Hiking Dude Blog

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

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 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

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

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

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

Rats, the local newspaper printed a story so now I actually have to go hiking - Read It.

I've got everything packed.
I've left an itinerary at home with all my expected camp spots and mileage, which will be outdated after the first day.
I've got extra batteries for my Spot Messenger.
The weather forecast looks ok. The leafs are supposed to be turning color. Should be great!

My wife drops me at the Canadian border on Saturday to walk south to Duluth. If you want to get my hiking blog entries while I'm on the trail, just 'Like' HikingDudeBlog or for just scouting related posts, Like BoyScoutTrail.

Remember, you could use this as a perfect time to get involved in the ScoutStrong Challenge to improve active lifestyles and maybe win some prizes.

See you all in a couple weeks.

Hike On

I walked 23754 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 11 miles today.
On the trail again! My wife drove me to the trailhead and I started hiking about 1:15 so I only got to Woodland Caribou campsite. I met a father and son doing a short trip and a young couple just starting their thru-hike.
I'm the only one at this site and it's almost dark so I expect they stopped 4 miles back.
The trail was nice but not much to see most of the day since it's all overgrown forest.
This has been just a perfect first day! Great sunshine and a little breeze. There are a few mosquitos left around, but none have got me yet. No big animals, but there was a lot of moose poop on the trail.

I walked 43285 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 21 miles today.
Much of the trail today was thick brush so not much to see. One part was completely overgrown like a jungle, but the vast majority of trail was well maintained. I hiked into Judge Magney park and saw the way cool Devil's Kettle waterfall. I was tempted to stay at the park but there was too much day left so I made my big meal, drank lots of water, washed up and hiked on.
I met Larry at a campsite tonight so we got to visit awhile. Much better than an evening alone. He's heading south too, so we might see each other more.
It's supposed to cool off and rain tomorrow - I hope they're wrong!
Saw three deer, tons of squirrel, 8 grouse, and 1 eagle. Today was grouse hunting opener and I saw a hunter on the trail. The eagle landed in a huge white pine by our camp tonight. Larry saw a bear and 2 cubs today - lucky!

Check out my current location on the map.
One the first day, I passed the hi point of the SHT at 1829 feet. This morning, a beautiful but grinding 1.5 mile walk right on the shore of Lake Superior was the lo point at 602 feet. The small pebbles really made for tiring walking but there were thousands and thousands of practically perfect skipping stones.
Now, it's uphill from here.