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