Hiking across Michigan's Upper Peninsula - Section 9

[@yooper6161]

Good times on that section. I'm very impressed you did it with that snow. Good call realizing your abilities and the obstacles and making the right calls to make it out. I'm a life long Yooper and I've hiked all over the world. Glad to see how your doing it. I'm also working on a channel that covers the outdoors, hiking , and bushcraft.

[@johnkolehmainen2666]

I just finished watching your hike of the North Country Trail. As a native yooper and have seen a lot of the U.P. It showed me a lot of the back country most of us don't see and appreciate. The last section was so trying for you I was actually on the edge of my chair cheering you on to finish. The mental and physical stress you were able deal with and keep going was quite a feat.

[@ravineseder3133]

tough hike! great video work. really enjoyed this. and so many camping videos out there when if a few snowflakes fall they think they just survived a winter storm. hope your well into your film career, 3.5 years after posting this.

[@ronaldhoppus9015]

Nice work all around! Loved the series and the drone shots really help to put things into perspective. I admire your grit and fortitude. Hope all is well

[@bgockel]

Great content. Thank you for sharing your experience, I felt like I was right there with you.

[@WildernessMindset]

Thanks! Hopefully you didn't suffer as much haha

[@Growmechanic]

Truly awesomeness! Well done sir!

[@r.p.mcmurphy3222]

Once again great video man. Anyway you could do a gear video. Show us what gear you used on the different sections.

[@WildernessMindset]

thanks again ha. I actually started working on one with a couple friends, but never finished it. My gear is kind of specialized for all the camera gear, so I'm not sure how much it would help. I should finish it though.

[@StroMedia]

Really enjoyed this series. Thanks for sharing it. Best of luck with whatever comes next. I still watch your Tyrol Basin snowboarding video.

[@itsjustafad]

Great series, deserves a lot more views. Would be great to see other trails, any plans?

[@WildernessMindset]

Thanks! I’m actually hiking the hayduke trail right now. 800 miles across southern Utah. I can’t wait to put this movie together. It won’t be ready until the fall though.

[@itsjustafad]

Alex Maier that's okay, I can wait :)

[@carolewarner101]

Wow, this was awesome! I have NEVER done a winter backpacking trip so I know zero. That said, I'm curious why you didn't cross country ski instead of snow shoe. Seems like you could've have covered ground faster and with less effort. Bringing some skins along would've allowed you to get up the steeper sections I would think. I'd love to hear from anyone else who knows about this kind of thing that's reading this too. Anyway, this whole series was awesome. You're super inspiring and I love your camera work. I think you'll make a fine living at this!

[@WildernessMindset]

That's a good question haha. Since this was only my second winter backpacking trip, and the first one in deep snow I didn't realize how much work it was going to be to snowshoe with a heavy pack on. I don't have cross country skis, but after this trip I decided I needed to get a sled and some skis.

[@carolewarner101]

@@WildernessMindset Just watched your Hayduke series. Dude you are hard core! Most people do one of more of the big three (AT, PCT, CDT), but you chose the PNT, NCT & Hayduke! Dang...I really admire your courage and spirit of adventure kid. I didn't do my first backpacking trip until I was 48 years old. (The AT in '08). Now I'm approaching 60, but in my heart I'm still that adventurer. Sure wish I'd gotten started at your age and done a whole lot more of it, but you've inspired me to put my trail runners back on and get back in shape. I've always wanted to walk the PCT and you've convinced me not to sell out on that dream. Gonna do it because you've inspired me to go for it. Thanks little brother. Keep going. You and your camera work are amazing!

[@WildernessMindset]

@@carolewarner101 Awesome! That's what I love to hear. As we both know, backpacking is good for so much more than just getting into physical shape, but sometimes it takes a little push to get out there. Good luck on the PCT! I want to do that someday too.

[@carolewarner101]

@@WildernessMindset I walked the JMT in 2010 and it was spectacular! I walked it southbound which I highly recommend because it starts out at lower elevation passes and works its way up to Forester Pass at 13,153' and of course ends on the summit of Mt. Whitney at 14, 505'. I live in Portland, OR at 33', yet found that by walking it south bound I had no trouble with the altitude doing it that way. I camped one night at 10,000' or so before starting just to make sure my body would handle it ok and then other than just being exceptionally fatigued my first night out I really had no problem. I suspect that's because I had time to adapt to the gradual increase and by the time I got to Whitney it was no problem. Anyway, thank's for the encouragement. Wish I could find someone here that's as motivated as you to backpack. My hubby is NOT someone who enjoys it, and the folks my age all think they're too old for such things...and none of them seem to be able to put in the 20+ mile days I like to walk once I have my thru-hiking legs under me a few weeks in. I enjoy solitude during the days while I'm walking, but like to at least have company in the evenings and also a walking partner along more dangerous stretches where it's safer to have at least two there to be able to help each other out if needed. And as you know it can get lonely to be on a long thru-hike if you don't have others to share the journey with. Those are my biggest obstacles...being away from Oz for 4+ months and finding a hiking buddy hare core enough to know I can count on them to stick it out to the end! But anyway, I'll figure it out. : - D

