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Michael Neiger was introduced to wilderness
tripping at a young age by his parents, Arthur and Virginia,
who are avid, outdoors-oriented individuals. Thanks to his
upbringing, he enjoys wilderness excursions in Michigan, Canada,
and Alaska via backpack, canoe, ski, snowshoe, and mountain
bike.
Michael learned many of
his wilderness skills early in life
with his brother Dave
at his dad's log cabin
on Long Lake in Ontario, Canada
(Pastel by Susan
[Neiger] Roubal)
Excluding day trips, he has participated
in or organized 344 multi-day wilderness trips and expeditions
by backpack, canoe, ski, snowshoe, or mountain bike since
1984. Over the course of those trips, Michael has logged 1418
bag nights in the bush.
He has consulted and helped train members
of two North Pole expeditions. In the past, he has organized
and led trips for both the Michigan Sierra Club and the School
of Outdoor Leadership and Recreation (SOLAR) in Detroit.
His wilderness trips have been featured
on WLUC TV-6 as well as in the Detroit Free Press,
Michigan Out-of-Doors, Grand Rapids Press, and
Marquette Monthly.
He's also field-tested commercial gear
for Sierra Designs and the AltaMate Co., and for a Patagonia
retail outlet.
Like most wilderness trippers, when Michael's
not in the bush, you'll often find him training for an upcoming
adventure, either running and lifting weights.
In addition to organizing wilderness trips
and expeditions for over 22 years, Michael also enjoys the
challenge of long-distance solo tripping in remote, unspoiled
areas. In January of 1998, he completed a two-week, unsupported
solo ski trip to the Arctic Ocean, pulling a sledge for 120
miles along the Abitibi and Moose Rivers to reach Moosonee,
a Cree Indian village on James Bay (southern Hudson Bay) in
northern Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1673, Moosonee is Ontario's
oldest, nonnative settlement.
Michael has paddled solo from the Lake
Superior area to the Arctic Ocean, retracing an old, historic,
360-mile-long voyageur route. He has also skied solo and unsupported
across the Upper Peninsula twice.
In addition to paddling dozens of Canadian
rivers, he has also completed two, multi-week-long paddling
trips along the remote north shore of Lake Superior.
Seek not the trip of a lifetime, but a
lifetime of tripping.
Rucksack:
Retroed Dana Designs Astraplane
All-season shelter:
10' by 10' sil-nylon tarp and
bivouac sack
Water purification:
Portable Aqua iodine tablets
Underwear
Patagonia Capilene
3-season stove:
Esbit NATO pocket stove
with hexamine solid-fuel tablets
Winter stove:
MSR XGK-II shakerjet
Fixed-blade knife:
SP-10 Marine Raider Bowie
Spec-Plus by Ontario Knife
Co.
3-season hiking boots:
All-leather Montrail Moraine
AT
Winter footwear:
Handmade mukluks
Snowshoes:
12" by 60" Ojibwa
3-season sleeping bag:
Plus-20 North Face Cat's Meow
Winter sleeping bag:
Minus-40 North Face Dark Star 3D
Rain gear:
North Face 3-layer Gore-tex
Nav tools:
Silva 54 Combi
Orienteering Compass
Custom, wrist-mounted Silva
baseplate compass
Ranger Pace-Counting Beads
Bug repellent:
Muskol 100% DEET
Wilderness tripping canoe:
14' R-84 Royalite Mohawk Odyssey
Campfire:
Seminole style
Snowshelter:
Trench with improv roof
Activity:
Off-trail land navigation
Michael enjoys writing and research. His
outdoor-related articles have been published in a wide variety
of publications including the Detroit Free Press, Michigan
Out-of-Doors, Silent Sports, Mining Journal,
Marquette Monthly, Solar Ray, The Mackinac,
and The Muir View.
In his spare time, Michael is working
on detailed, map-based guidebooks for the Grand Island National
Recreation Area and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
He has taught winter camping and wilderness
survival courses for the Boy Scouts of America, Northern Michigan
University, and the School of Outdoor Leadership and Recreation
in Detroit.
Michael was born in Petoskey, Michigan
in 1953. Before his family moved to Marquette in 1959, he
lived in Pellston, just south of the Mackinac Bridge.
He is single, has two brothers and one
sister, and currently resides in Marquette, on the south shore
of Lake Superior.
Michael is 25-year veteran of the Michigan
State Police who served in Manistique, Detroit, Madison Heights,
Sterling Heights, and Marquette.
He is currently a freelance writer specializing
in survival skills, outdoor adventures, and wilderness guidebooks.
Michael did his undergraduate work
at Northern Michigan University and has a Ph.D. in political
science from Wayne State University.
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