A Walk in the Woods

The family.

There is no doubt that this year has been full of trials for everyone. For some the trials have been most severe including the loss of loved ones. We must do what we can, within the bounds of safety, to alleviate these trials: getting outside certainly can help.

If you are particularly fortunate you have places that are just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of daily life to give you a sense of nature. You are not just strolling through the streets of your neighborhood. Take those opportunities to explore.

Fall folliage in full bloom and hanging on for just a bit longer. This oak tree (pretty sure) is hanging in there.

You do not need to go on a big adventure. If you can find a place near your home to just stroll in nature that will do a lot to make the stroll more than just a mere walk in your neighborhood. If you can get out with friends and family, safely of course, so much the better. The point is to relax and remember that even today the world is still a wonderful place.

Notes on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail and our Weekend Backpacking Trip

Notes on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail and our Weekend Backpacking Trip

Portage Lake is the western terminus of the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. It’s an active lake with plenty of recreation taking place especially on a fine warm morning such as this. Time and location approximate. Photo by Andrew Mytys

--November 7, 2020 at 10:07 AM. Pinckney, MI, United States

You probably have read the trip report on our NOvember 7-9, 2020 backpacking of the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. Some of my companions have made some cogent comments that I am going to address here in this post. They’re mostly expansions on things I wrote then and provide a bit more detail about issues you might also encounter if you decide to tackle this trail.

How to Hike the Trail

Direction of Travel

While there is something to be said for hiking east to west as your are leaving traffic noises behind the first several miles of the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail are shared with the Potowatomi Trail which is predominantly a bike trail. The general rule is bikers ride the trail east to west while hikers travel west to east. Even with this traffic management approach you need to pay attention to the bike traffic which frequently moves rather quickly and can be upon you before you know it.

Markers

The Waterloo-Pinckney Trail is blazed with dark blue marks. This is especially helpful in keeping you on track in the area where the horse riding trails abound.

Footing

Overall the tread of the trail is hard packed dirt. But during autumn leaves, especially oak, will lay thick on the ground. They obscure the trail and make the tread-way more slippery. The former attribute probably contributed to Doug’s ankle trouble as he hit a hidden rock. The latter made descents, some steep, more challenging than they would otherwise be.

In the vicinity of the Horseman’s Campground the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail is used by both people and horses. More or less bounded to the west at Katz Road and Loveland Road on the east the footing becomes increasing sandy and full of ruts as you move deeper into the area. It’s worst between the Baldwin Flooding and Clear Lake Road. You will likley find it tougher going than you expect from a examination of the topographic map.

The 2020 Re-Route

For decades the trail made use of what it could to get where it needed to be. By M-52 that meant traveling up a private drive before entering state owned land and a proper trail. It also meant crossing M-52 which is a busy road.

In 2020 the bike-path and its tunnel under M-52 were completed. The trail follows the bike path under the tunnel and there is new, as of this writing unmarked though surely that’s only a matter of time, trail just past the tunnel. That is the new Waterloo-Pinckney Trail which Mike elected to locate and follow while Andy and I having realized we had missed the turn (MIke had to backtrack a bit) decided to follow the trail that climbs over Stofer Hill and then use map and compass, staying on ridges avoiding the marshy lower ground, to make our way to where the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail would be. It is a pretty short bushwhack once you leave the trail that climbs Stofer Hill (there are side trails to the top and to the north that you could follow but if you try to dead reckon your way to the Waterloo-Pinckney from those points you will likely encounter marshy ground). However, it is certainly an unnecessary detour as the new Waterloo-Pinckney Trail exists. Just pay attention. Make sure you have the most currently available maps. The new Waterloo-Pinckney Trail intersects the bike path within 0.1 miles east of the tunnel. The trail then travels pretty much due east for about 0.6 miles before making a sharp turn to the north and heading towards Lyndon Park. As of this writing, November 15, 2020, the trail that connects the bike path to the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail is not marked and the old trail that crosses M-52 and use the private land is still marked as Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. Use the new trail. Be a good steward of the lands.

• Point on Map by the tunnel

Water Sources

This is definitely not a complete definitive list of water sources on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. There are certainly some sources that are going to be seasonal and I am not mentioning them. The ones I do cite I am pretty confident will be flowing, when water flows, year round. These water sources are not potable. They should be treated either through filtering, chemical purification, UV purification, or boiling.

