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When it comes to trying to get myself with my own program, it helps to divide the brain into two camps: OldTrau and NewTrau. OldTrau is the part of me that is content to be unhealthy and live like a slob, and NewTrau is the part that aspires to be something better at all times. When I see it that way, it makes it easy to choose a side when the battle is raging.
When I first began to lose weight, there was a sort of mantra about it whenever I would exercise. I’d feel the lactic acid burning me up, I’d feel the sweat, I’d be wheezing and spitting and moaning and getting dizzy and nauseous — and I’d call out OldTrau. I’d think to myself, that’s the OldTrau, the part of you that wants you to stop now is the part of you that doesn’t care if you succeed. Give in now and you make that part of you stronger. Roll with NewTrau and you will look damned sexy in the mirror in a couple months.
So I’d curse out OldTrau in my head, picture NewTrau — a buff, lean version of myself — kicking my own horribly-out-of-shape ass. I’d let the battle rage on, as externally I kept exercising and working harder. I’d forget how much my body was hurting because I was distracted by this sort of meditation I was doing.
Then I got to a point where I had lost 120 pounds overall. I was pumped. I told myself, I AM NewTrau! All that exercise paid off and I achieved my goal. Good job, me. Now go take a breather. I began considering NewTrau as NowTrau. I was pretty proud of that. Clever, right? Cool. So I’d chill on that and be proud of myself.
I felt entitled, like I was owed some relaxation. And now it was time to enjoy summer, to take my shirt off and be proud of the results and bask in being NowTrau.
But what I didn’t realize was that sneaky OldTrau had been biding his time, sure he’d get his chance again. He dressed up like NowTrau and walked through the door like he owned the place and never set off any red flags until I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror one day and thought… uh oh.
The backslide had begun! My weight had gone from a comfortable plateau to a slow creep upward again. Crafty OldTrau… well played.
So I got back on it, threw NowTrau in the gutter and conjured up my ol’ pal NewTrau. Then, I had a bit of an epiphany today as I was jogging and watching once again the epic battle unfold in my cranium…
There should be a sort of perpetual nature to the idea of NewTrau. To the idea of NewAnyone, really. I think it’s healthy to be proud of yourself, but not to be satisfied.
Satisfaction is OldAnyone’s phone number. He always picks up and he’s never busy.
There will always be something better than ourselves. And until the day we die, we should be chasing that version, and never looking back.
NewTrau is always new, and OldTrau — I promise — will always be old.
TRAU
new blog, and this one’s a keeper. Don’t know if anybody still checks this, but please see:
http://howtraudoesit.wordpress.com
I knoooow I know I know it’s taking me forever to get back on the horse here…
This entry is coming from my iPod. It appears as though the app will now let me type in “landscape mode,” which means I have a wider keyboard and it is eons less annoying.
So maybe more of these to come.
As for now.
As for Isle Royale. It was amazing. It was everything I hoped and more and it’s just too big a task for me to take on right now diagramming the whole adventure.
Here are some photos for those of you who aren’t friends with me on Facebook.
I guess what I’ve taken the most from the whole experience is just the knowledge of how rich life can really be when you tear yourself away from all the bullshit that keeps you tethered down. 2 weeks of utter freedom rely kinda wiped me clean, made me need more fresh air and loath time spent buried in a computer screen — which could account for my flightiness with this blog.
I may catch up. I know how noncommittal that sounds, but at the moment, submerging myself in technology does not feel like forward movement.
A few notes:
Yosemite is on the radar
I wi return to isle royale next year
I want to be certified as a personal fitness trainer and lead people out of the gym and into the wild for their exercise
And that’s about it for now.
lovety
It’s here.
10 months in the planning, and the moment that typically would’ve become a waning spark in my mind 9 and a half months ago is actually here. I’m really doing what I set out to do.
I’ve never in my life wanted to do something for 10 months. I know that sounds stupid, but I’ve really just never put my mind to something like this.
It’s unreal, really. Surreal. Fucking bodacious, but inconceivable.
