Cross country camping

[stroszek]

Hey all, I’ve been in the Island twice and going again to hike the Feldtmann loop in August. I’m thinking about taking the first ferry out of Copper Harbor as well and doing some cross country camping for the first time, probably not every night but most nights.

I’ve done a tiny bit of bushwhacking through a Wisconsin swamp and took a wrong turn off the Minong for a slightly terrifying hour or two last time so I’m not we’ll seasoned but I think I have some idea what I’m getting into. Got an inreach too which hopefully will only need to be used for navigation (along with a backup map and compass).

I guess I’m looking for advice, anecdotes, whatever. A hammock seems like it might better than a tent for dispersed camping, thoughts?

[IncaRoads]

I usually do one or two nights a trip doing off trail cross country camping. My single person tent works better than a larger tent as many of the reasonably flat places to pitch are quite small. I’ve never used a hammock.

Plan ahead by perusing topo maps and satellite views. I use http://mapper.acme.com to do both. I then program coordinates into my GPS as appropriate. Make sure you practice ahead of time doing some orienteering with your GPS. I also carry a map and compass.

Refer to the following thread for more details on cross country camping... viewtopic.php?t=1057

[aweeksmm]

Hey all, I’ve been in the Island twice and going again to hike the Feldtmann loop in August. I’m thinking about taking the first ferry out of Copper Harbor as well and doing some cross country camping for the first time, probably not every night but most nights.

I’ve done a tiny bit of bushwhacking through a Wisconsin swamp and took a wrong turn off the Minong for a slightly terrifying hour or two last time so I’m not we’ll seasoned but I think I have some idea what I’m getting into. Got an inreach too which hopefully will only need to be used for navigation (along with a backup map and compass).

I guess I’m looking for advice, anecdotes, whatever. A hammock seems like it might better than a tent for dispersed camping, thoughts?

Be sure to check out the cross-country camping zone map. Much of the area around Feldtmann loop is closed to cross-country camping.


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[dcclark]

It will be harder to find good cross-country camping spots in mid-May. Ground in general will be wetter than usual after the spring melt and some areas will be swampy that are normally dry.

I'm not sure if hammocks are allowed outside of designated campsites (Greenstone newsletter is unclear on this). Even if they are, you'll often find yourself in one of two situations: Too much dense brush (tough for hammock or tent) or too many trees (dense stands of balsam, etc.). I'd recommend a small tent, and you'll be more likely to find a small open patch of ground.

[stroszek]

That’s a good point, I was thinking about the brush being thinner and forgot about the wetness.

[fonixmunkee]

Plan ahead by perusing topo maps and satellite views. I use http://mapper.acme.com to do both. I then program coordinates into my GPS as appropriate. Make sure you practice ahead of time doing some orienteering with your GPS. I also carry a map and compass.

Refer to the following thread for more details on cross country camping... viewtopic.php?t=1057

This is quality advice, and what I've done for my few cross-country camping trips.