From Portage Lake to Pines Campground

There are two reliable sources between the trailhead at Portage Lake and Pines Campground. There is no water at the campground itself and the water at the horse stables, about 0.5 miles away, is only available May 1 through September 30 ¹

Water is available at a decommissioned dam about 3 miles from the trailhead (well my GPS track has it further than that) but just east of Willis Road.

• Point on map

Water is available about 0.6 miles west of Pines Campground in the Baldwin Flooding.

Pines Campground to Green Lake

You’ll go right by Crokked Lake and near Mills Lake. But you also cross over McClure Creek and North Fork of McClue Creek later in the section.

At the third intersection with McClue Road (going west to east) you’ll find a lovely water source but the ground is very soft and apt to suck your shoes off. Footing is better south of the intersection.

Point on map

Green Lake to Silver Lake

You can find water flowing in Lyndon Park after the pavillion. However, access can be tricky as you cross boardwalks above the water. I was able, with a stretch (and I’m only 5’4” or so), to reach my Sea to Summit Bucket down to fetch water. Mike stuck his trekking pole through the strap to later lower that same bucket to get a re-fill. There are a few places like this where you could fetch water but you won’t be able to just dip your water bottle in.

• Point on map

Water is available at Blind Lake which is 0.25 miles off the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail.

There is a water source about 0.3 miles east on the Waterloo-Pinckney/Pototwatomi Trail east of the junction to Blind Lake.

At the southeast corner of Pickeral Lake the Waterloo-Pinckney/Potowatomi Trail intersects with an unnamed trail that heads northerly towards the Silver Lake Trail. Follow the spur trail and then Silver Lake Trail about 300 feet to a footbridge that spans a creek that flows between Pickeral Lake and a small unnamed lake. If you pass the unnamed spur trail you will quickly encounter to Silver Lake Trail which you can take north to the same footbridge. The distance is comparable either way you go.

More Resources

You can find plenty of information out there about the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. A lot of it is not particularly current and the trail has seen some substantial changes over the years. As I’ve noted elsewhere reported trail mileage distances vary and while I do not claim my numbers are going to jibe with your experience I do believe they’re prety reliable and that it is a bit better to be a bit high rather than low as far as distance travelled goes.

Maps

I’ll share my GaiaGPS maps and if you want to find others I know of at least on track on CalTopo and I expect AllTrails has them too. Keep in mind that with the new re-route if you have older maps they certainly will not be current and even a recently downloaded map (November 9, 2020) doesn’t show the new re-route as Waterloo-Pinckney but does show that a trail is present.

Gaia GPS Track

• Big Portage Lake to Pines Campground (November 7, 2020)
• Pines Campground to Green Lake (November 8, 2020)
• Green Lake to Silver Lake (November 9, 2020)
• Michigan DNR Overview Map (not really usable for actual hiking).

DNR Maps

These are PDF maps from the Michigan DNR that will certainly give you an overall sense of how trails connect with each other.

Pinckney State Recreation Area

• Hiking and Biking
• Another version

Waterloo State Recreation Area

• Overview Map
• Equestrian Trails

Camping

You must say at designated campsites. For purposes of backpacking the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail I’d suggest your options include Pines Rustic Campground (no water or ground fires), Green Lake, Blind Lake. There is camping at Portage Lake. Other campgrounds exist in both Waterloo and Pinckney Recreation Areas but aren’t on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. Keep in mind that campgrounds are spread out in both recreation areas so you will need to search both Waterloo and Pinckney when making reservations (Blind Lake is in Pinckney; the others in Waterloo).

Michigan DNR Reservations

Hiking Style

start by talking about hiking style. Our breakfast break at Lyndon Park was planned and ran 45-60 minutes (some dispute on that but that’s OK; I know we took 2 hours 16 minutes in breaks on the third day). The lengthy break at Blind Lake was also pretty much decided upon as we approached the lake and no one complained. It can be tricky to meld disparate hiking styles together especially when some people are just going to always be slower than others. The point to keep in mind is that breaks do tend to consume time more quickly than you might expect. I knew our breaks on day 3 were about as long as they turned out to be. I was surprised that I used up about 70 minutes on day 1 though my time spent searching for the lost camera and then waiting for Doug to retrieve my glasses certainly accounts for a not insignificant portion of that time.

