Mother Nature, Murphy, and O'Toole

Trying to do too much-- in too short of time -- can oftentimes negatively impact your Isle Royale experience. It is almost as if the Island itself (or Mother Nature or "Murphy's Law") actively seek to penalize people who try to do too much in too little time on Isle Royale. The more that you try to pursue a busy (or "tight") schedule while on Isle Royale --the more that the Island, Mother Nature, and Murphy's Law seem to push back at your busy plans and "tight" schedule. My mom had a sign in her kitchen that read: "The hurrier I go -- the behinder I get".  One of my co-workers had a sign in her office which read, "Man plans and God laughs (Swedish Proverb)". Those two statements also seem to apply to Isle Royale trips.

Murphy's Law & O'Toole's Corollary

When I was in a college, a friend had a poster on his dormitory wall that read:

MURPHY'S LAW: "Anything that can go wrong--will go wrong."

O'TOOLE'S COROLLARY TO MURPHY'S LAW: "Murphy was an F *%# ing optimist."

Always keep Murphy and O'Toole at the very front of your mind when planning an Isle Royale trip.  O'Toole and Murphy both seem to have special and enhanced "super powers" when it comes to Isle Royale and Lake Superior.

Somewhat Unique Transportation Issues

I have traveled quite a bit and I have visited quite a few places. Rarely are me (and my plans) as much at the mercy of "Mother Nature" as when I visit Isle Royale. Ultimately, Mother Nature is going to do whatever  Mother Nature is going to do and there isn't very much that we can do about it. 

Isle Royale National Park is an island (technically, a group of islands) in Lake Superior. There are limited ways to get to and from Isle Royale. Those limited methods of transportation are highly dependent upon the weather. Furthermore, if there are mechanical issues with a seaplane or a ferry (or your private boat), it isn't as if there are spare ones sitting around (not being used) that can be put into service in a matter of minutes or hours. If weather conditions (or the very rare mechanical issue) keeps your mode of transportation from operating --you have few choices but to wait. Such delays can significantly interfere with your Isle Royale plans. Thus, be ready for the delays --and be ready to change your plans.

 Mother Nature Doesn't Care About Your Plans

I once saw a father (and his two young adult sons) who were "stranded" on Isle Royale due to a weather delay with their return transportation. The father's daughter (and the boys' sister) was getting married in one or two days and the longer that the transportation delay dragged on--the less likely it looked like they would get to the wedding in time. I have seen similar things happen with Isle Royale visitors who needed to get back home for planned funerals or who desperately needed to get back home due to strict attendance policies at work, school, or the military.  Frankly, Mother Nature does not care how important your event is back home--nor does Mother Nature care if you miss the event. (Neither do Murphy or O'Toole).  Therefore, try to not have any important things planned for immediately after your anticipated return from Isle Royale -- because you may regret it.

Mother Nature also does not care about your plans (or your itinerary) while you are actually on Isle Royale. And, Murphy and O'Toole will actively work to destroy your plans and your timeline. The shorter your visit -- and the more mileage and activities that you try to squeeze into a very short time frame --the more it is likely that Murphy, O'Toole, and Mother Nature will actively seek you out, find you, and disrupt your plans.

REMEMBER: Your transportation TO Isle Royale might be delayed by a few hours--or by one or two DAYS. 

BAD CASE SCENARIO # 1: You have determined that it will take you exactly four days to hike (or paddle) across the Island. Thus, you plan a very "tight" itinerary and you schedule your return transportation (at the other end of the Island) for exactly four days after your planned arrival on the Island. QUESTION: What is your plan if your transportation TO the Island is delayed by one or two days? Will you be able to hike or paddle across the island in just 2-3 days? (Ferries and seaplanes often tend to be full. Thus, it is not very easy to simply push back your departure time by one or two days and catch another seaplane or another ferry off the Island at that later date). Remember, Mother Nature does not care about your plans.

BAD CASE SCENARIO # 2: You spend over $1,400 on transportation to bring your entire family to Isle Royale by seaplane for A DAY TRIP. You have plans to spend eight hours on Isle Royale. Then, your flight TO the Island is delayed by fog for 3-5 hours. You have just paid a whole lot of money for a very short visit to the Island. Here's an even worse case scenario: What if fog or weather issues delay your RETURN flight until the next day --and you came to the Island prepared for only a day trip? (Similar things can happen with ferries--but they happen far less frequently).  Mother Nature does not care about your plans.

BAD CASE SCENARIO # 3:  Your small family plans a 1-2 night stay at the Lodge or the housekeeping cabins. You spend $600-$1,500 on transportation. You spend another $300-$600 on lodging. You have great plans for boating, canoeing, hiking the ridges, traveling by tour boats, etc. Then, lightening storms keep you from hiking the ridges, and wind and waves cancel all of your boating activities and boat tours.  Your entire plans for those two days are "ruined". Mother Nature does not care about your plans.

BAD CASE SCENARIO # 4: Your hiking or paddling trip encounters some significant delays (or significant re-routing) because of severe (lightening?) storms or wild fires--or someone in your party becomes injured or ill.  If you have not intentionally built in a couple of extra days into your trip plan--you could be facing some significant challenges in reaching your departure point on time. Mother Nature does not care about your plans. (A side note:  A moose may block your path for 20 to 90 minutes and cause you to get to camp much later than planned).

THE SHORTER YOUR ISLE ROYALE VISIT -- AND THE MORE MILEAGE AND THE MORE "STUFF" THAT YOU TRY TO SQUEEZE INTO A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME -- THE MORE LIKELY THAT "MOTHER NATURE" WILL BE ABLE TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR PLANS.  Always remember:  Mother Nature does not care about your plans! (And, Murphy and O'Toole are actively working to disrupt your plans).

What Can You Do About It?

