Lake Superior Podcast

S5 E7: Jon Prain - "The Isle Royale Guy"

• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation • Season 5 • Episode 7

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A backpacking trip to Isle Royale heads up the Bucket List for many, but with 165 miles of trails and 36 campsites, planning a trip can be overwhelming, particularly for first-timers. Experience counts. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with veteran backpacker Jon Prain. Known as the Isle Royale Guy, (also the name of his website) he shares tips about his decades of trips to this remote island park and ways to make it an even more memorable trek.


Key Takeaways:

  •  Emphasize the value of slowing down and fully immersing oneself in the natural beauty of Isle Royale.
  •  Encourage first-time visitors to prioritize preparedness, lightweight gear, and self-rescue skills for a safe and enjoyable experience.
  •  Highlight the impact of changing weather conditions on trip planning and stress the importance of flexibility and adaptability.
  •  Discuss the spiritual connection and sense of tranquility that can be found in the remoteness of Isle Royale.
  •  Recommend early booking, gear testing, and practicing hiking skills in advance to enhance the overall backpacking experience.


Notable Quotes:

  •  "Isle Royale really is remote. You have to be ready to do self-rescue, self-first aid if something goes wrong."
  •  "Prepare for the extremes in weather and for any type of weather because it could happen no matter what the forecast said."
  •  "Every year, I get that gear out, I check it, I test it, I work with it just to make sure it's all there and it's all working."
  •  "Less is more. If you see less of the island and really spend time focusing on it, you're actually going to get more out of it."


Resources:


For more insightful discussions and expert advice on exploring the beauty of Isle Royale National Park, tune in to the full episode and discover the wonders waiting for you in this picturesque wilderness destination. Whether you're a seasoned backpacker or a first-time visitor, Jon Prain's insights and experiences offer a valuable guide for making the most of your Isle Royale adventure.

0:00:00 - (Walt Lindala): This episode brought to you by cafe Imports, Minneapolis based importers of fine specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

0:00:24 - (Frida Waara): And by the national parks of Lake Superior foundation. As a nonprofit, we rely on support from listeners like you. If you like what you hear, please consider a donation. To learn more and make a gift. Visit us@www.gosuperior.org.

0:00:54 - (Walt Lindala): Welcome to the Lake Superior podcast. I'm Walt Lindela.

0:00:57 - (Frida Waara): And I'm Frida Waara. We are made stronger by story, and there's no better source than the continent's largest body of fresh water, Lake Superior.

0:01:07 - (Walt Lindala): So join us as we highlight the five national parks that ring this greatest of the Great Lakes. Meet the people, tour the places, and learn about the projects that make these parks and body of water so remarkable.

0:01:20 - (Frida Waara): This podcast made possible with the support of the national parks of Lake Superior foundation and media brew communications.

0:01:27 - (Walt Lindala): I'm Walt Lindela.

0:01:28 - (Frida Waara): And I'm Frida Waara.

0:01:29 - (Walt Lindala): Welcome once again to the Lake Superior podcast. Today, I think we're gonna have a lot of fun here with our guest Frida. You were kind of setting this up and finding out a little bit about our guest, Jon Prain, who is a backpacker, also known as the Isle Royal guy. Tell us a little bit about what we're in for here and how you kind of came to find Jon.

0:01:46 - (Frida Waara): Well, you know, when you start talking about Lake Superior and the national parks on Lake Superior, Walt, folks always come up and say, you know, isle Royale, it's on my bucket list. And I'm saying, get that bucket going, buddy, because, you know, really what you need to think about is to go to Isle Royale, you basically have, like, the middle of April to, like, the middle of October. It's not a full calendar unless you're lucky enough to be on winter study. And then we've already talked about, that's about four people that you can.

0:02:16 - (Walt Lindala): Yeah, that's a very limited exposure. Yeah.

0:02:19 - (Frida Waara): But so you get there and you make your plans, you get your reservations, you get that brand new backpack, all those great things about the trip, but how do you really prepare? And when you get on the websites and you start looking at, especially a Facebook page, and somebody says, oh, I'm gonna hike end to end in a week. And then you're like, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh.

0:02:41 - (Jon Prain): Sure.

0:02:41 - (Frida Waara): You are you need that? Talk to somebody who's been there, done that, and now is called the Iowa guy. And that's Jon. And we're so glad to have him with us today.