More Photos

You had a chance to see some photos from the previous post but others took photos too and I did not include everything I could have.

Day 1: Portage Lake to Pines Campground

This twosome would raise the horse and rider count to 9. They were nowhere near the last horses we would see today. We would see quite a few Saturday morning as well.

--November 7, 2020 at 2:31 PM. Grass Lake, MI, United States

Our arrival on this scene of well over 20 horses and their riders milling about this stream. We could backtrack, not at all a short ways, or ford the stream. I was figuring on taking my socks off, sliping my shoes back on, and wading across. Doug was not keen on this idea. The horse people suggested they give us rides. Perhaps they said it with a joke in their hearts but they were serious and we took them up on the offer. I did less well than Doug.

--November 7, 2020 at 3:40 PM. 12891 Trist Rd, Grass Lake, MI, United States

Doug looks a lot happier and more comfortable on his horse than I am sure I did on mine. I sat behind a fellow and he admonished me to, “breathe.” He may have been right to do so. There were easily a score of horses and their riders at this crossing.

--November 7, 2020 at 3:44 PM. 12891 Trist Rd, Grass Lake, MI, United States

Baldwin Flooding. This is where you will find a decommissioned dam and access to water. It’s about 0.5 miles west of Pones Rustic Campground. Time is approximate. Photo by Mike Fogarty

Day 2: Pines Campground to Green Lake

Green Lake in full fall foliage glory. Andy got to camp about 20 minutes before Mike who arrived about 20 minutes before I did. Time and position are approximate. Photo by Andrew Mytys

--November 8, 2020 at 4:15 PM. Chelsea, MI, United States

Day 3: Green Lake to Silver Lake

The tunnel that we now get to use to safely deal with M-52 and all its traffic. This is part of the new, as of 2020, re-route that gets the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail off private land and away from danger. Photo by Andrew Mytys

--November 9, 2020 at 8:40 AM. 18034–18272 M-52, Chelsea, MI, United States

We were working our way through the tall grasses following a deer trail (yes, I could see it too) towards where we believed the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail had to be. At this point the trail is probably about 0.1 miles east of us. But this is an area that has clearly seen human visitation before. Perhaps not all that often as we suspect this Pepsi bottle is older than Andy or I. Photo by Andrew Mytys

--November 9, 2020 at 9:08 AM. Chelsea, MI, United States

Blind Lake is a fine place to have lunch. It is a remarkably clear body of water as you can tell as you peer down upon this Leopard Frog. Phto by Ander Mytys

--November 9, 2020 at 1:05 PM. Gregory, MI, United States

By the time I would reach this plant the sun was not glinting off of it as it is here and I doubt I was that far behind. This was taken probably around 4:40 PM. This is the last pond we would pass before ending our hike. Photo by Mike Fogerty.

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1. Pines Rustic Hike-In Campground ↩︎

Backpacking the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail: A Stunningly Warm Autumn Adventure

The weekend before rifle deer season and usually right around the birthday of a close friend people would gather at the old Schoolhouse in White Cloud, Michigan for a weekend of conviviality and outdoor fun. We started this tradition November 1999 and up until this year even though the Western Michigan Chapter of the NCTA sold the Schoolhouse we thought we would have our usual Gathering. COVID-19 has thrown those plans out. Paul and Julie took their family (Julie is the birthday girl) up north for a car-camping weekend of fun and one person joined them (Steve) but the Gathering was a non-event this year. Andy Mytys suggested a backpacking trip for the traditional weekend of the Gathering and along with Mike Fogarty and Doug Wood I joined in for this trek of the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail.

