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  1. #1
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    NCT Michigan UP – Tahquamenon to Lake Superior and Westward, Sept. 22- 26, 2016, 53 miles





    I’ve been working on my NCT “100 Mile” patch and hit it after my last trip on the NCT in July. About 5 months ago, Donk_67 and I (still needing a few more NCT miles) hatched a plan to pick up where we left off last September and continue our trek through Michigan’s UP. Here's the link to last years hike. This year, our hike would take us from the mouth of the Tahquamenon River along the North Country Trail through the Tahquamenon Falls State Park, then north and west along the shore of Lake Superior for as far as we could get in our 5 days of hiking. When we first layed out the trip, we were a bit ambitious with a goal of Grand Marais, roughly 70 miles. Instead, we wrapped up at Lake Superior State Forest Campground and did the Blind Sucker loop for good measure before returning home. Some logistics to take into account: this trip needs 2 cars, unless you want to use a trail spotting service ($$$) or if you feel that your hitchhiking skills are strong enough to get you the roughly hour and a half or more that it takes to get you from point A to point B. As our trip progressed, we ended up having both vehicles, so there was some slackpacking and we did skip a couple sections, like the burnt out lunar landscape from the 2014 Duck Lake Fire. Special thanks to the Hiawatha Shore to Shore Chapter of the NCT https://www.facebook.com/pages/North...12461788790072

    They are the ones who maintain the trail and do an excellent job. We were pleasantly surprised to run into Kay, who is President and a work crew, who Donk_67 had contacted about the trail conditions. More about our experience with them later…Now, on with the trip report which will be picture heavy, as is my tradition.

    Day 1: Wednesday 9-21-16 - Travel to Muskelonge SP
    There were four of us on this trip: Donk_67 and son Thomas from Petoskey, and Michigandave (me) and my buddy Gerard from the Clarkston area. All of us got on the road mid afternoon and journeyed north to meet up at Muskelonge State Park in the evening. We had a nice night around the campfire and got to enjoy a few adult beverages before calling it a day. Temps were in the 50’s and it was a great night in the hammock.

    Day 2: Thursday, 9-22-16 - Mouth of the Taquamenon River to Old Stove rustic campsite, 10.6 miles, 4 hours
    After enjoying a good breakfast, we shuttled a vehicle over to Rivermouth Campground and got ready to hit the trail around 10 AM. We took a brief stop at Lake Superior then hit the NCT and enjoyed views along the river for about 6 miles.









    Trail conditions were good and eventually we came upon the HSS trail crew out working on a new section of bridge. We would be the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th backpackers to break it in and took a short break to talk with the volunteers.





    Eventually we got to the trail sign announcing that we were near our stop for the night “Old Stove Rustic Campsite”. Note, you have to reserve this by calling the the park and it costs $13. The site had a bear bag (not really effective), wilderness toilet and firepit. It’s situated in a dark cedar swamp along the river. Luckily, the firepit is at the highest point. Our two ground dwellers found their spot and Donk_67 and I set up close to each other about 100 feet from the site. We got a good fire going, had dinner and enjoyed a couple cans of Two Hearted Ale, that was very appropriate since were were in Two Hearted River country. It got down into the mid 40’s, no rain, but it was pretty damp along the river. Sleep came very easy that night!





    Day 3: Friday, 9-23-16 – Old Stove to 500/Little Two Hearted River, 18 miles, 7 hours
    The next morning, everyone got up, ate, packed and we were on the trail by 8:30. Today would be the highlight of the trip, since we were hiking through the park and enjoying one of the prettiest sections of NCT trail between the Lower and Upper Taquamenon Falls. Trail conditions were still good and we weren’t running into much mud. The rain that had been forecasted held off, so we had great hiking temps in the 60’s and low 70’s.







    It turns out that Donk_67 and Thomas are true tree huggers at heart….



    The river looked more like it was spring break up with ice, rather than a nice day in September



    By the time we got to the Lower Falls Campground and took a break (5.2 miles), my buddy was having pack issues, so after some ice cream (1st of 2), he decided to stay there for the night and work his way back to his car the next day. He would then jump ahead and meet up with us at Culhane or the Two Hearted River CG.



