There are several aspects in which this trip is going to be “the most” of my scooter rides. That’s part of why I left this excursion for last on my tour of the state: I wanted to lead up to it.
It’s the most miles: about 200 more miles on the road than the previous longest trip. If you add in the ferry miles – both directions, across Lakes Michigan and Superior – (and the relatively few hiking miles) that’s a few hundred miles more.
It’s the most days. The longest trip I’ve done so far has been 8 days, and this will also be 8 days of riding. But there’s also three days on Isle Royale, so I’ll be spending 11 days away from home.
(That doesn’t quite match the number of days I spent on my last visit to Isle Royale in 2006. That was two days of getting to Copper Harbor and back by car, plus 10 days (9 nights) on the island. And then there were my earlier trips to Europe, which included a 6-week bicycling trip, and 4 months of touring/school. But I’m talking scooter trips here.)
It’s the most time on boats. I’ve had ferry rides on most of my big excursions, but the only long one was the red-eye across Lake Michigan. With more than 10 hours of daytime ferrying on this trip, I’m going to need to bring a book to read. 🙂
It’s the most gear I’ve packed. More days means more clothes. (I do laundry halfway through, but it’s still another set to bring.) And the combo of biking and hiking means more stuff to bring along for the trail.
It’s the most expensive. Those additional days of food and lodging, and especially the four ferry rides, add up to a few hundred bucks more than I spent on the most expensive prior trip.
It’s the most rustic. The UP is sparsely populated, and this is the least-populated part of it. On a couple days, I’ll have exactly one option for where I can refuel. Furthermore, more than half of my campsites will be in campgrounds without electricity, and with limited (or no) plumbing.
It’s the most challenging terrain. I’ve been through areas with lots of hills, but these will be the first mountains, requiring me to chart my route carefully to deal with them.
Subjectively the first ride was “hardest”, since I’d never really done anything quite like it, and had to figure out what I was doing as I went. But objectively, it’s this one. Am I nervous? Of course I’m nervous. I’ve been nervous about every single one of these trips. After all, I’m a cautious, stay-at-home kinda guy by nature.
Which is why I do it.