This would be a new hike for me. I’ve certainly walked the entire trail in sections before but never backpacked the whole thing. I don’t think I have even set foot on the trail since Andy, John, Dennis, and I set out on a winter solstice at dawn to hike from Big Portage Lake to Lyndon Park probably about 15 years ago. The trail has changed some over the years. While the trail has changed the information about it may not have. You can find sources that give different lengths such as 36 miles long¹ and 33.9 miles ². You will find different distances cited for campgrounds on the trail too. Take this all with a big grain of salt. While I am fully willing to admit that a GPS track has inherent errors in it I do not think my record track is that far off from the actual feet-on-the-ground experience. when you plan a trip keep in mind that the map is only a model of the reality on the ground and that model may be out of date. Over the course of the weekend I logged just over 42 miles. That does include hiking to and from Green Lake and Blind Lake. It includes no doubt some cumulative error though I think that is likley very small. It also includes the unintentional detour Doug and I took on day 1 which likely added about 1.0 mile to our hike. If I had to say what the most likely distance of just the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail is I would suggest 38.5 miles with the biggest discrepancies from other sources being found between BIg Portage Lake and Pines Campground and from Green Lake to Silver Lake. For those that want to dive into the nitty-gritty of how my feet trod the Waterloo and Pinckney Recreation Areas you can view the GPS tracks:

• Big Portage Lake to Pines Campground (November 7, 2020)
• Pines Campground to Green Lake (November 8, 2020)
• Green Lake to Silver Lake (November 9, 2020)

Day 1: Portage Lake to Pines Campground

We hoped to be on the trail by 09:30 and earlier would have been lovely. But no plan survives contact with reality it seems. Andy’s ETA slipped but that hardly mattered because so did everyone else’s ETA. Toss in confusion on how to get to Portage Lake for some and we all were there a little before 10:00. Of course, by this time the already sunny morning had warmed up considerably and Doug proved to be the smartest of us all in that he was already down to pretty minimal layers of clothing. We hoisted our packs, probably all weighing in between, 21-23 pounds with all our stuff and plenty of water^{note on water sources}, and struck out on the trail at 10:01.

Under the ever-present sound of crunching oak leaves we quickly left the parking lot and some traffic sounds. Now and then we would be treated to the eerie honking calls of Sandhill Cranes flying past. The lake was soon left behind for the rolling hills of the Waterloo Recreation Area. It is easy walking at this point. Navigation is also straightforward early on which is nice. We could relax into the hiking and enjoyment of the unusually warm sunny day. That’s what we did as our gorup spread out into distinct sub-groups with Andy and Mike in the far lead.

Left to right: Mike, Doug, Andy. Time for a late-morning break.

--November 7, 2020 at 11:17 AM. Grass Lake, MI, United States

Now and then we will come up on one of these grassy open expenses. They never last long Brar a nice change of scenery.

--November 7, 2020 at 1:37 PM. Grass Lake, MI, United States

It was a lovely day and even though the climb up Sackrider Hill seemed to take more out of me than it should have I was enjoying myself quite a bit. Just being outside in these conditions was more than enough reward for a bit of harder work. I am sure everyone else felt the same way. But it couldn’t really last: at least the ease of hiking couldn’t last. Doug and I got into such a nice groove that we failed to make an important turn near Baldwin Flooding. We figured it out, we had suspicions already, when we came to a stream with well over a dozen horsemen and horsewomen with their horses all getting ready to trot through the water. We were completely off the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. Should we retrace our steps or ford the stream and figure out where Pines Campground was from this point. Doug didn’t want to cross and get his shoes wet. I figured mine would dry and I could just either go barefoot or take my socks off and let the shoes quickly dry. The horse-people had another idea: give us rides across. We took them up on that notion. I made something of a hash of it just getting on the horse. What a stretch. I’m clearly not limber enough to swing my right leg up and over while wearing my pack. I needed a shove. Doug manned the whole affair, actually riding alone on a horse (I sat behind a fellow), far more adroitly than I. I’m grateful for the short ride but I must also say that it was a bit nerve-wracking being up there swaying back and forth.

After that we made fine time until I belatedly realized my glasses had fallen off. Doug scampered on back to the stream where the horse-people still were and they had found my glasses. What a surprise. But with our navigational goof and this final mishap we still hauled ourselves and our gear into camp around 16:30. What a day: and we still had camp chores including dinner to contend with.

We all fiddled with the fire in my Firebox G2 Titanium 5” stove (Mike’s going at it ) . It’s always a bit surprising how quickly it burns out. I think to really use it well it requires wood of much greater thickness than we used. Obviously you can cook with the stove but you need to provide lots of TLC to do it properly. We are nowhere, especially me, as competent with fire as say the stove’s creator is. But it did work.

