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  1. #1
    Senior Member
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    Tough Trail up North in Upper Lower Michigan . Pic Heavy

    Fourteen guys showed up to camp in the snow and rain and wind and cold and sunshine and wintry mix . I anticipated about half that many after the rain was forecast . That trail sure looked easier on paper . I really did not want to use snowshoes but about a hundred yards down the trail I soon learned that one , don't wear a pack if you're trying to not break throught the crust and two wear snow shoes if you're trying to not break throught the crust .
    Next year we decided that Carp lake in about a mile is really a beautiful spot too .
    I know , I know the hikers among us are wondering " what's the big deal "
    Really if you can get to camp in an hour or less that gives you plenty of time to do day hikes or fish or whatever .

    There is just another dimension to winter camping that is hard to explain . The snow can make a ghetto look presentable and a woods look like a fairy land . Sure there is an element of macho " hey I can survive anywhere man " but there's a lot more to it then that .

    Every creature that moves in the winter tells you a story in the snow and once you get your gear dialed in I swear you can sleep outside in the winter like you never slept before . If you could just get a 12 hour bladded somewhere it would be perfect .



    Headed north past the shanty towns to Huron Natl. Forest . About 35 miles east of Grayling .

    Found a hilly crusty trail back to the campsight .

    Lonetracker and Donk hiking down the trail . Just one of Donks trips, man he likes to hike .

    Doesn't look that steep you say . Try hauling a 70 pound pulk up it with snowshoes .






    About half the group on a rainy Sat morn . This was before we rolled the fire ring down the hill and built a decent fire . ( Yes we put it back )
    Last edited by riverjoe; 01-13-2014 at 23:45.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Feb 2013
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    Axes versus saws . Josh , Lonetracker , TZ Brown and RT


    Joshes budget setup

    Mr LCVs tent had about an inch of water flowing thru it . Lucky he had a long sled to take shelter on .
    Hmmm how about a hammock ?

    Lonetracker and TZ Brown set up in the Balsams . True North men these two .


    Last edited by riverjoe; 01-13-2014 at 01:18.

  3. #3
    Senior Member
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    Taser inovates a stake .

    Mr LCV sympathizes with a fallen comrad

    Fire

    and plastic pants .Bad mix . The duct tape seems to be holding up well however .

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    Feb 2013
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    N.E. Indiana
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    Riverjoes stealthy camp .


    The stew that would not die about to be violated by about six pounds of beans


    Riding out on the pulk .

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    Do you believe 3 club has his tarp and insulated hammock in these snake skins . Impressive .

    View from riverjoes hammock

    Lookers handiwork . He loves to make stuff ,and is an excellent craftsman .He sells those knives and sheaths BTW .



    View of Byron Lake



    TZ Brown doubles back and pushes the grumpy old man up the hills . Again thanks a million to Lonetracker and TZ Brown for all their help .

    The lookers definitely don't want to overheat .

    Last edited by riverjoe; 01-13-2014 at 10:34.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Squirrel bait's Avatar
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    Nov 2013
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    Gaylord, MI
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    Looks like it was a great trip. Great pictures and report made it feel like I made it.
    Life has no remote. Get up and change it yourself!

  7. #7
    Senior Member 3club's Avatar
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    Battle Creek, MI
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    Pre-trip report: Thursday morning, my automotive misadventures continued when my car got hung up on either the frame and/or axle. Crawling out the passenger door to dig myself out, I broke my mirror. Seven years bad luck? Nah, I'm not superstitious.

    Heading north from Jackson in an attempt to beat the bad weather, since my windshield wipers weren't working, it snowed on me. Fortunately, it was cold enough that it didn't stick to the windshield.

    Trip report: I finally arrived at the parking lot in the wee hours of the morning. Mark had already arrived, and I was able to follow his tracks. Even at temps about 25 degrees below freezing, it was a warm hike in the dark, bare hands, no jacket. But there was no wind at all, a dead calm. The snow was soft and powdery, light and quiet. The hills, slight as they were, were more than enough in the deep snow to keep the heart rate elevated.

