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The North Country Trail: Porkies, Trap Hills, and Sturgeon River Gorge


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Home Forums Campfire Member Trip Reports The North Country Trail: Porkies, Trap Hills, and Sturgeon River Gorge

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  • #1294680
    Ike Jutkowitz
    BPL Member

    @ike

    Locale: Central Michigan

    tree

    Fall had come to Michigan, and I was ready for an old school adventure. For this trip I set my sights on a section of the North Country Trail in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that I had not yet covered. I decided to add in a section through the Porkies as well, since I would be driving westward and it seemed a shame not to include this premier destination. The trip would begin at the Presque Isle River, pass through the Porcupine Mountains, over the Trap Hills, and through the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness to end at Canyon Falls for a total distance of 132 miles. For the sake of a challenge, I planned to complete the trek in 4 days. I had hiked 30 mile days in the past, but had never completed 4 such days in a row.

    I left my house at 9 pm, arriving at the Canyon Falls Roadside Park by 4:30 the next morning. I was disconcerted to find a sign in the parking lot stating “No Overnight Parking”. I’d have to deal with this, but not yet. Curling up in the back of my car, I caught a 90 minute nap.

    I woke up shivering. The car thermometer read 28 F, not surprising given the forecast for temps in the high 30s. Anytime I’m planning a trip in the UP and want to know what to expect, I just take the weather forecast and subtract 10 degrees. In the winter I subtract 20 degrees. I’m not sure why the meteorologists can never get it right, but I’m grateful that they are at least consistently wrong.

    When Jenn came to pick me up, we drove around for a little bit looking for an alternate parking spot along the trail, finally settling on a DNR campground at Big Lake. This shortened my route to 121 miles which would prove fortuitous. It also led to a later start time, which was less lucky.

    presque
    I started my hike along the Presque Isle at about 11 am.

    rocks
    River rock in the brilliant sunlight

    falls
    The Presque Isle is a tumultuous river, cascading over numerous falls

    bridge
    Crossing the bridge at the mouth of the river

    mouth
    Looking towards Lake Superior

    channel
    Crossing a dry side channel

    superior trail
    Once across the river, the NCT (Lake Superior Trail) was largely a woods walk, interspersed with bubbling brooks. Water levels were lower than in previous years and I was able to keep my feet relatively dry

    cross
    A rocky crossing

    lake superior
    Reaching Lake Superior at the mouth of the Little Carp River

    lantjaeger
    I stopped for lunch along the Little Carp, Zingerman’s Lantjaeger paired with an aged gouda. The knife is a 0.2 oz ti scalpel, a gift from Javan Dempsey that I was trying out on this trip.

    little carp
    The Little Carp River is a very picturesque river, consisting of clear pools separated by small waterfalls

    slide

    shrew
    I continued on, all too quickly leaving the park boundry. Once out of the Porkies, trail maintenance suffered noticeably. I passed this huddled little body on my way and morbidly wondered if this foreshadowed my cold evening ahead

    tarp
    I stopped sometime after dark. Concerned about the impending cold, I buttoned down my poncho into a tight A-frame to minimize convective heat loss.

    dinner
    I heated some water and crawled into my quilt to enjoy dinner, a homemade venison chili with some pasta thrown in. With no extra clothes to spare, I used my shoes as a pillow. The night passed warmly, though I inexplicably dreamed of sauerkraut.

    dark
    I woke in the darkness and reluctantly left the warmth of my quilt, hitting the trail by 5:30 am. With relatively minimal tread in this area, navigation was slow as I worked to pick out the trail. I was happy to have a reliable headlamp on me for this task. I may skimp in other areas, but I don’t like to compromise with regard to illumination. Getting lost in the dark invokes a few too many primordial fears.

