Isle Royale Forums

Two days ago I noticed a new wind sock had been installed on the Mott Island dock. Initially I thought it was to assist boaters approaching in shifting winds but today the purpose was revealed:

From nps.gov/isro: "Helicopter operations in support of trails boardwalk replacement efforts will be in effect island-wide June 14-23. Helicopter noise and short, temporary trails closures during working hours may be common."

Ingo wrote:From nps.gov/isro: "Helicopter operations in support of trails boardwalk replacement efforts will be in effect island-wide June 14-23. Helicopter noise and short, temporary trails closures during working hours may be common."

That was my first thought after seeing the helicopter show up. Your probably right but that helicopter doesn't look like it has a lot lifting utility. I'm not sure what their process is.

The Isle Royale National Park Facebook page has photos of the operation. Says it can lift 600-1000 lbs depending on how much fuel it's carrying.

I spent part of an evening watching the operation from Mt. Franklin.

Thanks for the additional info. Here's some links you referred to:

ISRO Facebook

National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation - Trail Fund

I've been involved in hiring utility helicopter services in the past. Based on my experiences of lifting 500 to 800 pounds I guess my expectations were a bit jaded. We had to lift a live, 25 to 30 ft Christmas tree to the top of a 150 ft tower. Usually we hired a guy and his Sikorsky (S-series I think). He made a living picking and placing utility poles. The one year he was unavailable, another guy in a smaller Bell came in and almost pulled 2 people off the tower. It's all about the pilot, his ground spotter and their experience. I can see using the smaller helicopter based on not just availability but also noise levels.