Isle Royale 5 Day Self Contained Hike
Honoring my incredible wife, Laken Ray Stoliker
Laken (my wife) and I did a 5 day 4 night self contained hike on Isle Royale. Please take a look at the video to get a feeling for the incredible experience.
I want to first thank Laken, Dan Wyant, and Chicken Trampers (Austin & Nathan) for putting together this once in a lifetime experience.
For anyone that knows me well, they know I’m not a big fan of camping. This trip was very “year of the opposite” for me!
There’s something humbling about standing on a remote island, without electricity or cell service, knowing that everything you need for the next five days is on your back and medical assistance is a 1-4 hour plane ride away.
Isle Royale is one of the least visited national parks. Fewer people set foot on it than reach the summit of Everest.
We hiked about 40 miles over 5 days We hiked ~8 miles a day at a pace of 50 minutes per mile. We would generally start hiking about 7:30am, stop to gather and filter our water at around 10am, make our lunch around 1pm and then find a place to setup camp at about 6pm.
We would setup camp, make dinner, and generally be in bed by about 8pm. Except when the wolves kept us awake as they ate a moose and celebrated loudly.
Laken did an absolutely amazing job. She impressed me so much. Laken was carrying a 40lb pack on her back that included all of her supplies. That represents about 30% of her weight! My pack was only about 22% of my body weight.
Laken never complained or got scared. She powered through the entire 40 miles. The leeches in the water didn’t scare her. Nor did drinking filtered water from a dirty pond.
Laken was in great spirits—she thrives in these environments. She loves a challenge, and this trip was certainly that. I won’t lie; there were moments when my own pack felt heavier than expected, when I started to wonder if we had overpacked the essentials. But every time I looked over at Laken, I found strength in her energy. She was determined, focused, and full of life. She was loving every step, and that made it impossible for me not to love it too.
The trail was rugged, and there were moments where we just had to laugh at the absurdity of it all—like when foxes kept trying to get at our food or when the mountain house food would be soggy but also crunchy. An odd paradox. But despite the small hardships, there was something liberating about stripping life down to the basics: food, water, shelter, and each other.
Bonding in the Wild
Our group of 8 quickly fell into a rhythm. We didn’t all know each other well when we first started, but something happens when you’re out in the wilderness, carrying everything you need on your back. The shared struggle binds you in ways that polite conversation over dinner never could.
By the time we hit West Chicken Bone, we had hiked nearly 20 miles over two days, and exhaustion was setting in. That night, as we sat around the campfire, the conversations turned deep. There’s something about the simplicity of a fire in the middle of nowhere that strips away the surface-level stuff.
Dan started a game where we each asked questions about life, love, and what keeps us up at night. People cried. People opened up about things they hadn’t shared before. The walls came down because out there, in the middle of a wilderness we couldn’t control, we were all just trying to make it through together.
I realized that we weren’t just carrying our own packs. We were carrying each other. When someone was struggling, the group rallied around them.
When Laken and I got separated from the others, it was a reminder that even in the hardest moments, we weren’t alone. And when we reached a camp with clear waters and a perfect swimming spot, it felt like the world was rewarding us for all the effort we’d put in.
Lightening the Load
The physical journey was exhausting, but it was the emotional weight that I started to let go of as we went. On the third day, we had a shorter hike—just 3 miles—and it was exactly what we needed.
We set up camp early, jumped in the bay of Lake Superior, and finally had some time to just be. We swam, laughed, and Dan even stole some kayaks for a bit of fun. That night, around the fire again, the conversation turned inward. I asked Madhu ‘what she loved about herself and why.’ These weren’t the kinds of questions we ask each other in day-to-day life, but out here, they felt necessary.
We bonded over shared stories, over mistakes made and lessons learned. I learned that this trip wasn’t just about surviving in the wilderness. It was about surviving life’s challenges together. That’s where the real weight lies—not in the gear, but in the relationships, the unspoken burdens we carry in our marriages, friendships, and families. And that night, I felt lighter. I think we all did.
The Strength of Connection
As we neared the end of the trip, we had hiked more than 40 miles. I was physically spent, but mentally, something had shifted. Laken and I didn’t have the perfect trip. We had moments where we clashed, where we saw things differently. But in the end, the trip wasn’t about perfection. It was about doing something hard and beautiful together.
There’s something powerful about being out in the wild, about facing down challenges you didn’t expect, and realizing that you have everything you need—not just in your pack, but in the people beside you.
The hike was hard, yes, but it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Not just because of the miles we covered, but because of the way it brought Laken and me, and the entire group, closer.
In the end, we don’t just carry our own weight. We carry each other. And that’s what makes the journey worthwhile.
Laken was carrying the ashes of her cousin Tyler. It was a very special experience to share it with Tyler. But I will let Laken decide what she would like to share about that. It doesn’t feel like my place to share.
Right now I am on my way to my next adventure. The Ragnar relay race 200 miles from Traverse City to Muskegon. I am running about 20 miles of it. I’ll have a full report for you next week!
Travis, sounds like an incredible adventure! The challenge of hiking 40 miles over five days, especially in such a remote and rugged place, must have been both humbling and rewarding. I can only imagine how that shared experience deepened your bond with Laken and your group. What an inspiring journey!