be able to get a glimpse of the northern lights while on Isle Royale but I had no such luck. As soon as I got back in my hammock I heard an animal walk right next to my hammock and back into the brush. It was way to dark to see what it was and I don’t know if I want to know what it was. I keep telling myself it was that cute fox earlier and not a wolf.

Day 6 – Moskey Basin to Daisy Farm to Three Mile

The guy who shared our campsite at Moskey highly recommended waking up early and watching the sunrise. So we did! It wasn’t the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen but kind of eerie. There was a dense fog covering the water. You could hear animals everywhere in the distance but not see them. I sat out on the Dock for a while by myself and 3 silly otters popped up for a swim.

The total trail hiked this day was 8.3 mi. Since we woke up early for the sunrise we were able to get hiking early. We also heard from our camp neighbor that another round of storms with 40mph winds were coming in. We wanted to get to Three Mile and set up camp as soon as possible. The trails were pretty rocky but the breeze of being along the coast was nice. Post trip temperature report was high of 72 and low of 46. Daisy Farm had a lot of people bustling around. We stopped and had a quick lunch and break there before moving on to Three Mile. Along the trail from Daisy Farm to Three Mile, there are some abandoned mines that make for a good spot to drop packs and explore the area a little.

Once we reached Three mile we began the process of scoping out a campsite. We settled on individual campsite #7. It had good tree coverage for the storm coming in along with a view of the lake. I had taken a walk up to the group/overflow sites and it was crazy how much hotter it was up there without the breeze coming from the lake. We started by setting up camp and seeing how we can best utilize our 2 rain flies to cover us and our bags so we stay dry. We weren’t immediately confident in our set up but with a few adjustments we went for it. We stayed dry all night, it was just dumping one of the flies in the morning that got Jake and his gear pretty wet.

While sitting around Jake mentioned “Hey, so if we get to Rock Harbor and they happen to have a cabin open, do we want to see if we can get it?” we all agreed that it would be worth it – a bed, a shower, a working toilet? Sign me up!

There was a nice big dock at Three Mile along with a nice rocky shore. I drug my camp chair to the shore to let my sore feet soak in the cold lake water. Jake decided to jump off the dock into the water and quickly realized just how cold it was! I was pretty cold at camp with the storm coming in so I bundled up in my hammock while the boys hung out. I tried to use my Wise Owl Microfiber towel as a sort of under quilt to help insulate me a little. It helped but took awhile to find the warmth.

Day 7 – Three Mile to Rock Harbor

The storm came in pretty hard the night before and it rained again in the morning. We had talked about watching the sunrise but I was not interested in starting my day soaked. I was a little slow moving that morning, my body was definitely aching and ready to be done.

The trail was 3.8 mi from Three mile up to Tobin Harbor then to Rock Harbor. Post Trip weather report stated it was high of 77 and low of 59. We took the Rock Harbor trail to Suzy’s Cave and up and over to the Tobin Harbor trail. We now know why they call it Rock Harbor, the trail is so rocky. Its terrible on the feet. When we got to Suzy’s Cave, we dropped packs and walked up to the cave. I walked around a bit and saw the trail goes on to the Tobin Harbor Trail. It wasn’t marked on the trail post at the bottom of the hill so we walked back down and grabbed our packs. On the way back, Andy spotted a wolf pop up from the top of the trail and then disappear. He was a cute little fella but we were for sure cautious walking back up the hill knowing he was around. The Tobin Harbor trail was a much better change of pace to what we had been hiking. It was mostly dirt with a few rocky spots. there were also some hills but still overall so much better.

We started to run into more people as we were nearing civilization again. One group stopped and said ” you guys aren’t hurrying to catch the ferry are you?” we were like no, we just spent 7 days out here we want a shower, clean clothes, pizza and beer. They responded ” oh ok, because the ferries were canceled, people who were supposed to leave couldn’t and no new people arrived.” I guess the waters were really bad, 8 foot swells, people vomiting everywhere on the ferries that did travel. After walking away I sat with the information for a second. I told the boys “so with no new ferries, our chances of getting a room are either really good because no new people coming or really bad because they now have to room the people who couldn’t leave.” So we decided we would get to camp find a campsite to throw our gear and shoot our shot at the lodge. A few steps later we ran into Chris and Sarah. They told us they slept in shelter #2 last night and that we are more than welcome to take our stuff straight there to camp. So we kept chugging along to Rock Harbor.