[@Doug8D3]

Alex, thank you so much for this video series! This is an adventure I can only dream about for now, but I look forward to attempting at some point. Cheers and good luck to whatever life brings to you next.

[@WildernessMindset]

Thanks! You'll have to make time to go on an adventure because it rarely just happens conveniently, but you will not regret it!

[@peterrushlau2805]

strong, albeit brutal, close to the series. i commend your fortitude, and reason over stubbornness or pride, to finish the way you did. all the best as you go forward with your hayduke adventure.

[@WildernessMindset]

Thanks Peter! Sometimes reason has to trump pride if you want to be able to continue haha

[@annienelson527]

What a great series of videos, and I admire your dedication. Those final two sections looked brutal. Glad you were OK. My last winter camping experience was also brutal and I'm afraid to get out there again without investing in about $2K in winter gear. But I am hoping on logging about 1,500 miles on the NCT next year, including the UP section, so thanks for the amazing videos that gave me some important tips. I'll know to be prepared for tough trail in the stretch leading into the Porkies (I'm going Westbound), take a detour to Lake of the Clouds, and will make sure to detour to Grand Island for a bit too!

[@WildernessMindset]

Wow 1,500 miles is quite ambitious. I wish you luck! There are probably only a handful of people who have that many miles on the NCT. Winter backpacking is one of the few areas of backpacking where the right gear is essential. I feel like you can get away with the wrong gear in warmer weather but there is less room for error when it's that cold. With the right sleeping bag, sleeping pad and outer layer I think you'd be good to get started at least. Navigation will also be a little tricky in the McCormick wilderness too because there are no trail markers, and sometime faint tread. Everywhere else in the UP is marked pretty well though.

[@annienelson527]

I don't feel that ambitious compared to AT, PCT and CDT hikers doing 2,200-3,000 miles in the same amount of time. I'm hoping to take four months to do it. I did 500 miles on the NCT last year in 75 days, and realized I'm capable of going much farther, much faster. Thanks for the McCormick tip too. When I heard you say it's not blazed, I immediately paused the video and started researching, then breathed a little easier when you said it's a 6-mile stretch. I'll bring more food for that stretch, just in case I get lost for a bit, lol. One of the other NCT trails I've done, the Border Route Trail, isn't blazed either and is very overgrown in places, so I've got some experience with that. Looking forward to the challenge. I know you're hoping to do this kind of video work for a living. I'd love to make some videos of my hike. Obviously, I'd be on a really tight budget, but the idea of trying to edit videos together on trail is feeling pretty overwhelming. Would editing someone else's hiking videos be something you'd be interested in doing for a fee?

[@WildernessMindset]

That's what is so great about hiking, it pushes you to do things you didn't know you were capable of! The non-blazed parts are probably more scary to think about than to actually do. I was using the GPS app on my phone a lot through there so I was never really "lost" I just couldn't find the trail. It's definitely not easy to edit videos while on the trail, I've tried using the Gnarbox to make movies but even that has a lot of limitations. I'd be happy to edit your footage! I'm pretty busy right now though and I would have to charge by the hour.

[@annienelson527]

Wonderful! Should we take this conversation into email? I'd love to discuss rates and such. Thanks! annie(dot)nelson82(at)gmail(dot)com

[@jackiwannapaint]

alex you are a hard guy--and an awesome filmmaker

[@AVisceralLife]

Just finished you NCT series. It was really cool, thanks for sharing. Have you winter backpacked since this series?

[@WildernessMindset]

Thanks! yep I have spent a lot of nights out in the winter since this series. Although most of those trips were shorter 1 or 2 nights. Trying to cover a lot of distance on a winter trip is the biggest challenge I still have to get comfortable with. My splitboarding series covers some of that. The skis make it easier to move in the snow that's for sure.

[@AVisceralLife]

@@WildernessMindset I have winter camped for a weekend, but not backpacked. I would like to try it sometime. You still in Marquette?

[@mikedunn9313]

What was your total days on trail. I'm planning on starting in October and going west. I want to hike home like you did bit I'm trying to thru hike straight through. And its 900 miles. But awesome videos and keep up the great work.