--November 7, 2020 at 6:50 PM. 12891 Trist Rd, Grass Lake, MI, United States

I brought the 5-inch titanium Firebox stove on this trip to play with. This is not normally how I would cook. Making a wood-burning fire that you can cook on takes a lot of work. I broke up sticks into various sizes and it was not enough. Andy broke up more. We fiddled with the fire and it burned hot and too fast. Maybe if we had used much larger chunks of wood, akin to a fire torch approach, we could have done better. But my faux-quessedillas came out pretty well. My apple crisp-like dessert got burnt but the parts that did’t burn were quite tasty. Doug shared a lovely turmeric tea (think that’s right) with all of us. But by about 20:00, as we listened to the church group in the other campsites repeatedly pray to Mary, we crawled into our various shelters and sleeping bags to go to sleep.

Day 2: Pines Campground to Green Lake

Doug’s ankle had been bothering him the pervious day and he decided to play things safe and bail out. He would hike minor roads (maybe hitch) back to his car. He declined any offers to keep him company and no one pushed it. He was off pretty early on and Andy not far behind. Mike and I took a bit longer but we set out on the trail at 09:00 which was pretty good and could have been quicker had MIke and I not elected to have hot breakfasts (oatmeal takes forever to eat it seems).

During the night the temperature dropped down to the low-mid 40s. I slept well in my Enlightened Equipment 50F quilt within my silk liner. Andy was probably wearing his usual sleeping clothing, long johns, and maybe a bit more under his tarp within a Serenity bug bivvy and he said he was comfortable too. That’s high praise given he sleep colder than I do. throughout the night we heard coyote yip and bark in the distance. I suppose they caught something. Some type of owl hooted but I couldn’t tell what it was. When the sun rose we heard Sandhill Crane cry as they flew south.

We could certainly wish for more signs like this later on. There are numerous side trails that connect to the Waterloo Pinckney Trail. In this area they are predominantly horse trails and with signage is present and maintenance done is typically done by the local Horsemens Association. It can get quite confusing. Photo by Mike Fogarty

--November 8, 2020 at 9:08 AM. Grass Lake, MI, United States

The hiking in the vicinity of Pines Campground and for quite a few miles around is upon sandy trail. Numerous trails form loops that intersect with the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. It’s something of a mess. If you don’t have a decent map and ability to locate yourself either with solid knowledge of the area, a GPS, or both you can easily got confused. The footing on the trails just adds to the irritating nature of the hiking here. Horses just beat trails up.Mike and I were up to the task and did not get confused. We were very happy when the horse-riding trails subsided as we slowly approached Clear Lake and the Waterloo Recreation Area headquarters: lunch spot.

We didn’t meet quite as many people on horseback during the morning as we hiked but that’s probably only because we were hiking out of the domain of the horse and rider. At our lunch spot we settled in for a time to relax and eat what we had. A few people came on by and asked what we were doing. Quick chats. A fine way to spend time outside. But after probably more than enough time had elapsed we gathered up our packs and struck out once more towards Green Lake. For time time we kept company with a young lady and her new puppy. That was a nice bit of conversation. But she was going to turn off in time, as her pup was flagging just a bit, and we would keep on heading towards camp.

The trail footing is so much better once you leave the domain of the horse. No ruts. No sand. The trail rises and falls through many small hills which you notice as you climb them (more descend as you worry about slipping). The literature suggests that the trail mileage between Pines and Green Lake is 12.5 miles. That’s likely a bit short but probably not by more than 0.5 miles. But it’s a tough 13.5 miles even though none of the hills is really much to write home about. Andy was at camp well before me. Mike wasn’t far behind Andy. I arrived at 16:30. By the time I showed up it was cooling down a litle bit. Our sunny day was still going pretty strong and the high was well into the mid-70s. It was nice to relax and get ready for our second night. I fully planned on eating my pasta dinner, using the alcohol stove, but Andy had other ideas. Chelsea is only about 5 miles away and surely a pizza place would deliver to the campground. Well our first place we called doesn’t do delivery but Jets did and so a large Detroit-style pizza was ordered. Took something like an hour to reach us but we enjoyed the special treat - pizza was OK not great - of ordered food. I suppose we stayed up later because of the late dinner but we had nowhere we needed to be. A fine way to end the day.