0:02:52 - (Walt Lindala): Yep. Jon Prain with us here on the the podcast. Hello. Welcome to the podcast, Jon.

0:02:58 - (Jon Prain): Hey, thanks, Walt. Glad to be here. It's going to be interesting. We'll see where this goes.

0:03:02 - (Walt Lindala): Yeah, that's the way we roll with it every time, too. So, backpacker, the Isle royale guy, can you tell us a little bit about maybe your background and how you got into backpacking at Isle Royale and maybe a little bit how the Isle royal guy, you came along?

0:03:17 - (Jon Prain): Yeah, I mean, I was one of those Cub scouts and then Boy scouts. So, I mean, I started doing this stuff at about nine in various places. Always wanted to get to Isle Royal. As Frida was mentioning, it's on everybody's bucket list. And I was in my late forties. It wasn't until 2009 before I went to Isle Royale, but since that time, this next time I go will be my 20th time to the island since 2009. So I go once or twice a year.

0:03:46 - (Jon Prain): I skipped, I think 2014, it was a year I went to the Tetons, Yellowstone Cascades, had some family weddings, so I couldn't really get any more time off. But that's the only time I've missed. But other years, I've gone twice. The Isle Royal guy, I'm on a couple of the different Facebook and other groups, and I tend to comment probably too much and too lengthy. But then I was, a few years ago, I was hiking and folks would come up to me and say, you're that guy from the website, or you're the Isle royale guy.

0:04:18 - (Jon Prain): And it just, there were folks who actually, I find it interesting and weird, but there were folks who asked for autographs, there were folks posing for selfies. And it says, oh, I'm a guy who, I'm just a normal guy who comments on Facebook pages and there's folks asking for selfies.

0:04:36 - (Walt Lindala): Now I got no. Let me jump in here real quick, Jon. I got to say, you said just a normal guy, but you talk about going to Isle Royal twice a year. That's a serious, that's a serious commitment. I mean, obviously you enjoy this and there's, we'll talk about what brings you back. But twice a year or so, that's some pretty serious commitment. That's why they're recognizing you. That's why you're talking about it. But what's fun about that for you?

0:05:00 - (Jon Prain): What's fun about going to Isle Royale. For me, I find Isle Royale, you hear folks talking about their, quote, happy place, or, you know, for me, it's a place where I feel relaxed. It's a place where I feel really connected to nature, connected to God, you know, I'll just point out I am a pastor. I like seeing Lake Superior, you know. So for me to be around Lake Superior is great. I like the wildlife, you know, I love seeing the moose. I got hundreds of moose pictures that I've taken, the sunrises, the sunset. But I think for me, the biggest part, I like the relative remoteness of it. Now there's other people. There really are other people there. I'm not saying you're going totally alone, but it's not as crowded as it could be. And cell phone service doesn't work real well, if at all there, depending upon where you're at.

0:05:49 - (Jon Prain): So I'm really able to disconnect and unplug, and I think that's what keeps bringing me back. I can just get away from everything for a while.

0:05:59 - (Frida Waara): Jon, two decades. It's just fabulous to just think about all of those trips. What has changed? First of all, let's say, what's changed at Isle Royale in that time? Since 2009, we've started to get more.

0:06:14 - (Jon Prain): And more people coming there, so I think it's a bit more crowded. I think what that also does is you have to do your booking of things like your transportation months in advance. You sometimes get lucky and get in quicker. But, you know, I had my stuff booked by February and I didn't get my exact dates already. There's folks now, if you're going to be at the lodge or that, you better be talking nine to twelve months out to try to book your lodging if you're going to be at a lodge or a cabin.

0:06:44 - (Jon Prain): It's just that's, I think, how some things have changed. You know, I saw the ups and downs with the wolves especially, but also the moose. You know, when I first time I came there, I think there was something like 24 wolves on the island. And then it got down to two and then maybe less. That's a little iffy there. And then they brought in some more wolves and we've seen them start to reproduce and the numbers go up again, and then consequently, the moose population going up and down along with that.

0:07:16 - (Jon Prain): So those are some of the things I've seen change on the island.

0:07:19 - (Frida Waara): And Jon, how has those 20 visits, how has that changed you?

