• Friday-What'sUP January 16 - 06:15 am

Nate Alwine and friends, recently headed out on a snowshoe adventure, trekking their way into the McCormick Tract Wilderness Area. It was a 3-day excursion, so they packed in a tent for their shelter. It looks pretty high tech, since there's a stove-pipe coming out of the top, which means they must have also carried in a wood stove to heat things up. Those two guys peeking out the door of the tent have pretty happy looks on their faces, so I'd say that a heated tent makes winter camping much more comfortable. Now, if the warm shelter doesn't convince you to try your own winter trek into the wilderness, maybe the scene in the third photo will. I'm guessing this is the view these adventurers had outside the door of their tent in the morning. Just beautiful!

Another gorgeous day in "paradise".

Now that is dedication to camping. Looks like a GREAT time though!

As soon as I saw the picture I knew that it had to be Nate. You are one brave person, Nate.

In photo #1 is that an orange electrical cord in the top left?

JT

Mary says: It does kind of look like an electrical cord, doesn't it? But it's not, it's like the post a couple below here says, it's a rope to support the tent. Here's a close-up of it:

Thanks Mary for choosing these shots!

Thanks Nate! After you asked a couple times about the conditions passed Skanee and if the road was open as far as McComb Corner, i wondered if you went there or choose another location. This looks like a great time!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46595201@N03/?saved=1

JT, I don't think it is an electrical cord. Some kind of rope supporting the tent.

Man vs Wild!

http://snipurl.com/u3fcd

JT, let's try this.

Wow, looks like fun. Reminds me of the girl scout freeze out when our tent froze on the inside. We left it unzipped, oops. No mosquitos though!

Wow that is serious camping! The McCormick Tract
is huge. I have been reading a great deal about it this winter. The history is so rich. The Bentley trail that once went all the way to the Huron Mt. Club that Cirus Bentley created so he could do the hike to visit friends at Huron Mountain. I have read they even had a halfway camp on that trail. Does anybody know the status on the McCormick Camp that once was on White Deer Lake? It was stored somewhere at once time I read? But that was 20 years ago. Some buildings were burned I believe?

Beautiful Winter scene those guys are enjoying.

Looks like it is only a few steps to a cabin behind the tent????

Wow! This brings back many memories. I attended MTU from '78 to '82. Brian McManus and I had many winter camping experiences. Especially during the record snow fall season on '78-'79. We once forgot the tent poles for my Eureca Timberline and had to dig a shelter under a fallen tree. It served us well and provided great insulation. Nothing beats a clear winter night with a full moon in the North woods. Miss it much now that I live in Florida. Thanks for the pics!