The NCT is America's longest National Scenic Trail. It's about 4,700 miles long, starting in North Dakota and Ending in New York. The trail passes through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where I live. I didn't have the time or money to hike the whole NCT so I decided to hike across the whole UP instead. This was just a 550 mile section of the NCT, and I broke that up into 9 sections. I spread those sections throughout the UP's diverse seasons. Starting in July of 2016 I was dealing with humid heat and clouds of bugs, when I finished in February of 2017 I was in sub-zero temperatures and really deep snow.
Section 9 is the grand finale of the Yooper Tours series! It's the last section of my 550 mile hike across the UP on the NCT. To "celebrate" I took on a 70 mile section from Craig Lake to Marquette in February. The snow was very deep and I seriously underestimated how hard and slow the walking would be.
Yooper Tours: Section 8
Section 8 has gone into the winter. This is my first time ever backpacking in the winter and you can watch my learning curve during a brutally cold section between Bob Lake and Canyon Falls.
Yooper Tours: Section 7
A spontaneous hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the North Country Trail. I couldn't do it all in one time, so I broke the 550 miles into 9 sections. Section 7 goes up high in the Escarpments around Old Victoria, and back in the past for a history lesson about the area as well.
Yooper Tours: Section 6
A spontaneous hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the North Country Trail. I couldn't do it all in one time, so I broke the 550 miles into 9 sections. Section 6 the Porcupine Mountains during peak fall color. Storms had ripped through in the week before and made a mess out of the trails. Bridges were washed out and there was standing water on about 50% of the trail, but the scenery was amazing as it always is in the Porkies.
Yooper Tours: Section 5
A spontaneous hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the North Country Trail. I couldn't do it all in one time, so I broke the 550 miles into 9 sections. Section 5 is from Trout Lake Road to the Mackinac Bridge.
Yooper Tours: Section 4
A spontaneous hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the North Country Trail. I couldn't do it all in one time, so I broke the 550 miles into 9 sections. Section 4 is from Tahquamenon Falls to Trout Lake Rd. This is a special section because I am joined by one of my hiking buddies from the Pacific Northwest Trail, Fitty Shrimp. We also stumbled onto a trail crew and found out how much work goes into maintaining the NCT.
Yooper Tours: Section 3
Music by Jenkins https://soundcloud.com/jenkins_1 A spontaneous hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the North Country Trail. I couldn't do it all in one time, so I broke the 550 miles into 9 sections. Section 3 is from Grand Marais to Tahquamenon Falls. The trail stays along the shoreline on Lake Superior for most of this section, and I encounter some nasty weather.
Yooper Tours: Section 2
A spontaneous hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the North Country Trail. I couldn't do it all in one time, so I broke the 550 miles into 9 sections. Section two is on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, from Munising to Grand Marais Music by Jenkins https://soundcloud.com/jenkins_1
Yooper Tours: Section 1
A spontaneous hike across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the North Country Trail. I couldn't do it all in one time, so I broke the 550 miles into 9 sections. Section one is from Marquette to Munising. Music by Jenkins https://soundcloud.com/jenkins_1