Eight Ways to Have an UNPLEASANT Isle Royale Trip

INTRODUCTION
A trip to Isle Royale can be one of the best times of your life. HOWEVER, every year, people make decisions that contribute to them having some unpleasant experiences while on Isle Royale. I have personally made decisions which caused me to have some unpleasant times.  And, I have witnessed other people who were having a less-than-wonderful time on Isle Royale (as a result of  decisions that they had made).  Here, in no particular order, are some ways to have an UNPLEASANT Isle Royale trip.

1. Fail to Research and Properly Plan
It is important to research and plan for your Isle Royale trip--so that you will know what to expect. 

Isle Royale IS A U.S. NATIONAL PARK LOCATED ON AN ISLAND IN LAKE SUPERIOR AND THERE ARE MANY RULES AND REGULATIONS WHICH YOU MUST FOLLOW. You are not allowed to bring your motorized vehicles (or use wheeled devices) on Isle Royale. You can't bring any pets or animals with you (except for some actual SERVICE dogs--under VERY specific conditions and only if following strict rules). There is no bridge to the Island. The ferry boats (and seaplanes) DO NOT transport motor vehicles, RVs, and/or campers.  You need to reserve your transportation to/from the Island in advance (oftentimes many months in advance). The National Park is open only in certain months of the year. The Lodge and cabins are often booked months (or sometimes, over a year) in advance. If you are a backpacker, camper, or paddler--many of the campgrounds have consecutive night stay limits. Campfires are prohibited at most of the campgrounds. All water in the backcountry needs to be filtered or boiled. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE MANY RULES, REGULATIONS, AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR ISLE ROYALE.  Therefore, you need to do your research and plan for these sort of things--or you may encounter some unpleasant surprises.

I have personally encountered people who thought that they could drive to the Island (via some non-existent bridge) or who thought that the ferry boat would transport their car or RV to the  Island. I have seen people show up at the dock expecting to bring their dog or cat with them. There are people who are totally unaware that the ferries (and seaplanes) require advance reservations and that they run on very limited schedules. Thus, these people show up (with no reservations) and truly believe that the next ferry (or seaplane) will show up in 15-30 minutes to take them to the Island. 

I have seen various individuals who (prior to the welcome lecture when they arrived on the Island) were totally unaware that you must filter or boil all drinking water in the backcountry (or that campfires are prohibited at most Isle Royale campgrounds). Thus, they found themselves having to try to buy water filters, more fuel, or camping stoves at the Rock Harbor or Windigo stores. (Which may--or may not--have had the items available for purchase). I have met people that were  totally unaware that most Isle Royale campgrounds have consecutive night stay limits (such as only one consecutive night at Rock Harbor Campground). Thus, they show up with heavy and bulky gear--expecting to stay several consecutive nights at the Rock Harbor campground--only to learn that they will have to hike a minimum of 3-7 miles the next day--in order to get to a different campground.

BOTTOM LINE: It is important to research and plan for your Isle Royale trip--unless you wish to encounter some very unpleasant surprises. Visit the official Isle Royale website (CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK) or read the Park newspaper --"The Greenstone"--(which is available on the official Isle Royale website).  I also have links to much of this information (and much more) on my Isle Royale website -- THE ISLE ROYALE GUY. (Click here for a link)

2. Bring Too Much Stuff (and/or Stuff That Is Too Heavy)
Bringing too much stuff--or bringing things which are too heavy --can negatively impact your Isle Royale trip. This is particularly true if you are backpacking on Isle Royale.  However, to a lesser extent, bringing too much stuff (or stuff that is too heavy) can also negatively impact paddlers, boaters, and/or people staying in the Lodge, cottages, or cabins.

Probably the most miserable and hurting person (that I have ever encountered on Isle Royale) was a man who had a full backpack that probably weighed 50-60 pounds. He had many items tied to the outside of his pack (and much of it was fairly loose and bouncing around as he hiked--negatively impacting his stride and his balance). He carried a big (and heavy) case for his camera and camera equipment in his one hand. He had a (full) 1-2 gallon plastic water container in his other hand. That is how he was hiking down the trail. I think that he was on Day #4 or Day #5 of doing this when I encountered him on the trail. He was absolutely miserable, exhausted, and experiencing some discomfort--and he freely admitted it. He vowed to never come back to Isle Royale ever again.

I have seen adult males -- in their late teens and early 20s (who were probably football players and in somewhat decent physical condition) who were struggling on their hikes (and adjusting their route) --because their backpacks and pack contents were too heavy. I have seen small persons--who were carrying loads that were too heavy in proportion to their small body size--and they were hurting with nearly every step that they took. If you are backpacking on Isle Royale, the weight and size of your full load can make a difference between having a pleasant hike and a miserable hike.

