- Wisconsin's Winter Wonderland -
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"You must be mad!" - I almost always get this response when mentioning winter camping.  It's hardly a surprise though.  The mean temperature during January 2003 was 11F (minus 12C) with the lows often exceeding minus 20F (minus 29C).  Winter camping evolved from long trips into the woods on snowshoes and not exactly wanting to head back home so early.  Eventually, both Randy (a co-worker) and I began to start accumulating equipment.  This page serves as a journal of both snow shoeing and winter camping trips.

Pulling sleds, the trip in was quite comfortable, but when I returned home I did buy a set of ski poles for any future adventures!  Yurts are a great way to spend the evening in the depths of the Porkies.  But you don't get the true rugged feel of winter camping.  However, what you do get is a very warm place to sleep and if you take along a "Jack", you also get plenty of stories!  Neither Mike or I are big conversationists, so Jack made sure that he engaged us because I don't think he likes quiet.  Having a few nice drops of winter cheer also helped the night pass.  But the best part was the howl of a wolf in the not-so-far-away distance.  At that point, at that moment, I was closer to nature than I had ever been before.

Mike and I decided that it was high time to experience Sylvania in the depths of winter.  The previous year we had planned on camping in Sylvania, but were thwarted by high wind and extreme cold.  This year we were determined to make a go of it.  It took some time to find a good area to head in to the woods.  We ultimately entered from the south eastern corner and took a line northwest into the wilderness.  There are large tracts of old growth forest primarily due to the conservative efforts of the businessmen who originally bought the land at the height of the logging industry in Michigan.

We ended up camping on the shores of Marsh Lake and dug in for the night.  There was a solid supply of wood for the campfire and the temperature throughout the night was mild and failed to plunge below zero.   We dug our tent into the snow which also meant that we were extremely warm.

The following morning our fire from the night before still smoldered and a storm appeared to be coming in from the south.  We headed out on following the best line we could through the forest.  We left the main trails behind us and took an almost straight path back to the car.  By the time we reached the truck the snow was falling heavily.  An enjoyable weekend : ).

Date: March 3/4th, 2007 - Camping.
Activity: Camping
Location: Briss Lake, Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin.
Overview: Last year we had been challenged by this area.  We had approached the area from the east and found our trail blocked by heavy tree cover.  From the west (Indian Lake), we found the way open, too open, and heavily trafficked by snowmobiles.

A month earlier I had planned on heading to the Sylvania Wilderness on the border of the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin for an overnight camp with my two brother-in-laws, Josh and John, and my friend Mike.  However, the weekend of our proposed trip was thwart by high winds and extreme cold.  Two of the team had never camped before which made my leadership instinct kick in and I made the decision to abandon the trip.  We snow shoed instead in -60F weather.

On march 3rd, my old friend Randy, Mike, and Monty (a border collie) headed into the woods on an overcast Saturday morning from the Indian Lake trailhead.  It seemed to be the most direct and viable winter route to Briss Lake even though it was going to be a slog of at least four and a half miles.  Unfortunately, it was so open to motorized traffic that snowmobiles had beaten us into the area.  We followed snowmobile tracks for almost the entire five miles.  Our adventure wasn't entirely "pure" because of this aspect.  We set up camp in a beautiful clearing overlooking the lake.  The site was surrounded by heavy pine and spruce cover.  As a result,  there was considerable protection from the wind.  A wind which did continue to have quite a bite to it.

Call it serendipity or dumb luck, I don't care which, but the fact that we happened to be camping in the great outdoors during the lunar eclipse of a full moon on a crystal clear night was nothing short of spiritual (and I am an atheist at heart).  The night was spent laughing and telling stories... most of the stories came from Randy's memoirs.   The night itself was a pleasant one with the temperature reaching the high single digits (Fahrenheit).  I threw a hand warmer into the bottom of my bag and I had warm feet the entire night.  This was the first time that I have ever had warm feet while winter camping.

The following day we chose to take a different path back to the vehicle which involved breaking through some pretty thick alder and spruce trees.  Mike got to learn first hand why backpacks aren't the way to go in tree country.  Once through the thick stuff we popped out onto a wide expanse of wetland which is always a relief.  I have to admit that using the GPS with mapping software has allowed me to cheat a little when it comes to route planning and navigation.  Gaining the old logging grade on the north side of the wetland was relatively easy when all you have to do is read the GPS and adjust your position based on those readings!  However, the logging road was a very long stretch of trail that seemed to go on forever.  Since setting off the previous morning, we had cover 11 miles and experienced a great weekend.

Date: February 11/12th, 2006 - Camping.
Activity: Camping
Location: McDonald Creek, Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin.
Overview: This is a pretty, but remote spot in the eastern part of the Nicolet National Forest.  A well used road heads into the woods just south of the Windsor Dam campground and ends where the grouse hunting area begins.

Josh had convinced me to take him camping again over the Christmas break and to be honest, it was good because I needed the motivation.  I had spent considerable time planning this trip and so when the day came, I had maps, potential trails, a packed sled, a tried and tested harness and essential clothing prepped and ready to go.

We had to dig out a parking spot for the Cavalier on Windsor Dam Road as there were no other plowed places to park.  But I guess that's what happens when you camp in the remote places of the Northwoods.  We headed in along a trail that leads to the McDonald Creek grouse hunting area.  Nice wide open trails are a pleasure to navigate and break.  We experienced a blue sky, but after three miles ended up abandoning our plan to get to Briss Lake when Josh found himself up to his knees in powdery snow and pretty perturbed.  The snow wasn't a problem for a pair of Alaskan style snowshoes, but impossible for a pair of Tubbs.  My map (revised in the 1980s) had also failed me, even with GPS points to guide the way.

