Hiking Dude Blog

I was at the local scout shop getting a replacement for my hat that sunk in the lake. I need it for my 300-mile trek that starts this weekend. While looking around, the friendly salesgirl asked if she could help. I told her that her job was to get me to buy something I didn't really need, so she stepped up to the challenge.

After reviewing all the new clothing, literature, trinkets, craft projects, and even a little camping stuff, I noticed she had green arm warmers on. Hey! It IS September and it may get cold over the next couple weeks while I'm on the trail. If I had arm warmers, they'd weigh less than a jacket and they'd cover just the parts that tend to get cold first. They looked like scout green, so I asked her where she got them. She showed me right there.

All she did was take a pair of knee-high scout socks and cut the feet off. They worked perfect! So, she made the sale and I took my pair of socks.

Simple arm warmers are a lightweight option for transitional seasons - not cold enough for a coat but chilly enough to be uncomfortable without one. You can wear them in the morning and roll them down or slip them off as the day warms up. They're useful for cool evenings in camp, too.

Rather than cutting off the entire foot, I wanted to also use them for mittens. I cut a slit across the ball of the foot and a hole in the heel. When I slide them on, my thumb goes through the hole and my fingers through the slit with the toe section folded inside on the back of my hand.

I can flip the toe section over my fingers for mittens if I want.
I'm counting this as MYOG (make your own gear) but I could have just bought a pair from Target if I didn't mind pokadots, stripes, frills, or flowers - I prefer the stealth green color. Men's cycling arm warmers seem to be too expensive for my needs.

Now I have my own officially un-official BSA arm warmers + mittens just in case it gets cold or rainy on my Superior Hiking Trail trek over the next two weeks. You can start your ScoutStrong PALA program while I'm on the trail and maybe win prizes.

Hike On

Guys like me really try to get all they can out of a purchase. I like to think I'm thrifty, but some folks would just call it cheap. I drive a 24 year old car that gets 33mpg and refuses to die. I have a laptop that still works from 1994. My lawnmower is at least 15 years old. But, sometimes even guys like me have to break down and buy new stuff.

In this photo, you can see me at the end of my Arizona Trail Hike - my old favorite shirt is completely worn through and my old favorite BSA hat is fraying. I haven't thrown out the shirt - I use it in my Wilderness First Aid training scenarios. But, the hat is finally gone.

Now, I didn't throw it away. I kept wearing it this summer. While sailing a Sunfish on a lake up north, the wind ripped it off my head and PLOP! into the drink. I circled around and almost got it three times before it finally sunk away out of sight. Sigh!

So, today I visited the scout shop and bought a brand new, bright, crisp, green hat. I expect after 300 miles of wearing it on the Superior Hiking Trail this month, it will be my new old favorite. I also have a new, sweat-wicking shirt but I don't think it will ever be a favorite. It just doesn't have the right feel.

Do you have an old favorite that should probably be replaced but you keep on making it work?

Hike On

Click the picture if you'd like to see a video recap of my Arizona Trail hike. It's about 10 minutes. It won't win any awards, but you can see some of the terrain I covered.
I hiked the trail from March 17 to April 28, 2012. The trail is divided into 43 segments and it coincidentally took me 43 days to hike the trail.
This trek was an awesome adventure and a great first long hike. I learned a lot about extended hiking, met some interesting people, and survived desert hiking. I also helped get a few people involved in the BSA ScoutStrong program.

I'm doing the 300-mile Superior Hiking Trail in about three weeks and will be promoting ScoutStrong during that hike also.

Hike On

I was thinking of hitch hiking up MN Hwy 61 to the end of the Superior Hiking Trail for my thru-hike next month.
My mom says I shouldn't hitch hike.
My wife says I shouldn't hitch hike.
The police, national security, MNDOT, USDOT, and pretty much every other organization says I shouldn't hitch hike.

So, I'm looking for a ride from Duluth to the northern terminus of the Superior Hiking Trail on Otter Lake Road above Grand Marais, MN around Sept. 15. If you, or someone you know, will be heading from Duluth up the North Shore to Grand Marais and would be willing to go a bit further past Hovland, please contact me.
I'll drive to Duluth and leave my car with relatives there if I can arrange a ride to the trail end. I'd happily pay for gas and a bit more.
There are shuttle services that run the north shore, but they're awful expensive and it would be cool to cut out a round trip of gas if it works with someone's schedule.

Or, if you're going up the Gunflint Trail, that would work too. I'd just add the Border Route Trail to the start of the Superior Hiking Trail and take a few more days.

Hike On

There's a new hiking blogs list online and Hiking Dude is listed. If you like this blog, please vote for it at http://hiking-blogs.net/blogs/hiking-dude - Thanks!
If you'd like to read more hiking blogs, check out some of those listed for a wide range of interests and stories.

I updated my Superior Hiking Trail hike page with my expected gear and costs. I received my maps and guidebook from the SHTA and made my initial itinerary. It looks like about 14-16 days and I've got my fingers crossed for colorful leaves.

Hike On

I was planning to do the Ice Age Trail this month and next, but now that I've pushed that to next summer I've been getting antsy to do something more than a weekend long. I've been hiking about 8 miles each morning and looking around for a long, but not too long, trail to do.
The Superior Hiking Trail is exactly what I need. It's almost 300 miles, close to home, and someplace new for me. I was just thinking of it as part of the North Country Scenic Trail, but it's a complete trail by itself, too.

So, on Sept. 15 I'll start walking south from the Canadian border to Jay Cooke State Park in Duluth, MN. I'm hiking it alone and figure it will take about 2 weeks. There's a 10 mile or so section not yet completed just north of Duluth, but the North Shore Trail runs through there and I plan to follow it as a connecting route.