[@WildernessMindset]

I don't remember exactly but each section was roughly 5 days and I broke it up into 9 sections, so about 45 days to hike across the UP. It could definitely be done faster though. Thanks!

[@Bushradical]

Your intro production is amazing! What do you use to edit?

[@WildernessMindset]

Thanks I have been using a bunch of different systems lately, but this series was editing in Final Cut Pro X

[@rvboondocker2559]

Thanks! I’ll be there soon! Do you still live there?

[@WildernessMindset]

Awesome I hope you enjoy it, I'm out in Montana now.

[@rvboondocker2559]

@@WildernessMindset That was a terrific move!

[@rickostheimer8203]

Caught this series from the Hayduke vids and gobbled it up as I' sectioning the NCT and have got from NY-VT border to PA-OH border. This has me thinking about jumping around a bit. Can you comment on whether Sept and Oct would be a good time to do MI UP.

[@WildernessMindset]

Nice the UP is the only NCT hiking I've done. I think September, October are perfect times to hike up here, if the weather is good it's my favorite time to hike. It depends on the year though because it can also be cold and rainy. Might be worth the risk to avoid the summer bugs though haha.

[@JB-un2tk]

Great Series Alex - Do you have a gear list for the various sections? Any Plans to hike the NCT south of the bridge?

[@WildernessMindset]

I don't have a gear list put together, but I should do that at some point. My gear has been changing a lot lately as I experiement with stuff so I don't quite have it nailed down yet. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them. I probably won't be hiking anymore of the NCT anytime soon. Right now I'm planning for a thru-hike in the desert on the Hayduke Trail. Here's a link to the kickstarter for it, that will explain a lot more about the project. www.kickstarter.com/projects/haydukefilm/a-film-about-learning-from-the-wilderness-hayduke?ref=user_menu

[@tzavitz]

Any reason why they don't blaze the McCormick Tract? Seems like the NCT should be blazed all the way, like the AT....

[@WildernessMindset]

yeah it should be and for the most part it is. The more I learn about how these long distance trails come together, the more sympathy I have for poorly marked/maintained sections. There is a surprising amount of politics and pointless bureaucracy that has to be overcome before anyone is even allowed to put up blazes. It's no coincidence that the blazes stop and start exactly at the borders of the McCormick wilderness. My guess is that, for whatever reason, whoever is in charge of that area hasn't signed off to allow blazes to go up there yet.

[@kevins1119]

The McCormick Wilderness is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, meaning that there is to be no human influence on the landscape. Blazing, though small and incredibly useful (especially in winter as Alex found), detracts from the wilderness experience of a place like it. That means that most of the historical trails are not allowed to be maintained. People are not allowed to cut anything on this land. There are two short sections of trail that are 'maintained', one from the Pesheekee Grade to White Deer Lake, the main site of the McCormick's main camp on the island and surrounding area, and a shorter section on the northeastern entrance to Yellow Dog Falls. The McCormick Wilderness has an incredible history to it, and I recommend anyone interested in it to do their research. If you can get your hands on Fred Rydholm's incredible opus work, Superior Heartland, you can learn all there is to know about the area and it's relation to the Huron Mountain Club and Bentley Trail.

[@tzavitz]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I guess I believe that a trail blaze would be a minimal impact and would facilitate people not getting lost. Another example of rules run amok.

[@buffyvachon8026]

Wow

[@jackiwannapaint]

90% of the interest--and entertainment-- in these videos is the suffering.

[@WildernessMindset]

haha I agree. I have found that the more I suffer out there, the more interesting the video is.

[@raylamascus2296]

Very foolish to go backpacking by yourself I don't care how good you think you are solo hiking in solo backpacking is a bad idea

[@WildernessMindset]

It probably is foolish but a lot of people do it and it's not because they are fools. Have you ever gone backpacking by yourself? It's a completely different experience and I think there are benefits that make it worth the risk. Spending time alone in the wilderness can offer something that is unattainable with company.

[@raylamascus2296]

Alex Maier your life is not worth the risk. To each his own though. Pack on I like your videos. God made us all different.

[@WildernessMindset]

I think it is worth the risk, but you're right we're all different and we can disagree. Thanks for watching anyway!

[@icemonster4178]

Keep on solo hiking! Yeah, it can be dangerous, but so is crossing the street. Let the scaredy cats stay home and shake their boots while you enjoy a beautiful magic that they will never know. Besides, if you carry a P.L.B. (Like I do) you are never without help if you need it. Your vids make this former Negaunee resident long for the deep snow country!