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With my sweat dripping, my feet and knees shaking, and my stomach growling, we trekked along ridges and descended down into valleys. I could feel my heart rate rising, my back and shoulders aching. As we followed a bridge pass across creeks connecting the footpath, I thought, “How nourishing would my chocolate brownie protein bar be right now?”
As we entered into the majestic forest greens….I sat. Having gone nearly 7 miles with a backpack on the back with just a couple 5-minute breaks and quick snacks, finding energy was a challenge. Using my pack as a backrest, I thought to myself, “I’m so tired I can’t keep going!” It’s times like these, I need to remind myself how grateful I am to be alive, to be present in this moment on earth.
I was grateful for Andy and Daisy at that moment too, for their encouragement. I took a sip of water, stood up, Andy helped me readjust my pack, and as Andy and Daisy led the way Andy reminded me, “Every step gets you closer to the final destination, and the final destination is worth it. Keep hiking Sarah. Another 15 minutes.”
As we hiked on, all the backcountry sites were taken. Groups of other hikers we passed were doing the same as us – looking for open campsites. As I was slowing down behind Andy, a group of around 10 guys were behind us. All of a sudden, I got a second wind of energy. The 10 hikers were nearly on top of me and I couldn’t stop, one stop would make us lose a possible campsite! At some points I couldn’t see Andy, he was trying to gain distance ahead to secure a site. I was pulling through… followed by the 10 hikers.
The narrow trails make it hard to pass hikers. As we came onto the second group of hikers, we stepped to the side, let them pass, and the 10 hikers passed too. Watching the group of 10 pass, I momentarily felt a sense of failure. I wasn’t hiking fast enough and all of a sudden my second wind of energy vanished. I no longer had the adrenaline rush of ‘racing’ to a site.
We moved on, hiked another half hour and didn’t pass any open sites so we set up camp just off the trail. In the Porcupine Mountains with a backcountry camping permit, you’re open to set up camp almost anywhere off the trail. The set backcountry sites are preferred because they are cleared out and have fire rings. Fires in the Porkies are not permitted outside of the fire rings. We had to man up, and ‘survive’ by building our own site (I’m pretty sure it’s Andys preferred method). We found a beautiful place to hang the hammock, with a gorgeous view of Lake Superior.
Do you ever wonder how backpackers eat? Andy and I don’t compromise taste in the backwoods (food or drink). Spaghetti with tomato paste/sauce mixed together with crushed red pepper, rosemary. As I went into the ‘beer cooler’ (insulated lunch bag), I was reminded we had beef sticks. We chopped a couple up and threw it in for added protein in our meal! Paired with a couple of New Belgium’s craft beer… it was fine dining on Lake Superior. (Yes, we backpack with beer so it adds weight. Our motivation to keep drinking in the backwoods is knowing the hike back will be lighter!)
Since the hike in Saturday was long (7 miles) we decided to pack up camp Sunday morning and hike halfway back where we could make camp and have a shorter hike out Monday morning. We had a few spots in mind where we could ‘man up and build our own site’ if the sites we passed the previous day were still occupied. As we hiked back along out path we came from the previous day, we came across a site that was empty! Excited and eager to build a fire that night, Andy set up camp at an ‘assigned’ backcountry site while I made our lunch, a dehydrated fried rice meal.
Located again on Lake Superior, we created camp, we embraced peace.
The Porcupine Mountains are a way to test out a person’s backcountry endurance or for us, prepare and ease into the tougher, more challenging backcountry adventures ahead.
Let me take you back to my fear of ‘bear country’ from my previous blog… Every hiker entering the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the upper peninsula of Michigan is warned to be prepared for black bears. We did just that: bear spray, bear canister (food storage), and knowing what to do if you see a bear. I prepared myself, yet still had the fear of seeing a black bear. Andy has experienced black bears a couple of times in his hiking experiences (one time a black bear running towards his outdoor ‘kitchen’ area after making dinner!) so his fear isn’t comparable to mine. He’s had the ‘first time experience’ of a black bear encounter. I, on the other hand, still have not.
My fear of bears in the wild still holds true, but if we hike through life with fear, how can we enjoy the journey? Being prepared gave me the confidence I needed to ease my mind in the wild and enjoy nature’s wonders.
Enter situations prepared, know how to ease your mind, and going thru life will be alright.
Peace, love, and hike thru life!
Sarah & Andy