    1.5 miles was the hike to our first, temporary campsite. By the time I was all set up and in bed, it was about 4AM.

    Going to bed immediately after a long aerobic workout, in single digit temps, with only my summer hammock and an old Slumberjack 40 degree sleeping bag, made for a cold and clammy night. My aerobic workout continued as I shivered to stay warm throughout the silent night, dozing briefly now and again.

    It was about 11AM Friday when I finally emerged from my frosty cocoon to meet my new trail-breaking friend Mark, who had also hiked in the dark a few hours before me. We ventured forth to find a new site more suitable to the fair sized group we were expecting. Such did we find about a half mile further in, on the north side of Byron Lake, a hilltop campsite with enough open area for the congregating of many new friends.

    The short hike back to retrieve our gear seemed like five miles. After a short breakfast, we packed up and relocated to the new site.

    It was about mid-afternoon when the others began to roll in, many new faces, and a couple familiar ones. The temperatures climbed quickly throughout the day and into the evening, and the cold, fluffy snow turned warm and wet, and the rain came, but the hearty adventurers stayed gathered around the fire, and began what would become the ever-changing pot of goodness, starting from humble snow, and then with the addition of a little of this and a lot of that, became a soup of many ingredients, delicious and warm.

    The rain continued, and one by one, we each turned in. The pitter-patter of raindrops on the tarp was a pleasant sound off and on throughout the night, and yet forbidding, making me appreciate even the dampness of my sleeping bag to the wet world outside. But eventually the Saturday dawn brought back the sound of voices, and I pulled myself out of my hammock and up to the hilltop, where Tom had strung a spacious tarp to shelter many fellow campers from the seldom ceasing precipitation that would otherwise have driven me back to the less damp confines of my hammock.

    The day continued with occasional firewood gathering during the brief respites from the rain, which eventually turned to snow, and the continued evolving of the soup into stew. Sadly, no one had told me not to bring any food, and I was torn between the community feast and my own supplies, for we all shared the same thought: get rid of our own food so we don't have to carry it back out. Much food was shared, but I couldn't find any takers for my habenero ghost cheese.

    The rain and snow finally came to and end, and the drying of mittens and socks and water-logged boots began, which also led to the melting of pants. But the merrymaking continued into the night, of which I recall but a little, and eventually I retired to my hammock for the best sleep of the weekend, for although the temperatures fell back down into the lower twenties, I was dry and warm and happy.

    I awoke Sunday morning well rested, and already the breakfast stew which began on Friday was simmering again. But soon one and then another began packing up and heading out, back to the parking lot. I left around noon, and the trail back was now heavily traveled and soggy, but my pack was light, and though I moved slowly, the hike did not take long. My GPS measured it at about 1.7 miles.

    Back in my car, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that my windshield wipers had fixed themselves, presumably thawing out from our January heat wave. But to my second and less pleasant surprise, I found scrapings of plastic around my coffee mug, and also a large hole in my bag of Doritos. While I had been living in the woods with nature, nature had taken up residence in my car for the weekend, and chewed on my coffee mug and ate my food.

    Post-trip conclusions: It's always nice to meet new people, and to see again friends from past trips. The weather was less than ideal, and indeed I'm disappointed that we didn't take a long day hike. The Hoist Lakes area can be a very scenic place in other conditions. Still, it was an enjoyable trip, and I look forward to our next meeting.

  8. #8
    Senior Member TZBrown's Avatar
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    Very good reports

    I have a bunch of stuff to do to get ready to leave early Wed AM but will try to get the video edited and up.

    I had a great time with a lot of great folks and sure hope we can all do it again
    Life's A Journey
    It's not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body,
    But rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting,
    Woo Hoo!....What a Ride!

    My PHOTOS

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  9. #9
    New Member Mr.LCV's Avatar
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    I won't be in a tent next time Joe!

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    Awesome report, the pics look fantastic.
    "yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift---thats why its called a present" - Master Oogway
    It's always best if your an early riser!

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