Porcupine Mountain Wilderness, UP Michig an

“SC, It depends which trail you take. The Escarpment trail down to Big Carp River is like KY. I came in after dark on the Superior Trail once. Ended up camping on the lake shore which is VERY rocky. The next day, we didn't see anyone until we got to the other side when we met a family staying in one of the cabins. The reason for not seeing anyone, as the campers told us, was because the trail we came in was washed out and the rangers were warning everyone to take another route. LOL Let me tell you, I came back with my legs torn up from climbing downed trees, fording mud holes and making new trails. It was a blast!!”

“Yo, fools! Put me down for this one. Lookin' forward to it!!”

“Hey mountainrunner, welcome to the trip!”

“Jimmy san, glad to be here. I will have someone coming along with me..... so count my entry for (2) people. We'll be ready to roll :)”

“I'm in too if there is room. Another Northern Illinois(Cortland) driver here if anyone wants to carpool.”

“jflotsam glad your in,we can carpool also”

“You wicked human scum!


I cant wait for this trip :)”

“I am not human and more of an amoeba”

“Wooohoo! I got a phone call this morning. It is confirmed. My brother and his wife are taking my kids that weekend so that I can go! I'm so excited. It's gonna be wet, muddy, cold and perhaps we'll have a hungry bear siting or two. :o)”

“Food for thought:

I have been on all the trails you had outlined with the exception of the Cross Trail. Never having been on it, I'd like to hike it but "the unimproved trail also passes through a mile long section of wetland, Memengwa Swamp."

We might want to check with the ranger on that section of the route. I LOVE the Little River trail so that could be an alternate should the Cross Trail prove too wet. I'm sooo excited! Can you tell? ;)”

“thx. i'll check with the rangers. i have been slow on the trip planning since the trip is way out there. i am always open to suggestions/modifications. also people should feel free to hike their own hike and just meet at the camp sites.”

“looking up to be a great trip, I may take Thursday or Monday off also, not rush the drive”

“I meant to be listed as a "maybe" for this one. There's a chance I might still be out in Utah.”

“a month away I cannot wait”

“I would love to go but a 10hr drive for a 3 day trip, is too long of a drive for me?

I can make Pictured Rocks in 6.5-7 hrs, but the Porkies would be another 3-4 hrs on the road?

Have a great trip!”

“Yeah, I am looking forward to this as well. I'll probably be doing some logistics for this trip next week so keep your eyes posted.”

“sounds great, staring at the map right now”

“Yet another cool hike that I cannot make... :-(

**** SIGH ****

I have a work function that weekend that I cannot miss! Summer can't come soon enough for me!”

“April 21 can't get here soon enough! I wouldn't mind heading up Thursday if anyone is interested.”

“I am Greg mail coming your way”

“ah jflotsam, I can't find your address, I know you have mine”

“I really HOPE I can make this, as it is, our house buyer might be closing right around those dates...so.....Im a big maybe at this point although I really am dying to get out :(”

“Cross Trail could be impassable at that time of year..you're wise to check with the rangers if you can find the one or two who work there who knows anything...any idea where you plan to camp?”

“Mataharahiker,

My understanding is that Friday night we will camp at Shining Cloud Falls and Saturday at Mirror Lake, although I don't know if it's the camp site on the North or South. I hope you can make it!




SC,

I hope you can make it, too! I would love to meet you. :)”

“Thanks, Sunnny, that's what I thought when I looked at the map he posted...I have no idea if I'll make it or not...just keeping in touch....”

“I am out. The doc scheduled my for knee surgery for the Thursday before this trip.

While I am upset I am not going to be able to make this, I am excited about the prospect of hiking without pain in the future.

Take a lot of pictures and have fun guys!”

“You'll be missed. I hope your surgery goes well and that you have a speedy recovery. Here's to many, pain free hikes in the future!”

“Good luck with the knee-gravy doctor!”

“Jim, you have e-mail.

Thanks guys!”

“I called the Park Headquarters today to get an update on the trail conditions. The snow has been melting and hikers in the area have been reporting a fair amount of snow in the backcountry. Trail conditions are pretty wet and muddy. This is to be expected. There is a higher than average amount of water being seen from the snowmelt that is expected to continue through April.

Registration is done on the day of arrival at the Park Headquarters this time of year. On Friday the Park Headquarters is open until 4:30 pm. Self registration is available at this location after hours. The cost is $14/night per group of up to four people. The park permits a maximum of 12 people at a camp site (3 groups of 4 people).

M-107 will still only be plowed to the ski area during the weekend of the trip. I had forgotten about this when I routed the trip on West side of the park. The closest parking to the interior is the Whitetail Cabin parking area just past the ski area. This is just west of the turn-off for the Visitors Center (where the Park Headquarters is located). I am guessing it’s about a 5 mile walk from here to the Lake of the Clouds parking area.

I would propose that I re-route the trip to a different set of trails. Adding 5 miles on the first day plus five more on the last seems a bit excessive. I would like to choose a set of trails closer to the Whitetail Cabin parking area. There are lots of good trails here and in fact some might be a better choice given the wet conditions. If there are no serious objections I’ll try and do this tonight and post the results tomorrow.