    tape
    I made my first big mistake as the sun was coming up. Blazes were patchy in areas, and losing the trail, I ended up following a blue tape trail for a long way. There was quite a bit of bushwacking involved, and I doubled back a couple times to verify that I was on the NCT. Each time, I found just enough blue blazes on trees to reinforce the illusion that I was on a poorly marked trail. Finally though, the blue tape trail petered out in an unusual little circle and I realized with certainty that I was off route. Backtracking one more time, I found where I had missed a turn. I had unfortunately lost a couple of critical hours in this section. (As a side note, many times later in the trek I encountered poorly marked sections of trail helpfully blazed with blue tape. Though I never fully trusted one of these sections again, they would prove reliable every other time.)

    big iron
    Back on the trail, I soon crossed the west branch of the Big Iron River, followed by the main river. As I crossed, it started to rain. I stopped under the canopy of some pines to heat water for a breakfast of sweet potato hash (sweet potato hash browns with freeze dried egg and sausage). For extra calories, I added a quarter stick of butter as I did for each meal on this trip. It was (or at least seemed) great

    poncho
    Soon I was hiking in a downpour which would last for the next 2 hours. I took this picture once it slowed

    cloud
    I was now in the Trap Hills section of the trail. Climbing to the top of Bergland Hill, I watched as the storm clouds moved away (I hoped)

    view
    The Trap Hills was a rollercoaster of ups and downs, each up bringing a new vista of fall colors. I could see for miles, a feature I was not used to when backpacking in Michigan

    rocky view
    Every corner brought a new view

    tired
    Physically though, I was starting to feel the effects of the constant changes in elevation

    view2
    I don’t typically use trekking poles, generally preferring to have my hands free. I was starting to get the sense though that they would have come in handy on this trip

    stick
    Then, near broken on top of yet another nameless mountain, I suddenly found it. It was smooth with just enough knots to give it character, lightweight and well balanced, strong yet springy. It was the perfect stick. I called it “Wilson” after briefly toying with “Excalibur” for a while (too pretentious for a stick). I would carry Wilson for the next 2 days, relying on him heavily for the hills. And it wasn’t just Wilson the walking stick. It was also Wilson the tent pole.

    view3
    On an unrelated note, people always ask if the solitude ever gets to me on these trips. It never does though.

    I hiked until about 9 pm before setting up in a small clearing near Rainbow Rock. I modded my A-frame so that I could see the stars. I wasn’t sure how far I had traveled thanks to my navigational error that morning, but knew that I hadn’t covered the 30 miles of trail on my itinerary. The steepness of the terrain in this area hadn’t helped either. It was hard to feel too disappointed though. It had been an amazing afternoon. Dinner was wonderful too; quinoa pasta with a spicy sausage and san marzano tomato sauce.

    tarp2
    I woke puffy eyed at dawn. It had been a cold night and I hadn’t slept particularly well. I was ready to get moving so I could get warm again.

    frost
    It was cold enough that I alternated which hand held the walking stick, warming the other one in my pocket until it could grip again

    sun
    Soon I crept up into the sunlight

    pebbles

    bkfast
    I stopped for coffee and breakfast (a dehydrated casserole of eggs, bread, cheese, mushrooms, and sausage) atop a hill with a great view. This was one of the most amazing breakfasts of the trip, and the ambiance was pretty good too. People say you can't dehydrate eggs, but once cooked into a dish, it works fairly well

    pine
    Lone pine

    cairn
    Every now and again, I’d find a small cairn at the top of one of the high places, a small gesture of thankfulness suggesting that someone had stood where I was now and felt the same sense of awe at the glorious view

    rocy

    cave
    Cave along a side trail to Gleason Falls

    gleason
    Gleason Falls- probably a really nice place to take a dip if it were 25 degrees warmer

    talus
    A talus slope in Michigan?

    flower
    Nearing Victoria, out of bare rock a flower blossoms

    porkie
    Not so happy to see me

    lorax
    Unlike its more popular brethren, the Trap Hills does not enjoy protected status in Michigan and is subject to logging. This battered landscape struck me like a scene out of “The Lorax” I had read to my kids so many times. I paused briefly to see if the lorax would in fact pop out of this stump. I’m sure there is much I don’t know about the history of this area and the needs of its people, but after three days in the pristine backcountry, the devastation was saddening.

