Manistee River Trail Invitational 2004

“Hi,
This trip report is a little late in posting and was originally posted on Backpacker.com but I wanted to share it with this group.

Report written by Michhiker28

Just got back from the invitational here in Michigan. There were 5 forum members, 1 lurker, and 4 guests for a total of 10 individuals. Those of you who were there if I get anything wrong or you would like to chime in feel free

We arrived a little after 7pm to the trail head west of Cadillac. Wheelz and guest were already there and had done a great job of setting up camp, breaking a trail and stringing chem lights in order for us slackers to find them. Probably about 8-10 inches of snow on the ground when we got there. We were all a little worried about pulling into the parking lot and getting back out due to snow, but you only live once. Walkabout was also at the trailhead and it wasn't long before Wheelz came down to see if anyone was there. He had been there since early afternoon and was begining to wonder if we had all deserted him. With guests that were there we had a total of 7 by this time so we strapped on snow shoes and made our way the few hundred yards to camp. After setting up tents, introducing one another, and getting comfy we decided to head back down to the trailhead to see if anyone else had shown up.
The trek yielded results with JD and a guest waiting in the parking lot. We took them back to camp and spend the next several hours eating, talking, comparing hikes and locations, melting snow, and joking about bastard friends who don't show up. Most turned in around midnight.
The next day we awoke to a beautiful winter wonderland. About 3 inches of fresh powder with more falling. We took our time getting ready, breaking camp, and eating and took off in groups for the trailhead. The plan was to go down and ferry vehicles to the finish location. After working to get a few vehicles out they took off to do the ferrying. Shortly, they were back with a revised plan. There was too much snow on the roads to the trailhead for the vehicles to get through. We determined to hike in a couple miles, set up a base camp and do some snowshoeing from there. With that resolved and Wheelz and Walkabout to lead (since they knew the trail) we were off. Also while in the parking lot Tripleshot arrived and took our total group strength to 10
Beautiful scenery overlooking the river and up and down hills as the snow continued to fall. We had a great time on the hike back. We had a great laugh at individuals tripping over their snowshoes and going for slides down the hills.
We arrived at a nice campsite very quickly it seemed as everyone was enjoying themselves. After setting up camp and getting lunch most of us set off in small groups to do some exploring and snowshoeing...with the temps in what was probably the mid-teens sitting around wasn't much of an option!
We hiked for a little while and all seemed to meet up again. Since daylight was running short we decided to head back to camp. Once we were back we had some time after dark to sit around and get to know one another some more and eat some snacks that everyone brought. It was great trying new things. We also spend some time trying to get one of the guests to speak! For those of you looking to read all the juicy details about the personality conflicts and skirmishes I am afraid you will be disappointed. From my standpoint at least everyone got along great and helped each other out. In fact my guest on the way home said," you couldn't have hand picked a better group." After turning in around 11 or so everyone slept soundly and warm. Only one complaint of cold toes....althought the trees kept dumping snow all night on the camp. In the morning we had to assist one of the guests in deicing his boots enough to get them on his feet, then we set of in groups through the snow for the trailhead. Getting the cars out of 15" of snow or so was a little fun and a lot of work, but with everyone pitching in we were soon free. After a big group picture and some discussion on where to go next we all headed for home.

For those of you that we missed we sure hope to see you at the next one. Watch here and the Midwest Forum for details.

For those of you that were there...thanks for some great company and we look forward to seeing you sometime soon!

Pics from the trip:

http://community.webshots.com/album/114078696DBHEmB”

“At first glance, I thought this was going to be another trip to MRT :-(


I just had a dejavu:-)

thanks for the report tripleshot”

“I am sorry that me and Ms Cmb missed that trip.


8(”