    It was pretty easy walking from the Lower Falls along the boardwalk







    So, our group of 4 became 3. We got back on the trail and enjoyed the next 6 mile of trail between the Lower and Upper Falls. There was some mud and I have to admit, some of the hills were brutal.





    But, we knew that there was a reward waiting at the Upper Falls: lunch at the Camp 33 Brew Pub! I had a déjà vu moment when as soon as we got off the trail at the Upper Falls and onto the tourist trail, I looked ahead and saw my wife’s parents and my sister-in-law with my nieces 20 feet away. It was a nice surprise and since my phone was DOA, at least they could get a message home to let my family know things were good. We had a good lunch and sampled the microbrew then hit the trail.





    Our goal for the day was to get outside the park and camp at the Little Two Hearted River at the 500 road crossing. This 8 mile section was tough and we ran into an area where the beavers had built a 3 foot dam across the trail…everything around it was soggy, so the feet got wet unfortunately.







    It was getting late and by 5 we were still in the park and looking for anywhere suitable to stop. We did hike by the “Wilderness” backcountry site, but it wasn’t too hammock friendly.



    We kept moving and by 6:30 we were at where we had planned to stop. It wasn’t the best spot, but it worked for the tent and 2 hammocks. None of us felt like dinner, so we just ate snacks, drank coffee and crawled into our hammocks by 8 PM. The sky was clear and it made for some great stargazing. I had a great view through my new CF tarp out on it’s first adventure.



    Donk_67 went topless so he could see the stars….



    Day 4: Saturday, 9-23-16 – 500/Little Two Hearted River to Culhane Lake Campground (kinda) 10 miles, 4 hours
    We were up early, had breakfast, lollygagged and had another change of plans…Thomas was having some discomfort so he decided to wait there and we’d shoot a car back to grab him later on in the day. So, we got on the trail around 10 AM. This next section would take us 10 miles through more of your typical Michigan forest. Sometimes you’d see the charred trunks of the pines and the new growth around them.







    After getting to Culhane Lake CG around 2 PM, Donk_67 got a ride from a trail angel in the campground back to his car at Muskelonge SP. I stayed there to dry out our gear and would wait for him to pick me up. I even had time to take a quick swim, have some hot tea and even take a short nap.



    Everything worked out and we headed to the Two Hearted Campground where Gerard had grabbed a site and had junk food and a couple cold 6 packs of Keweenaw Brewing Company Black Widow & Blonde Ale waiting for us. Our group of 2 was back to 4 and we enjoyed a night along Lake Superior.







    Day 5: Sunday, 9-24-16 - Two Hearted River Campground dayhike, Muskelonge SP to Lake Superior Campground, 7.5 miles, 4 hours
    The next morning we got up, enjoyed some camp time and walked around the campground. Luckily, it was saved from the big fire, but everything around it burnt and the NCT goes right through it along the shore.







    We opted to skip this next section to Muskelonge ( 12 miles) since most of it was burnt out anyway and the trail had some reroutes due to erosion. After loading up the cars, we headed west through the burnt out area. We couldn’t believe the devastation.





    At around noon, we arrived at Muskelonge SP and regrouped. Donk_67 and I would slackpack along the shore and meet up with the rest of the group at Lake Superior State Forest Campground. I’m glad I did this section with a day pack.



    It wasn’t burnt out, but the trail followed the bluff, then it would just disappear and you’d see a blue blaze on a tree that had fallen to the beach due to erosion.



    There was a lot of bushwacking and finding the reroutes. Sometimes we’d climb down to the shore to hike the beach, then climb back up a bluff when we ran out of shore.



    We even got to cross the Blind Sucker River on this rustic bridge.





    By 3 PM we got into camp and were pretty much done for the day. It wasn’t a lot of miles, but it was brutal. We got our hammocks set up in the woods next to the campsite, then enjoyed the afternoon around camp and even got to go swimming in Lake Superior. It really felt good being clean!