I had never been so happy to see a paved walkway before in my life! We walked the trail straight to the campground and dropped our stuff. We did take the time to hang up our wet gear from the storm real quick and changed out of our boots. We walked over to the Lodge offices and asked about rooms. They said they wouldn’t know until about 4:00 but they will put us on the waitlist and to come back later to check. So next mission was Pizza and Beer! Oh man, it was so good and so well deserved. I was also able to check in with our families and let them know we survived.

After our bellies were full we got our tokens to take a shower and wash our clothes. It was $7 for a 5 minute shower token, $1.25 for a clean towel and soap, and I think a washer token was $7 and dryer took $1.75 in quarters. It was so nice to take a shower and put on clean clothes though.

We did end up getting a housekeeping cabin it was $280 for the 3 of us. I took another shower once we moved in there later. Second shower was almost as good as the first! There was a large bed and then bunk beds. I don’t think there was any A/C or ours wasn’t working. It was very toasty in our cabin. There was a nice little kitchenette in the cabin too – stove, sink and fridge/freezer. The cabinets were also stocked with pots, pans and other kitchen items.

We went to the Restaurant for dinner. I wasn’t super hungry so I just ate cheese curds which were delicious. Jake got the Pasty and Andy got the Chicken. I’d say the Restaurant isn’t anything fancy, we would’ve been happy eating at the grill again but we decided to splurge a little on ourselves.

Our Fire Alarm to the Cabin went off around 6:20am for no reason. We thought maybe it would automatically alert someone that it was going off but there was no sign of anyone coming and then we accidentally locked ourselves out of the cabin. We walked down knowing that the grill opens at 6:30 with coffee and hoped they would be able to direct us to help. She said to try the lodge office when they open at 7:00. I looked in the window of the office and saw 2 ladies sitting in the dark and decided to knock on the window hoping they would help. They were hesitant but did open the door. She gave me another key and we rode up to the cabin so that she could turn off the alarm.

There was no going back to sleep so we just sat around to watch the sunrise and enjoy our last bit of solitude. Check out of our Cabin was 10:00 and our Seaplane flight was 11:00am. We packed up our bags and left them on the porch of our cabin while we checked out. Then we came back, picked up our bags and waited at the dock for our plane to arrive!

Then came our flight back to Hubbel and our drive home! The flight out was just as smooth as the flight in! We sat in the back row of the plane for the ride home. The view out the window is a lot better in the back compared to the middle seats!

Isle Royale is the least visited National Park in the lower 48 but the most revisited. We spent many of our first few days wondering why the hell anyone would ever want to do this and why they are drawn back. Once we started to enjoy ourselves more and not feel like we were going to die, it started to make sense. This island is wild. It is so untouched by man. It is beautiful when you get to look out and enjoy it. Isle Royale is a Bitch who tried to kill us but we fought back. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. It was mentally and physically exhausting. We will be back but we will NOT be doing Port to Port again. I’m thinking a nice boat ride to different islands…

Isle Royale has left a permanent mark on us that we will remember forever.

