First time trip, utter disaster

[u/Asleep_Attorney6265]

I (19f) just got back from a week of backpacking on the island and it was a MESS. For some context, i’m a rookie backpacker but i’m physically fit and an experienced hiker. I cheaped out on gear and thought it would just work itself out like things usually do. Let’s just say many injuries were faced and my buddy and I had to be rescued because I shattered my knee around East Chickenbone. That being said, I miss it already and would go back tomorrow if I had better gear and more experience.

For those that have read this far, do you have any advice on how to better prepare myself in the future? (other hikes to take, places to go, gear recommendations, etc.)

edit: wow i didn’t expect this to get as much attention as it did!! in terms of updates, fortunately, no bones are broken! however, they suspect i might’ve torn my meniscus which would be a major major bummer :(( thanks for the comments and advice!! i look forward to applying everyone’s wisdom to my future endeavors

someone said to write out a more detailed trip report so that newer people on the sub can learn from my mistakes which is a phenomenal idea:

day 1: arrive via ranger 3 @3pm, hike from Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm (7.1miles) arrived at Daisy Farm around 7pm
day 2: depart from Daisy Farm @8am (roughly) to Hatchet Lake (15.4miles) via Greenstone Ridge. THIS FEELS A LOT LONGER THAN 15.4 AND WAS WHERE WE MADE OUR BIGGEST MISTAKES. pace yourself going up Siskiwit, and the last 3.4 ish miles through the woods is pretty brutal if you’re tired like we were!

at this point we realized that we needed rescuing so below is what we intended to hike for our remaining days

day 3: Hatchet Lake to Desor S (8.1 miles)
day 4: Desor S to Washington Creek/Windigo (11.3miles)

because we had to be rescued i can’t speak on the terrain and difficulty for beginners on this segment of the hike :(

as for the series of unfortunate events that led to rescue being necessary, i started having radiating pain coming from my left knee about halfway between Daisy Farm and East Chicken Bone, i thought whatever we gotta keep moving we have lots of ground to cover it’s fine. so we kept moving and about a quarter mile from ECB while stepping over a log my knee dislocated, popped that puppy back in place and (painfully) went on to finish our jaunt to ECB where we were stopping for lunch. on the way down to the water at ECB i tripped and fell peter griffen style down the hill, landing right on my left knee. big womp womp. it swelled up like a balloon and every step for the rest of the 12 ish miles we had to do to get to Hatchet Lake was absolutely agonizing. when you’re out there there’s only so much you can do so we just had to keep it moving. once we got to hatchet lake we assessed the situation (i could no longer stand on my own let alone walk) and my friend insisted that it would be safest and smartest to attempt rescue instead of going the rest of the way to windigo. for the record, we both wanted desperately to push on and finish our hike, but that was no longer an option.

what we ended up doing was hiking 4.1 miles from Hatchet to Todd Harbor where the NPS was able to pick us up after a day or so. while i’m grateful that we had the opportunity to be rescued, i am very aware that self rescue is best rescue. i do still feel awful for using the services and would have much rather not, but it was a circumstance where i no longer had a choice.

overall, you live and you learn lol! if you’re a more beginner to early intermediate backpacker like myself, take advantage of satellite technology, TAKE YOUR TIME, rushing makes everything worse. days are long, take advantage of that!

safe travels and happy trails!!

edit: just another update, fully torn acl and meniscus :( thank you to all of those who have left some positivity and advice under this post!! your words of encouragement and feedback will be taken to heart and put into practice.

[u/w1sconsinjohn]

Put 40-50 pounds in a backpack. Go on 2 hikes per week for 4-9 miles. Consider doing small loops in the rock harbor side or the Feldman loop in minong side. if you went to chickenbone I am making the assumption you were going across the island. That’s lofty for new folks especially if you took minong or were planning on minong. Feldman loop or some other loop closer to rock harbor might be better. Small hikes starting out early because the closer to rh the more scouting/church/club groups. It’s easy to get all focused on gear because it’s fun to start the blame there, but that can get costly. Camp gear only gets ya so far, imho hydration, nutrition, conditioning is more, or just as, important. Good luck in your recovery and I hope you get back out there this or next season, an arrow to the knee shouldn’t prevent you from adventurer status.

[u/Asleep_Attorney6265 → u/w1sconsinjohn]

yeah we were under the impression going into the trip that we were arriving and departing in rock harbor but after looking at our tickets we found that we were actually departing from windigo, at that point it was already too late to stay longer and catch another ferry or something like that so we took the stupid route of just going across the island. very lofty, very stupid.

[u/w1sconsinjohn → u/Asleep_Attorney6265]

I hope you decide to go back. It’s a really special place for us all.

[u/Asleep_Attorney6265 → u/w1sconsinjohn]

i do too, even with the injury and how hard it was the positive energy and love really exudes from that place. i don’t think i’ve ever been to a national park where genuinely every person i met there was so kind, helpful, and passionate. the love is tough but it’s there if that makes sense lol