    bulldozed
    The trail skirted this area before ducking back into the untrammeled woods

    victoria res
    Looking towards the Victoria Reservoir

    apple
    Darkness fell as I continued past Victoria. In the woods I found this wild apple tree, no doubt an escapee from someone’s orchard. The apples were small and tart, a welcome addition to tonight’s meal

    fording
    Fording the west branch of the Ontonagon River in the dark. The current was swift, and I ended up getting my pants wet in the process

    ontonagon

    moon
    After crossing the river, the trail climbed steadily upward. The soil and air felt damp and tangled brush lined the trail. I didn’t mind continuing onward, as I hoped to dry my pants before stopping for the night. Off to my left, I could hear coyotes howling. My heart stopped for a second when I saw two glowing eyes reflected in the light of my headlamp off to the side of the trail. Fortunately, it was just a young buck bedded down for the night. I’m pretty sure I scared him more than he scared me.

    dinner2
    About 90 minutes later, I finally found a site that was at least close to usable. My pants were nearly dry by this time. Given the impending cold, I again pitched a tight A-frame and heated some dinner, a nice warm stew. While I waited for it to rehydrate, I enjoyed a backpacker’s hot toddy, pink lemonade in leftover hot water with a good splash of everclear. I know it doesn't sound cultured, but it is really good on a cold night.

    walk
    Waking in the dark, I quickly broke camp and hiked into the dawn. One of this morning’s thrills included the finding of large moose tracks. I had yet to spot a moose in Michigan and hoped today would be the day.

    okun
    I paused for breakfast at what I thought was the O-Kun-De-Kun Falls. They weren’t.

    bk
    Breakfast was cheesy mashed potatoes with sausage and egg. This was awesome! I aired out my quilt in a small patch of sunlight as I ate.

    okun real
    The real O-Kun-De-Kun falls, just another couple hundred yards up the trail

    side view
    View from the trail

    Baltimore
    Fall colors on the Baltimore River

    deadfall
    The next section of trail was horrible. Obliterated by deadfall and bordered by thick underbrush, getting through took some effort

    colorful
    Still, it was not all bad

    tree
    Past this beautiful tree lay a mile long patch of waist high bracken and thorn bushes. Fun times!

    trail
    The trail

    tarp
    I stopped for the night about 5 miles past Bob Lake, and heated water for dinner. I had saved my favorite dinner for last, a spicy chicken pasta. As I pitched my tarp for the night, I spotted a large pile of deer droppings in a flattened patch of leaves nearby. I knew too well what that meant. It came as no surprise then when I was awakened at 5 am by the cry of a buck, indignant at the unwelcome intrusion on his turf.

    milky
    I started my final day in the dark. The night was still and an unusual luminous band lay across the little dipper.

    dawn
    Dawn

    pines
    Once it was bright enough to see, the trail took me through a pretty grass-lined pine forest and past a number of brooks and beaver ponds

    pond
    Mist on the water. Today would be a walking day, as I had to cover 16 miles of trail, drive 7.5 hours, and be home by evening. I bypassed the 1.5 mile side trail to Sturgeon Falls, but did go out of my way to check out the Bear’s Den, a scenic overlook of the Sturgeon River Gorge Valley.

    big lake
    Finally, I limped into the Big Lake campground at 2 pm, four days and three hours after starting my journey. I stopped for a double lunch at the Hardwood Steakhouse before continuing the long drive home.

    In the end, I did not complete the goal I had originally set for myself when planning this trip. Navigational errors, steep terrain in the trap hills section, trail obstruction in the less popular sections, and time spent engaged in photography and enjoyment of trail life all contributed to a slower than anticipated pace. Somehow though, when I look back on this journey, I don’t think it will be counted among my failures. The Trap Hills are a worthy destination, and one of the true hidden gems that Michigan has to offer.

    Edit: A current gear list is attached to my profile if interested
    here

    #1918001
    Steven Paris
    BPL Member

    @saparisor

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    Once again, Ike, a great trip report.

    Really beautiful pictures!

    #1918023
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    Beautiful pictures; while we do have lots of fall color out here in the PNW, it sure isn't like what you have!

