Porkies backpacking classes offer true wilderness experience
Looking for a wilderness experience with some help from the experts? The DNR Outdoor Skills Academy will offer two backpacking clinics at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the western Upper Peninsula – one for beginners, and one for more experienced backpackers.
Known as the Porkies, the Porcupine Mountains are a true wilderness, with more unforgiving terrain than most Michiganders are used to handling but some of the state’s most stunning natural beauty. These classes, for ages 16 and older, will guide you through exploring the Porkies safely and responsibly during a three-day hike.
Beginner Backpacking in the Porkies – Aug. 30-Sept. 1
Intermediate Backpacking in the Porkies – Aug. 27-29
Beginner Backpacking in the Porkies – Aug. 30-Sept. 1
This class is designed to teach the basics of backpacking. Instructors will help you develop a gear list, teach you how to plan a trip and stay safe in the backcountry and introduce you to Leave No Trace principles, and basic wilderness first aid and survival tactics. This course will work you into the wilderness experience. The first night we will be staying along the Lake Superior shoreline, car camping style, making sure all the gear and equipment is packed and working. The final two days will be a scenic hike through the woods from the Summit Peak parking area to the camp along the south side of Mirror Lake and taking in the views from the highest point in the park, for a total of 8.2 miles.
There will be a mandatory Zoom meeting Wednesday, July 26, at 6 p.m. to go over logistics, expectations, and paperwork for this trip.
Intermediate Backpacking in the Porkies – Aug. 27-29
This class will build on your existing backpacking knowledge and skill set while you experience the more isolated and rugged landscape of the Porkies. Instructors will help you hone your gear list, improve your food planning and handling, reinforce conserving resources, introduce backcountry navigation skills, practice gear management, take a deeper dive into Leave No Trace principles and improve your basic wilderness first aid skills. Challenge yourself with a hike from the Lake of the Clouds to Mirror Lake, up Government Peak and across the Escarpment Trail, for a total of 15.4 miles – all while handling elevation changes rarely experienced in the Midwest.
There will be a mandatory Zoom meeting Wednesday, July 26, at 7 p.m. to go over logistics, expectations and paperwork for this trip. Participants are required to have some recent backpacking experience.
Registration details
Each class costs $110 per person and is limited to 12 participants. Registration is required by July 24.
To register for these classes, go to Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses and click on the “Purchase a license” button. Sign in (using either a username and password or your ID and birthdate), and find the class under the Outdoor Skills Academy tab.
For registration help, contact Katie McGlashen at 734-475-3170 or Katie Urban at 906-885-5206.
