I was just going to post a thread about IR so I'm glad there's already info here.

My girlfriend and I went to BWCA this past summer and had fun, and have picked out IR as our next destination, although I think we will just hike.  We'll probably be going back to bwcaw later in teh summer but were hoping to make an early summer trip to IR.

I think we'd be up for the Minong Ridge trail, it sounds more attractive to us (me) due to less people and more rugged conditions/wildlife.  It also has a bit of draw because my parents went on their honeymoon there and I've been curious about the island since I've heard stories my whole life.  Apparently mom got pretty dehydrated/sick - dad says she drank wolf pee.  The truth is somewhere in the middle but its funny to hear.

I picked up the book by Jim DuFresne and its got great information.  

Do you plan the trip out ahead of time, or when you get on the island?  What is a good amount of days to plan on for the Minong trail - somewhere in teh week range would work well.  It looks like there are options for different start/finish points to adjust the length of travel.

This book references a really good map - is it comparable to a fisher or mckenzie map?

Thanks guys!
Jay