Backpacking List

You want to cast off the burdens of society and go into the wild huh? Well my friend, you need to do a little planning first. First you want to decide where to go. Guide books are great and so is the web. Personally, I avoid any websites that require a paid membership to access the information. Yeah, detailed trip reports are ok, but wouldn't you rather experience the trail for yourself? A great resource is the US Forest Service. You can find all the nuts and bolts type information of a particular area or trail on their website. Did I mention the website is free??

I prefer to hike in areas managed by the US Forest Service. Why not a National Park? LESS STINKING RULES! I understand why the rules are there, but rules are the last thing I want to worry about when I am trying to relax! For the most part you can camp anywhere in a National Forest so long as you are following Leave No Trace. You can get more info on LNT here: http://www.lnt.org There are other regulations for National Forests like the distance campsites must be from water, roads and established campgrounds. Where I usually go the only distance regulations I need to worry about are for water. If you are just starting out do a web search for National Forests in your state. That should point you in the right direction.

Ok, you have your location determined. Now you need a map. Most places have a free map online. Usually these maps show the trail and other important info like trail heads, rivers, lakes, roads and Forest boundaries. These are not detailed topographic maps. I STRONGLY suggest that you know how to read and use a topo map before you take one into the field for the first time. Otherwise, it is useless. Plan a good route that is preferably a loop trail. That way you have a sense of beginning and ending.

With your destination planned and map obtained now its time to pack some gear. Below is a general list of things I take on any outing. I only change the clothing to fit the weather.

backpack: 4000 cu. inch to 6000 cu. inch
thermarest trail lite long
North Face sleeping bag rated to 20F
2- 50 foot lengths of para cord
gerber tool
sheath knife OR Malaysian parang
whisperlite stove OR Trangia alcohol stove and appropriate fuel
MSR fusion 2 tent with footprint
tarp with ropes and stakes
MSR mini works water filter
lighter
ferro rod with huge bar of magnesium
cook pot, stainless steel mug, folding spork, plastic bowl
U-Dig-It folding trowel and TP
hand sanitizer, Boy Scout folding toothbrush, paste
1 or 2 bandana's
Patagonia rain jacket and pants
Duofold quick dry t-shirt
Patagonia zip off nylon pants
hiking boots with liner socks and wool socks
Patagonia long john top and bottom
Patagonia fleece windproof vest
REALLY COLD WEATHER: US Military fleece pullover and fleece pants
extra pair wool socks
teva sandals or crocs for camp shoes
basic first aid kit and wilderness first responder field guide

Now that you are packed you have one final thing to do. TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND WHEN YOU WILL BE BACK! I always do this. Your cell phone can't always save your life.

So that is it folks! I hope you find this information useful. I have learned most of my backpacking skills from NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and from much experience in woodland and alpine environments. Feel free to modify the list to suit your needs and/or environment. Happy Trails!

Halloween in Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area

On October 31, 2008 me and 3 of my friends ventured into the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness area. There is not much information on the web about this Michigan gem. It is the only designated wilderness area in the Lower Peninsula. It is located between Manistee and Luddington Michigan on Lake Michigan.

We arrived at the trail head late Friday evening. We had to detour because the road to the trail head had a bridge out. Once we arrived, we paid the $5 parking fee for the weekend, and headed into the darkness.

Night backpacking is always exciting. It was even more exciting this time because it was Halloween. Also, the trails are not well marked here since Nordhouse Dunes is a wilderness area. We eventually ended up along the shore, and the view was spectacular! There was not a cloud in the sky and the stars were out in full force. We could see a lone lake freighter in the distance also. While hiking to the beach we scared up a porcupine. I had never seen one in the wild and once it saw us, it lumbered off in the opposite direction. We eventually found a nice place to camp near the timberline around 9pm. By this time we were starving and made some dinner. After dinner out came the box wine!! A good time was had by all around the campfire.