September seems to me like a great time to hike this trail for a few reasons:

• Summer heat and humidity is gone. The weather should be cooler and fewer thunderstorms, but not too cold yet.
• No bugs. Mosquitos, ticks, and black flies should all be gone or nearly so.
• Fall colors are changing. This is right around the best time for the show to begin. If I'm lucky, this might be a great year for colors.
• Wildlife. Animals should be very active preparing for winter.
• Fewer people. School will have just started so I should have the trail pretty much to myself during the week with more day-hikers on the weekends.

And the most important reason is that my youngest son is off to college and my wife will be very, very, very busy with her first few weeks of teaching. It's a good time for me to be out of the way. :-)

I already have my food purchased and left over from my Arizona hike. I already have all the gear I need. I'm in shape to start. This should be an inexpensive, relaxing trek and a great time exploring part of my own backyard that I've not made time to visit yet.

Interested in joining me? If you are, just send me an email and maybe we can work something out. Even if you'd just like to join me for a few days or a weekend, that would be cool. I'll be tracking my progress and blogging along the way so you can just stop and say HI as I walk by if you're in the area.

Hike On

OK, I believe this is the first time I've posted someone else's content, but I thought this was funny. Ribbing folks for buying the latest gimmicky gear.
I may have actually met this guy on the Arizona Trail :-) - just check out the saguaro and other obviously Arizonian terrain.
I gotta get me one of them backpacks...


Hike One

About eight miles of hiking have started every day for the past few weeks. The exercise lets me eat more and I keep hoping it will give me time to collect my thoughts and get creative ideas. I'm still hoping.

What I find actually happens is I suddenly notice it's been two miles and I've not really thought of anything. Instead, I just check out poison ivy, buckthorn, wild grape vines, and all sorts of stuff growing like crazy along the trail. I see chipmunks, cardinals, hawks, snakes, ducks, and an occasional deer or turkey family. A rare bit of trash will also peek out along the edge and get a free ride home.

But, no creative insights, no life-changing decisions, no plans to bring about world peace, not even an idea about what to make for dinner. It doesn't matter if I walk slow, fast, or even jog - I just sweat more then. So, what am I doing wrong?

I guess maybe, for me, this time is more about getting the day started and the body ready. Sort of like that first cup or two of coffee that some folks always have to start their day.

Hike On

Wouldn't it be cool to turn the problem of an invasive species into a successful business that helps keep the invasion at bay? That's what a New Zealand clothing company is doing by making possum clothing.

Before you get all creeped out about wearing possum clothing, you're missing one very important letter O - that's the difference between opossum and possum.

The possum of New Zealand are native to Australia but were introduced and are now overrunning NZ. They are furry little critters and their hollow hairs make very good, soft, insulating material. Combining the possum hairs with merino wool gives the basis for a unique clothing line of warm, light articles.

Brian at New Zealand Possum Merino sent me a pair of possum hiking socks to try out. My first impression was 'Wow! They're soft and light!' Softer and warmer feeling than heavier socks, I wore them inside for a day and my feet were very happy. They will be great for normal wear during the winter.

Right now, it's very, very hot here and I figured they'd be too warm for walks. But, I wouldn't have much to write if I didn't try them so I've been wearing them the past couple weeks on my hikes and even a few miles of jogging. They weren't hot and they didn't absorb sweat like cotton socks. The extra softness has been pleasant and they've held up well.

I've not noticed much piling and they've been washed a few times now. The combination of merino wool with possum hairs seems to make a sturdy, comfortable, warm cloth. The socks aren't inexpensive, but a couple extra dollars for such a unique conversation starter might be worth it. 'Hey, see my socks? They're POSSUM!'

Hike On

The most common question I'm getting this summer as I talk about my AZT hike is how to lighten a pack. I tell about all the ways I cut out ounces and pounds from gear, but I save the best tip for the end. It costs nothing, is healthy, saves your body work, and makes a much larger impact than all the other gear tweaking you could possibly do.

I reduced my pack weight from around 40 to around 25 pounds by making a light shelter, quilt, and pack, reducing redundancies, and purchasing a few lightweight items. That includes food and water, so carrying less water and stopping more often to tank up can make the pack even lighter. So, I removed about 15 pounds from my pack that I don't have to lug across the country.

During my 6 weeks of hiking the AZT, I lost about 14 pounds. Most of that was in the first 2 weeks and then I stabilized more as I got used to eating, hiking, and sleeping.

Just by losing weight off my body, I nearly reached the weight savings that I got from all the gear tweaking I did! And, I don't really have a lot of excess - I'm 6-1 and weigh about 175 now that I've gained 10lbs of the weight back.

Going into a backpacking trip with the idea of 'Super! This will be a great way for me to lose a few pounds!' is NOT a good idea. Your body will need calories to function properly on the trail and holding back the food it needs will cause you to be weak and increase the risk of injury. If it's a long trek, you will most likely lose some weight anyway, but that should not be your plan. I lost weight because I did not force myself to eat as many calories as I was burning each day - I should have eaten more.

A much better idea is to lose some weight before a trek. For two or three months before your trek, while you're doing practice hikes, also cut back on the ice cream, hamburgers, soda, chips, and all that other fattening stuff. The increased physical exercise will burn from 100 to 150 calories per mile, depending on your body and pack weight. Since there's about 3500 calories in a pound of fat, you can figure out how many miles you'll need to hike to remove 10 pounds of fat. More than you thought, huh?

But, that fat won't burn off if you increase your calorie intake. Thoughts like, 'Hey, I hiked 6 miles. I can have a second bratwurst' will thwart your efforts. Self-discipline is the key to long-term weight lose. Or, hire a personal trainer if money is no object. :-)

However you do it, losing weight before starting a backpacking trip or long hike is the best way to reduce the complete package you need to haul over mountains and valleys.

Hike On