Timber Wolf, Lake Superior, Ontario


A lone timber wolf greets
paddlers along the north shore
of Lake Superior, Canada
(Photo by Michael Neiger)

 

I'd rather
wake up
in the middle
of nowhere
than
in any city on earth.
  --Steve McQueen

 

The longing
to be primitive
is a disease of culture.
   -- George Santayana
   1863-1952
   Little Essays

 

Voyage,
travel,
and change of place
impart vigour.
   -- Lucius A. Seneca
   circa 5-65 A.D.
   De Tranquillitate Animi

 

Today
I have grown taller
from walking
with the trees.
   -- Karle Wilson

 

The Promised Land
always lies
on the other side
of a wilderness.
   -- Havelock Ellis
   1859-1939
   The Dance of Life,
   1923

 

He delighted to wander
in unknown lands,
to see strange rivers,
his eagerness
making light of toil.
   -- Publius Ovid
   43B.C.-18A.D.
   Metamorphoses

 

Heaven
is under our feet
as well as
over our heads.
   -- Henry D. Thoreau
   1817-1862
   Walden:
  The Pond in Winter
,
   1854

 

The Rucksack Masthead
By Michael A. Neiger (aka: LandNavMan), Marquette, Michigan
Wilderness tripper: backpacking, winter camping, swift-water canoeing
Web site URL: http://therucksack.tripod.com • E-mail: mneiger@hotmail.com
Contents copyright © 1984-2007 by Michael A. Neiger • All rights reserved.

TheRuckSack > Upcoming trips page

Upcoming
Wilderness
Tripping
Opportunities

By Michael Neiger
   (LandNavMan on the bulletin boards)
   Marquette, Michigan
                                                                    

E-mail:  mneiger@hotmail.com

 

Men [Women] Wanted
for
Hazardous Journey

Small Wages, Bitter Cold,
Long Months of Complete Darkness,
Constant Danger, Safe Return Doubtful.
Honor and Recognition in Case of Success.

-- Circa 1914 "help-wanted" advertisement for
Sir Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition


Additional wilderness tripping opportunities:  

Last revised February 25, 2012

Agawa Falls
85-foot Agawa Falls
on the Agawa River,
Lake Superior Provincial Park,
Ontario, Canada
(Photo by Michael Neiger)

The mountains
are calling
and I must go.
  --John Muir
  1838-1914

Keep close
to Nature's heart...
and break clear away
once in awhile,
and climb a mountain
or spend a week
in the woods.
Wash your spirit clean.
   -- John Muir
  1838-1914

The best way
to convince people
to defend
the wild areas
is to take them out
and let them see
wild splendor
for themselves.
   -- John Muir
   1838-1914

 


 

2009 Wilderness trips

(Review journals & pictures from
past trips and expeditions)

 

For a list of free, wilderness trips and expeditions organized by Michael Neiger—as a community service of Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue—check MiBSAR's operational calendar.

 

 

February 7-22, 2009

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
16-day, 20th Annual Canadian Snowshoeing Expedition
     Includes four driving days
Saturday through Sunday
Expert level, off-trail, remote, river travel, arctic temps
Insert & extraction via Polar Bear Express bush train
Arctic Ocean Expedition—Moose River
     Moose River Crossing to James Bay (lower Hudson Bay)
Cochrane District
Moosonee :: Ontario :: Canada
Complete details about this trip have uploaded to the Net and a discussion thread has been started on
BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

 

 

2008 Wilderness trips

(Review journals & pictures from
past trips and expeditions)

 

Dec 5-8, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
4-day Winter Backpacking/Sledging Trip
Friday through Monday
Intermediate level, off-trail
Pigeon River Country State Forest
Northern Lower Peninsula :: Cheboygan, Montmorency, & Otsego Counties
Vanderbilt :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been uploaded to the Net and a discussion thread has been started on
BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

