Packing in the Porcupines

My friends and I this past weekend decided that we wanted to hike. I'm not talking about a measly two miles in, pitch a tent, get out the 24 pack of beer and have a campfire. I'm talking an 8 mile hike where at the end you have your campfire but your dinner is pasta sides because you didn't want to pack anything else in. I wanted to come home sore, tired and content.

And so a hike was planned. We headed a little ways north to the Porcupine Mountains. We started along a river and hiked about 7 miles to the shore of Lake Superior. Coincidentally, we were on the North Country Trail which is where we hiking before while visiting Marquette, Michigan. The Porcupine Mountains are very old growth and the forest feels that way, old. It has history and it commands respect. The trees were mostly deciduous and hemlock, it would be beautiful in the fall. After hiking for 7 miles along the river we saw Lake Superior. Lake Superior looks like an ocean, in fact it has tides.

The Porcupine Mountains have campsites ready to go with bear hangs set up. We got to one we had heard was nice but unfortunately it was taken, along with every other campsite along shore. Thankfully we had a back country permit (necessary when going camping in the Porcupines) which allowed us to camp anywhere we wanted as long as we set up a bear hang and didn't have a campfire. So we set up our camp along the shore. We couldn't find a clear spot because there were so many thimbleberries we ended up just putting the tent right on top. Unlike raspberries or blackberries their stalks don't have thorns and the leaves are real soft, they also don't get really woody stems.

We cooked dinner on the beach and took a swim. The stars were amazing and the moon wasn't out. We stayed up late taking sips of whiskey with apple juice chasers as we watched the shooting stars fly by. The milky way was also out in it's full glory. A rare sight with all the stars out like that. Very few times do you get such a clear view.

Overall we hiked about 17 miles going in and out. We did a loop going back in along a very muddy trail and then visited a waterfall on the way out. Tired and content, just like we planned, we rolled back into school.

Trips like this remind me of why I am out here learning about environmental education. These wild places have immeasurable value, they add in ways that we wouldn't even expect. What kind of price can you put on a weekend like that? What would you pay to see not one, but many shooting stars? The price: 10 mile hike in, sore feet and exhaustion. I feel that's more than fair.

Camping on the 4th

This last three 4th of the July's I've spent them in a tent. In 2011 I was in Yellowstone, 2012 I was in Alaska, and this year I was in the north woods of Wisconsin. The whole point of the 4th of July is to celebrate the birth of this great country we live in. The United States definitely has it's pros and it's cons but it's the place I would prefer to live. The US is still a very young country in comparison to countries in Europe or Asia. The Declaration of Independence was only written in 1776. Fun fact it was written on July 2nd and went through a two day revision process and was approved on the 4th. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more

Well he got what he wanted. So John Adams basically came up with how we celebrate today. While fireworks, hot dogs and beer are great, the best way for me to celebrate isn't getting drunk, overeating and watching sparkly things in the sky. I prefer to celebrate by going out to the woods. The US doesn't have great ancient monuments such as the Cathedrals in Europe or the Great Wall in China. In the US those monuments live in National Parks, State Forests and Wildlife refuges. A barbeque is replaced by a hike through the woods with friends, and eating a well earned trail meal afterward. The shows, games sports, and parade can be replaced with camp games, songs around a campfire and sharing of memories. The guns and bells can be replaced by songs of birds. And of course fireworks, or illuminations as John Adams puts it, can be easily replaced by stars. Also my celebration doesn't end at any given moment it ends when I walk out of the woods.

I don't feel the after effects of the 4th with a hangover and 10 pounds of leftover hamburgers. Instead I take a shower and let the dirt, bug dope and sweat go down the drain. I wash my stinky socks, hang up my sleeping bag and put my pack away for the next trip.