The pipe dream has legs. It’s got feet and it’s standing on them, facing my apartment door right next to the pile of clothes, food and gear I have ready to stuff in my car in the morning and get the fuck out of this city for a while.
I wish I could fully explain to you how different my life is today than it was 10 months ago — a year ago, 2 years ago. It’s the difference between being alive and dead. Night and day. It’s sweeter than I thought it would ever get.
You know when you peel an orange — and you expect to bite into an orange — and when you put it in your mouth, every once in a while it shocks you? It’s explosive! It’s running down your chin and you can’t suck the citrus off your lips in time to keep it from dripping all over the table and your hands and it’s not the mess you’re concerned with, but you just suddenly can’t bear to let any of that nectar go unswallowed?
I tell ya what, going from where I was to where I am — every day it feels like I get that orange, in one manifestation or another.
So I’m gonna go to Isle Royale. I’m gonna walk myself into the biggest challenge of my life thus far and climb to the top of the highest thing I can find and scream at the top of my lungs.
I think I’ll yell “thank you” somewhere in there.
To myself, to you, to it.
Long Live The Kachonga.
lovety
… for this trip. As annoying as being an over-analytical mental mess can be at times, it is REALLY helpful right now.
I agonize over details. I pour over menus. I check and re-check. I adjusted the fit of my backpack 3 times this weekend. I tested some trail recipes.
Today I’ve been going over my menu and making sure I’ve got enough calories here, or that I’m not carrying unneccessary weight, and that every cubic inch of food is worth it’s volume.
The best moment came when after reading a couple more backpacking blogs and informational web sites, I had a little EUREKA! See, ever since last week when my friend Dawn asked “soooo how long do you think all this bread is going to last you?”, I’ve heard it over and over in my head like one of those nightmarish echoes in a sitcom: “gonna last you, gonna last you, gonna last you, gonna last…” At first I was like, eh, it’ll last. Worst case, I eat stale bread.
But the more I think about it, the more I’m thinkin, damn. I’m gonna be really hungry. Do I really want to sit down to replenish myself with a loaf of rock-hard baguette or a pita that has become essentially pita chips? No. Hell no. This is supposed to be hard, but it ain’t supposed to be torture.
So when the backpacking blog mentioned crackers as a good way to substitute for bread, the bells started ringing, the lightbulbs started flashing. CRACKERS! DUH! Kashi makes a whole variety of hearty, healthy, heavy-duty crackers that would be perfect for BOTH bread needs I have on the menu: tuna and cheese!
So no bread or pita. Replace it with crackers. Weight might not fluctuate much, but the space sure will. The baguettes would take about 3 times the space a day’s worth of crackers will. Booya. Perfect.
Now if only I could make my own crackers.
Aw shit, why’d I have to think that?
lovety
This is the base pack for the trip to Isle Royale. I loaded it today with (almost) every thing I will possibly need, except for food and clothing. It weighs in at around 36 pounds. It still needs a small tacklebox, bug spray and a backup compass. Maybe a couple more trash bags for waterproofing stuff. All in all, it should be around 36-38 pounds. When I pack it up the final time, I’m going to try to whittle down any weight I can. If I can get it closer to 30 lbs, I’ll be happy.
Food will probably weigh in at 14 lbs or less. I’ll start each day’s hike with about about 2 liters of water. I’m thinkin I’ll probably be a little over 50 lbs altogether. Clothing won’t weigh much — I’ll have the heaviest of it on my back, and I counted the rain gear into the base weight. So all I will be carrying in the bag is a couple extra wicking shirts, which hardly weigh anything, a pair of wicking pants, and socks. Most of the hiking books I’ve read reccommend going without underwear to save weight and space. I’m going to take a couple of pairs just in case it gets reeeeaaaally cold.
On my body I’ll have the heavy clothes –pants, boots, shirt, fleece, beanie. Plus I’ll have the Hawk and my knife hanging from my belt and the camera hanging from my neck. And a walking stick with a bandana tied on.
