McCormick Wilderness - August 9-15, 2009

[Hiker]

I'm looking for one or two (or more) experienced wilderness backpackers for a short trip through the McCormick Wilderness Tract in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this summer. I plan to enter the tract from the north gate, hike the trail to the Yellow Dog Falls, then hike off-trail through the wilderness to the McCormick Camp on the southwest shore of White Deer Lake. Then I'm hiking out of the tract on the trail that leads to the west gate and continue on to the Craig Lake State Park to meet up with some friends who'll be camping there with their family.

I'd like to find someone who is interested in the McCormick part of the trip. It's not real long, mileage wise, but it can be quite difficult, according to those who have been there (I have not), hiking off-trail. I want to hike with someone who is confident in their ability to survive the rigors of a hard hike, be able to navigate through thick forest with a map and compass (GPS hiking is great, but if the batteries die you need to be able to get through the old fashioned way!), and can put up with bugs and bears and anything else that the woods have to offer.

Please let me know if you're interested.

Mike

[Hiker]

Sure would be cool if someone was interested....I'm really going, but would rather go with someone (experienced would be good) rather than alone. It's probably not the smartest thing to do, going alone. If I can't find anyone, I might just hike in from the west gate, spend a night or two and hike out and then head over to Craig Lake. I'd rather enter at the north gate and bushwhack through the wilderness.

Let me know.

[Hiker]

Still looking for someone who'd like to go on this great trip. My brother said he's going to try to go, and my dog Alfred wants to go, too! Anyone else?

[Hiker]

Here's a screen shot that shows my proposed route for the hike this summer. The numbers are distances in miles. The white route is by car, the colored routes are by foot.

http://www.thehikersforum.com/gallery/m ... .png&w=400

[Lighter Fluid]

Nice looking route Hiker.
I hope you find someone to join you along the trail.
Keep us posted on how it goes.

[Hiker]

I will definitely post photos, etc. I'm real excited about this trip. I have identified several alternative routes depending on how many are going with me -- I might even lug a kayak the 3.5 miles to a base camp and stay there, on the lake, for several days kayaking around. I might just turn this into a camping trip and limit the number of miles hiked with full gear, opting for day hikes, etc.

The North Country Trail goes right through this area, so I might follow several miles of the NCT into the Wilderness and then head north...

Or, I might just make this a scouting trip and plan a two week trip for next year. The possibilities are endless. My problem is keeping my enthusiasm down to earth so I don't bite off more than I can chew.

[Hiker]

I'm leaving Florida in less than a week, will stop in Kentucky for a night of camping, then on to Madison, WI where I'll get geared up for the trip to the McCormick Wilderness. I hope to be in the Wilderness by the end of next week and will stay there until the 10th or 11th of August. Actually, the last couple of days will be in the Craig Lake State Park.

Any takers?

[Lighter Fluid]

Wish I could join you but I can't.
Have a great time and take lots of pictures along the way and along the trail. I look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back.

Good luck!

[Hiker]

I went on an abbreviated version of my original plan due to the fact that I had to go alone, with my dog, and only had a few days' window so I could meet up with some friends at a state park that was near the wilderness. I had a great time and really want to go back and do the original hike through the entire wilderness area. As it was, I hiked in and camped for two nights and hiked out. While I was there I went on one excursion through the bush trying to find a particular landmark but had no success.

I posted some photos in the gallery.

My gear was fantastic! I bought a new REI Camp Dome 2 tent so my dog could sleep inside. Good thing, too - we had severe thunderstorms all night the first night. The tent performed beautifully even though it leaked a little bit.

My MSR Pocket Rocket came through with flying colors once again. That's a great piece of gear!

I used my Coleman cookset that I got at Walmart -- took the small pot and cup and could boil 2 cups of water erasily.

My REI backpack was small but very rugged -- I stuffed everything in or on it and it performed great! It's a 45 liter pack, and I had about 40 lbs of crap in it. Next time I'll be more careful how I pack and what I bring.

My Smartwool socks were the best! I hiked through a lot of water and swampy areas and although my feet were soaking wet, they never felt like it! That's some amazing stuff.

The Columbia Trail Meister IV hiking boots held up to more abuse than I thought they would! I was hiking through heavy underbrush, the type you really should wear full leather boots to hike in, and these boots held up with no problems at all.

I have an REI sleeping pad and an REI sleeping bag that, of course, performed perfectly as well.

I know that the right equipment makes for a great trip, and I'm happy I was properly outfitted --- thanks to everyone on this site for helping me over the past several months with my gear selections.

[pyxiestyxie]

Glad to hear you had a great trip Hiker

Your dog must be pretty happy that you got the two man tent as well

Pixa

[Lighter Fluid]

Congrats on a great hike and some absolutely beautiful pics!
That is some beautiful scenery you were surrounded by Hiker.
Did you fish the lake? It sounds as if you were very happy with the performance of all your gear.
Glad to hear the Coleman mess kit did the trick for you.
Nice trip report too! I hope everyone will take a look at it at the link below.
http://www.thehikersforum.com/view_trip.php?tripid=353&mode=view

I'm glad you had a wonderfully successful trip and that the advice you received here at THF was helpful.

Thanks for posting!

[Hiker]

I can't tell you how unhappy I was that I didn't bring a fishing pole! Some say that the fishing isn't all that great, but there was a lot of evening activity in the lake as the sun was getting low. Sure would have like to have tried fishing. If I could get some people to go with me, it would be nice to lug a canoe into the wilderness - there's a "no wheels" policy and the trail into the lake is not conducive to wheels, so the canoe would have to be carried more than three miles.