Day 3: Green Lake to Silver Lake

This is as gooda view of Green Lake as I would get.

--November 9, 2020 at 8:32 AM. 18347–18505 M-52, Chelsea, MI, United States

Our final day and it was going to be the longest day even by the data we gleamed from the literature. That suggested a distance of 13 trail miles so 13.5 miles from our campsite. I had my doubts. We planned to be on the trail bight eyed and early and have breakfast at the pavilion in Lyndon Park which the literature suggests was only 2.0 trail miles distant. There is what the map presents and then what the feet trod. Their was a great difference this morning. The map didn’t show the re-route that was made to avoid having to cross M-52 and then walk up a private drive. That re-route takes you down a paved bike path about 0.5 miles to a tunnel which then if you are paying close attention as you walk the continuing paved path has an unmarked trail leading east into the woods. That’s the trail you want to take and it will link up with the “old” Waterloo-Pinckney Trail in 0.5 miles. We missed that turning. Andy and I decided to strike out for new territory and find the trail via bushwhacking. Mike wasn’t keen on that idea as he was worried about marshy ground so turned back to find what we clearly missed.

We have climbed Stofet Hill and are making our way along deer trails towards the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. Andy braves a path through the tall grass. Here we avoid slipping on leaves though the grass does hide branches to trip over.

--November 9, 2020 at 9:10 AM. Chelsea, MI, United States

Andy and I soon found a trail that would climb through rasberry bushes and other brush slowly gaining the near-top of Stofer Hill. As we climbed we learned Mike had found the trail and was making good time. We held out a faint hope that we’d be faster than him and could get to Lyndon Park first but I suppose that was foolish. Our semi-maintained trail faded away to be replaced by game trails that we managed to follow pretty well. No marsh. We came into a meadow and knew that the Waterloo-Pinckney was not too far away. Just keep heading the way we were going and we would hit the trail. We did. Our extra exploration certainly added distance to our day; Mike’s did too. The re-route had we found it straight off would have as well though a bit less. Everyone had fun and we all reached Lyndon Park eventually though Mike was well ahead of us.

Our warmest if not quite clearest day. But I think the clouds make the sky stand out more above this wet grassy area.

--November 9, 2020 at 11:00 AM. Chelsea, MI, United States

We spent too long at Lyndon Park. It’s not as though we had big deal breakfasts we just dawdled. Over the course of the entire day we would take 2 hours and 16 minutes of breaks (that’s my breaks; bet Andy and MIke got more). Breakfast and lunch took up the bulk of those pauses and while they probably were worth it (lunch for more so as it was prettier) we probably should have taken those breaks in more even chunks. The strategy of taking a short break every hour or so instead of a couple huge breaks and several short ones now and then really does have a lot to recommend it.

Carry a bucket or other water carrier you can attach a line to ( or has a long enough strap already as my Sea to summit bucket does) to fetch water from spots like this.

--November 9, 2020 at 12:04 PM. Gregory, MI, United States

It was our warmest day yet and I suspect we all felt the need for water. I know I certainly did. Too bad treating water, using my Sawyer Mini in this case, seems to always take longer than you would wish. I should’ve brought the Katadyn BeFree instead and I certainly can see the appeal of UV-light purification systems that take only a minute. I’m just not sure I trust them as I saw them break in the past. However, that past is a decade ago and I know the technology has improved since then and people whose outdoor expertise I trust use them.

Ken after lunch at Blind Lake. It’s worth the 0.25-mile walk down to the lake for a relaxing break. If you’re lucky you will spot bullfrogs and leopard frogs as Mike and Andy did. Photo by  by Mike.

--November 9, 2020 at 1:53 PM. Gregory, MI, United States

I believe this is Dead Lake. Does that mean we shouldn’t get water from it? We just walked on by. Photo by Mike.