I was really pleased with myself today when packing this thing, because I took a bulky item — my tent — and repackaged it to fit much better in the pack. I stuffed the tent, the fly, the stakes and the ground cover all in the front pocket of the backpack all flattened out, and put the poles in the side pocket by the fishing pole, lashed in. So rather than have to have it take up valuable space in the main cargo compartment or cause akward balance issues by strapping it to the bottom of the pack with the sleeping pad, it’s now spread out pretty evenly. AND what’s more, that pocket it’s in basically covers the whole front of the pack, so when I put the rain fly in last, I made sure to really spread it over the whole pocket, so it creates another layer of waterproofing for the things in the cargo area should I get stuck in a sudden storm. Awesome.
So now there’s a ton of room in the pack. I have no worries about getting the rest of my food and clothing in there. Should be a cinch!
Base pack contents:
Top pocket:
Map, compass, bug spray, toothbrush/paste, chapstick, headlamp, batteries, matches, safety pins, shoelaces, 6 feet duct tape, journal, pen, deck of cards. Eventually lunch each day.
Front pocket:
Ground cover, tent, rain fly, stakes.
Side pockets:
Fishing pole, tent poles, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, GPS, multi-tool. Eventually small water bottle
Belt pocket:
Tripod, eventually snacks.
Main cargo: Sleeping bag, inside floor cover for tent, camp shoes, first aid kit, stove, 3 fuels, water filter, spork, scraper, rope, shammy, towel, cutting board, isle royale book, kerouac’s “dharma bums,” 2 stuff sacks (clothes and food), rain gear, eventally a large water bottle.
That’s about it. Am I forgettin anything?
lovety
Here’s the whole itinerary… still a work in progress up to the day, but it includes the hiking plans, menu and grocery list down to the item count. If you’re as crazy as I am, by all means feel free to check my math, suggest a meal switch, compare grocery list to menu plan — all of the things I will be checking and re-checking over the next week and a half.
Supply list is probably incomplete, as I’ve been collecting stuff and storing it all in the same spot. No way I can miss anything if I already have it, but I may have forgotten to write it down, ya know? Still, if you see something missing from the list, I am open to any and all corrections or suggestions!
Isle Royale Hike Itinerary
Rock Harbor to Windigo via Rock Harbor/Greenstone Ridge/Minong Ridge trails — 48 miles
Sunday, June 14, 2009 — Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day-by-day plan
Day 1
8 am: Leave Bay City, head north on I-75, stopping for a stretch and lunch somewhere just north of the Mackinac Bridge.
6 or 7 pm: Reach Fort Wilkins State Park north of Copper Harbor, set up camp and eat dinner.
Day 2
8 am: Leave Copper Harbor aboard the Queen IV
12:30 am: Arrive at Rock Harbor. Hike 7.8 miles on Rock Harbor Trail to Daisy Farm and set up camp.
Day 3
Daisy Farm to McCargoe Cove. 8.4 miles.
Day 4 — Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Minong Ridge trail head. McCaroge Cove to Todd Harbor. 6.7 miles.
Day 5
Make camp in Todd Harbor all day.
Phone MIGHT work here.
Option to hike about a mile inland to Lake Harvey to fish pike.
Day 6
Todd Harbor to Little Todd Harbor. 6.8 miles.
Day 7
Little Todd to Lake Desor. 5.7 miles.
Day 8
Lake Desor to Windigo. End point of the Minong. Showers are $1 for 6 minutes. 12.6 miles.
Day 9
10:30 am: Ferry on Voyageur II back to Rock Harbor.
2:30 pm: Arrive in Rock Harbor. Try to catch Queen IV if I’m lucky. If not…
Day 10
2 pm: Ferry on Queen IV back to Copper Harbor. Might crash back at Fort Wilkins. So assuming I camp…
Day 11 — Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sleep in. Drive to Bay City. After that, we don’t need no stinking itinerary.
Meals
11 each — Breakfast/Lunch/Snack/Dinner
Plan is to take each day’s food rations into a large ziploc bag and label them by day. Each morning at breakfast the day’s food should be checked and stuff like snacks should be moved to the front pockets of the pack.
