Crazy Mikes Trip Report.

“hey mike that was the 500th post on this thread! thats amazing!”

“Cool!


8)”

“Mike - Did you get a chance to try the stove and stand/windscreen on this trip in the woods?
Hope it worked OK for you. I liked it.”

“he was so happy with it he was forcing it on others to use”

“Ya it is the best stove set up I have ever had!!!!


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“Glad you had a good time! I enjoyed my weekend and played hard. Thanks for taking time to let us know whatcha beein doing!

:-)”

“Glad the knee is better! What are the temps like now?”

“No problem Danababy....8)


Tango ya the knee is at 70% and the temps are now just starting to get better.


Its next weekend that I am looking forward to the most.

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“Why? What's next weekend?”

“PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE 42 MILES OF BACKPACKING!!!!!


OH YA!!!!!!

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“Well as it turns out I was the only one in the club to go backpacking this weekend at Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness.I got to the Trailhead at 1 pm and you could not ask for a better day.There were no clouds in the sky and there was a very nice strong breeze in the air.I started out on the Loop Trail that goes around the Wilderness Area for a few miles.All along this part of the trail is nice smells of pine trees and nice plant life.I have always liked the fact that when you backpack this trail system you are always on dunes some as old as 5000 years and mixed forests.As I got to the main turnoff of the trail I thought it would be great to keep hiking along the beach.As I left the forest and made my way to the lake there was a very good chop to the lake and the waves were crashing along the shoreline.I saw gulls danceing in the air and I saw a bunch of them fighting over a dead fish that washed up on to the shore.Well after about 4 miles of hiking on the beach I started looking for a place to set up camp.I found a nice spot about 500 ft from the lake by some small pine trees and bushes.After setting up camp I ate dinner and smoked my pipe with some good golden cavendish which tasted very good after dinner.Soon I headed down to the beach to watch the sun set and it did not disapoint.The sun looked like a hugh orange flower as it got near the horizen.As soon as it got dark I was treated to a very stary night.It was clear as a bell and the stars seemed so close but yet so far.The moon too was also putting on a show it was comming up from the West and 3/4 full.It had a nice cream color to it and it made the night compleat.Soon after that I had got into my bivy and gone to sleep.Today when I got up it was just like yesterday clear blue sky and a nice breeze.The lake was calm today and there were lots of boats out much farther away from shore more then likely fishing.It felt good to do a solo trip again it has been awhile and it gave me a little bit of time to do some thining about some things and a little bit of me time.


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“Were there loads of people there Mike? Everytime we head out there in the summer it's packed. Can't think of a better place to watch sunsets, they're always spectacular there.”

“Ya but there more people out on the lake fishing though.I did not find it hard to find a great place to set up camp.By the way you are right about the sunsets man the sun looked as big as I have ever seend it and dumbass me forgot film.

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“Cool CM. I did not hike near a beach yet.

so, you smoked a pipe?? what kind a pipe?”

“The kind that you smoke Pipe Tobacco in.

Not the other stuff!

I had some very good Aromatic Black & Golden Cavendish it smelled and tasted very good.

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“I also forgot to say there were NO BUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!


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“Thanks for sharing it. It sounds like you had a fine weekend. I love the smell of pipe tobacco. My Paw smoked one when I was a little girl. He has to quit smoking now. Bad heart. Hope your week is a fantastic one!”

“Thank you Danababy!!!!!


Ya I love to smoke a pipe and cigars but I do not inhale becuase of how much I hike!


8)”

“cool trip report CMB! Is it starting to get chilly yet?”

“No but it is slowly!!!!!


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“Good trip report, makes me very jeolous! Theres nohing better then a beach sunset. I was unaware you even had dunes and big beaches where you live since you have no ocean.
And mike make sure it stays warm, if im there in october i'll probebly freeze my butt off if its less then 80 degrees warm there (I am a californian after all) :)”

“You will be just fine Free.


8)

If we have time we can check out the Wilderness where I just was this weekend.”

“Nice report Mike. Did you take pictures of the lake at sunset?”

“No I forgot to bring film.



8(”

“Wait a minute...the moon was coming up from the west? I don't think that was tobacco you had there!”

“LMAO Partying solo were you?”

“Nice report Mike. I dabbled with a Tobacco Pipe in college and really enjoyed cool nights with the fragrant aroma that reminded me of my Grandfather. Hmm - an interesting addition to a weekend trip.

How are you liking bivy camping? Have you had any really bad buggy or rainy trips to really test it? Do you take a little tarp for bad rain?”