    We had some pre-cooked bacon in reserve and it went well with Pringles chips. It was our last evening around the campfire.





    The weather had been starting to turn all afternoon and by 6 or so, we got the occasional sprinkle, which became a full fledged rainstorm later that evening and most of the night. This was the first night in rain with my CF tarp…it was a little noisy, but I did enjoy the sound of the rain..

    Day 5: Monday, 9-25-16 - NCT dayhike along the shore and the Blind Sucker Loop, 6 miles, 3 hours
    Today was the day our trip would end, so we packed up early and decided to do the NCT west along the shore, then pick up the Blind Sucker loop.





    This was a really great hike and the view along Lake Superior is always special. After turning inland, we hit the Blind Sucker lake area and enjoyed some scenic views from the hilltops. Around 10:30 or so, we got back to the campground, said our goodbyes and hit the road for the 6 hour drive home.

    We got to see some great country and experience a part of the NCT in the UP that doesn’t get a lot of use. I think we saw 4 the entire time we were out, plus a handful of day hikers in the Tahquamenon Falls area. Thanks for coming along and here’s the link to the full album:

    http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/mi...0Superior%20CG
    Last edited by michigandave; 10-01-2016 at 22:03.

  2. #2
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    That looks great, I'll definitely have to make a trip like that a priority next year.

  3. #3
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    Nice trip report. Thanks for sharing it with us. Was that ice on that river or foam? I'm also seeing a ton of html code in the report. Thanks again for sharing.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by JHarbin View Post
    That looks great, I'll definitely have to make a trip like that a priority next year.
    The NCT has some great sections in Michigan to explore. I've got a couple trip reports on my NCT hikes posted here.

    Quote Originally Posted by TrailSlug View Post
    Nice trip report. Thanks for sharing it with us. Was that ice on that river or foam? I'm also seeing a ton of html code in the report. Thanks again for sharing.
    It was foam. I took care of the html code...can never remember which embed link to use from photobucket.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Donk_67's Avatar
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    It was a great trip, that pushed me over the 100 mark. Blessed with good weather, good friends and a good son (usually).

    My YouTube slideshow of the trip which mostly contains the same photos as above: https://youtu.be/_PFsc2kD4nc



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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    Senior Member Crazytown3's Avatar
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    Beautiful scenery! Looks like a great trip with good company, overall a really nice trip.

  7. #7
    Member Majortom's Avatar
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    Hi Micihigan Dave. Great trip report and pictures. Congrats on earning your patch. When I left Muskallunge on the NCT there was a lot of blow downs to climb over. I also climbed up and down the bluff when the trail eroded off the cliff. I was getting very frustrated with trying to find the trail and the bush whacking cut my legs and arms. Also lost my sunglasses throughout this ordeal. Doesn't sound like there has been any trail maintenance to restore this section. Nancy

  8. #8
    Senior Member Donk_67's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Majortom View Post
    Hi Micihigan Dave. Great trip report and pictures. Congrats on earning your patch. When I left Muskallunge on the NCT there was a lot of blow downs to climb over. I also climbed up and down the bluff when the trail eroded off the cliff. I was getting very frustrated with trying to find the trail and the bush whacking cut my legs and arms. Also lost my sunglasses throughout this ordeal. Doesn't sound like there has been any trail maintenance to restore this section. Nancy
    I don't think the chapter in charge of that section has very many members/volunteers, so I doubt the trail will improve anytime soon, especially since Lake Superior continues to erode the bluff at will. I'm glad we were slack packing that section.


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  9. #9
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by michigandave View Post
    It was foam.
    I was wondering because you stated you went swimming as well. I though to myself you are one tough dude.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by TrailSlug View Post
    I was wondering because you stated you went swimming as well. I though to myself you are one tough dude.
    The foam was really evident in the Tahquamenon River and it's dark due to the tanin from the leaves. We swam in Lake Superior which is always crystal clear and cold! It felt great to wash off that trail funk.

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