0:07:25 - (Jon Prain): I think when I came there the first couple of times, I was both good and bad, overwhelmed. It's a unique place. It's out there in the middle of lake Superior, and everything I was seeing was new, so it was that, oh, wow. There's still oh, wow. But it's a different kind of oh, wow the first time. It's just. You're just blown away. Now it's more like I'm coming home to a familiar place. It's a place where I feel at peace.

0:07:52 - (Jon Prain): And again, I don't have to think as hard. I've hiked all the trails on the main island a minimum of three times, some of them six, seven, eight times. So it's not a totally new experience. So I can enjoy things more, if that makes any sense. It does. I'm more familiar with it, and I'm less worried about things because there's more. You got this right. If that makes sense to folks.

0:08:20 - (Walt Lindala): It does. And I'm curious about one thing, and I'd like to talk to you a little bit more about these regular visits in a bit. But you talk about going, you know, over these last couple decades, 20 sometimes. Is there an isle royal guy's favorite way of getting there, or do you use the same way all the time, or have you tried different options with getting to the isle?

0:08:40 - (Jon Prain): I tried everything. My first trip was over on the Isle Royal queen, which is out of Copper harbor. I've gone a few times on the ranger three out of. Out of Houghton. I've taken the Voyager two and the Sea hunter three out of Grand Portage, and that's probably where I go the most. And then during the COVID year, I took the seaplanes, and I took those out of grand marais over in Minnesota. Sure. But I even remember, and I did take one trip on the winona, which was one of the earlier boats that operated out of grand Portage, Minnesota. So I've taken just about all the ways.

0:09:21 - (Jon Prain): And one time I came back with some people, even on a private boat. So that's about all the ways you can do.

0:09:26 - (Walt Lindala): You've done a lot with that. Now, getting back to. And we're talking about Jon prain here. We call him the Isle Royal guy. He's a backpacker. He's got a history with Isle Royale. You mentioned, Jon, you're a pastor, and you mentioned that this is a place that you're at peace at what is sort of the. Maybe the spiritual connection without getting into, like, hyper deep with religion, but like, getting into this kind of space that reaffirms your faith or your spirituality. And that's a real big part for the big lake for me, for a lot of people.

0:09:58 - (Walt Lindala): What is it about going to Isle Royale and being out there that helps you sort of center yourself that way?

0:10:03 - (Jon Prain): I'm going to maybe steal from a guy. I was at a conference recently, and it was at a church camp, and this guy was talking about all the generations that had been at that church camp. And he said, I can't remember his exact words, but he said, it's a special place. He said, where the barrier between humanity and God is a bit thinner and we can feel closer. And I guess for me, maybe that's it. I think we get so busy in day to day life.

0:10:30 - (Jon Prain): We got the tv on the radio, the phones ringing. I get away from all of that. I'm just able to focus on nature, on God, live in the moment. I guess. I think that's one of the biggest.

0:10:42 - (Frida Waara): Things that is spoken from somebody that really knows the depth of what that park is all about. And we're so grateful that we have those places on Lake Superior, but with 165 miles of trail and 36 campsites and really helping people understand they need to book. How do you coach first timers so that they can make the most out of their trip?

0:11:07 - (Jon Prain): It might seem, for lack of a better word, counterintuitive. But I tell folks to focus on less is more. You know, folks want to get out there. They want to go across the island in three, four days, and we're just going to see it all. But they're going so fast, they don't slow down their own pace, their own life, their own brain. It's all focused on getting to the next camp, on what to do next. And they miss things. They walk by moose, they walk by the flowers, they don't smell things. They don't take in the views.

0:11:39 - (Jon Prain): It's just rush, rush, rush. And so the first thing I say, less is more. If you see less of the island and you really spend time focusing on it, you're actually going to get more out of it. You're going to see more moose, you're going to relax more, do those things, put down your electronic device and just live in that moment and enjoy what's there.

0:12:03 - (Frida Waara): Absolutely. And they will. That sense of awe that you get every time you come around a corner or you climb up that ridge or you're in that cove and you feel like you're the last person on the planet in that special place, for sure. Is there anything else, say, the practical side of planning this trip? What else would you say to folks.