Food list OUT OF PACK
Egg Beaters
Omelette stuffing
Sandwich
Hot Dogs
Buns
Baked beans
2 days worth coffee
2 servings almonds
1 Jerky
1 Chocolate
1 Dried fruit
1 Protein shake
1 Cous Cous
1 Dried Veggies
2 Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
Trail Mix (2)
4 clif bars
Ferry carry-on pockets?
Trail Mix (2)
2 clif bars
Almonds
Food list IN PACK
10 Coffee
3 Cheese babybel x4
3 Mini Baguette
5 Minute rice
4 Tuna packet
4 Pita x2
8 Mustard packets?
4 Cous Cous
16 Clif Bars
10 Gatorade (equivalent)
8 Almonds
8 Trail Mix x2
10 Dark Chocolate
10 Oatmeal
2 Choley
2 Noodles
20 Dried Fruit
10 jerky
10 Protein shake
3 Olive spread
3 dried black beans
2 Bisquick for dumplings
4 Dried veggie mix for cous cous (mushrooms, peppers, onions etc.)
4 Bullion cube
Possible bonus items
Smoked fish from U.P., depending on how long they think it will last in a pack
Fresh fish from a lake.
Condiments and such
Gatorade mix
Mustard for tuna
Salt/Pepper
Cinnamon for coffee/oatmeal
Brown sugar
Pepper grinder for everything
Garlic cloves in case I need to poach fish
Bullion for cous cous
Meal Planner day by day (21 stoves)
Day 1 (on road to U.P. from Bay City)
OUT OF PACK
Breakfast
– Egg Beaters omelette with goodies from store day before
– Toast and peanut butter
Lunch
– Sandwich, packed in cooler with goodies from store
– Nuts
– Clif bar
Snack
– Clif Bar
– Trail Mix 2
Dinner
– Hot dogs over fire at campsite
– Buns
– Baked beans
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
Day 2: wake up at Ft. Wilkins campsite, ferry ride, will need easy lunch for ferry or mid-hike, night at Daisy Farm
OUT OF PACK/IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack: (pack separate for on ferry)
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch: (separate too, should be easy and quick to beat the rush)
– Clif bar
– Nuts
– Cheeses
– Baguette
– Olive spread
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Choley
– Quick Rice
Day 3: Wake up at Daisy Farm, hike to McCargoe Cove
IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
– Tuna
– 2 pita
– Mustard
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Rice
– Black beans
Day 4: Wake up at McCargoe, hike to Todd Harbor
IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
– Cheese
– Baguette
– Olive spread
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Choley
– Rice
Day 5: Wake up in Todd Harbor, stay in Todd Harbor all day
IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
– Noodles
– Dumplings (Gusterd Stew)
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Cous Cous
– Dried Veggies
– Bullion
Day 6: Wake up in Todd Harbor, hike to Little Todd Harbor
IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
– Tuna
– Pita
– Mustard
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Beans
– Rice
Day 7: Wake up in Little Todd, hike to Lake Desor
IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
– Cheese
– Baguette
– Olive spread
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Cous Cous
– Veggies
– Bullion
Day 8: Wake up in Lake Desor, hike to Windigo
IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
– Tuna
– Pita
– Mustard
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Beans
– Rice
Day 9: Wake up in Windigo, Ferry to Rock Harbor at 10:30, catch ferry home or camp again
IN PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack: (pack separate for on ferry)
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch: (separate too, should be easy and quick to eat on boat)
– Clif bar
– Nuts
– Tuna
– Pita
– Mustard
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Cous Cous
– Dried Veggies
– Bullion
Day 10: Wake up in Rock Harbor (maybe) catch ferry home around 2-3, camp at Ft. Wilkins
IN PACK/OUT OF PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
– Prepare gatorade bottle
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
– Noodles
– Dumplings (Gusterd Stew)
Dinner:
– Jerky
– Chocolate
– Dried fruit
– Protein shake
– Cous Cous
– Dried Veggies
– Bullion
– 2 4-packs of Guinness cans to party down with
Day 11: Wake up in Ft. Wilkins, drive to Bay City
OUT OF PACK
Breakfast
– Oatmeal with fruit/brown sugar
– Coffee
Snack
– Trail Mix (2)
– Clif Bar
Lunch
– Clif Bar
– Nuts
Anything beyond that will be paid for on the road.