If you are a paddler, there is a good chance that you will (at some point) have to make a portage or you will have to haul your gear up a hill from the shoreline to your campsite. Having a fully-packed load that is too much and/or too heavy might very well determine whether you will need to utilize one "trip" or two "trips" in order to portage all of your stuff (or to carry it all to your campsite).  Imagine, for a moment, a portage that is one mile long. If you can carry everything in one "trip"--you will need to walk just one mile to complete the portage. However, if you need to make two "trips" to complete the portage--you will hike one mile with the first heavy load. You will then walk back one mile --probably carrying no load (or just  some water). Then, you will pick up your second heavy load and hike the same one mile portage again. That's a total of THREE miles. That might not seem like very much when you are sitting at your computer planning your trip.  However, I suspect that you will feel very differently when you are actually carrying those heavy loads up and over the Greenstone Ridge a couple of times.

3.  Neglect Adequate Hydration
The failure to stay adequately hydrated can lead to many challenges and problems on Isle Royale.  Dehydration can contribute to things like heat stroke and heat exhaustion (which are often called "heat injuries"). A lack of hydration can lead to stomach and muscle cramping, headaches, confusion, disorientation, and blurred vision. A failure to stay properly hydrated can impact your energy levels, your balance, blood pressure, cardiovascular functioning ... and so much more. Thus, maintaining adequate hydration during your Isle Royale trip is EXTREMELY important. This is true--even if you are just stayng at the Lodge or at a cottage or cabin.

I know that this next statement may be very difficult for some people to believe--because water seems to be "everywhere" on Isle Royale. HOWEVER, finding and accessing water to drink can be very challenging on Isle Royale.  On a map (and sometimes in real life) it may seem that a water source is so close to the trail. However, oftentimes, it will be very difficult to actually access that water. It may be located at the bottom of a steep hill or cliff and very thick ground cover (and the cliff) may hinder your ability to access that water.  A creek may only flow periodically--or it might have been dammed by beavers far away from the trail and not be flowing.  You may encounter water at a bog, swamp, or beaver pond--but the water will be too nasty smelling and too nasty tasting to drink--no mater how much you filter it and treat it. The safest policy is to ONLY PLAN ON BEING ABLE TO GET WATER AT OFFICIAL CAMPGROUNDS.

The fact that water is difficult to access also means that you will probably need to carry more water with you. In my opinion, two liters/quarts of water would be a bare minimum to leave camp with in the morning--and many people will feel that they want/need to have 3-4 quarts of water when they depart camp.  How much water to carry is a very personal decision and water is "heavy" (2.2 lbs. per liter). However, I would much rather have water (and not need it) than need water (and not have it). I also make sure to drink a full liter of water before I leave camp in the morning and to drink water routinely throughout the day.

If you want to be miserable (and maybe even have life-threatening problems) while on Isle Royale -- fail to stay properly hydrated.

4.  Fail to be Properly Prepared
Failing to be properly prepared covers a wide range of issues.  Allow me to put some of them in a list format:

• Be prepared physically for the trip. It is important to get in good physical condition and to do things like lose excess weight before the trip.
  
  
• Bring the proper clothing and gear. Many people come prepared for just the seasonally "normal" temperatures. I personally come prepared for the possibility of experiencing record low or record high temperatures. I also plan on it being super cold and rainy, I make sure that I have the proper clothing and gear to deal with both the cold and the wet conditions.
  
  
• It  is important to become very familiar with your gear, clothing, and food.  I would encourage you (prior to your Isle Royale trip) to do a couple of practice trips close to home--using the actual gear, clothing, backpack, watercraft, and preparing the same types of food that you will really use while on Isle Royale. There are few things worse than being in the remote Isle Royale backcountry and discovering that your gear is missing pieces or is damaged or learning that your clothing or backpack doesn't fit properly  or discovering that you dislike the food that you chose to bring (or that you don't know how to cook it).  Try to do your practice trips under conditions as similar to your Isle Royale trip as possible.  Last August, I --and a friend--did a canoe trip on Isle Royale. He was nearly age 60 and I was nearly age 61.  Yet, prior to our canoe trip, we two old guys were out on a lake near his home and we practiced canoeing together. We also spent time practicing capsizing our canoe, emptying it of water, and getting back into it in an open lake.  It might have looked silly watching two 60 year-old guys repeatedly capsizing a canoe and getting back into it.  However, Isle Royale (in 45 degree water) is not the place to be learning (and practicing) how to deal with a capsized watercraft. You have to be prepared PRIOR to your arrival on the Island.
  
  
• Be familiar with using a map and compass ... and have a real (non-electronic) map and compass with you. Electronic devices can fail.  Be prepared for that possibility.
  
  
• Bring enough extra food and fuel --in case your transportation off of the Island is delayed by a day or two.  Don't count on the stores and restaurants having enough food.  If you are stranded and needing things from the restaurant and stores--so are many other people. If you can't leave the island-- boats are probably not making it to the Island to resupply the stores and restaurant.
  
  
• Know basic first aid. Know how to tie some basic knots. Learn some of the "do's" and "don'ts" of properly (and safely) setting up a tent or tarp.  Learn about purifying water. Have some skills and experience in land and water navigation. Be familiar with emergency beacons, safety, wilderness hygiene --and similar topics. I cover many of these sort of topics in the FREE articles found in the "Helpful Info" section of my Isle Royale website (theisleroyaleguy.com  Click here for the link).  If you want to cover similar topics in an online "class" or "course" format, check out the free courses offered by Duane and Beth at the Wise Old Man of Isle Royale website (click here for the link to the courses).
  