0:12:25 - (Jon Prain): Some of the practical things I tell them, it's probably going to take you longer to get from point a to point b than you plan. You know that this is different than other places you've been. You might have been to 1001 hiking spots, but Isle Royale is probably going to be different than most of them. The trails are narrower. There's lots of rocks and roots, ups and downs, watery places on the trail, muddy places on the trail, narrow boardwalks.

0:12:52 - (Jon Prain): You're going to be hiking slower than you were. Water. It might look like it's really close on the map, but if anybody's been to ISO Royale, they also know you might be just 100ft from a water source. But between you and that water source, even something the size of lake Superior might be so much undergrowth, cliffs, swamps, that you can't get to it. You really have to start the day by bringing all the water you're going to need for the day and just plan. You're not going to find any more as you hike. If you find some that you can filter and drink, great, but don't plan on it.

0:13:30 - (Jon Prain): And then the other thing I say is, don't over pack and carry so much weight that it just makes your life miserable. So I think those are some of the things I focus on, and I.

0:13:40 - (Frida Waara): Think it's really good when folks practice, you know, load that pack up ahead of time and wear those boots ahead of time, and I mean, even wear those, those shorts and that top just to see is it going to chafe when you have all those, your straps on and everything else? Is it going to be what you're going to be comfortable in? Because that's the biggest thing about just making sure that you can keep moving. You're moving under your own power.

0:14:07 - (Frida Waara): There's not anybody that's going to do the hike for you. You've got to do it on your own two legs.

0:14:13 - (Jon Prain): To add to that, folks, it kind of goes to the last question. But also going farther, Isle Royal really is remote. You know, if you don't have something, you just can't go out and get it right. You really are on your own. You have to be ready to do self rescue, self first aid if something goes wrong, you know, if you discover you don't have all your tent poles, you're not getting one. So you have to have some skills, but you also have to be prepared. So along with what you were saying, I encourage folks to do a couple of trips where they hike real miles. You know, some folks hike around the block, no if you plan on doing like 8 miles, do a couple of days back to back of eight mile hiking, using the exact same gear, trying to use the same site, same type of food.

0:14:59 - (Jon Prain): You know, there's nothing worse than getting out in the middle of aisle royal discovering all this food you bought. You don't like it or you don't know how to cook it right or so be ready and practice before you get there.

0:15:08 - (Frida Waara): Absolutely. I have. I have a story to share that we were down at hugging and cove, and we were kayaking, circumnavigating the island, and we ran into a gal and she was trying to make her butane stove work. Well, come to find out, she bought the wrong canister to match with her stove. And we had extra canisters, so we provided it for her. And she was so grateful because she wasn't going to be eating anything. Everything she had was dehydrated, so she was going to have to heat some water somehow.

0:15:36 - (Frida Waara): But she came to our tent later and she had a brownie that she had made and packed ahead. And, you know, that was really special. I think we were on the water at that point, maybe about four days. So to have a fresh brownie, it was like, no problem. You can have our propane canister. Going to really enjoy this brownie.

0:15:57 - (Walt Lindala): And, you know, here, Jon, the thing that I'm hearing, you're talking about first timers originally, but even for veteran backpackers, this really does apply, doesn't it?

0:16:06 - (Jon Prain): Oh, yeah. You know, every year, just even going similar to what I said a moment ago, I'll talk about with every year I get that gear out, I check it, I test it, I work with it just to make sure it's all there and it's all working. Because again, I don't care if it's my 20th trip, if all the parts aren't there or if it's not working, I'm still in a mess. So that's what I'd recommend. And to folks that have never even been to the island, but they've been lots of other places, I would invite them to say that. I mean, to assume and to believe that they don't know everything about Isle Royale just because they've been to lots of other parks and other hikes or other canoeing places.

0:16:48 - (Jon Prain): Isle Royal and Lake Superior are their own things. They're different. So give it the respect it needs and be prepared.

0:16:57 - (Walt Lindala): Talking with Jon Prain here today on the Lake Superior podcast. He's the Isle royal guy. He's a backpacker. We're talking about his many visits to Isle Royale, the national park, and also a little bit about what to expect there. Let's talk a little bit about Jon. In terms of when you go, do you have a favorite trail or a location? Is there a time of year? Tell me a little bit about some of the favorite elements for you when you do your visit to Isle Royale.

0:17:22 - (Jon Prain): My first blush answer is this is almost like asking a parent publicly to say who their favorite kid is.