The next morning we awoke to a beautiful November day. We decided to look for a better site, as in the daylight our previous night's site did not look very good. However, just on the other side of a ridge from our first night's camp we found the perfect site. So, we packed up camp and moved to the new site. After breakfast, which was had close to 10am, we decided to explore. We walked the beach for a few hours discovering all kinds of "pirate treasure." Pirate treasure is anything washed up on the beach that is interesting. We found countless fishing lures, a frisbee, tennis balls and even a flag from a commercial fishing net. One of my friends decided to strip down to his skivvies and take a swim in Lake Michigan! We returned to camp and made a light lunch.

After lunch 3 of us, Brett wanted to stay in camp and "be one with nature", decided to hike more of the trails. What awaited us to discover was breathtaking. The view of Lake Michigan from the high bluffs was amazing. We followed a ridge trail that gave us a bird's eye view of the tornado swath. Apparently a tornado went through the area in June 2008. The DNR denies it was a tornado. Everyone I talked to who knows the area says it was a tornado. Anyway, this area was spectacular too. The force that created this destruction is definitely something to respect. In some ways I wish I could have been there to see it and in other ways I am glad I was not there!!

After dinner we got a nice campfire going and busted out the box wine again. Much fun was had around the campfire that night. In the morning the four of us packed up camp and polished off a bottle of blackberry schnapps to get the day started. We dropped our packs near the dune area to further explore this area before leaving. We managed to take the rest of our box wine with us on this little expedition. Some awesome dune jumping and swimming in Lake Michigan was conducted after the wine took affect. We also found a dead fox well preserved but half buried in the sand. Brett decided to dig him out. We wanted to take the fox home and keep it. Instead, he gave it a burial at sea. Dead foxes can really fly through the air!

We had a great time in the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness area. There are about 10 miles of hiking trails. Some of the trails are closed due to the tornado destruction. This is a great area to base camp like we did. If you love to beach walk, this is the place. Nordhouse Dunes is now on my list of favorite places to backpack in Michigan!

Backpacking: Manistee River Loop

The Manistee River Loop is a backpack I have done more times than I can remember. I have primarily hiked it in spring and early winter. It is located in the Huron-Manistee National Forest near Cadillac Michigan. At the end of this post are some links for more information.

The loop itself is made from the North Country Trail and the Manistee River trail. I always start at the Red Bridge River access. There is a nice parking area on the left hand side BEFORE the bridge. You do need to hike the road and cross the river to get to the trail. Here, there is a pit toilet and water. Be careful hiking the road. The trail will be just across the bridge on the right hand side.
To get to Red Bridge, drive west of Cadillac on M55. Look for Warfield Road on your right hand side. Turn right on Warfield and follow it to Coates Highway. Turn left on Coates. When you reach Red Bridge River access you are there!

The part of the loop I start with is the North Country Trail side. In the first few minutes of hiking you will cross under some massive power lines. Shortly after that you will cross a dirt road. Get ready for a long steep uphill! Some call this Mount Manistee! You will not reach the North Country Trail until you get to a trail junction. Follow the trial to the right to continue in the right direction.
I prefer the North Country Trail side of the loop because you can camp anywhere 200ft. from water. That is easy beacuse there is no water for quite some time! After 7 or 8 miles the trail will decend and a small stream can be found. There is also a pine plantation here. This is my favorite place to camp. There is evidence of previous campsites within the pines. Pack in what you pack out and keep the place clean. Follow Leave No Trace too OK?!?

The trail continues on for a few more miles. Look for a connector trail on the right hand side. This is important because it will connect you to the Manistee River trail. If you miss it you will reach a dam. I have done this before. Turn around and hike back. The connector trail crosses the Manistee River with a big suspension bridge. It is nicknamed Little Mac.

The next section of trail is the most beautiful. Epic scenery of the Manistee River can be seen atop the bluffs. Caution: The trail does follow the edge of the bluffs closely in a few spots. A small waterfall can also be seen. You must camp in designated sites on this side of the river. Eventually you will reach Coates Highway and the parking lot.

This trail is a great weekend hike. It's approx. 20 miles of hiking allow a great work out and allows spectacular scenery. You could hike this in 2 days as I have done before. However, it is more enjoyable in three. Check out the links below for more information.

http://mrtassociation.com/thetrail.aspx
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/pages/Recreation/Manistee/cm_manisteeriver_trail_txtonly.pdf
http://www.lnt.org