Thought On Hiking Solo

Some people express worries or concerns about hiking solo. Isle Royale is a great place to do solo hiking (in my never humble opinion). Most of my many Isle Royale trips have been solo hikes.

What is nice about hiking solo on Isle Royale, is the fact that it is a remote island. That means that the people who are on Isle Royale REALLY want to be on Isle Royale--and they spent considerable time, planning, and money to get there. You don't typically encounter the "random idiot" with a truck, SUV, or ATV who is going to harass or pose a danger (or an annoyance) to hikers. In the majority of instances, the people on Isle Royale form a friendly community--even if they have never met each other before.

In most places on Isle Royale (especially between Memorial Day and Labor Day) you will rarely be totally alone overnight in a campground (although, that can occasionally happen). You will occasionally encounter other people on most trails. So, there is often the possibility of eventually encountering potential help in camp and on the trail. The exceptions would possibly be the Minong Ridge Trail, the Ishpeming Trail to Malone Bay, and EAST Chickenbone Campground. The Isle Royale wolves don't bother humans. So, no need to be terrified about the wolves.

You can buy or rent satellite phones and/or satellite emergency devices if you want to have an even greater sense of security if you become sick or injured.

Hiking solo isn't really all that different than hiking with a hiking partner--other than there is no one to split gear with. Thus, you must make sure that you personally have (and carry) everything that you will need. (On the flip side--you don't need as big of a tent for one person and a solo hiker also doesn't need as much food as two people). Another difference: If you do something like hike the Minong Ridge trail--you will have one less set of eyes to look for rock cairns --or to help find a (sometimes) hard-to-find Minong Ridge Trail. That is not so much a "problem" as it is a slightly added degree of "difficulty"
Again, I think Isle Royale is a great (and relatively safe) place to do a solo hike--especially if you have some prior hiking and camping experience of any kind.