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Location: TheRuckSack
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Sierra Club Wilderness
trips and expeditions
Chapter: Michigan (Mackinac)
Group: Central Upper Peninsula (CUPG)
Leader: Michael Neiger, Marquette,
Michigan (Web site; e-mail;
bio)
Review trip
journal and photo
album from this completed trip
April 1-4,
2005
Backpacking
This early-spring
backpacking trip will involve a cross-country trek through the non-motorized
Green Timbers Wilderness Tract as well as an exploration of the wilderness
along the western limits of the 70-mile High Country Pathway, both of
which are situated within the Pigeon River Country State Forest. This
area is home to the majestic Elk and we'll be keeping an eye out for this
elusive animal as well as its tracks and sheds.
The Green Timbers Tract
Scenic vistas, prime wildlife habitat
and over ten miles of Sturgeon River frontage dominate this 6,300-acre
tract. Adopted as part of the Pigeon River Country State Forest in
1982, Green Timbers is closed to all motor vehicles, including snowmobiles.
History
Green Timbers, so named in 1942
by Don McLouth of McLouth Steel, was developed and used as a hunting
and fishing resort. Prior to McLouth ownership, the southeast portion
was used as a recreational retreat by Titus Glen Phillips, while the
north portion was owned by Cornwall Lumber Company. The land was extensively
logged, burned, and then grazed by both sheep and cattle prior to
the 1950's when McLouth purchased the property. The logging, fires,
and heavy grazing are still evident to the observant eye.
Timber
About 55 percent of Green Timbers
is covered with a mixture of aspen, oak, northern hardwood, swamp
conifers, red pine, and white pine. The remaining 45 percent consists
of open grasslands and scattered pine stumps or open grown hardwoods.
Elk & wildlife
Green Timbers has been an important
area for elk since the successful reintroduction of the species in
1918. The original release site is just 1.5 miles north of the property.
Large open expanses of grassland as well as annual seeding of rye,
buckwheat, clover, and alfalfa by the Wildlife Division of the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources provide prime habitat for elk. Swampland
(lowland forest), aspen, and hardwoods offer habitat for rugged grouse,
turkey, bear, white-tailed deer, woodcock, snowshoe hare, and a variety
of other wildlife species. The Sturgeon Valley watershed, including
the Sturgeon River, Club Stream, and Pickerel Creek, contains healthy
populations of brook, brown, and rainbow trout.
Rustic Cabins
The Green Timbers Tract includes
two, hike-in log cabins that are open to the public on a first-come,
first-served basis. The one-story Honeymoon Cabin overlooks the Sturgeon
River Valley from high atop its east escarpment in Section 10. Its
west-facing porch--which is highly exposed to west winds--offers magnificent
views of the valley below. It is heated by a massive, fieldstone fireplace.
The Green Timbers Cabin is situated at the bottom of the Sturgeon
River Valley along the east bank of the Sturgeon River, just north
of the confluence of Pickerel Creek and the Sturgeon, in Section 10.
It too is heated by a massive, fieldstone fireplace.
The Pigeon River Country State Forest
The 93,000-acre Pigeon River Country
State Forest consists of seven campgrounds, over 90 miles of hiking
trails, 27 miles of horse-riding trails, numerous limestone sinkhole
lakes, and several rivers.
History
After heavy logging between 1860
and 1910, the area suffered disastrous, uncontrolled fires for years.
Fires burned significant acreage as late as the 1930's. Unsuccessful
attempts to convert the land to farms resulted in large parts of the
area reverting to State of Michigan ownership through either tax reversion
or purchase. In 1919, the area was designated a state forest and tree
planting began soon thereafter. Planting and forest recreation development
expanded with the establishment of a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp
in the region. The headquarters buildings along the Pigeon River were
built between 1934 and 1935.
Elk & wildlife
Seven elk released in 1918 increased
to as many as 500 by 1927. Illegal shooting of elk in 1974 resulted
in a record-high loss of 45 animals. By 1975, the herd was estimated
to number only 200 animals. The heard eventually recovered and now
exceeds 1,100 animals, making it the largest wild elk herd east of
the Mississippi River. To control crop damage and allow forest regeneration,
limited harvests of the elk are scheduled from time to time. In addition
to elk, the region is inhabited by deer, bear, bobcat, coyote, grouse,
woodcock, snowshoe hare, squirrels (gray, black, and fox), pine martin,
beaver, otter, muskrat, waterfowl, and numerous songbirds.
Gas & oil exploration
After the discovery of gas and oil
deposits under the south-central portion of the region in the 1970's,
commercial exploration and development began. By 1984, nearly 857,000
barrels of oil and 9,200,000 million cubic feet of gas were being
removed from the area annually.
(Contains material adapted from
the Green Timbers and the Pigeon River Country State Forest
brochures, courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
Destination:
Pigeon
River Country State Forest
& Green Timbers Wilderness Tract
Otsego and Cheboygan Counties
Northern Lower Michigan, northeast of Gaylord
Experience level:
Intermediate-level,
0-degree backpacking
Difficulty:
Strenuous
Off-trail/on-trail rating:
80 percent off-trail,
map & compass recon
Participant requirements:
-- Notice:
please review the homepage on this Web site
for general wilderness tripping requirements
-- 18 years old or older
-- non-smoker and non-drinker
-- very physically fit (good aerobic endurance)
-- adventurous spirit
-- proficient swimmer
-- prior wilderness tripping experience
-- fully equipped with lightweight backpacking gear
including rucksack, bivouac gear,
survival gear,
foul-weather gear, rations, stove,
etc.
Bivouac
advisory:
This
is not a basecamp trip.
We will move each day
and bivouac in a different location each night,
often deep in the bush and far from roads,
dry & level campsites, potable water, toilets, and
fire rings.