Overall, there is little (or nothing) that we can do to change Mother Nature. All that we can do is alter our plans and alter our attitude regarding Mother Nature (and any delays).  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Less is more.  You do not have to try to "experience everything" --nor do you have to try to "see everything" -- in one Isle Royale trip. The bottom line: You can't see and do everything in just one or two trips to Isle Royale ... so don't even try. This summer will be my 20th trip to Isle Royale--and there is still new stuff to see and do.  Thus, I would invite you to intentionally scale down your plans. Plan on doing fewer things. Plan on covering MANY fewer miles. Plan on seeing fewer sights (and sites). It will make for a less stressful and more relaxing trip. And, the less that you have planned, the less that Mother Nature (and Murphy and O'Toole) can disrupt.  Keep it all very minimal and very simple.

2. DO NOT plan a hike across the Island unless you have AT LEAST a 6-7 day (or longer) visit to the Island planned. If you will be on the Island for less than a week -- please do yourself a favor and confine your trip to one end of the Island and be dropped off and pickup at the exact same spot (either Rock Harbor or Windigo). If you confine your visit to one end of the Island (and have the exact same drop off and pick up site) transportation delays may somewhat alter your plans--but transportation delays won't destroy your plans. Even if you have a four day trip planned -- and your ferry to the Island is delayed by two+ days--you can still travel to the Island on Day # 3--spend an overnight at a campground located within several miles of the dock-- and catch your boat back home on Day # 4.  You can't have that sort of flexibility when your return boat (or your return plane) is now supposed to meet you on the other end of the Island--TOMORROW. Therefore, do not try to hike across the Island unless you plan to be on the island for least 6-7 days. (Otherwise, transportation delays, lightening delays, illnesses, and injuries might make your life very miserable or force the entire cancellation of your trip).

3. The fewer "moving parts" that you have in your itinerary the less you will expose yourself to stress and transportation delay issues. Conversely, the more food drops that you have scheduled (by ferry) and the more water taxi (or ferry) drop-offs and pickups that you have scheduled as part of your itinerary the more that you will expose yourself to being negatively impacted by weather and transportation delays. It is fine to have a food drop-off scheduled. However, you better not allow your food supplies be so low--nor have your itinerary so "tight"--that your trip is negatively impacted by a few hour (or couple day) ferry delay.  EXPECT that there will be delays and plan accordingly.

HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO: Let's say that you plan on hiking across the Island from Rock Harbor to Windigo in four days and have reservations for the Voyager II ferry back to Rock Harbor on Day # 4 and have reservations to depart from Rock Harbor on Day # 5. What happens if you are delayed in getting to the Island by a day or two? That delay will likely impact you getting to Windigo by the fourth day. Which will impact you catching the Voyager II at Windigo on Day # 4--which will then impact you being at Rock Harbor in time to catch your transportation off of the Island on Day # 5.  And, what if the ferry from Windigo to Rock Harbor is delayed by weather for an entire day? Again, you would miss your transportation off of the Island at Rock Harbor.  Always remember, Mother Nature does not care about your plans --and neither do Murphy nor O'Toole.

4. Try to have 1-2 extra days built into your trip plan for every major leg of your trip.  Imagine if (in the above scenario) your kept the same plan to hike across the island in 4 days --but your plan was modified so that you caught a ferry from Windigo to Rock Harbor on Day # 6 (instead of Day # 4) and you planned to depart the Island on Day # 8 (instead of Day # 5).  With this more relaxed and reasonable plan, if your transportation to the Island was delayed by a day or two--you would still have plenty of time to hike across the Island and catch your ferry from Windigo to Rock Harbor. And, if the ferry from Windigo to Rock Harbor was delayed by a day or two--you would still have plenty of time to catch your transportation off of the island. Give yourself more time to complete each leg of your trip.

5. Bring extra food and fuel-- in order to be better prepared if you are delayed getting off of the Island.

6. DO NOT have important things planned for the first couple of days after your anticipated return home. If you REALLY need to be at work, school, a wedding, or a funeral immediately after you get back home--you probably need to schedule a trip that is 1-2 days shorter than you had originally hoped. Sorry, but that is simply the harsh reality (if you really need be someplace just a day or two after your scheduled return home).

7. If you are coming to Isle Royale for just a day trip, there is very little reason to believe that you will be stranded on the Island overnight due to bad weather. There is certainly no need to bring a backpack full of camping gear and supplies (for a day trip). HOWEVER, if you really need certain medications, I would bring enough medications for an extra day or two. I might also bring a warm enough jacket, a wool cap (or "beanie"), a cheap emergency rain poncho, a water bottle, and maybe one of those reflective emergency blankets that is about the size of a deck of cards. I would also bring money and/or especially a credit card--in order to buy food (and pay for a Lodge room --in the rare event that a Lodge room is available).

CONCLUSION

Mother Nature has a tendency to frequently interfere with people's Isle Royale plans. Thus, you should plan and prepare accordingly. ("Hope for the best--but plan for the worst".) The shorter in duration that your trip is (and/or the more mileage and more "stuff" that you try to squeeze into a very small time frame) -- the greater the chances are that you will attract some unwanted attention from Mother Nature, Murphy's Law, and O'Toole's Corollary.  They will seek you out, find you, and "mess with you".

Therefore, keep your plans simple. Don't try to squeeze lots of mileage and lots of stuff into a short period of time. Give yourself some extra --and totally uncommitted--days in your Isle Royale schedule (in order to compensate for any potential delays).

Expect that there might be transportation delays. Anticipate that there might be severe weather, illnesses, or injuries that will slow you down and delay you. There is nothing that Mother Nature, Murphy and O'Toole hate more--than a person who is fully prepared for all types of delays.

Happy hiking and peaceful paddling!