Planning: hammocking in Isle Royale

[hk2001]

Daisy Farm on Day 1 is within easy reach of Rock Harbor. The issue will be how many others on your boat opt for the same destination. You may find your choice of sites limited by the time you would arrive. I have arrived in Rock Harbor from both MN and MI. Neither, boat arrived with enough time for me to reach Moskey Basin before dark.

Which ferry did you take off Mi?

The ranger III takes 6 hours, but the queen IV takes 3

I'm just trying to figure out how 10 miles from RH to Moskey isn't doable in, say, 6 hours. The terrain is flat until after daisy farm, and then it only deviates by 200' or so.

Can anyone verify the averages temps listed Here? Anywhere else (weather.com and the like) use the weather at the closest station, which is Houghton.. Quite a way south..

If I shift the location to Thunder Bay, ON it deviates from the IR temps slightly.

[Stone]

The bugs were minimal for those who didnt put deodorant on every morning.

Elevation changes on IR can look to be easy, but you have to take into consideration that they are quick ups and downs on very rocky surfaces, some are very smooth, add any moisture to those rocks and they become very slippery. There were a few spots on dry rocks that I could feel myself losing a little grip, even on flat terrain.

The swamp that you see could very well be a dried up beaver pond. We passed over one dam, on our way to Lane Cove and from the SAT picture it looks very similar. But, there are some swamps in that area as well.

[hk2001]

The only thing I have to compare it to is hiking around here.. Below is a quick description of a hike we did last fall to break in new packs.. we went loaded for 3 days to give the packs a workout.

This hike took us 5 hours not counting the hour we took on the summit taking pictures and such.. most of the hike was done over slick bare granite. +9586' total elevation change over 8.3 miles...



Thats all I really have to try and compare it to. I know Isle Royale is a completely different beast.. but it's just flat compared to anything I'm used to.

[packeagle]

The rock harbor trail (rock harbor to daisy farm) was one of the most difficult sections for me. I thought the little ups and downs were tougher than the minong ridge. Probably because it was day one of 14 and I was stiff from the boat ride. Take the Queen. It leaves earlier in the day and is a shorter trip over. So you get more time to hike.

[Gsx-rboy750]

The only thing I have to compare it to is hiking around here.. Below is a quick description of a hike we did last fall to break in new packs.. we went loaded for 3 days to give the packs a workout.

This hike took us 5 hours not counting the hour we took on the summit taking pictures and such.. most of the hike was done over slick bare granite. +9586' total elevation change over 8.3 miles...



Thats all I really have to try and compare it to. I know Isle Royale is a completely different beast.. but it's just flat compared to anything I'm used to.

Me and my buddies had our first planning meeting last night and agreed we are going to go later in August. I also had a aggressive route planned which they cut in half, stating the paths are more difficult then they look on the map. They specified the trail you speak of.
I was able to talk them into a 6night stay as opposed to a 5night. One of our friend still insist on bringing all his own food?? No bother i have tacos planned the first night and steak the second Then i get to the blander dry food.

Any suggestions on tackle?

[hk2001]

Sorry for the delayed response.. my plans for IR have changed AGAIN this is starting to feel like a comedy skit.

For tackle, for pike I recommend spoons and spinners. Mepps makes a really good Piker Kit that pretty much covers all your bases. remember to use a wire leader, as pike are basically freshwater barracuda, and will shred standard nylon and fluorocarbon lines. For a rod, I'd suggest a medium action rod.. but I won't even listen to my own advice, I'm going with a medium/light.

My main weapon of choice for pike is going to be an 8wt fly rod I picked up in trade, with a fly box full of streamers, frogs, mice and poppers. Something about landing a great pike on a fly rod just seems enticing to me. I'm packing in 5.3lb of fishing gear (a full 8wt fly rig, and a medium/light spinning rig, with all the trimmings. which is more than my backpack and sleep system weigh combined.

As far as my plans.. I'm still banking on the end of may or early June, but it's looking like I'm back to going solo. I really wanted my wife to come to, but I also don't mind the ability to move at my pace. She still may be coming.. but I have to plan either way, and I intend on booking everything my the end of March, so the clock is ticking to figure it all out. Losing the third person will at least make hanging easier.. It's easier to find trees for 2 than 3. It'll at least give me the ability to scope out sites, and write trip reports and take pictures from a hammock hangers point of view. It'll allow me to plan better for next years trip knowing where we can hang, and where we'll have issues.

My biggest hurdle at this point is trying to get from Houghton to Copper Harbor. I plan on taking a greyhound up.. I hate flying, and I hate flying with camping gear since the "don't lock your luggage" stuff came into effect. I always seem to magically lose something between dropping my bags off at check in, and picking them up on at baggage claim. Usually one of the more valuable pieces of gear. Surely fairies are taking my stuff behind the scenes, because the TSA wouldn't... right?

[CamoEvo]

hk2001, if you have problems with transit from Houghton to Copper Harbor, I might be able to give you a ride to and from. I'm an hour West of Houghton.

Thanks everyone for their input, I'm hoping to hang 5-7 days on IR this year.

[CamoEvo]

On the news tonight, one female wolf from IR crossed the ice bridge and was found dead.

http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/...2#.Uw0lRumPLMw

[hk2001]

hk2001, if you have problems with transit from Houghton to Copper Harbor, I might be able to give you a ride to and from. I'm an hour West of Houghton.

Thanks everyone for their input, I'm hoping to hang 5-7 days on IR this year.

Thanks! I've been looking at just going to Houghton and leaving on the Ranger. The Problem is, the bus gets into Houghton 10 minutes AFTER the ferry leaves so I was looking at sticking around Houghton for a day. I've been trying to find camping in the area within walking distance of both the bus station and the dock for the Ranger.


I may take you up on the ride though

[CamoEvo]

I don't think there any parks within walking distance.