|
Location: TheRuckSack
home page > upcoming trips page >
trip page
Sierra Club Wilderness
trips and expeditions
Chapter: Michigan (Mackinac)
Group: Central Upper Peninsula (CUPG)
Leader: Michael Neiger, Marquette,
Michigan (Web site; e-mail;
bio)
April 29 to
May 2, 2005
Backpacking
This early-spring backpacking trip will involve a cross-country
trek through a portion of the Hiawatha National Forest located south of
M-28 and Strongs, Michigan, and north of County Road H40 and Trout Lake,
Michigan. This area is traversed by a north-south portion of the North
Country Trail. Depending on conditions and available time, we may also
explore two other interesting attractions located east of this general
area: the abandoned Raco Airfield as well as the Delirium Wilderness Tract
(mainly swamp).
To learn more about the abandoned Raco
Army Airfield as well as view photographs and aerial photos, point your
Internet browser to http://www.airfields-freeman.com/MI/Airfields_MI_N.htm.
In the winter the old runways are reported used for vehicle testing by
Smithers Scientific Services, Inc., http://www.wintertesting.com/1e-raco.htm.
The Raco Army Airfield area was also reportedly the site of the Fort Brady/Camp
Lucas Target Range (1895 - 1945, 1951 - 1960).
The long-abandoned Raco Army Airfield
is also the subject of some interesting Internet rumors about it being
a "New World Order Concentration Camp," so make sure you bring
your camo face paint and wear subdued gear :)
"*RACO Field* Raco field
is an interesting facility. The above ground runways form a perfect
triangle. Few buildings appear on the surface, but ventilators can be
seen. Civilian workers report that a subsurface facility exists. Patriot
intelligence gathering patrols have been stopped and turned back from
the area. No publicity exists indicating what the role of Raco Field
is, although something IS there. To observers, it is an "inactive
WWII base." Location: 15 miles NW of Kincheloe Correctional Facility
on hwy 28."
Source: http://www.patriotvocals.info
Destination:
Hiawatha
National Forest
Chippewa County
Eastern Upper Michigan, north of Trout Lake
Experience level:
Intermediate-level,
10-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 April 21 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:
Read "The
North Country Trail in Upper Michigan" by Byron and Margaret Hutchins
(Hutchins Guidebooks [815-633-1952], 1997)
Read USFS North Country Trail brochures entitled "St.
Ignace Segment" (906-635-5311) and "Sault Ste. Marie Segment"
(906-643-7900)
Read "Following the North Country National Scenic
Trail," by Wes Boyd (North Country Trail Association http://www.northcountrytrail.org)
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:
County Sheriff:
Chippewa Co, 906-635-6355
County Sheriff: Mackinac Co, 1-800-892-6156
State Police: Sault Ste. Marie, 906-632-2216
State Police: St. Ignace, 906-643-8383
Hospital: Sault Ste. Marie, 906-635-4460
Hospital: Newberry Hospital, 906-293-5181
Hospital: St. Ignace, 906-643-8585
Sierra Club Outings Department 24-hour help line: 1-888-outings
Land Nav Team Info:
Topographic maps:
1:24,000 Strongs, Michigan
1:24,000 Eckerman, Michigan
1:24,000 Sullivan Creek, Michigan
1:24,000 Raco, Michigan
--Topo map ordering
information
--Topo map waterproofing
& GPS prep
Forest Service maps:
Delirium
Wilderness Tract Handout/Map
Hiawatha National Forest Service Map,
Michigan 2001
--Order from:
St. Ignace Ranger District
1798 US Highway 2
St. Ignace, Michigan 49781
1-906-643-7900
County maps:
Chippewa
County
--County map ordering
information
2005
Magnetic declination specs:
Magnetic declination
for Lat 46° 19'N, Lon 84° 57'W:
06° 38' west
UTM easting grid line to meridian
line deviation:
01° 29' east
UTM easting grid line magnetic declination:
08° 07' 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
Return to upcoming
trips page and read about another trip
|