Wise Old (Wo)Man Guides Plan Four Excursions We are open for reservations for 2024 with one Chippewa Harbor, one Greenstone Ridge, one Daisy Farm Loop, and one Minong Ridge excursion on the books for 2024. The Chippewa Harbor excursion is scheduled for the 14th to the 20th of June 2024. We are at a hotelContinue reading “What’s Available for 2024?”
Category Archives: Women Hikers
Why Do I Share Backpacking?
When I think about how I want to spend my sixties and seventies and after, it is certainly not sitting behind a desk or in a physician’s office getting diagnoses and medical treatments to ward off the results of sitting too much. Of course, maintaining health into one’s senior years does require addressing issues toContinue reading “Why Do I Share Backpacking?”
Moose, Wolf, and Other Views
Of Backpacking Isle Royale through the Lens of Another’s Eyes From the 9th through the 15 of September, Michelle, Duane, and I backpacked Isle Royale to some new realizations. As with all hikes, Duane and I had expectations and routines, but each person who hikes with us offers new insights simply because of their uniqueContinue reading “Moose, Wolf, and Other Views”
Women Rocking the Hike
Isle Royale in a Cool Late August Hiking Isle Royale is a great experience at any time of year, but Lara, Jennifer, and I had an exquisite experience with the cool weather in late August this year. We arrived on the Queen IV at Rock Harbor, caught a hop on the Voyageur II to ChippewaContinue reading “Women Rocking the Hike”
What Our Guides Do for You
From Start to Finish How does one get started backpacking? Duane always says, “just book a boat.” Yes, just book a boat. If you need more help, book a guide. Then buy a backpack and a good pair of boots. When you book with Wise Old Man of Isle Royale Guide Services, we match youContinue reading “What Our Guides Do for You”
Women Breaking Out
on Isle Royale National Park In 2022, I set out to prove that women can solo the Minong and senior women can, too. For a long time, the Minong Ridge Trail has been my favorite trail on the island, partly because of its mystique, but also because of its terrain. Only 10 days prior toContinue reading “Women Breaking Out”
Getting Lost on Isle Royale
To Sit, or Swim, or Think When I have had a particularly engaged year with too much work which comes with great satisfaction from the devotion of too much energy to the success of others, I stop. I simply stop. At summer, I stop. Some say, “to smell the roses.” But that’s not what IContinue reading “Getting Lost on Isle Royale”
Too Old to Hike? Probably Not
4 Considerations for Senior Hikers on Isle Royale Isle Royale is a great place to hike and backpack, and it’s not only for the young. Backpacking is about endurance and preparation, not speed. Our national parks are for all of us, seniors included. You should check with your healthcare provider to make sure you areContinue reading “Too Old to Hike? Probably Not”
Why Hike Isle Royale?
It does something for each of us. We all have our reasons. Many people hike Isle Royale as part of their plans to visit every US National Park. Others run the trails because it is their way to experience the outdoors. Yet others want to get away and experience the rugged off-trail backcountry experience. IContinue reading “Why Hike Isle Royale?”
Are the Bugs Bad in . . . ?
On Isle Royale Maybe it’s buggy in June. Maybe not. In the earliest parts of June, it’s not likely to be buggy, but as the season progresses and the weather warms, the breeding season for mosquitoes and other bugs comes into full swing. Are the bugs bad in July? June, September, August? Everyone asks thisContinue reading “Are the Bugs Bad in . . . ?”
To Solo or not to Solo
What’s the difference? The choice of going it alone or going with friends or a guide is one that requires some thought, one that has consequences for all of the choices you make when you set out on an adventure. Last year, I hiked the Minong Ridge Trail twice in the same season, once aloneContinue reading “To Solo or not to Solo”
Let’s Do the Greenstone Ridge Trail!
While there are any number of opportunities to use the Greenstone Ridge Trail to get to other points on the island, for example out to Chippewa Harbor or toward Lane Cove or Malone Bay, it is the primary means to hike the length of the island. It also provides an exit from the Minong Ridge Trail for those who choose to go from Todd Harbor to Hatchet Lake, instead of going to Little Todd or North Desor.
Women in the Backcountry of Isle Royale
When women contemplate hiking and backpacking, they have obstacles to overcome, a lot of social conditioning that impresses on women to fear being attacked. Social media reinforces those fears. Well-meaning ideas about keeping sister, mom, or daughter safe can heighten the obstacles. Beyond that, we develop self-doubts because we are so often told what weContinue reading “Women in the Backcountry of Isle Royale”
Hiking a Tough Trail with Old Friends
I love a tough trail. When I hike, I’m in my own mental space. I like the sound of my own breath and the reflective effort it takes to navigate a tough trail. My core motivation for hiking has something to do with absorbing the ambiance of the forest, or the waterfront, or cliff edgeContinue reading “Hiking a Tough Trail with Old Friends”
More on Women & Safety on IRNP
My dear friend charged me with having avoided the core topic of the post, “On Women, Safety, and Hiking Isle Royale,” a point that may well be true. So how does the potential for rape or violence against women impact hiking Isle Royale? After all, this is the central issue voiced in the responses to my first post on women solo hikers to which my follow-up intended to respond.
On Women, Safety, & Hiking Isle Royale
Since I began talking about women’s solo hiking and women hiking on Isle Royale, I received a lot of feedback, some heated and some not. The heated responses invite me to develop thoughts on people, including women, staying safe while hiking Isle Royale. This past summer as I was returning from my Minong Ridge TrailContinue reading “On Women, Safety, & Hiking Isle Royale”
Why Women Would (Not) Hike
I work with a lot of women who are really fearless. They reach across to students who struggle with self confidence and they give them what they need to feel good about themselves. They coddle, nurture, push, support, chide, encourage, engage, and whatever else is necessary to ensure that the students develop the prowess theyContinue reading “Why Women Would (Not) Hike”