Recently in Hiking Category

When I am out for a nice hike in the woods and I come to a bald granite outcroppping I always have a moment of "Where did my path go?" Finding a cairn reassures me that I'm on the right path. It would be nice if the markers in life were as neatly marked. Most days it feels like the people in front of me spent a little too much time scattering them or perhaps I am just walking past them without seeing them.

I recently did a little camping in the rain with the usual suspect and first time backpacker, his wife. We didn't have the best weather for camping but the trip turned out fine in the end. We did about 10 miles on the SHTA behind Silver Bay, Minnesota.

The walk to Bear and Bean Lakes ordinarily has some great views from the ridgeline overlooking the lakes and the forests. Unfortunately, it was so foggy and rainy that there wasn't much to see on Saturday, although we did get to see it coming out on Sunday.

I always wondered how well my gear would do in the rain. I managed pretty well, although I wouldn't really want to be out in a cold rain for too many days with my current gear. The poncho makes a decent leanto, although then of course I don't have a poncho anymore, which is a problem. I also wished I would have put on my hefty pack cover a lot sooner. I kept thinking the rain would let up. By the time I realized it wasn't going to let up, there was no point on covering the pack anymore.

Getting outside and taking a longer walk does wonders for my mood and my soul. I need to figure out ways to do it more often.

Getting ready to hike out in the morning.

If you need a larger version of this suitable for framing, let me know.

Foggy Lake Superior Shoreline.

Photo showing the poncho and a tarp set up for a rain shelter. It really was nice to have some place to get out of the rain without being in the tent.

Here are some ideas, based on this weekend trip, for introducing someone to backpacking for the first time.

1. Only go if the weather is perfect.
2. Make sure that the walk is in the 1-3 mile range if possible.
3. Have some clear understanding of how to communicate comfort level for all participants.
4. Keep expectation low.
5. Exceed expectations.

For the second day in a row, I went for a post-lunch stroll without a jacket. Not only were the birds singing, but I saw the first sun bather of the season. Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota.

I love the feeling of the warm sun and wind on my face. While the last winter wasn't especially brutal, when you live with the cold, the overcast, and the darkness for so long, spring is especially appreciated. Winter has its own beauty, but to me it doesn't compare to the joys of being outside without the layers and the bulk. I love seeing the birds and ducks returning to Minnesota.

Reminds me of what my son said to me when he was just three. He had been entranced by the geese migrating south for the previous winter. In the spring when we saw a flock of geese landing in the stubble of a corn field near our house he said "Seeing these geese is like a present to me." He was right, spring and everything that goes with it is a gift.

Spring is reconciliation, hope, laughter, and dreams and all of it is a gift.

In the last year plenty of interesting things have happened on my almost daily walk with co-workers. Today's walk was more memorable than most.

[Photo courtesy of glt]

Just remember, don't ask me for something you don't want, if I’m in the right mood, I just might give you what you asked for, even if you are Canadian.

I had originally planned on going to Isle Royal this spring. Unfortunately, constraints at work and home combined with an unhelpful ferry schedule made that trip impossible. My next choice was to get a few more miles of the Superior Hiking Trail under my belt.

The Superior Hiking Trail hugs the North Shore of Minnesota along Lake Superior. It is approximately 205 miles (330 km). It doesn't actually hug the shoreline closely in most places but follows it a few miles inland on a small range of hills known as the Sawtooth Mountains. Although some refer to this ridge overlooking Lake Superior as "mountains" they are more properly a coastal ridgeline or just a bunch of hills.

I invited the usual suspects to accompany me but for a variety of personal reasons no one was able to join me. While solo backpacking wasn't my first choice for this trip, I already have one solo trip under my belt, and was prepared for another one. My fall trip to Yosemite, last year was my first solo backpacking trip. It was very successful and so I was willing to try it again. Solo backpacking probably isn't the safest choice of activities, but fortunately the Superior Hiking Trail is well marked and has plenty of foot traffic on the weekends which reduce the risks to acceptable levels.

I was very slow to get ready for this trip. Due to scheduling conflicts it seemed like each night set aside for packing had several more urgent responsibilities clamoring for my attention.

Finally it was Thursday, my first day off of work. I had planned to leave on Wednesday night right after work. By noon I had completed packing and finally got into my car and headed up towards Minnesota's north shore. I reached the trail head at about 4:30 at Cascade River State Park. The park was almost completely deserted. As far as I could tell there was only one other couple in the camp. I found a camp site and headed into town for supper. I found a lovely bistro overlooking Lake Superior called the "Angry Trout." It was obviously a restaurant catering to tourists with woodsy art and furnishing for sale. The food, while somewhat over priced, was really excellent. I had fresh caught herring, wild rice and a delicious salad of field greens with maple mustard dressing.