SuppliesStuff I have
__50 feet rope to hang pack
__Camera
__Compass
__Duct tape
__Fishing Rod
__Fishing tackle
__First aid kit
__GPS
__Handkerchiefs
__Hawk
__Headlamp
__Jumbo trash bags for pack at night
__Knife
__Lighters (3)
__Matches
__Moleskin journal
__Multi-tool
__Nat Geo trail map
__Pack
__Rain gear
__Shoes slip-on
__Sleeping bag
__Sleeping pad
__Stove
__Stove fuel (3+)
__Tent
__Tin foil
__Trash bags
__Water filter
__Walking stick
Clothes/accesories
Out of pack
__3 pairs socks – regular
__3 pairs underwear
__3 beaters
__jeans
__3 t-shirts
On body
__ grey pants
__ 1 long-sleeved wicking shirt
__ socks
__ fleece
__ boots
__ beanie
__ sunglasses
__ belt
__ knife
__ hawk
In pack
__ 7 pairs hiking socks
__ 1 long-sleeved wicking shirts (buying 1 sat.)
__ 1 short-sleeved wicking shirt
__ 1 pair wicking pants
__ 4 pairs underwear
__ camo shorts
__ jacket
Food: Homemade / from home
20 servings Dried Fruit
10 servings jerky
10 scoops Protein shake
3 servings Olive spread
3 servings dried black beans
2 servings Bisquick for dumplings
4 servings Dried veggie mix for cous cous (mushrooms, peppers, onions etc.)
8 Bullion cubes
Shopping this week:
@ meijer:
ground beef for 10 sevings jerky
pencils
20+ servings dry fruit for snacks and oatmeal
10+ servings jerky meat
1 jars kalamata olives
Veggie mix to dry for 4 servings with cous cous
Shopping Friday:
@ REI:
bug spray
compass
spice carrier
mini flashlight
22 Clif bars
10 servings energy drink mix
@ Trader Joe’s
11 Almonds
11 Trail Mix x2
11 Dark Chocolate
10 Oatmeal
2 Choley
2 Noodles x2
Shopping Saturday:
@ Dunhams:
spandex pants
long sleeve spandex shirt
socks
@ Meijer:
2 Guinness 4-pack cans
Egg Beaters
Omelette stuffing
Sandwich
Hot Dogs
Buns
Baked beans
Brown sugar
10 Coffee
3 Cheese babybel x4
3 Mini Baguette
5 Minute rice
4 Tuna packet
4 Pita x2
4 Mustard packets?
4 Cous Cous
anyway… that’s it.
lovety
I just checked my Isle Royale map and counted out every mile I’ll be hiking, and over the course of 7 days (1 of rest) I’ll be hiking 48 miles.
That number both terrifies me and makes me eager to leave. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so compelled to do something yet so frightened of it at the same time. This is an awesome feeling.
I can’t focus on work. The Wings are playing for the Stanley Cup and as far as I’m concerned they do not exist.
GM does not exist.
The economy does not exist.
There is only an island and a need to be there.
After that, I have no idea.
lovety
August 20, 2008 is the first mention of Isle Royale in this blog. I know it had been kickin around in my head before then, but that date is the earliest proof.
Wow.
lovety
… down to the minute, I’d hope to be awake, full from breakfast, campsite packed up, and already on the trail leaving Daisy Farm and headed north-northwest across Isle Royale, up over the Greenstone Ridge and down into McCargoe Cove to set up camp for my second night on the island.