Nov 7-10, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
4-day Winter Backpacking Trip
Friday through Monday
Intermediate level, off-trail
Hiawatha National Forest and North Country Trail
Eastern Upper Peninsula :: Mackinac and Chippewa Counties
Moran :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

Oct 3-6, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
4-day Fall Backpacking Trip: Caving, Waterfalls, Overlooks, Old Growth
Friday through Monday
Intermediate level, off-trail
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Central Upper Peninsula :: Alger Counties
Munising :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

Aug 28 - Sept 2, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
6-day Backpacking Trip: Waterfalls, Overlooks, Old Growth
Thursday through Tuesday
Intermediate level, off-trail
McCormick Wilderness Tract
Ottawa National Forest
Central Upper Peninsula :: Marquette & Baraga Counties
Big Bay :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

June 28 - July 5, 2008 (note date change as of 3-16)

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
8-day Backpacking Trip: Waterfalls, Overlooks, B-17 Flying Fortress 1944 Wreck Recon, Silver and Copper Mine Exploration, Old Growth
Saturday through Saturday
Intermediate level, off-trail
Porcupine Mountains State Park
Western Upper Peninsula :: Ontonagon County
Silver City :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

May 24 to June 2, 2008 (note date change as of 1-31)

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
10-day, 22nd Annual Canadian Backpacking Expedition
Coldwater River & Calwin Falls Expedition
Saturday through Monday
Expert level, off-trail
Lake Superior Provincial Park area
Algoma District
Wawa :: Ontario :: Canada
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

May 2-5, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
4-day spring backpacking trip
Friday through Monday
Intermediate level, off-trail
Mackinac Wilderness Tract
Eastern Upper Peninsula :: Mackinac County
Moran :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

April 4-7, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
4-day early-spring backpacking trip
Friday through Monday
Intermediate level, off-trail
Mackinac State Forest
Northern Lower Peninsula :: Otsego, Montmorency, and Cheboygan Counties
Vanderbilt :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

March 7-11, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
5-day winter-camping, snowshoeing trip, & ice exploration
Friday through Tuesday
Intermediate level
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Central Upper Peninsula :: Alger County
Munising :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

February 9-17, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
9-day, 19th Annual Canadian Winter-Camping and Snowshoeing Expedition
Saturday through Sunday
Expert level
Lake Superior Provincial Park area
Algoma District
Wawa :: Ontario :: Canada
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

January 18-22, 2008

A free Michigan Bush Rats' adventure
5-day Winter-camping & snowshoeing trip
Friday through Tuesday
Intermediate level
Delirium Wilderness Tract
Eastern Upper Peninsula :: Chippewa County
Strongs :: Michigan
Complete details about this trip have been posted
on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum Web site

 

2007 Wilderness trips

(Review journals & pictures from
past trips and expeditions)

December 7-10 , 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring the Mackinac State Forest. More info about this trip has been posted on the Midwest Forum at BackPacker Magazine's Web site, where you can network with fellow wilderness trippers. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

November 2-5, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring the Mackinac Wilderness Tract. More info about this trip has been posted on the Midwest Forum at BackPacker Magazine's Web site, where you can network with fellow wilderness trippers. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

October 5-8, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring the western half of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and its many wilderness caves. More info about this trip has been posted on the Midwest Forum at BackPacker Magazine's Web site, where you can network with fellow wilderness trippers. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

August 31-September 4, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring the Pigeon River Country State Forest and Green Timbers Tract in search of elk. More info about this trip has been posted on the Midwest Forum at BackPacker Magazine's Web site, where you can network with fellow wilderness trippers. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

June 26 -July 16, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be paddling the first half of the Lake Superior-to-the-Arctic Ocean Expedition this summer. More info about this expedition has been posted on the Midwest Forum at BackPacker Magazine's Web site, where you can network with fellow wilderness trippers. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