Back at camp I quickly set up camp, and started final packing preparations. Once ready, I bedded down for the night in my compact, one man tent. I finally felt ready.

Friday:

I got up reasonably early, prepared a quick breakfast and packed some final items into my pack. Ready for the day I headed out on the trail. It was a grey blustery day, with occasional gusts of wind. There were patches of blue sky in the distance, but these faded from sight quickly. T

he trail initially follows the Cascade River from the where it empties into Superior up to the ridge line. The river has several waterfalls, cascades, and almost constant riffles making for very pleasant surroundings. Although the topographical map makes it look pretty steep, in reality it was pretty easy going. I saw no one all morning. I tend to have a leisurely walking pace with my pack and I love to take in the view. Although somewhat cold, it was a great day to enjoy slow down and simply enjoy the hourney. There were no large animal sightings although there was both deer and moose scat on the trail in a few spots.

After lunch, I spotted a pair of red women's panties on the trail. This was very unusual to say the least. I have run into many man made artifacts in my life, but this was the first pair of red underwear I have come across in the woods. With no ready explanation for this sighting I left them in their location in case the wearer would need to retrieve them later. How they got there will have to remain a mystery.

A mile or so later the trail crosses under a bridge of a small road intersecting the trail. At this bridge there is a trail head parking lot where I ran into three hikers. One older couple was day hiking with a small pack and didn't have time for small talk. The other gentleman was waiting for some others in his party. The moccasin gentleman had very strange gear, seemingly made of heavy cotton and linen. Later I was to find out he was part of a group of periodic re-enactors who try and reproduce the working conditions of the early French fur traders who plied the Minnesota waters. At that time, I wondered about his gear but didn't feel the need to question him. It seemed heavy and uncomfortable, but who am I to judge.

I left the bridge trail head, expecting to find water at the group camp 0.7 miles further up the trail. Unfortunately, the group camp is very close to water but only if one is willing to scale a very steep cliff full of vegetation. I was not, so I decided to conserve water by drinking more slowly for the next 4.9 miles where the next water would appear. This part of the trail was much flatter than the hike up the Cascade River. It alternated between forest and marshy areas. The most interesting thing was a grove of pure white birch or aspen that were all the same size for a considerable distance. It was like being in some sort of strange ghostly forest. There were a few up and down hill sections. Occasionally I would come across a scenic overlook where one could see the interior ridgeline and hills of unbroken forest.

It was overcast and cool this entire day. It was probably 45 F. (7 C.) most of the day with gusty winds. I was warm while hiking, but would cool off rapidly if I stopped in an open area. It was so overcast there was no clue as to the time of day. This makes planning a bit more difficult as I like to make camp before dark and it was very difficult to tell if it was 2:00 P.M. or 5:30 P.M. (Next time I'll take a watch.)

I was beginning to worry about the hour and my thirst when I finally reached a small forest service road that indicated my campsite was 0.7 miles (1.1 km) away. This meant that a creek was a short walk away and I could rest my weary feet. It also meant I had somehow missed a spur trail to the first available water source. Although the spur trail was a mile diversion having water had seemed worth it to me. I was very happy to see fresh water. I quickly pumped a liter of water and drank it even faster. I filled my water pouch of 96 ounces(2.8 liter) and my liter bottle. I wasn't going without water tonight. My camp site was just past a small meadow and pond. It was vacant and there was a latrine, benches and a nice ring of rocks for a fire. I quickly set up camp and sat down for a nice hot meal, my first hot meal that day.

After cleaning up my supper I hung my food in the air to prevent bears from snooping around camp. This wasn't very hard compared to previous experiences but it took some time to find a suitable tree. Then I attempted to make a small fire. While the kindling burned easily I couldn't get larger pieces of wood to do more than smolder and smoke. The ground my tent was pitched on had an odd hollow sound when you would walk or drop a rock on it. I wondered why it made this noise but couldn't come up with any rational explanations. Even though it was still daylight, I got in my snug tent wrote a few notes down and enjoyed being able to get off of my feet. I wished they made very light weight books for backpacking. I would love to be able to read before bed, but can't stand adding extra weight to my pack.