What we Learned/Advice

• Packs: We really need bigger packs – we both had the basic 55 REI packs. They are great for smaller trips! Longer trips, for us anyway, would need bigger packs. We will be investing in larger packs for sure!
• Travel: Just because you can drive through the night and do a long hike the next day with no sleep doesn’t mean you should! Start your trip strong! If you are driving through the night, make sure your gas tank is full once it gets late and can make it long distance without a refill! Once again, if booking the Seaplane, make sure you book it correctly! Don’t be like me. Luckily it worked out but not sure what we would’ve done if it didn’t! Seriously weigh the pros and cons of Seaplane vs Ferry. Yes, you may pay more traveling by seaplane but they are the ones that were still making trips across the water when the ferries couldn’t. People who couldn’t take the ferry were looking to squeeze onto the seaplanes just to get back. The seaplane makes multiple trips back and forth every day so more options and flexibility on timing. Seaplane trips are a lot shorter, so you can spend more time on the island exploring, also less likely to get sea sick. I am a sympathetic vomit-er, so if people around me are getting sick, it’s probable I will also be getting sick. I don’t want to start or end any trip sick!
• Ultralight: Invest in the ultralight things! Even our dry bags were not ultralight and it would’ve made a difference for sure. I know ultralight is more expensive but it makes a difference when you are hiking crazy terrain 7 days and 52 miles.
• Hammock Camping: I read quite a few posts in the weeks leading up to our trip that said Hammock camping across Isle Royale would be near impossible. People stated there just weren’t good spots or strong enough trees. I’m here to report we had no trouble Hammocking at every campsite. There were plenty of trees for us to use. There were a few places we tied up to trees that swayed a bit in the wind but were still sturdy enough to hold us! Even in the 40mph storm winds.
• GPS/Weather: Invest in a GPS! It was so nice to have for many reasons. It tracked how much we hiked, it showed us elevation changes, it helped show us where the trail was in rocky areas when its hard to tell. I would definitely recommend either paying for the weather feature for the week or get a weather radio. I have a book that says you can pick up the weather report with the radio but I have not confirmed that.
• Water: Because our packs were so heavy and packed tight, it was really hard for us to fill our bladders with water. I think if Jake and I had been able to fill our bladders, it would’ve helped so much. I am also more likely to throw Liquid IVs in our bags here on out too. Just for a little boost when needed.
• Water Filtering: John and Makenna had a pump water filtration system. We liked the idea of the pump since it now eliminates the “dirty bags.” You can pump clean filtered water into everything. We learned from a book that Giardia is not a concern on the island due to there being no deer and ticks. The concern is more so Tapeworms! So still need to make sure you have a good quality filter that will filter out any of those small parasites!
• Clothing: Jake and Andy regretted not bringing shorts. I loved having my pants that convert to shorts but they were heavy when soaked with sweat. If you get the short/pant combo, I’d choose one with belt loops! Make sure you are prepared for super hot days and super cold nights. We were hiking without shirts during the day and wearing every layer we brought at night towards the end. So bring what you need but don’t weigh down your pack!
• Comfort Items: Jake and I brought our camp shoes and they were so worth stuffing into our packs! To be able to take your boots off and let your feet relax in camp shoes was nice. I kind of wish I had a lightweight pair of flipflops to bring for when we were close to the water. The rocks are rough on the tender feet! Jake and I also brought our camp chairs. Andy enjoyed sitting on the ground but I definitely enjoyed popping that camp chair out at night or even a few times on the trail for a break.
• Cleanliness: I also purchased the Bar-D XL individually wrapped body wipes. They were big, lightweight, smelled good and didn’t leave a weird residue on your skin after using. They were nice to use when we couldn’t wash off in the water! We Also loved the Sea to Summit water bladder that was not only good for not having to take a bunch of trips to the water, but comes with the shower nozzle. We could then hang it from a tree and rinse off!
• Bugs: Bring Plenty of Deet! They sell it in the stores at both ends of the island but you’d rather be covered than not! Also we Hammock camped so our bug nets were well worth bringing! I brought a buff and had to put it on around my ears because the mosquitos flying in your ears will drive you nuts as you’re trying not to fall on these tiny treacherous trails! We made fun of Andy and his bug net but it was also a good bring for full head coverage!