May 27-June 2, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring a section of wilderness within the confines of the Lake Superior Provincial Park (Ontario, Canada) as well as visiting Kawagama Mountain and the Agawa Canyon by backpack. More info about this trip has been posted on the Midwest Forum at BackPacker Magazine's Web site, where you can network with fellow wilderness trippers. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

March 31-April 3, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring a section of wilderness within the confines of the Pigeon River Country State Forest (Cheboygan County, Michigan) by backpack. More info about this trip has been posted on the Midwest Forum at BackPacker Magazine's Web site, where you can network with fellow wilderness trippers. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

March 1-6, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring the rocky, western half of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore wilderness (Alger County, Michigan) by snowshoe and sledge (bush travel, ice travel, bush and ice caves). Learn more about this trip, get current updates, and chat with fellow wilderness trippers participating in this adventure on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum . This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

February 3-11, 2007 --20th Annual Canadian Snowshoeing Expedition. Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be exploring the Lake Superior Provincial Park (Ontario, Canada) wilderness by snowshoe and sledge. Learn more about this trip, get current updates, and chat with fellow wilderness trippers participating in this adventure on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

January 12-16, 2007 --Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be reconing the Delirium Wilderness Tract (Chippewa County, Michigan) and the surrounding bush by snowshoe and sledge. Learn more about this trip, get current updates, and chat with fellow wilderness trippers participating in this adventure on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

2006 Wilderness trips

(Review journals & pictures from
past trips and expeditions)

December 2-3, 2006--Michael and his friends known as the Michigan Bush Rats will be reconing the bush around Dog Lake Flooding in the Pigeon River Country State Forest (Cheboygan County, Michigan). Learn more about this trip, get current updates, and chat with fellow wilderness trippers participating in this adventure on BackPacker Magazine's Midwest Forum. This is not a Sierra Club Trip.

December 1-4 , 2006--intermediate-level, winter backpacking trip: northern Pigeon River Country State Forest (northern L.P.). Strenuous, off-trail recon and elk tracking. (This trip has been canceled)

November 3-6, 2006--intermediate-level, winter backpacking trip: Hiawatha National Forest (eastern U.P.). Strenuous, off-trail recon.

October 6-9, 2006--intermediate-level, swift-water wilderness canoeing: Fox River (eastern U.P.). Strenuous.

September 1-7, 2006--20th annual (fall) Canadian backpacking expedition: Upper Agawa Canyon (Algoma District, Ontario, Canada). Expert-level, extremely strenuous, off-trail recon of remote 11-Mile Creek Canyon, side canyons, and waterfalls; Austin Lake Mountain; bush train insert and extraction.

August 6-12, 2006--advanced-level, backpacking trip: Porcupine Mountains State Park (western U.P.). Extremely strenuous, off-trail recon of remote peaks, old growth, waterfalls, WW II B-17 wreck site, and old abandoned mine sites. [no additional info available at this time] NOTE--this trip has been canceled

July 4-11, 2006--Canadian wilderness canoe trip: Lake Superior Provincial Park's Sand River (Algoma District, Ontario, Canada) NOTE--dates were changed effective 5-14-06

May 26-31, 2006--20th annual (spring) Canadian backpacking expedition: Lower Agawa Canyon (Algoma District, Ontario, Canada)

May 5-8, 2006--intermediate-level, backpacking trip: Upper Fox River Valley (eastern U.P.)

April 7-10, 2006--intermediate-level, backpacking trip: Pigeon River Country State Forest (northern L.P.)