This is an 8 hour drive from Chicagoland. Right now it looks like I will be driving alone. I’ll be driving I-90 W to I-39 N where I will pick up US-51N and work my way to the park (US-2 to US-28 to MI-64 to MI-107 probably). I am hoping to leave around 6 am CST and arriving around 3 pm EST. Let me know if you need a ride and are near my route.

The moon will be waning gibbous (68% illuminated). Sunrise is around 6 am and sunset is around 8 pm. If I can get there by 3 pm I am fairly confident I can get the group registered and have plenty of time to make it to the first nights camp.

Temps have been historically in the mid 50s with lows in the 30s. It will be nice during the day and cold at night. It will probably rain and it could rain the entire trip, the average precipitation is 2” in April. It will be very muddy. It is remotely possible it could snow. There possibly will be places where there is a lot of snow on the trails.
last edited: 4/04/06 11:27:23 AM”

“Mr Pitts, this is still a maybe for me. If I go I would need a ride...I dont want to smell my eghost fumes the drive over there lol!”

“Sounds fun,SC you have a ghost?”

“more like an imaginary friend spalpeen.”

“You need to look at the map below if you want to see where these trails lead. I really, REALLY wanted to hike on the Little Carp River Trail to Trapper's Falls, but I think it's not going to happen this trip.

THIS IS A PROPOSED ROUTE. I am open to suggestions.

http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/RecreationCamping/Porkies_bcmap.pdf <- Backcountry Map of Porkies

Day 1: Drive day - ~6.5 miles
* Register and get camping permits at Camp Headquarters
* Park at Whitetail Cabin (just past ski area on M-107)
* M-107 West to Escarpment Trail (~2 miles)
* Escarpment Trail to Camp Site at Lake of the Clouds (~4.5 miles).

Day 2: 5 miles+ depending on what people want to do
* North Mirror Lake Trail to Government Peak Trail (~3 miles)
* Optional: Stash some gear at junction of North Mirror Lake and Government Peak Trail
* Hike out-and-back on Little Carp River Trail (~?? miles)
* Government Peak Trail to Camp Site at Government Peak (~2 miles)

Day 3: Drive day - Early start - ~7.5 miles
* Government Peak Trail to M-107 (~5.5 miles)
* M-107 to Whitetail Cabin Parking Lot (~2 miles)
last edited: 4/04/06 1:35:22 PM”

“... it could happen!”

“Sound good...if I could get a ride :D”

“Ohhhh you know I will give you a ride!”

“;) hehehehe....I'll bring some booze to compensate, what do you like?”

“...when did CM make his last batch of moonshine? (chuckle)”

“just ordered some new Outdoor Research gaiters! Hope they get here in time.”

“Funny you should mention that, jflotsam. I was telling spalpeen that I have rain pants but they have elastic at the ankles. He found some gaiters for me. Sounds like we'll need them!”

“Trip page has been updated...

http://www.thebackpacker.com/trips/trip/876.php”

“IMHO,

The Government peak / Escarpment loop would be much easier hiked, in the clockwise direction?”

“Have fun hiking South on N Mirror Lake...you're all young with strong hearts...enjoy!

I won't be making this possibly wet, muddy and cold trip...I'm going to head for the sandy grasslands of North Dakota...hopefully dry and warm!”

“Have fun, mata! This Porkies trip will be interesting for certain. I wish my camera wasn't broken. I'll have to get one of those disposables. It's not the same but some pictures are better than no pictures. We'll have to exchange trip reports and pictures when we get back.”

“ncthiker: Yeah, I was thinking last night that I probably got the arrows in the wrong direction. Thanks for the suggestion, it’s well received.

I am glad everyone seems to recognize that this is going to be a sloppy, wet, and cold trip. I was planning to go alone originally as this is not much of a deterrent for me.”

“I have a detailed topo map of the area I'll be studying tonight to address the suggestion that the route be reversed. Looking at the map it does seem quite reasonable.

I have a jpeg version of the topo map with the trails on it if anyone wants a copy. The quality is lower than what I will have, however you are welcome to it. Just email me and I'll send you a copy.”

“Sloppy and wet is always fun!!!!”

“Jimmy san,

Its been many years since we did the same basic route and we were dropped off from M-107 at the junction of the Lower Escarpment and Union Spring or Trapfalls trail?

Its actually the first trailhead driving up before the Lake of the Clouds overlook, I don't remember the TH name and don't have a current map in front of me either.

All I remember was it being uphill all the way to the Lake of the Clouds overlook,and seemed like a ballbuster at the time?”

“Sounds like the junction of Government Peak and Escarpment Trail. It's just down and off of M-107. Union Spring is just south of here on Government Peak Trail. Trapp Falls is just a but further south from here. I am pretty sure it's the first trailhead you encounter as you enter the park.

If you follow the Escarpment from here there is an old copper mine you pass by. I have never taken the Government Peak side of the split, but I am told it's a popular trail. Last summer I day hiked the Escarpment Trail with my kids (ages 6, 9, and 10 at the time) and they had an easy time of it. That said, I remember tripping over quite a few roots and rocks.

You can see photos of my hike on Trail Talk:

http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/ma7m4m8d.php

Anyway, the first photos are of the trailhead so that might tell you if this was where you stated your hike or not.

Great views!”