carringb - Good point. When I think about it now, there are any number of similar "shortcuts" through Michigan's upper peninsula that are fine in the summer but essentially unused in winters where more than a couple hundred inches of snow fall each year, and unpaved roads are very, very seldom plowed.
Near to where I routinely camp. many years ago a local U.P. couple had car problems and attempted to walk out. They got to within sight of safety, but because of the white out conditions, they did not know how close they actually were and they froze to death on that spot. There is a monument to this unfortunate event right down the road from the Pine Stump Junction Bar and Restaurant they were trying to get to.