0:17:27 - (Walt Lindala): Right, right. We understand.

0:17:30 - (Jon Prain): I like all the campgrounds and all the trails, but you know, they're all for different reasons and at different times. So I think it depends a little bit upon my day and how I'm feeling. But some of them that I like, I like the Feldman loop and the huguenot loop, which are on the Windigo or western side of the island. I really like those on the eastern side of the island. I like hiking up by Mount Franklin and Mount Ojibwe, that's on the eastern or Rock harbor side.

0:17:58 - (Jon Prain): Some of my favorite campgrounds. I like Feldman Lake, Siskwit Bay campgrounds. I like Todd harbor and little Todd harbor on the Minung Ridge trail. But I always want to give a warning when I mention the Minung Ridge trail. In my opinion, that's a trail that you really shouldn't go on unless you have some experience with Isle Royale, but also some really good experience camping and backpacking. Because it's very remote, it's very easy to get turned around.

0:18:26 - (Jon Prain): There's places where the trail just disappears or you have six moose trails there. So you really shouldn't go there as a beginner if you don't have a lot of skills. But that's where I like little Todd harbor. And Todd harbor campgrounds, not necessarily a place for everyone.

0:18:43 - (Frida Waara): How about your time of year?

0:18:46 - (Jon Prain): Time of year I've gone in June, July and August due to work schedule things. August tends to be the time I go most often. So I guess that's probably my favorite. Because of that, I tend to catch it a lot of times right at that sweet spot near the end of the month of August when folks are starting to go back to jobs and schools and colleges. But you know, it's still summer and things are open yet on the island.

0:19:15 - (Jon Prain): So it's kind of that. A little bit less crowd, but still everything open.

0:19:20 - (Walt Lindala): Talking with Jon Prain here today, who's the Isle royal guy? A backpacker talking about Isle Royale and camping and hiking and visiting it. When you go and you're packing, what particular are maybe some of your favorite pieces of gear. And one other sort of follow up on that is, is there a piece of gear that, that you like to take with you that some might say, oh, what is he taking that for? But it's a personal favorite of yours. Tell us about that.

0:19:45 - (Jon Prain): Yeah, one of the things I do is I tend to be one of those crazy ultralight or super ultra light backpackers. Not all the time, but often. So I tend to go with really light stuff. I like my current pack. It's my favorite pack that I've had in a long time. It's a gossamer gear murmur. Backpack again, gossamer gear murmur. You can configure it in different ways. That pack can weigh as little as 8oz or as much as 13oz empty.

0:20:14 - (Jon Prain): So that's a really light pack. My current stove that I'm not stove, it's in the cooking pot. It's by toques. I think I'm pronounced that correct. T o a k s. It's their 550 milliliter titanium cooking pot. It holds, you know, about two cups 2oz of water. The pot weighs 1.9oz, and if you got the lid on it, 2.6oz. I really like those small ones. They really work well for me as an ultralight backpacker.

0:20:42 - (Jon Prain): I see these folks that are alone or there's just two people and maybe you've seen them on trails. If you go out or out on the water, there's two people and they got this big ten quart cooking pot. Why take a ten quart cooking pot for two people? Keeping things small? That one works for me. Some things that other folks might think is a little frivolous. This one isn't really out there. But trekking poles or hiking stick, there's still folks who say, oh, you don't need that in my opinion. On Isle Royale, you better take trekking poles or a hiking stick.

0:21:17 - (Jon Prain): The trails are so uneven. You're on narrow boardwalks. There's lots of up and down. You might be hiking in the early morning when there's lots of cobwebs and spider webs and it's good to hold the hiking stick or trekking pole out in front of you to kind of, you know, break the way so you don't get all that in your face. So I don't think I'd go without trekking poles. And again, folks will disagree, but the National Park Service and the CDC say you should both filter the water on Isle Royale and chemically treat it or treat it with ultraviolet device I had a waterborne illness, not on but boundary waters about 44, 45 years ago.

0:22:00 - (Jon Prain): So I like to listen to the National Park Service and the CDC. I both filter my water and I treat it. And a lot of folks say, well, you don't need to treat that, you know, so.

0:22:09 - (Frida Waara): And a little bit of a warning, if you do decide to go take a dip in chicken bone lake, you may come up with leeches.