Day 2 is gonna be a beautiful one, and a tough one too. I guess all of them will be tough, and hell, comparitively Day 2 is probably gonna be the second-easiest (hardest to easiest, estimated by day: 5-3-4-6-2-1-7). Day 7 doesn’t really count because there’s no scheduled hiking, that’s the day I wake up in Windigo at the western tip and take the ferry ride back around to Rock Harbor, where I will camp again if I can’t catch a ferry home that day.
But back to Day 2’s beauty: It’s gonna rock. From all I’ve read, the Greenstone Ridge is the most scenic part of the island, mostly because it’s the consistently highest walking line, being right down the middle of the island. I’ll just be crossing it, but there will be a point when I hit the top that I’ll have quite a view.
The Minong’s views aren’t so sprawling and grand as the Greenstone, but to me more valuable because you’re right along the water — and you camp along the water, whereas Greenstone has you landlocked most of the way.
Anyway… a couple weeks ago a gas hand at the marina dock got me nervous when he said the rangers will be questioning me about my preparedness since I’m going solo. That got me freaked out thinking “oh no, what if I fail their little pop quiz? what if they tell me to fuck off?!” But I was comforted by a couple things — one, that I seemed to know more about the island than the guy at the Isle Royale class at REI, and two, that no matter how many preparation tipsheets and checklists I read, I have covered every base and then some. The last thing I have to do to feel 100% comfortable is to just keep brushing up on first aid skills. I remember a lot from boy scouts, and I’ve been reading on that too, but it’s just the only area where I feel like I might still need to consult the little handbook that comes with the kit on some things.
So to be prepared for this possible line of questioning, I started reading up on national park rules and regulations, just to see if anybody had put together a list of things to be prepared for. Of course, again I was grinning ear to ear when I saw that I already knew all this stuff like the back of my hand — that is until I read the sentence about some national parks not allowing solo hikers.
FUCK. OH. NO.
Quickquickquickwww.nps.org/isleroyaleohmotherfuckernononoohshitohshit… gimmeaphonenumberyoufuckingwebsiteohshitohshitohshit… okokoknumber… cellphonecellphonecellphonebeepbeepboopboopbeep…
“Isle Royale National Park, how can I help you?”
Holy shit, there’s somebody there… a human. With a phone. And a voice. Ok, breathe…
“Hi, yes I’m going to be arriving there in about 2 weeks and I just read online something about national parks not allowing solo hikers and I thought I’d better check…”
DO. NOT. FUCK. WITH ME. ANSWER FAST AND CLEAR.
“Oh yeah, we have solo hikers all the time!” I LOVE YOU. “People come up here to do it as a challenge or a spiritual thing, ya know whatever the purpose, we support that all the way.” I LOVE YOU.
Heart rate normal again. Sweat drying. Brain unfucking itself. Remember, you’re at work, do not holler in celebration.
“That’s a relief, thanks very much.”
“Huh? That’s it? Well, that was easy!”
Oh yeah, I guess this guy probably sits around all day waiting for a real person to call. Maybe I could ask more…
“Well, have you heard how the Minong is yet this year?”
“Oh yeah, I hear there’s still snow patches out there, and it’s a little wet from the slow melt goin on. We’re not expecting any big rain any time soon so probably by the time you get here it’ll still be moist, but probably pretty nice. Bugs are a little late this year they think, so you’ll probably be good there too.”
Awesome! I hadnt even considered actually CALLING these people until now. Hahaha! In my mind, I guess I had ruled out that option, as if calling were cheating or something. Like it wasn’t an adventure if you could talk to somebody who’s already there. But it really was helpful. Guy said the temps would be in the mid-to-high 40s and then probably still frost at night.
That was good to know, because I was planning for 50s and low 60s with 40s at night. So I pack warmer. I had to rush on the phone a bit because I was at work, but I plan to call one more time before I go up, probably next week, just to shoot the shit and see if they have any more helpful tips.
I’m kinda just rambling at this point.
Isle Royale is all I think about right now. I need to look back and see when I first mentioned it here…
lovety
Hecklin' bastids