It had been a satisfying day. I had hiked 9.2 miles (14.8 km) which was a good distance. My feet felt fine, except for a tender spot under my left arch where my new orthotic rubbed. While I was tired I wasn't in pain and hadn't pushed myself to exhaustion. From the trail log I learned that a trail clearing crew had been through in the last few weeks. They had done a superb job of cleaning out the trail. There had been numerous downed trees on the trail that they had removed. The trail logs had also show that a few through hikers had already been through this spring. I envied those folks who had the time to spare to complete the entire trail at once.

I was in good spirits. I find that the simple pleasure of walking in the woods can relieve an enormous amount of stress. There are no epiphanies or ah-ha moments of singular clarity, but there is a lot of time to let the mind wander and just enjoy the panorama of the natural beauty. My responsibilities on the trail were very few and when hiking alone I am only subject to my own whims. It's a very freeing experience.

I enjoy the companionship of others, but solo hiking has its own simple pleasures. My last hike had been in Yosemite, which is truly a natural paradise with spectacular vistas. Minnesota has nothing quite as awesome, but the natural beauty is all there on a smaller scale.

Saturday:

I made breakfast and broke camp slowly. I probably got up near dawn. It was another gray day so I wasn't sure of the time. While packing my gear I noticed a few rain drops. It was enough for me to make sure that I packed my rain poncho and a rain covering for my pack on the top for easy access if the rain should come in earnest.

I headed out and filtered water at my first chance which was an abandoned beaver dam not far from camp. The path actually crossed the old dam. The dam was so narrow and rotten a series of thin boards crossed the dam. Some of the boards were actually underwater. I was glad to have my hiking poles with as I didn't want to start my day with a dunking into the pond. As I filtered water the rain began in earnest. First small drops and then it came pelting down. I ran to shore and quickly pulled my poncho on and covered my pack. I finished filtering water and added another warm layer on to keep the cold rain at bay. My friend Larry likes to hike and camp in the rain. I don't know why. Although I like the outdoors and am not afraid of rain, I don't really enjoy mile after mile in dousing rain. It just makes everything more complicated. I was getting a hot spot on my heel, and I just didn't want to stop and fix it in the rain; "Too much trouble." Of course I paid for this oversight with a nasty blister that day. I ate my lunch under the branches of a large cedar which was dryer underneath than the surrounding woods. I had passed trough a pine plantation that morning. It was a very soft trail composed of pine needles. Had the day been warmer and dryer it would have been an ideal location to take a deserved afternoon nap. I ran into a lot of moose and wolf scat on the trail. Although I kept my eyes open for moose I didn't spot any. Wolf sightings are very rare and I didn't expect to see them.

The trail crosses several dirt forest service roads. I was wet and the scenery wasn't very interesting. If someone had offered me a ride into town I would have taken it. At one road crossing the sun came out for two minutes which felt more wonderful than one might expect.

I kept hiking. The most interesting part was through a swamp where there was only one thin half tree to use as a bridge. It went for what seemed like a 150 yards. There were beautiful yellow geranium like flowers in the surrounding swamp. Again I was glad I didn't fall in. I stopped and refilled my water at a creek. I hadn't seen any decent looking water since morning. Everything looked still and swampy. I could have filtered some if I was desperate, but I was a long was from desperation. I was glad to see a nice clear stream and quickly filtered a few liters. Not far from this point I came to an overlook above the town of Grand Marais. From my map it looked like the trail would intersect a small highway named the Gunflint trail soon. From that point the town would and my proposed camp site would be almost equidistant. Hmmm, my camp site came with probable cold showers; a cheap motel room with probably hot showers. What to pick?

I chose the town. I don't know if it was a good choice. It seemed to stop raining later in the day. The biggest benefit was that I was able to figure out the shuttle schedule which meant that I had an easy ride back to my car without resorting to hitchhiking back. If I hadn't figured out the shuttle my other choice would have been to walk back the two days. I was prepared to do that, but wasn't especially enthusiastic about the idea. Perhaps spending the night high and dry in town, had been inspired by a recent book I had read about a trip on the Appalachian Trail. Of course, people on the AT generally spend more than one night in the woods before going to town for a night.

Cold rain drains my enthusiasm. No question about it. Maybe I need better gear; I do hate the way the poncho works. My gear was dry, but it just isn't as much fun. Still it was relaxing.

Sunday:

The next day was an easy hike. 1.3 miles back to the trail where it intersected the Gunflint Trail, then another mile or so to the Pincushion trail head where the shuttle would take me back to my car.