BOTTOM LINE:  Be prepared --- BEFORE you come to Isle Royale --- unless you want to risk having a miserable time while on Isle Royale!

5.  Try to Do Too Much During Your Trip
Another way to be miserable on Isle Royale is by trying to do too much during your trip. Many people try to cover too much distance while backpacking, hiking, boating and paddling. (See my blog post from last week for more on this topic). Many people make their schedule so full---that they can really encounter significant problems if they experience delayed transportation to the Island, bad weather, Illness, or injury.

A few years ago, I encountered a group of co-ed youth and their adult leaders. They had covered nearly 50 miles by noon on their third day. They were exhausted---and taking a meal break and brief rest at a campground.  Yet, their key leader wanted them to hike nearly seven more miles before sundown.  Some of these kids were just 11 to 14 years old and were far from their mature body size. Some were carrying packs that weighed over a third (and nearly half) of their body weight. They were tired and miserable.

Paddlers and lodge/cabin visitors (and even "day trippers") can similarly push themselves too hard to do too much ... in too brief of time.  If you want to see more of Isle Royale and if you want to do more things while on Isle Royale--then plan to be on Isle Royale for more days--or spread things out over 2-3 trips. Being exhausted, sore, injured, and feeling rushed is probably not an ideal way to experience Isle Royale.  As the old saying goes-- "Take time to stop and smell the roses".

6. Try to "Live Off of the Land"
Periodically, I have encountered hungry persons (or other people have encountered hungry persons) who INTENTIONALLY brought very little (or NO) food with them to Isle Royale--because they planned to "travel light" and to "live off of the land" by eating berries and catching fish from shore. (Some people even planned on killing or trapping mammals--like moose and beaver.  Please note: Killing anything other than fish is very illegal on Isle Royale and your chances of being successful is also not very likely).

You cannot 100% count on catching enough fish to sustain you (especially if fishing from shore). Berries are not available during much of the summer. Thus, these "live off the land" types can sometimes get pretty hungry...especially if they don't have a watercraft to help them fish away from shore. Fortunately, some people usually find a way to pull together enough "extra" food to feed the hungry folks a meal--but that is just ONE meal. Please, please please -- bring enough food with you for your entire trip--and consider it a "bonus" if you acquire enough fish and berries to sustain you.

7. Leave Things Out and Unattended
Foxes, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and some birds (such as gray jays)--love to take advantage of people who leave things unattended on Isle Royale. You also ought to keep food and "smellables" sealed, "double bagged" --and buried deep in your pack (and then keep the pack inside of your closed tent or shelter).  It literally takes only a few seconds for these critters to steal your food and gear. 

I was once camping near a guy (I think at Hatchet Lake) who took his trail runners off and switched to flip-flops while his dinner simmered 20-30 feet away. He got up to check his food--and a fox ran through camp and stole one of his unattended trail runners. I actually saw the fox run through camp and take it.  The man never got his trail runner back. Thus, he finished his cross-island hike in flip-flops. I have seen people cooking at a picnic table at a shelter--and they stepped inside for a moment to get something. During that brief absence -- a jay or a squirrel or chipmunk will enter the scene and eat some of the food or steal it. They might run off with a lightweight spoon or other small object.  It takes just a moment (and/or a turned back) for stuff to disappear.

One person ate half of a granola bar or energy bar. They folded the wrapper over the top of it--and put it in an outside pocket of their backpack. They left their pack unattended while they did other things. A critter chewed through the outside backpack pocket to get to the open food. Another person left an open bag of trail mix in their zipped tent--and went away for a day hike.  When they came back, a critter had chewed their way into the tent and helped themself to an open bag trail mix. Keep food sealed, double-bagged,  buried in your pack, and inside of a closed tent or shelter.

If you want to potentially lose things and be miserable--leave things unattended.

8.  Do "Stupid Stuff" and Take Needless Risks
Space limitations do not permit me to list all of the "stupid stuff" that I have seen people do on Isle Royale (and some of it was done by me). People do things like attach hammocks to dead trees, place tents under big dead branches (on a windy day), dive into shallow water, taunt and irritate animals, do risky things with fire and fuel, fail to filter or boil water before drinking it, hike on exposed ridges during lightening storms, get into wrestling matches in rocky areas, hike and/or use watercraft while very drunk or very high, do risky things with knives, hatchets, or saws. Some people go boating, paddling, and/or hiking beyond the limits of their equipment and beyond their own skill and experience levels. The list could go on and on.

If you want to potentially have a miserable Isle Royale trip, do "stupid stuff" and take needless risks.

CONCLUSION
A trip to Isle Royale can be one of the greatest experiences in a person's life. However, making poor decisions has the potential to turn a great trip into a miserable (and sometimes dangerous) experience.  Try to make good decisions and take steps to reduce your risks.

Happy trails and wonderful waterways!