0:22:16 - (Jon Prain): Yeah, yeah. And that's another thing to mention about Isle Royale, particularly later in the summer. But sometimes we see it as early as June. There's some of the lakes, the inland lakes, not lake Superior, that get blue green algae blooms. You can't filter it out. You can't boil it out. You can't treat it to get rid of it. The water is toxic. So, yeah, you have to be ready at times to shift and adjust and carry more water than you planned. So I always bring, like, an empty container or something, you know, a flexible one that I can use if I end up discovering that the lake has an algae bloom and I have to get water from farther distance and carry a bit more.

0:22:55 - (Walt Lindala): You mentioned a waterborne illness when you were at another site, but has there been a time that maybe you've had a visit to Isle Royale that's been either waylaid by something like that, an injury, perhaps, or weather which we know can turn real quick? Anything like that?

0:23:09 - (Jon Prain): Oh, yeah. It can happen to anybody at any time because the weather at, particularly on Lake Superior, is so unpredictable. On my 2020 trip, I was delayed by roughly 24 hours. I got a call the day before, and they said, hey, your trip's not going tomorrow. It was delayed by 24 hours due to weather issues, and then at the end of that trip, same thing delayed 24 hours for me. But there were other people who had been, you know, I was at Rock harbor on the eastern end.

0:23:41 - (Jon Prain): They had already been there two days waiting before I got there. So for some of these people, it was a three day wait because of being fogged in. So you got to be prepared. And there were folks going absolutely nuts. I have to get back to my daughter's wedding. So that's another thing, I guess I'd say, don't plan things super close to the end of your trip that are very important to you, because you never know what Lake Superior is going to do.

0:24:04 - (Frida Waara): And we like to say that maybe the only month that there has not been measurable snow in the upper peninsula is August. But at Isle Royale, I bet you they have had a dusting, so always be ready for some really wide swings in temperature when that front moves in. And it can bring rain with it or fog, which for a kayaker I'd rather be in the rain than I would the fog. The fog is scary for me. But you know, just being prepared that, yeah, when you left home it was maybe high eighties.

0:24:39 - (Frida Waara): You get to Isle Royale and it could be hovering right around 40 and 40 degrees and raining can do some damage.

0:24:47 - (Jon Prain): As we talked about preparing folks, I see so many people say, well, what are the typical temperatures to prepare for? I advise people to prepare for the extremes because let's say the average overnight temp is 50 degrees. Well, if it's now 32, being prepared for 50 isn't going to help you much. So I say come prepared for the extremes in weather and for any type weather because it could happen no matter what the weather forecast said.

0:25:09 - (Frida Waara): Dry socks and a hat.

0:25:12 - (Walt Lindala): Yeah. How can people find out more about you as the Isle Royal guy and Isle Royale? I mean, your wealth of knowledge and you must have someplace that people can come and check you out because they found you and did selfies and autographs and all that. Where do they find out more about you?

0:25:27 - (Jon Prain): Yeah. Even though I'm just a normal hiker, I want to make that clear. I don't offer a guide service. I don't take money. I'm just a person who just shares my own experience. And it's, you know, it may vary for you what your experience is, but I do have my own website and it really is one word, theleroyalguy.com di o royal guy.com. but I also recommend people go to the official national park website for Isle Royal, you know, www dot nps dot gov isro.

0:26:00 - (Jon Prain): I always refer people to the official site because that's the important thing, much more than my site, which I think is really good and has lots of good stuff. But you always want the official and latest and greatest from the National Park Service.

0:26:13 - (Walt Lindala): Jon Prain with us here on the podcast Lakesbury podcast. Today he's backpacker known as the Isle Royal Guy, sharing some of his thoughts on Isle Royale National park and a visit there. Jon, I feel like there's somebody somewhere that's going to catch this podcast, somewhere on the other side of the world just listening. And you took them there in a really great way today. It's just been, it's been a chat. A pleasure having a chat with you here today. I mean, this has been great.

0:26:38 - (Frida Waara): And Jon, when are you, when are you heading over this year? What month?

0:26:42 - (Jon Prain): Well, it will be August. And the cool thing this year, my record before was 17 days, 16 nights. This year I'm going to do a 19 day, 18 night trip in August.