After being unable to locate the way across a tributary of the Pine Creek, we settled for this spot to bed down for the night.  Randy and his boys helped us gather wood before they headed out and left us to add the finishing touches to the campsite.  I dug an area out of the snow to set up a tarp and it worked quite well.  However, next time I am going to see what spruce branches do for insulating the ground and what closing in that forth side might do for the draft.  The temperature only dropped to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind chill was much colder as it blew around our shelter.

Before the sun set we explored the area and found that we had set up camp next to a huge area of land that had been claimed by otter and beaver.  Two huge lodges and an enormous dam of at least 1/2 mile encircled the entire area.  It was an incredible sight to behold.  Our walk out the following morning was blessed with a fine coating of powdery snow which continued to fall as we headed along our trail back to civilization.  I'm actually looking forward to our next outing.

Date: February 7/8th, 2004 - Camping.
Activity: Camping
Location: Blackjack Springs Wilderness, Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin.
Overview: See February 8/9th, 2003.

A year to the weekend since my miserable experience in the same area of the Northwoods!  My brother-in-law Josh had hounded me to go winter camping for a while and over a few beers at Christmas he had managed to convince me to take him.  So there I was on the night before our trip frantically throwing together my tangle of winter camping gear... the only "good" piece of winter camping gear I have is my sleeping bag.

Snow conditions were excellent and the snowshoeing was the best I have seen it in some time.  In fact, I cursed myself for not picking up a sled to convert.  Josh has spent the previous night converting his $9 Wal-Mart sled into a winter camping load hauler... and surprisingly, it worked well considering he had put it together from my ramblings on the phone earlier that week.  The weather could not have been better with the sun high in the sky and not a cloud to be seen.  I was trying to locate an area I had not been to before, but I ended up missing the trail that would lead us south.  "Oh well," I thought to myself and triangulated with a GPS and map to pinpoint our location on the map.  We were very close to the area I had camped the previous year... blow down hell and open-water misery in the heart of the Blackjack Springs Wilderness.

Josh seemed adamant to pitch camp on what he thought was a great spot... he "liked the view," but all I could think about was how well the position was (or wasn't) protected from the wind when things weren't so pleasant later in the evening.  I broke down and we began to make a home for the night.  I laid the tarp over some downed trees and closed up the gaps hoping to make our "den" a little less draughty.  I then realized why it is good to have a "high-energy" La Pointe with you... they are like Border Collies... loyal and very hard working.  Before I knew it Josh had gathered a mountain of dry timber for a fire and he was ready for his next task.

Before the sun set we broke trail back to our path via a shorter route.  Supper was venison roasted over an open fire (ten minutes of patience followed by 30 seconds of frantic eating) supplemented with cheese and soup.  As the night proceeded the fire roared as Josh thought we should burn everything we had gathered... quite the pyro... but it wasn't like we would run out soon so we stayed warm.

During the night, the temperature plunged to -17F... about 20 degrees colder than what I had anticipated.  I had bought down booties, but they weren't doing the job they were supposed to do!!  My feet continue to be the coldest part of my body.  During the night we heard a coyote off in the distance and the hoot of an owl.  In the morning we packed up camp, ate breakfast, and trudged out of the woods.  It was a good trip.

Date: February 8/9th, 2003 - Camping.
Activity: Camping
Location: Blackjack Springs Wilderness, Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin.
Overview: Blackjack Springs Wilderness has enchanted my thoughts for over three years.  Many overgrown trails traverse this 5886 acre parcel of wilderness.  I've been in from the east, north, and south.  I ultimately want to traverse the entire wilderness from north to south.  One of the biggest problems with this is the amount of blow down that needs to be negotiated in the process.

We used snow shoes to walk in from the northern end of the wilderness.  Myself and Den (Randy's brother) wore backpacks while Randy negotiated the trails with a sled.  The entire system seemed to work well.  I broke trail while Randy and his brother followed.  We set up camp in a secluded spot near the head of the springs. This site lacked easily accessible wood.  We also used a tent on this occasion which was probably wise as the temperatures plummeted to minus 20F.  My feet still froze as my sleeping bag struggled to keep me from feeling exceptionally uncomfortable.  It was a miserable night.

Before nightfall, we took a hike into the headwaters of the Blackjack.  Even after all the cold weather, there was still plenty of open water due to the warmer spring water.  This entire area is immensely pretty with knolls and ravines adorned with an abundance of deciduous and coniferous trees.  Beware though... this area is blessed with blow down and is difficult to negotiate with snowshoes!

Date: January 18/19th, 2003
Activity: Camping.
Location: Whisker Lake Wilderness, Nr Florence, Wisconsin.
Overview: Whisker Lake Wilderness is possibly one of the more remote places in the state.  The 7345 acres became a wilderness in 1978.  We walked in from the western boundary and set up camp on the northern shore of Whisker Lake.  The site was heavily protected from the wind and had a plentiful supply of fallen and standing dry timber.  The night was cold (not a surprise) and hunkering down under our tarp barely kept us from being uncomfortable.  In the morning, the temperature was -10F, my feet were quite chilly!  I use a Slumberjack 3 in 1 bag rated at -20F.  Additionally, my primus stove froze solid and the only way I could get it to work was to set it near the wood fire.  I later found out that white gas stoves work much better for cold and high altitudes.

We walked out of the Wilderness by using the thickly frozen Riley Creek and took a look at Riley and Little Riley Lakes.  There is plenty of otter sign in this area and some major beaver activity on Whisker Lake.  We passed an ice fisherman on the way out who really didn't want to talk.  Whisker Lake Wilderness gives you plenty of solitude.

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Last updated on May 26, 2009