--November 9, 2020 at 2:32 PM. Gregory, MI, United States

We marched on and on. Andy and Mike pulling ahead and waiting for me to catch up. Blind Lake, Dead Lake, Pickerel Lake. They slowly came and went and we plodded on. Had we wanted to not walk the whole Waterloo-Pinckney (OK, we already blew that) Trail we could have shaved at least a couple miles off the hike by not following the Potowatomi Trail all the way. But that wasn’t the choice we made. With little fanfare we worked our way past the last unnamed lake, through a lovely pine grove, and then to the rocky bit that lasts at most a tenth of a mile before ending at the parking lot for Silver Lake. You don’t even see the lake. Sunset was just past and twilight was settling in as we quenched our thrist with iron-tasting water at the Silver Lake pump. The hike was complete.

Gear List

This was put together a bit haphazardly but is substantially complete and accurate. As you can see the wood-burning stove is a huge weight. An alcohol stove, like my Evernew titanium Trangia-style burner with Trangia simmer ring (carried but I forgot to put in the list) with fuel weighed 120 grams. Had I gone solely alcohol I’d have carried more fuel but the total would likely have been only a third as heavy at most.

Gear	weight(grams)
ZPacks Solplex with 8 stakes	500
NeoAir xtherm	455
Enlighten Rquipment 50	290
Design Salt Silk Liner	115
Vargo ExoTi 50 Backpack	1465
Kitchen
Firebox G2 titanium 5” with 4 firrsticks and Cordura Pouch	580
Self Reliance 1L Titanium Pot	160
Kieth Titanium Mug	55
frypan (no handle) not sure if it’s an MSR or Trangia	125
Pot lifter	20
Trimmed Fat Daddio 4x2” baking dish from Flatcat Gear	60
Stuff Sack	20
Fork/spoon	5
Firebox leather gloves	95
smart wool t shirt	80
2 pairs socks	120
Underwear	70
Buff	35
Packa rain jacket	255
Kuiu Peleton 97 L hoodie	140
10,000 Anker battery	215
Petzle bindi lamp	34
Garmin inReach	130
Microphone	68
Tripod	194
Phone mount	96
Compass, knife, fire starter	120
Wallet baggie (cash, ID, credit card, insurance card, emergency info) estimate	92
Toiletries , first aid	205
Trowel, tp, sanitizer, body glide	140
CNOC 2L bladder	90
Sawyer mini and back flush syringe	80
Sea to Summit bucket	65
Gear weight (g)	6174
Food bag (Sea to Summit waterproof with OP sack and bear hang kit)	100
Food estimate	2100
Starting water	2000
total estimate (g)	10374
Wearing
Hiking pants, undies	390
REI long sleeve shirt	230
T shirt	70
Socks	60
Altra Lone Peak 4
Wintergreen hat	34
Monocular	98
Worn total	882

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1. From Wikipedia ↩︎

2. Pure Michigan ↩︎

3. just really two reliable sources of water. One is at a decommissioned dam just east of Willis Road about 3 miles from the trailhead. The second about 0.5 miles west of Pines Campground ↩︎

Bisquick Muffin Bske on a Trangia Stove

A Trangia burner sitting inside a 5” titanium G2 Firebox Stove. A big muffin is baking in the Self Reliance pot using a round 3x3-inch dish.

I am getting ready for a two-night backpacking trip. Since this is going to be a short trip, under ridiculously warm weather conditions for the season, on pretty gentle trail, I think I will tackle more involved cooking. I hope to use my large titanium Firebox stove. The 6’5-inch G2 titanium stove in its Cordura case weighs in at 600 grams (21.25 ounces). If I use the Trangia with simmer ring that will add another 95 grams (3.3 ounces). I’ll bring the alcohol burner as backup in case I fail to make good wood-burning fires in the Firebox. I wanted to make sure I could do a long burn with the Trangia so I baked a big chocolate chip muffin. It was a tasty success.

A lot has been written about backcountry baking and I doubt I can add much. I used a titanium pot from Self Reliance which has both a side-mounted handle and bail-style handle which should stay cool even if flames lick up the sides of the pot. My baking dish was a 3-inch diameter by 4’3 inches tall trimmed down Fat Daddios dish which I placed on a 0.5 or so inch tall spacer. I let it bake until the fuel burner out which was about 35-40 minutes and used up about 1.5 ounces of fuel which was certainly more than I needed. Cooking conditions: about 30 F (-1 C) with a breeze blowing around 10MPH (16 KPH).