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The North Country Trail, 62 at 60

by Mark Walters

Hello friends, Last week and this week I am writing to you about a personal challenge that I put on myself to backpack 62 miles of The North Country Trail starting near Iron River, Wi and ending near Mellen.

There literally is a ton to write about so I will have to be brief.

Saturday, July 3rd High 90, low 61 Yesterday I was hiking through The Porcupine Wilderness Area, and I was in' an' old' growth' forest' and' the' floor' was' almost' 100-percent' ferns.' I' noticed' something'about'50-yards'ahead'of'me'and'it'was'walking'in'my'direction.'All' I'could'see'was'tan'ears'at'first'due'to'the'ferns'and'so'I'took'my'camera'out,' crouched and waited. Five minutes later I was rewarded when a very young fawn walked'to'within'6-inches'of'me'before'I'was'caught.'Where'mama'was'I'have' no clue!

Back in the day when I did this trip twice in the winter and twice in the summer and round trip every time, I always had two golden retrievers with me and there was not a time that they were not each pulling sleds or carrying a pack.

No dog this trip, Ruby is home growing puppies. The memories that I have from' those' four,' 17-day' way' of' life' adventures' come' springing' to' life' even' though'they'are'in'the'bracket'of'25-years'ago.'I'would'base'out'of'Porcupine' Lake'which'is'the'half-way'point'and'I'would'stay'there'and'ice'fish'in'the'winter.

During the winter treks I was only half human. I did not bring a jacket nor a tent. In the morning I would cook a pound of bacon and drink the liquid fat like it was a drug. I had a shovel in my sled a tarp and a saw. At days end I would make snow walls on three sides. I would cut a spruce pole and put spruce bows on'my'floor.'The'tarp'would'be'under'the'boughs'up'the'inside'rear'of'the'shack' and then form a roof which would go to the pole in the front top. The front of my home was open ended and I slept like a baby. In reality both of those winter trips created long term hypothermia which combined with several concussions will be my'excuse'in'the'final'days'of'MGW.

''Mosquitoes/deer'flies'101!'Forty'percent'deet'sprayed'on'a'hat'and'here'is' the tip to remember, take a rag, about a foot square, spray it with deet. Put part in your hat and spread the rest over your shoulder – guaranteed to work.

''During'breaks'I'would'burn'a'two-inch'piece'of'mosquito'coil'next'to'where' I collapsed on the ground, no insects until it’s burnt up, this also may add to the'deterioration'of'brain'cells.'When'I'build'camp,'after'taking'my'65-pound' pack off which is almost as incredible as drinking a pound of liquid bacon fat, I immediately'build'what'I'call'a'"smoke'fire"'with'dry'leaves,'very'small'branches' and once started a bit of green vegetation. This keeps the blood suckers from ever coming'in'mass.'I'did'not'bring'a'stove'on'this'trip'so'the'fire'also'came'in'handy' for cooking supper.

One night I was looking at a few insects on the roof/inside of my tent as I lay in my sleeping bag. One of them fell off the roof and directly into my left ear and wasted no time heading for brain matter.

It was well after dawn before it quit crawling around in my skull and I really hope it is dead and did not lay eggs, if so, it may hasten the effects of hypothermia, concussions, insect repellents, and a couple of experiences. I may have stayed under water/ice too long.

So'today'was'the'second'to'last'day'of'this'journey.'I'put'14-miles'behind'me' and unlike last week’s column I have to admit I am hurting. The shoulder straps on my pack keep wanting to pull my shoulders off and I have a rather touchy left knee.

I did not care about pain because when I made it to Lake Three my map told me' there' was' going' to' be' water' at' the' campground.' My' water' filter' situation' was not good and I was craving water almost as much as liquid bacon fat on a February'morning'at'20-below.'Long'story'short'the'hand'pump'was'capped.

I'may'not'have'properly'filtered'the'four'quarts'of'water'that'I'drank'out'of' Lake Three and now like the knee and the arms I have a rather sore belly and I have been home a week.

Long story short, I turned 60 on this trip, it was a personal challenge that I told very few people about before I left in case I failed.

I did not fail, YAY ME!

This fawn did not see me until it was six inches away.

This load will test your back.