“I like my bivy alot I tested it in the yard with the water hose full blast and it was as dry as a bone.


Free I did not even bring any scotch this trip.

Treebait I think it was the West I could be wrong.

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“you are one pimp dood. ready for arkyland again?”

“I bought a bivy last spring - I really like it too. It's nice to be able to look up and see the stars at night, and it's warmer than a tent.”

“Strat 2004 maby spring?


Ya Wingding0 I am looking forward to using it in the winter too see how much warmer it keeps me.


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“Mail's in! Got it, Mike. You are the man. You are pimp. Thanks so much!!”

“No problem!


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“Solo trips are nice! I haven't done one yet this year. Someone always wants to go so I've had company every trip this season.”

“i did a solo and loved it. plenty of time to think...or not think....it's your choice. that's what i liked a bout it. i could truely relax cuz my boys weren't with me. i could turn my radar off.

mike, sounds great...bring stickmon with you, he doesn't liek me anymore because of my republican rhetoric and my hairy elbows.....”

“It was nice to get out on the trail solo for a change!


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“CMB, anyone ever tell you -

YOUS ONE CRAZY DUDE!!!!!!!!

B~]”

“Ya all the time!


8)”

“Solo trips can be cool, or they can rock your brain.

You Decide!”

“Solo trips can suck, especially if you do not have a book to read or if you fall down and can't get up!”

“I guess if you fell down and could not get I think you should get one of those Life Alert Rist Bands!!!!

8P”

“I guess if you fell down and could not get I think you should get one of those Life Alert Rist Bands!!!!

8P”

“Hello TT'ers what is going on?Well I hope lots of you got to go backpacking this weekend becuase the weather was the bomb this weekend as me and 3 other people did the Grubb Ridge Loop Trail in Charles Deam Wilderness.


Saturday.

We all meet at the East Blackwell TrailHead for the Grubb Ridge Trail at 11 am.Once on the trail this part of the Deam goes throught mixed forests of pine,sycamore,oak's and evergreen trees.It was nice to be backpacking again becuase I did not go last weekend and if I miss more then 2 weeks without backpacking I loose it!As we hiked on we ran into a few horse back riders along the way and the nice stuff that the horses leave on the trail that give off such a nice smell...8)anyway our goal was too set up camp near Patton cave becuase one of the people that was backpacking with us had never been there and wanted to see it.The trail and the forest were very dry and all the small creeks had no water in them which was common for this trip of year in the Deam.After lunch we got to the trail junction where we knew we were not far from the old trail cut off to Patton Cave.I thought it would be a great idea if 2scoops would lead us to the cave and I would let him do it on his own but in the end when we came to the turn in the trail he missed it.....8)The area by the cave on top of a small hill are lots of small rock out croppings to look at and hop on which is always fun to do.We thought it would be nice to hike down the hill to Saddle Creek and look for a nice place too set up camp down there.It did not take long and as soon as we all got set up it was time for me and 2scoops to take it easy while the other 2 had gone to the cave to explore.As night fell so did the temps which ment we were all going to have a good nights sleep.We got a camp fire going and all the stars were out putting on a show for us.There was steem comming off the creek which I thought was very cool.Soon after that it was time to go to sleep.Early in the a.m.I got woke up by some owls not far away doing there thing which made the trip compleat.

Today.

We all got up early to a nice chill in the air.It was quite nice and I thought it would be nice to bushwack the creek back to the main trails.All along the creek bed were all kinds on neat rock to look at and we saw a few deer running not too far away from us.Again it was another nice day with no clouds in the sky.Not long after that we got back to our cars and said our goodbyes and it was time to go home.


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“edge of the wilderness...I'm skipping this weekend too...but will be onriver next weekend...and get this...My mom is going on her FIRST wilderness experience...no terlets...lol...she gonna be diggin her own holes...ROFLMAO!!

actually...I'll dig the hole, she'll have to fill em in.”

“I think that is relly cool Marc I hope your mom has a good time!


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“of mom doing the cat box routine...LOL”

“Welcome back to civilization! :) Good trip, sounds like loads of fun. The only fun I had this weekend was to go out undie shopping! You do not know how jeolous I am :D”

“About 6 weeks ago went on a canoe trip. An older woman was taking her first wilderness trip and the organizer deliberately didn't tell her about "no terlits." IN spite she seemed to have a good time.

Hope your mom has a blast.”

“I still wish I was out backpacking!

8)”

“Being home sucks!!!!


........Soon it will be Monday!


Yuck!


8(”