• Food: I’d take the advice of the 20 year Isle Royale Veteran from here on out. We will be putting our freeze dried meals into Ziploc brand freezer bags! While we were hungry halfway through and our palettes were tired of freeze dried and cliff bars we tried to think of some other alternatives we could bring along. I did bring Halloween size M&M bags and they were a nice pick me up. We thought maybe Nutella/peanut butter/banana chips on a tortilla might be a decent changes.
• Camp Fuel: Recap – I loved that there was the crate of camp fuel outside the store. Even when I went in to buy the full can the guy at the register made sure that I was aware of the crate and utilized it. When we ended our trip we made sure to add our leftover fuel to the crate at Rock Harbor!
• Blisters/Sore Feet: I’d say be over prepared for blisters on a long trip like this. I brought a bunch of bandaids and went through them. We did some research after we left and saw that sometimes those annoying toe socks can help prevent blisters. There are also mixed reviews on if you should pop them or not, so just be prepared either way. We thought some athletic wrap might be nice to throw in the first aid kit too. I was wrapping the pads of my feet with waterproof medical tape to help with the rubbing. Also brings us back to make sure you have good boots. Just because a boot/shoe does well on a one day hike doesn’t mean your feet will hold up the same for 7 days and 52 miles! There were also a few times where a small pair of scissors would’ve been nice to have.
• Optional: Bring entertainment. We brought a waterproof deck of cards. We saw other people with kindles. When it’s nice out you can enjoy the scenery but when its raining, it would’ve been nice to have something to read.
• Research: I bought a good book at the Ranger station after our hike that I wish I had bought before going. Its called Isle Royale National Park: Foot Trails & Water Routes, here is the Barnes and Noble link to the book. It gives a lot of history of the island and then breaks down each individual trail. Each trail also comes with a QR code where you can download the trail for offline use! I would also highly recommend buying the Nat Geo Map of Isle Royale. The map you get from the ranger station when you get to the island is very generic and does not give mileage information. Chris and Sarah were winging it with that map until about halfway through when we showed them our map. They were definitely grateful to see the mileage and elevation on our map.
• Route: If you are crazy enough to try the port to port your first trip like us, I would still highly recommend starting at Windigo and ending at Rock Harbor. Nothing was more rewarding than a pizza and cold beer out of a keg. Plus not having to camp the last night if you don’t want to was a nice plus for us. Windigo is not very developed, there is a small camp store with premade sandwiches and snacks. I also would probably recommend to any newbie to the island to not do port to port on your first trip. Stick to one port and explore it, experience the island and her beauty on a small scale. Port to Port my first time, I was cursing the island the whole way across. It’s hard to enjoy her beauty when she is actively trying to kill you. We didn’t see any moose but we know they are there. I have told people there is a high chance we walked by so many but because you are only focused on the ground and two feet in front of you, it’s hard to look up and look around you. For example, John said the only reason they saw the moose they did was because Makenna fell. So in that moment they had a chance to look around and see it. If you have to reroute mid trip, no shame, but there are only a few places where it is possible to reroute to a different/less intense trail. I’m so glad we decided to reroute when we did.
• Cellphone Service: When they say there is “limited” service on the island, they mean there is basically none. I had service at Windigo, I barely had enough service at Ishpeming point to send a text to my family. Jake and Andy didn’t have any cell service there. Rock Harbor only had wi-fi in one place. It adds an extra level of scary. If something goes wrong, it can take days for help to arrive. Be prepared for that!
• Fitness Level: When people warn you to make sure you’re in shape for this adventure, it is no joke. I thought we would be fine. The 3 of us are various levels of fit and strength and we all had a hard time. I would highly suggest taking a lot of hikes to prepare. Hikes with your full pack too. Hiking with your pack will also help you adjust it to where it should be before going. It was about day 5 before I realized I needed to move my shoulder straps down one notch. The damage had already been done to my back but lessons learned! I joked that the best prep probably would’ve been doing the Stairmaster. The inclines on the island are no joke. Hiking up Storm Pass in RMNP was easier than hiking the constant ups and downs of Isle Royale.
• Make Friends on the Trail: Like I said, nobody knows what you are going through more than the people on the trail with you. Plus they may have resources or information that could be helpful to you. Things would’ve been a lot harder for us if we didn’t take the time to talk to those around us. Everybody helped everybody. It’s such a cool experience.