Revised September 4, 1999

On this page, we've given brief descriptions of other Porkies' trails for which we don't have enough information to give them a page of their own. We have hiked nearly all of them, but some were hiked over ten years ago and we don't remember all the details. Also, either we never took photos, we misplaced them, or Mike's brother Mark never returned the photos we lent him! (Maybe we should give his email address so you can complain to him.) The photos on this page are some extra ones we took on the Government Peak Trail, not on any of the trails on this page. Correction Line Trail Aimee and Mike hiked this three mile trail on their second Porkies' visit, in September, 1985. It was part of a 12 mile circle hike of the North Mirror Lake, Correction Line, and Big Carp River Trails. All we can remember is that the trail rises a bit from Mirror Lake, but then proceeds gradually down to the Big Carp River, crossing Landlooker's Creek about 3/4 of the way there. Maybe Mark will return the pictures someday and they will jog our memory.

A stand of native trout lilies, also known as dog's tooth violets, botanical name Erythronium. These woodland flowers were blooming on May 14, 1989, when we hiked along the Government Peak Trail. It's not unusual to see snow in shaded and north-facing areas of the Porkies well into the spring. Mike's standing near snow-covered ground along the Government Peak Trail on May 14, 1989. (The previous weekend, Mike's sister had gotten married in Chicago and it snowed there -- now that's unusual!)

Big Carp River Trail

Aimee and Mike hiked 5 1/2 miles of this 9 mile trail on the same circle hike in September, 1985. We also hiked the half mile segment between the Cross and Lake Superior Trails in September, 1986, and again with Mark in May, 1987, as part of a circle hike consisting mainly of the Cross and Little Carp River Trails. That half mile segment just follows the river down to Lake Superior. The 5 1/2 mile segment is a bit more strenuous. Turning right at the end of the Correction Line Trail, the Big Carp River Trail crosses its namesake river in about 1/3 mile, but does not follow the river closely after that. The final two to three miles approaching Lake of the Clouds Overlook are similar to the Escarpment Trail. They follow the same ridge to the west of the lake that the Escarpment Trail follows along the lake and to its east. By the time we reached that segment, we were beat from hiking about 10 miles, but survived the climbs to make our way to our car at Lake of the Clouds parking lot.

We have never hiked the 3 1/2 mile segment between the Correction Line and Cross Trails. This is the only segment of a major trail in the park that Mike hasn't hiked. The shortest day hike to cover it would be a 13 1/2 mile, one way hike utilizing the Big Carp River, Lake Superior, and Pinkerton Creek Trails. Never say never, maybe someday when Maria gets older, she and Mike will do it together.

South Mirror Lake Trail

Mike and Aimee hiked this in August, 1991, as part of a circle hike of several trails in the vicinity of Summit Peak. Mike and Maria hiked it in July, 1999, as part of a one-way hike from Summit Peak Road to M-107. The trail climbs somewhat gradually from Summit Peak Road to eventually drop to the Little Carp River valley just before Mirror Lake. It's not a difficult trail, but it really doesn't give a scenic view of Summit Peak the way you might expect considering its proximity.

Overlook Trail

Mike and Aimee believe we hiked this trail in 1990 or 1991. Unfortunately, we either misplaced the photos (which Mike remembers taking) or they didn't come out. We had a problem with a roll of film accidentally being double exposed around that time, and it might have included these photos. The trail is a convenient loop off of the Government Peak Trail near M-107 and it does include some good vistas as it climbs and drops about 400 ft over a three mile loop.

One thing to remember: Mike and Aimee remember, on one of their earlier hikes in the park's interior during the mid-1980s, encountering a solitary backpacker hiking along with his dog. The dog was also carrying a pair of packs. One of the benefits of hiking in the park interior is solitude, which is one of the reasons we remember meeting the hiker -- it was and still is unusual to encounter other people deep in the park, especially after Labor Day. We had also never seen a dog carrying packs before. But what we remember most was what the hiker said as we talked to him for a few minutes. He said he'd hiked all over the United States, and he felt there was no place east of the Rockies that compared to the Porkies.

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