    #1919032
    Andrew Wolff
    Spectator

    @andrew

    Locale: Chattanooga

    A really nice trip report Ike, thanks for the time taken to put it together. You got lots of very nice photosand some good animal sightings too.

    #1919043
    Peter Treiber
    BPL Member

    @peterbt

    Locale: A^2

    Very nice! That's Michigan color right there! This is what this forum is all about — I've never heard of the Trap Hills, and now I have to go there. Thanks, Ike!

    #1919059
    Michael Schwartz
    BPL Member

    @greenwalk

    Locale: PA & Ireland

    I enjoyed reading this trip report with your excellent pics. Looks like you had great variety on this route. Thanks for posting.

    #1919063
    chris Nelson
    Member

    @nel250

    Locale: San Francisco

    Nice report! I grew up in New England and now in San Francisco, I really miss the trees changing color like that :(

    #1919148
    Jacob D
    BPL Member

    @jacobd

    Locale: North Bay

    Nice report, Ike. Your comments about the backpacker’s hot toddy made me chuckle.

    The fall colors are looking amazing out there!

    #1919154
    Stephen M
    BPL Member

    @stephen-m

    Locale: Way up North

    Ike its always a pleasure to read your trips reports.

    Your pack does look very light, I am not there yet with minimalism as suffer too much from the cold.

    #1919167
    Justin Baker
    BPL Member

    @justin_baker

    Locale: Santa Rosa, CA

    Did you take Wilson home with you?

    #1919182
    Ike Jutkowitz
    BPL Member

    @ike

    Locale: Central Michigan

    Wilson unfortunately started to crack under pressure and we parted ways at the final campsite. I needed to do a fair bit of running that day- mostly in fear that my wife would kill me for missing another "bedtime" for the girls- and preferred to be hands free again. After the initial climb up from the Sturgeon River, elevation change was not particularly memorable that day.

    Pete- if you enjoyed your recent Porkies trip, you will love the Trap Hills. It's one of those places that has a little surprise around each corner. I spent much of those two days happily anticipating what I'd find over the next ridge. You can find some more information here.

    Thanks for the nice comments, guys. They are very much appreciated.

    #1919207
    Eugene Smith
    BPL Member

    @eugeneius

    Locale: Nuevo Mexico

    You're looking good Ike, thanks for making the time and putting this up here.

    #1919301
    Leigh Baker
    BPL Member

    @leighb

    Locale: Northeast Texas Pineywoods

    Ike,
    Thanks for sharing! I have friends that live in northern MI and while I'm able to go up in the summer (I'm a teacher; it makes a great respite from the TX heat) I dream of a time when I can get up there to hike and paddle in the fall! Great trip report and pics! And even your meals sound good to me and I don't eat meat :)

    #1919808
    Brendan Swihart
    BPL Member

    @brendans

    Locale: Fruita CO

    Awesome report, Ike. Enjoyed the read and the photos.

    #1919829
    David Chenault
    BPL Member

    @davec

    Locale: Queen City, MT

    Great report, as usual. Inspires me to be less lazy with my food for trips (ramen and pop tarts, again).

    Spill the beans on that pack, eh?

    #1919834
    Ike Jutkowitz
    BPL Member

    @ike

    Locale: Central Michigan

    pack
    Zpacks "Ultrarunner"

    Dave, the pack is something I had Joe make for me a while ago for use in unsupported multi-day trail running adventures. It is basically an extra small hybrid zero with good top and side compression, two bottle holders, and waist and sternum straps. I can fit about 5 days food in it as long as I keep my gear list pretty minimal. In this case, I went with a thicker pad than I would usually bring and had to strap it to the outside for the first two days until I had eaten through some food.

    If I was making this again, I'd have the extension collar longer (there is virtually no collar on this one)and the shoulder straps a little thinner.

    #1919877
    Chris S
    BPL Member

    @bigsea

    Locale: Truckee, CA

    Good stuff! Like Chris N., I also grew up in the northeast before moving to San Francisco and really miss the fall foliage.

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