Before my first visit to Isle Royale several years ago, which was going to be my first backpacking excursion in… an undisclosed number of years, I decided to go on a “shakedown cruise”. I went for a 3-day weekend on North Manitou Island, which was a bit closer, easier terrain, and small enough that – in case it all went horribly wrong – even at the farthest point I could just dump my pack and walk to the ranger station in a few hours. This gave me a chance to try out my new gear, make sure the old gear still worked, and remind myself of forgotten survival lessons from long ago… all before I struck out on a week-long expedition in a wilderness where there would be no easy escape/rescue. It was also something to do while I was waiting to go on the big trip.

I need a shakedown cruise for this trip. I’ve never ridden a scooter for more than 15 miles at a time, I’ve never tried packing for a trip on one, etc.

I don’t want to make this just an abbreviated version of the “real” trip, so I’m thinking of instead heading south. There are a couple state parks on the lakeshore to the south of here. One of them – Warren Dunes – is just north of the Indiana border, and about 100 miles from here, which is roughly how far I plan to go each day on the larger ride. The fact that it’s so close to Indiana also offers a bit of poetic closure: If I combine this ride with the later one, I’ll be taking in the entire Michigan/Lake Michigan shoreline, from Indiana to Wisconsin (allowing for the fact that I’ll be detouring inland in places).

The main question is when to go. It’ll be a two-day expedition, so I can do it in a weekend, without the need to take time off from the job. I could do it this weekend; most people don’t start camping before Memorial Day, so I can get into the park without any trouble. On the other hand, there’s a reason people don’t go camping in May: it’s still a bit cold. I did my North Manitou shakedown the weekend before Memorial Day, and had to contend with sub-freezing temperatures overnight. It’s a bit warmer than that this year, plus being on the mainland helps. But still. There’s also the issue that I don’t quite have all of my gear yet.

Memorial Day weekend itself is out; the park is already fully reserved. Maybe the weekend after or the one after that. But the later I do it, the nicer the weather, so the more likely I’ll have to make reservations, which adds to the cost… especially since the state inexplicably requires two-night reservations on weekends, even if you don’t plan to stay that long.