March 5-11, 2006--Winter-camping & caving trip: 7-day coastal trek through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

February 18-26, 2006--19th annual Canadian winter-camping snowshoe expedition: 9-day, west-to-east traverse of Lake Superior Provincial Park

January 28-29, 2006--Nepessing Group Winter-camping class, part III: in-the-field practical session no. 2 in the northern Lower Peninsula. Contact outings chair David Mansfield at mansfieldd@chartermi.net or 810-658-0406

January 20 thru February 6, 2006--Special Canadian Sledging Expedition: 18-day, 165 km Algoma Highland's Montreal River Ski Expedition

January 14-15, 2006--Nepessing Group Winter-camping class, part II: in-the-field practical session no. 1 in the northern Lower Peninsula. Contact outings chair David Mansfield at mansfieldd@chartermi.net or 810-658-0406

January 4-7, 2006--Sledge Training Trip for Janary 20th Special Canadian Sledging Expedition

 

2005 Wilderness trips

(Review journals & pictures from
past trips and expeditions)

December 2-5, 2005--winter-camping trip: Pigeon River State Forest

November 30 , 2006--Nepessing Group Winter-camping class, part I: classroom session in Flint area (6:30 p.m.). Contact outings chair David Mansfield at mansfieldd@chartermi.net or 810-658-0406

November 4-7, 2005--backpacking trip: Hiawatha State Forest

Sept 30 to Oct 4, 2005--wilderness canoeing: Fox River

September 2-6, 2005--backpacking trip: Rock River Canyon

August 4-15, 2005--19th Canadian (fall) backpacking expedition: Pukaskwa National Park

June 30 to July 10, 2005--19th Annual Canadian (summer) backpacking expedition: Lake Superior Provincial Park

May 27 to June 6, 2005--19th Annual Canadian (spring) backpacking expedition: Agawa Canyon & Montreal River Canyon

April 29 to May 2, 2005--backpacking trip: Hiawatha National Forest

April 1-4, 2005--backpacking trip: Pigeon River State Forest

March 3-8, 2005--winter-camping trip: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

February 10-15, 2005--18th Canadian winter-camping expedition: Lake Superior Provincial Park

January 13-18, 2005--winter-camping trip: Kingston Plains

2004 Wilderness trips

(Review journals & pictures from
past trips and expeditions)

December 3-6, 2004--winter-camping trip: Pigeon River State Forest

November 5-8, 2004--backpacking trip: Hiawatha National Forest

Oct 1-5, 2004--backpacking trip: McCormick Tract Wilderness Area

Sept 3-9, 2004--18th Canadian (fall) backpacking expedition: Agawa Canyon

July 30 to August 3, 2004--backpacking trip: Grand Island National Recreation Area

July 1-11, 2004--Canadian backpacking trip: Lake Superior Provincial Park

May 22-31, 2004--18th Canadian (spring) backpacking expedition: Agawa Canyon

April 30 - May 3, 2004--backpacking trip: Hiawatha Naitonal Forest

April 2-5, 2004--backpacking trip: Pigeon River State Forest

March 4-8, 2004--winter-camping trip: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

February 13-17, 2004--17th Canadian winter-camping expedition: Lake Superior Provincial Park

January 15-19, 2004--winter-camping trip: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore


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In God's wilderness lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.

 — John Muir 1838-1914, Alaska Wilderness, 1890

Content Copyright © 1984 -- 2012-02-25 --> --> -->
by Michael A. Neiger

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* Disclaimer *
The information contained on this Web page and this Web site are provided solely for information, illustrative, and discussion purposes. Although the author has made a sincere effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented on this Web page and this Web site, no warranty is expressed or implied. The author assumes no responsibility or liability for any injuries, damages, losses, or other consequences that may result from the use of the information contained on this Web page and this Web site. As with any human endeavor, omissions, inaccuracies, and errors will occur on this Web page and this Web site and the author makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information presented or that the information presented will produce any particular result or be suitable for any particular situation, person, organization, or other entity. While corrections and revisions may or may not be made from time to time, any changes made to this Web page and this Web site are made without obligation to notify any person, organization, or other entity of any such changes. The activities associated with the information contained on this Web page and this Web site are by their very nature inherently dangerous and the information presented can not take the place of good personal judgement, sound decision-making, professional training, proper equipage, adequate physical fitness, and expert guidance by trained and experienced professionals.

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