Trip info:
-- 8 a.m. Friday
to late afternoon Monday
-- Club fee: $10
-- Sign up
by March 24 appreciated
-- Contact trip
leader to sign up, or for application form if new
-- Review journals
and photos from similar wilderness trips
Specialized equipment required:
-- In-pocket survival
kit (knife, matches, firestarters,
compass, whistle); Sierra Club survival
kits can be
borrowed free of charge
-- River-fording footwear
Rations required:
-- Breakfasts--4
-- Snacks--4
-- Lunches--4
-- Dinners--3
-- Backup rations--1 full day
-- Rations and stoves info
Additional
destination info:
-- Pigeon River State Forest Headquarters,
DNR
1-989-983-4101, http://www.michigandnr.com
-- Elk viewing maps and tips:
• Indian River Chamber
of Commerce
1-800-EXIT-310,
http://www.irchamber.com
•
Gaylord Area Convention and Touism Bureau
1-800-345-8621,
http://www.gaylord-mich.com
-- Read Field Guide to the High Country Pathway,
1997 topo maps with keyed text, by the Pigeon River Country Association,
P.O. Box 122, Gaylord, Michigan 49735 ($5, 24 pages; may be available
from the Indian River Chamber of Commerce).
-- Read High Country Pathway, 1990 map with text,
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Information Services Center,
P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, Michigan 48909.
-- Read Green Timbers, 1993 map with text, Michigan
Department of Natural Resources, Information Services Center, P.O. Box
30028, Lansing, Michigan 48909.
-- Read Hiking Michigan, by Mike Modrzynski (Falcon
Press, 1996).
-- Read Backpacking in Michigan, second edition,
by Pat Allen and Gerald L. DeRuiter (University of Michigan Press, 1989).
-- Read "Hiking with the Herd," by James Campbell,
in Backpacker Magazine, Oct '00, page 97.
-- The Pigeon River Country--A Michigan Forest,
by Dale Clarke Franz, et al., by the Pigeon River Country Association,
P.O. Box 122, Gaylord, Michigan 49735 (300 pages).
-- Read Pigeon River Country State Forest, 1985
map with text, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Information Services
Center, P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, Michigan 48909.
-- Search destination in http://www.google.com
search engine
Travel
info:
-- Driving maps
-- Road conditions and weather
reports
-- Tourism info
-- Road trip gear
Wilderness skills and resources info:
-- Backpacking
skills
-- Land nav skills
-- River fording skills
-- Water purification
skills
-- Lightning safety
-- Low-impact skills
-- Backpacking links, books,
& vendors
-- Ultralight backpacking
links, books, & vendors
--
Dressing warm skills
-- Sleeping warm skills
-- Winter-camping skills
-- Ice-crossing skills
-- Snowshoe links, books,
& vendors
-- Winter-camping
links, books, & vendors
Emergency contacts:
-- Otsego County
Sheriff: Gaylord, 1-517-732-6484
-- Montmorency County Sheriff: Atlanta, 1-517-785-4238
-- Michigan State Police: Gaylord, 1-517-732-5141
-- Michigan State Police: Alpena, 1-517-354-4101
-- Hospital: Gaylord, 1-517-731-2100
-- Hospital: Alpena, 1-517-356-7252
-- Sierra Club Outings Department 24-hour help line:
1-888-outings
Land Nav Team Info:
Topographic maps:
1:24,000 Green Timbers, Michigan
1:24,000 Hardwood Lake, Michigan
1:24,000 Afton, Michigan
--Topo map ordering
information
--Topo map waterproofing
& GPS prep
County maps:
Otsego
County
Cheybogan County
--County map ordering
information
Pigeon River Country-area
Trail Maps:
Pigeon
River Country State Forest, 1985 (free, 8.5 by 11)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
Pigeon River Country State Forest
Access Map, 1994
(free, 17 by 22)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
Shingle Mill Pathway, 1992(free,
8.5 by 11)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
Green Timbers, 1993 (free,
8.5 by 11)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
High Country Pathway (free,
8.5 by 11)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
Field Guide to the High Country
Pathway ($5, 24 pages)
Pigeon River Country
Association
P.O. Box 122, Gaylord,
Michigan 49735
(May be available
from the Indian River
Chamber of Commerce
at 1-800-EXIT-310)
Clear Lake--Jackson Lake Hiking
Trail (free, 8.5 by 11)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
Sinkhole Area, 1990 (free,
8.5 by 11)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
Sinkhole Pathway, 1990 (free,
8.5 by 11)
Pigeon River State
Forest Headquarters, 1-989-983-4101
Elk Viewing Map
Indian River
Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-EXIT-310
2005
Magnetic declination specs:
Magnetic declination
for Lat 45° 12'N, Lon 84° 26'W:
06° 46' west
UTM easting grid line to meridian
line deviation:
01° 49' east
UTM easting grid line magnetic declination:
08° 35' west
GPS
configuration specs:
Grid coordinate
system
1000-meter Universal
Transverse Mercator Grid (UTM)
UTM grid horizontal map datum:
1927 North American
Datum (NAD 27 CONUS)
UTM grid zone:
Zone 16
UTM grid hemisphere:
Northern hemisphere
Unit of measure:
Metric
Battery type:
Lithium, for deep
cold, or long-range use
Alkaline, for 3-season
use
Battery type setting:
Select type of battery
(lithium, alkaline, or Ni-Cad);
battery discharge-rate
differences affect meter accuracy
Misc nav setup:
Roamer
UTM plotter scale(s):
1:24,000
Ranger pacing
beads:
Metric--9 100-meter
beads; 4 1-kilometer beads
Magnetic declination setting on compass:
0° of offset
More land
nav team info
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