Exploring Pictured Rocks--West Half: A Backpacker's & Spelunker's Backcountry Guide to the Trails, Campsites, Beaches, Overlooks, Old Growth, ... of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PIRO)
DETROIT FREE PRESS (Detroit, Michigan) A half-mile ferry ride, kayak paddle or snowmobile trip from Munising takes you to Grand Island, a place that offers everything from mountain biking to ice climbing and has as interesting a history as anywhere in Michigan. And everything, including detailed maps of the island complete with associated GPS locations, can be found in Michael Neiger's "Exploring Grand Island," a marvelous guide to "the trails, campsites, beaches, overlooks, old growth, waterfalls, historic sites, caves and shipwrecks," as the subtitle says. You can even find the names of the 43 people (mostly Powells, Williamses and DesJardins) who lie under the gravestones in the tiny cemetery. I wish it had been available on my many trips to the island that's among my five favorite outdoors sites in Michigan. The guide sells for $12.95 on Amazon.com and also is available from ExtremeTrailMaps.com ----"Outdoors 'Gotta have it': 'Exploring Grand Island,'" by Eric Sharp, "Detroit Free Press" (Detroit, Michigan), September 23, 2012>>MINING JOURNAL (Marquette, Michigan) "Exploring Grand Island" brings a wealth of information to your fingertips for those looking to achieve a deeper visiting experience and historical appreciation of the 22-square-mile island, situated in Lake Superior just northwest of Munising. The guide, produced by longtime wilderness guide and former Michigan State Police trooper Michael Neiger, is a GPS-enabled, U.S. Geological Survey map-based, backcountry guide to the trails, campsites, beaches, overlooks, old growth, waterfalls, historic sites, caves and shipwrecks of the Grand Island National Recreation Area. The laminated 16-page guide is meant to be read before a visit to the island, but it's also light enough and sized right to be able to take along. The detailed maps included in the guide are likely reason enough to bring it with you. "The island's natural features, scenic beauty, rich history and largely undeveloped state have made it one of the Midwest's most attractive backcountry destinations for generations," Neiger wrote in the guide. "Long a summer hunting and gathering area for Native Americans, the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co. operated the island as a public resort and game preserve from 1904 to 1959, along the lines of Mackinac Island, with transportation limited to ponies, saddle horses, horse-drawn carriages and bicycles until the 1920s." Since 1990, the island - which is about eight miles long by roughly five miles wide - has been managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Hiawatha National Forest. In addition to the detailed maps, the guide also provides contact information for ferry services and guided bus tours and kayak and bike rentals. Neiger also covers a variety of considerations for visitors ranging from biting insects, pet rules, and water availability to off-trail travel, fires and camping rules. The guide also covers a series of safety hazards on the island from black bears and hypothermia to rip currents, crumbling sandstone and dead overhead trees and branches Neiger calls "widowmakers." Neiger breaks down, in great detail, segments of the 21-mile Rim Trail Tour. He includes graphics showing elevation changes, locations of various points of interest, including shipwrecks, caves and old growth. Similar depictions are featured for the island's thumb and tombolo sections. The guide also includes maps of the Timber Wolf Cave Complex, Peregrine Falcon Cave Complex, Murray Bay Picnic Area and Campsites and Black Bear Cave Complex. A schematic showing the layout of gravestones in the historic Williams-Powell Cemetery details the names of those buried there and provides a quick guide to cemetery etiquette and epitaphs from a couple of the headstones. Articles highlighting various aspects --Amanda Ingraham, "New Booklet an In-depth Guide to Grand Island," "The Munising News," Munising, Michigan, September 5, 2012>>MINING JOURNAL (Marquette, Michigan) "Exploring Grand Island" brings a wealth of information to your fingertips for those looking to achieve a deeper visiting experience and historical appreciation of the 22-square-mile island, situated in Lake Superior just northwest of Munising. The guide, produced by longtime wilderness guide and former Michigan State Police trooper Michael Neiger, is a GPS-enabled, U.S. Geological Survey map-based, backcountry guide to the trails, campsites, beaches, overlooks, old growth, waterfalls, historic sites, caves and shipwrecks of the Grand Island National Recreation Area. The laminated 16-page guide is meant to be read before a visit to the island, but it's also light enough and sized right to be able to take along. The detailed maps included in the guide are likely reason enough to bring it with you. "The island's natural features, scenic beauty, rich history and largely undeveloped state have made it one of the Midwest's most attractive backcountry destinations for generations," Neiger wrote in the guide. "Long a summer hunting and gathering area for Native Americans, the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co. operated the island as a public resort and game preserve from 1904 to 1959, along the lines of Mackinac Island, with transportation limited to ponies, saddle horses, horse-drawn carriages and bicycles until the 1920s." Since 1990, the island - which is about eight miles long by roughly five miles wide - has been managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Hiawatha National Forest. In addition to the detailed maps, the guide also provides contact information for ferry services and guided bus tours and kayak and bike rentals. Neiger also covers a variety of considerations for visitors ranging from biting insects, pet rules, and water availability to off-trail travel, fires and camping rules. The guide also covers a series of safety hazards on the island from black bears and hypothermia to rip currents, crumbling sandstone and dead overhead trees and branches Neiger calls "widowmakers." Neiger breaks down, in great detail, segments of the 21-mile Rim Trail Tour. He includes graphics showing elevation changes, locations of various points of interest, including shipwrecks, caves and old growth. Similar depictions are featured for the island's thumb and tombolo sections. The guide also includes maps of the Timber Wolf Cave Complex, Peregrine Falcon Cave Complex, Murray Bay Picnic Area and Campsites and Black Bear Cave Complex. A schematic showing the layout of gravestones in the historic Williams-Powell Cemetery details the names of those buried there and provides a quick guide to cemetery etiquette and epitaphs from a couple of the headstones. Articles highlighting various aspects of the island's history, including a 1908 murder mystery at the North Light Lighthouse and filming of scenes for the silent motion picture "Wild Goose Chase" in 1918, are also included. A passage from the guide talks about wave action against the island's cliffs producing strange sounds in 1833, detailed by an Indian interpreter traveling with Henry R. Schoolcraft. "At the base (of the cliffs), the action of the water has worked out deep hollow places," the excerpt from a letter read. "The rushing water into them, causes a dismal sound, as if some dreaded monster lay concealed in its dark caverns." Neiger's Grand Island guide is available at local bookstores and sells for $12.95. He is working on a similar guide to be released next year that is expected to be a definitive wilderness guide for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore called, "Exploring Pictured Rocks." More info at ExtremeTrailMaps.com ----"Grand Island exploration made easier," by John Pepin, "Mining Journal," Marquette, Michigan, September 4, 2012>>MUNISING NEWS (Munising, Michigan) A new booklet is now available for those wishing to explore the Grand Island National Recreation Area more thoroughly. The guide, "Exploring Grand Island," features a wealth of physical, technical, and historical information on the island, in 16 sturdy, weather-resistant pages.  As someone who has been visiting all reaches of the island since the time it was being sold to the federal government in the early 1990s, booklet author Michael Neiger of Marquette wished to share the various hidden gems and secrets that would not be readily found or learned in an everyday visit. "There's just so much to see and do that's off the beaten path, that unless you're with someone local or who knows the island, you would likely miss," he said. "I just really wanted to share some of the things I'd discovered in my years of coming over to the island." Neiger also feels that by increasing awareness of Grand Island's unique features, the guide would be a good way to help preserve it in its publicly-owned state. "It's always been my feeling that if people are more aware of what's there, they may be more willing to step forward to help protect it," he said.  Neiger is an extremely experienced wilderness guide who has led all sorts of explorations and expeditions, in all sorts of seasons, throughout Michigan and Canada. As a lead investigator for Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue, he is sure to include tips on adequate planning, and staying safe around permanent or seasonal hazards on the island.  Included in the map portions of the guide are locations of trails, campsites, public and private buildings, toilets' and picnic facilities, caves, old-growth trees, and more, all over close-up sections of U.S. Geological Survey topographical map. Each location includes a GPS coordinate, elevation, trail distance, accessibility, and in many cases, a blurb on the location's cultural significance. Another interesting feature of the booklet is the inclusion of historical event locations, along with snippets derived from newspapers and past explorers' or residents' journals. "It's a nontraditional guidebook, the next best thing to having a guide with you," Neiger said.  Perhaps the only drawback of having so much information in 16 pages is that the print is very small, which may cause problems for explorers who have reading vision issues. One suggestion for those folks would be to purchase and insert a flat magnifying sheet right into the guide for use while out on the island.  Neiger says he plans to create more "Extreme Maps for Extreme Trails" guides, with his next, due in 2013, of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. If the Grand Island and Pictured Rocks guides go over well, he says he will likely continue with more locations such as the Porcupine Mountains State Park, Isle Royale National Park, and perhaps even a specialized guide for passengers on the Algoma Central Railway in Ontario, Canada.  Those interested in obtaining the Exploring Grand Island guide may visit extremetrailmaps.com, or look locally at the Falling Rock Cafe and Bookstore, Grand Island Ferry Service, or the Interagency Visitor Center. ----Amanda Ingraham, "New Booklet an In-depth Guide to Grand Island," "The Munising News," Munising, Michigan, September 5, 2012--This text refers to an alternatePaperbackedition.