Pictures of the Porcupine Mountains, MI
Oct. 23, 2009
The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is located on the northwestern shore of Michigan's Upper Peninsula not far from the Wisconsin border. It contains 87 miles of trails through hilly, heavily wooded country home to one of the most extensive stands of old growth northern hardwood forests in the United States. Backpackers can camp anywhere they want for a fee that you pay upon entering the park, based on the number of nights you will be camping and how many people are in your group. We paid $14 for two people for one night. By freakish chance, on the first day of the hike we ran into a fellow thru-hiker I'd met on the Pacific Crest Trail and spent the rest of the hike together. The "Porkies," as locals call them, reach peak fall color in mid October.
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Approaching the Porkies by car from the east.
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Basic maps with trail mileages can be picked up at park headquarters. We chose to do a 15-mile loop.
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Fall colors can even be enjoyed at the parking lot.
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View down from Lake of the Clouds Overlook.
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Negotiating a soggy section of trail.
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A stream trickles through the leafy forest.
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Getting water in a meadow.
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Our traditional buckwheat dinner was cooked on a Trail Designs Caldera Cone.
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Our PCT friend sleeps under a Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape.
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While we use a 10x10 silnylon tarp.
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Group photo on top of Government Peak.
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Plank bridge over a small creek.
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Streams like this abounded along our route.
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This time of year is ideal for hiking: there are no bugs!
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Enjoying the yellow hardwoods.
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View down to Lake of the Clouds.
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A brisk wind creats interesting trails on the lake surface.
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