0:26:57 - (Frida Waara): Fabulous. Fabulous.

0:26:59 - (Walt Lindala): Wow. That is really something, Jon. It's what I've liked about our chat today is that it sounds like you really enjoy this place. It is truly important to you, but you're also willing to talk about it, which has made a great conversation with us today.

0:27:11 - (Jon Prain): Thank you very much.

0:27:13 - (Walt Lindala): Jon Brain. He's a backpacker known as the Isle Royal guy, talking about his experiences on visiting Isle Royale 20 times or so. Two decades worth of trips and freedom. Many people will never get close to that. Many will never even make one. I mean, I've never made one. And I'm from up here in this area and grew up with the ranger three in my backyard and the seaplanes and everything. But, you know, he.

0:27:36 - (Walt Lindala): Jon really kind of took us on the journey. I think he. I think he explained it clearly and eloquently that it's not, you know, just a walk in the park. Literally. It is. It is a challenge, but there are options, and we encourage people to look into Isle Royale National park.

0:27:52 - (Frida Waara): One of the things I noticed with Jon, his trips are usually June, July, August. And I would push because I've enjoyed my times there in May and also in September. Now, granted, I don't mind if it gets a little bit chili. I'm not real fond of the bug, so don't make me go there the 1 June or until solstice anyway. But the idea that what you might get as you go earlier or later in the season is it could be a little bit more lumpy on your route over there. But if you go with Tomas and you take a seaplane, that's going to be a real quick trip for you. And you might get delayed, though. That's another thing to underline, is everybody thinks, well, I've got passage.

0:28:32 - (Frida Waara): I should be able to leave this day and come home this day, be prepared, because we say it over and over. Well, Lake Superiors, the boss.

0:28:41 - (Walt Lindala): That's right. I was just going to say that in all of many of these episodes we've done over the last little while, it's just so we talk about how never take Lake Superior for granted, that it may be one thing at one moment and it could turn. And when it turns, it can be. The lake can be something fierce. You're right. Lake Superior and Isle Royale National park are the boss. If you can't get out of there, you're not getting out of there. That's just the way it's going to be. So keep that in mind. If you're interested in making that journey.

0:29:06 - (Frida Waara): Trust the decision of the people that will be, you know, captaining those boats or on the pilots on those planes. They really do know, and they're going to make that decision for your safety.

0:29:18 - (Walt Lindala): Well, let's once again thank Jon Prain, the Isle royal guy, backpacker, talking with us today. And if there's something that you would like to hear us talk about, maybe there's somebody you know out there that we should have on the podcast, you can find us through the national parks of Lake Superior foundation website. Get some information to us. We'll see what we can do. And we always want to hear from you. If you've got some ideas or you've got some reactions to this, this podcast and others that we've done, so certainly look it up through the national parks of Lake Superior foundation website.

0:29:43 - (Walt Lindala): It's all linked up here on the front end. Wherever you got this podcast, you can find the information there, but that's going to do it for us. For another edition of the Lake Superior podcast, I'm Walt Lindela.

0:29:53 - (Frida Waara): And I'm Frida Waara. Thanks for listening. The National Parks of Lake Superior foundation is the only official nonprofit, 501 c three fundraising partner of the National Park Service for all five us national park sites on Lake Superior.

0:30:11 - (Walt Lindala): To learn more about NPLSF projects and programs, you can visit the website@nplsf.org or friend them on Facebook.

0:30:20 - (Frida Waara): I'm Frida Waara.

0:30:21 - (Walt Lindala): And I'm Walt Lindela. Thanks for listening to the Lake Superior podcast.

0:30:25 - (Frida Waara): This podcast made possible with the support of the national parks of Lake Superior foundation and Media brew Communications.

0:30:32 - (Walt Lindala): This episode brought to you by cafe Imports, Minneapolis based importers of fine specialty green coffees. Independently owned and operated since 1993, Cafe Imports has been dedicated to decreasing its impact on the earth through renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and by supporting conservational efforts in places where quality coffee is grown and also where quality coffee is consumed. Where does your coffee come from?

0:30:56 - (Frida Waara): And by the national parks of Lake Superior foundation. As a nonprofit, we rely on support from listeners like you. If you like what you hear, please consider a donation. To learn more and make a gift, visit us at www.gosuperior.org.