Backpacking the Porkies!

The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, otherwise known as "the Porkies," lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It contains not only the beautiful shores of Lake Superior but also some rare virgin forest. While the park's title mentions mountains, the peaks are technically not mountains with the highest peak topping out at 1,958 feet. But these peaks can still challenge many a hiker or backpacker that wants a workout. The name "porcupine" is derived from the descriptions the first Natives gave to the appearance of the ridges that sloped to the lake. Initially the area was noted to have abundant hunting and trapping opportunities for the fur trade. When this became less lucrative, the settlers turned to mining copper and timber production. A park was made in 1941to preserve some of the remaining old growth timber in the area with the final act establishing it as a wilderness park in 1972. 

I knew very little about the Porkies when I decided I wanted to visit. I talked with my daughter, Amy, about possibly backpacking in the park. This is a favorite pastime of hers and something I have enjoyed in years past, so we were both excited to plan a trip. We settled on a loop trail of approximately 28 miles along Lake Superior Trail, Little Carp River Trail, to Mirror Lake and Lake of the Clouds before returning. This would take us 5 days walking and 4 nights in the backcountry. We arrived late on a Sunday evening and stayed in an established campground the first night with plans for an early start the following day. 

It had rained on us on the trip there and for a short time after arriving. I learned days later that certain winds and rain will bring in the black flies. And conditions must have been ideal for them because they were swarming everywhere. 

Undaunted, we arose fairly early, went for breakfast and then checked into the Ranger Station to notify them and obtain our tags. Then we were off to the trailhead for our adventure. 

   

        

 

The park is a beautiful place, and the backcountry sites are pretty private. The first two we stayed at were right on Lake Superior. The trails were the worse for a rainy spring and summer, so we spent over half our time trying to stay out of the mud which was the soupiest mud I've ever had traipse through. We found it to be pretty much impossible to avoid even jumping from rock to root to rock to root!

By the second morning I realized I had overestimated my backpacking abilities. What once I could easily do was not so easy anymore! The hiking was more difficult due to the mud and this may have contributed somewhat to my achy, tired body. Add in a few hundred thousand mosquitos, sleeping on the ground, and an injury to my pride (I fell like a turtle on it's back in the mud), and I was ready to announce on day 3 that I needed to find a trailhead before we got so deep in the forest we had no options. My daughter had been worrying about me (or my abilities) and agreed. A review of the map and we walked to the nearest trailhead about 4 miles away. 

Next, we encountered the problem of getting back to the original trailhead where our car was parked. One problem at a time. Did I mention that there is almost no cell service in the Porkies? Fortunately, my daughter has an emergency satellite communicator, and she was able to contact her husband back home. After about 2 hours an elderly man named Jim arrived to take us to our car. The Porkies is a big wilderness park with few roads, so we had to drive around the perimeter of the park to return, taking about an hour and a half. I learned a lot of information about the area firsthand from Jim who had lived there all his life running a wrecker service. We finally made it back to our car, found lodging in a nearby hotel for the night, showered, ate and generally felt much better. 

Still feeling guilty that I was a quitter, I wanted to hike the next day to see the Lake of the Clouds, one of the features the park is known for. So, refreshed from a good night's sleep we drove back to the same trailhead to walk the end of the trail we had previously planned. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed walking on dry trails, picking wild blueberries to snack on, and taking photos at the many beautiful overlooks to the lake. 

Another restful night and we packed up to begin heading home. Our first stop was going to be at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. My daughter has long been a Packers fan and I couldn't imagine traveling so close and not stopping to check it out. 

We were anxious to get home to the rest of the family after this. It was a very special trip despite the black flies, mosquitoes, muddy trails, etc. I'm not sure what memories my daughter will keep from this, but it will definitely be memorable!

I should never say never but, when I quit, I thought that would be my last backpacking attempt. Today I'm not so sure. I may give it a go again if the conditions are right and it's good company. Until then I think I'll stick to my pilgrimage walks where I have a bed every night and food every few miles!

For park reservations call 1-800-44PARKS 24 hours before arrival 

or online www.midnrreservations.com

You can reserve sites 6 months in advance. Campsites, cabins, yurts, and backcountry sites are all available.