Isle Royale Forums

Hey guys, I've been crusin' around the forums for the last week or so preparing for my trip to Isle Royale upcoming and there are a lot of helpful/knowledgeable people around which is awesome. I could use a few tips/advice, because this is my first backpacking trip and I'm going solo. As a side note I am physically fit and have lived out of a tent in the backcountry for months at a time - just never putting the pieces together for a backpacking trip.

Day One - Rock to Daisy
Day Two - Daisy to McCargoe
Day Three - McCargoe to Todd
Day Four - Todd to Little Tood
Day Five - Little Todd to N Desor
Day Six - N Desor to Washington Creek
Day Seven - Catch Voyageur ferry Windingo to Rock Harbor

I have a dehydrated meal packed for each night, with oatmeal and breakfast drink mixes for the morning, plus snack bars and peanut butter etc. for lunches. Forecast looks to be around 70 high 50 low with little rain (so far) and I have raingear, longsleeve underlayers packed.

Few Specific Questions...
I just weighed my pack after getting everything stuffed in.... 46 pounds :/ which I feel is a bit heavy, but I have very few luxury items. Manageable?
Are there pit toilets at each of the campsites listed?
How easy is it to find water on the trail?
If the worst happens, and for whatever reason I need help, is this a well-traveled route?
What is the best way to store food/scented items at night??

I'm open to any opinions/advice! Thanks Guys!

46 lbs, a bit heavy for a summer trip, you could make your pack lighter depending on what you are bringing. You may re-think the luxury items once you are a few miles down the trail.

There are pit toilets at the sites.

Water, you will cross areas with water, I think there has been rain of late. Small creeks and boggy areas on the Minong.

The Minong is the least travelled trail on IR.

I hang my food, toothpaste ect. in a stuff sack in a tree.

Does the 46 lbs include all the water you will be carrying each day? A quart of water equals aproximately 2 lbs.

We hiked the Greenstone Ridge Trail from 8\6 thru 8\11 this year and one in our group was able to get a cell signal when we were on top of the Greenstone Ridge, so we all made a call back home. He had Verizon and one of those cheap flip phones. It was the first time that happened in all the times I've been there. The Minong is a smaller in height so it probably won't work there.

Have fun, it's looks like you have planned a great route. Watch out for the beaver dam.

I'm going to go head out on a 7 mile hike today with my pack loaded to see she handles, and I'm sure that will motivate me to look a little closer at what is necessary to bring and what isn't! That weight is including all my food and water as well. Good news on the pit toilets and water on trail!

If you post your equipment list and weights, people will happily chime in with what you can do without, or easily replace with something lighter. I solo'd for the first time in June and ended up hiking faster and farther than planned each day. My pack was 42 lbs on day 1.