Hey Reader
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We don't always plan this far ahead. But when a trip requires a floatplane and you've got a pack of wolves to deal with... you plan ahead.
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We have two very distinct ways of planning a National Park trip. And this one is firmly in category one (but with way less time).

Option one: We spend two-plus years planning, coordinating, and obsessing over every detail to pull off something like our trip to Katmai National Park in Alaska where we organized a trip for 15 people to a remote corner of Alaska to watch Grizzly Bears fish for salmon. It was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives and required an almost embarrassing amount of spreadsheets.

Option two: We spend an hour or two scrolling Instagram, get the basics down, stop by the Park Ranger station for their suggestions, and just go explore for a day or two. Looking at you Petrified Forest and White Sands.

This trip is much more like option one.

We got invited by our good friends Adam and Kathryn (@AdventuresOfAPlusK) and Jen and Elliot (@SchoAndJo) to spend 5+ nights on Isle Royale National Park this summer.

If you're not familiar, Isle Royale is considered the most remote National Park in the lower 48. It sits on the northwest side of Lake Superior, just a few miles from the Canadian border.

The park covers 850 square miles, 99% of which is federally designated wilderness, with 165 miles of hiking trails, 36 campgrounds, historic lighthouses, shipwrecks, ancient copper mining sites, and abundant wildlife.

Oh, and it's only accessible by boat or floatplane. Which we are still trying to figure out the best choice!

It's as remote as it gets, primitive wilderness surrounded by crystal-clear waters. And we are backpacking it.

Us. Backpacking. lol.

Adam, Kathryn, Jen, and Elliot are basically professional backpackers. Joey backpacked a few times in high school. That is the full extent of our experience. So naturally, we have a few questions we're still working through:

• 🎒 Are two 55L backpacks big enough for a 6 night trip?
• 🐻 What's a good bear vault? Are two smaller vaults better than one?
• 🍲 How much food should we bring? What are the best backpacking meals?
• 👕 What's the right amount of clothes to bring? Is there a calculator?
• 🥾 Katie is usually rocking leggings on a hike... what's a pant option?
• 🩲 How many pairs of underwear do I bring? We landed on 40. Joe thinks 50 because of his stomach issues.
• 🚽 How do we do number 2 in the woods?
• 🚿 Is it basically agreed upon that everyone is just gonna smell?
• 🤔 We are sure there will be more along the way!

Here's what we have so far:

• 🎒 REI Flash 55 Backpack​
• ⛺ REI Half Dome 2 Tent​
• 🔥 JetBoil​
• 📡 Garmin inReach Mini 2​
• 🔧 Leatherman Multi-Tool​
• 👟 Altra Running and HOKA Trail Shoes
• 🛒 ...and a few other things from our years of van life

We put together a Rock Porch Locker called "Beginner Backpacking Essentials" with everything we're bringing and everything we're learning about along the way.
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​➡️ You can find the full list here​

And if you have advice, real advice, not just "embrace the journey," we want to hear it.

Hit reply and tell us everything, or head over to our Instagram Reel and drop it in the comments. We are genuinely, desperately asking.

More Isle Royale content (and National Park content) coming this summer.

Thank you for being part of our journey!
- Katie and Joe

p.s. did I mention there are wolves and moose on Isle Royale!!

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