I got there with time to spare and was able to explore the park a bit and swap stories with another solo hiker I had met. He had covered 40 miles, and was only about 5 miles behind me most of the way.

I headed back to my car. I was feeling great. From this point on I was in control as I had a car. I headed to County road 58, which should have been my exit point at Devil Track River. I day hiked in without my pack to the bridge. This little canyon was really spectacular. There were huge red sandstone cliffs. I don't know why this little piece of real estate doesn't get more tourist mention; it's really beautiful. It's Minnesota's deepest gorge. It's a 2 ½ mile walk to the bridge crossing the river. At that point you'll see two nice camp sites within spitting distance of the bridge. This five mile hike was a really nice way to end the trip. I figure the total mileage for my trip at around 24 miles including my jaunt to town. It was a really good weekend. From now on I will end my Superior Hiking trips on Sunday so I can more easily take advantage of the shuttle.

I'll bring a watch and better rain gear.

It's been a while since my last real vacation. I find myself dreaming about being outside. I've thought a lot about why I like hiking and camping. Most of my co-workers and peers turn up their nose at the thought of spending any time in the woods. Some might go to a State Park and camp within a few feet of their car, but that's the extent of it.

So what's the attraction to being outside -- hiking or camping?

The experience is 100% unmediated. There are corporate sponsors standing between me and reality. It's not televised, sanitized, homogenized, and no professionals are warning me not to try it at home. It's completely real. It's not real like reality TV, where only beautiful kids compete, hookup and generally act a lot like the worst parts of high school.

When I am out hiking everything I need is in my pack. In normal daily life I require untold thousands of pounds of possesions to see me through the day. The weight of all my stuff burdens me. Each thing I own needs to be stowed, maintained, and used. I can't manage that on my best days. But when I am hiking I manage to use nearly everything in my pack, except some of the more exotic items in my first aid kit, thank goodness. I know what is in my pack. I could make a list of it all in my head, I know where it all goes. Each item gets used. It's a very satisfying way to operate.

Hiking in the wilderness makes me feel connected to the larger world. In my job I look at a PC screen. It's a mediated interface between me and layers upon layers of computer interfaces. On my best day, all I have done is written magenetic particles somewhere on a disk. When I am out hiking, I can see the scenery change. I look at my map and the scene and walk towards a lake or hill, then before I know it it's behind me. I touch the rocks, trees, and earth. I engage with reality that I can smell, see, touch, hear and sometimes taste.

I feel connected with history. In U.S. history there are lots of wanderers and explorers I've read about. When I am out in the woods I think about what it must have been like trying to eek out a living in a difficult land, without sophisticated maps, just a few people and a canoe, so far from home. They don't seem to far away to me, since I am sharing the experience with them. Looking at the same scenes.I may be an adult but I can still play Lewis and Clark.

When in the wilderness I feel connected with a higher power. Everyone has different views on this one, but as for me when I round a corner and see a stunning view I can't help but be thankful for whoever arranged the view like that. While I could conclude that random interaction of the elements caused it, I don't.

I have read several writers who describe being in the wilderness as an experience of "healing." While that sounds over wrought, I have had experieces in the wilderness that have such a positive effect on my psyche, I have to describe it as healing or cleansing.

So I am ready for the north woods.

Here is my trail log from my Yosemite trip. I still haven't really cleaned this account up yet, so beware of faulty spelling and loose grammar.

Yosemite 2003

Wednesday:

I flew out of Minneapolis around 5:30, got to San Jose around 7:40. It was not a memorable flight. The food was incredibly skimpy with a postage stamp sized "submarine" sandwich. Then the lady sitting by the window had to pee twice. Each time she did, all three passengers in that row, including me, would get up and and go to the restroom in synchronized fashion. At the curbside check in the man who weighed my luggage noted that it weighed 48 pounds, which is far more than normal. I had packed one bag with my backpack and my camping paraphernalia while the other held normal stuff.

Somehow the index files for my trip to Yosemite were AWOL. I recreated them, and it's viewable again. I also need to clean up the diary of my trip for public consumption one of these days.

Tim's trip to Yosemite, down th John Muir Trail

On New Year's day I drove up to Lake Vermillion looking for some quiet time to unwind and take in some natural beauty. Check out what I saw.

Each day I walked across the frozen lake. Distances across bays, on foot, were much larger than I had expected, even though I have canoed, kayaked, and motored around for over a decade. It was very quiet.

I was really intrigued by how the islands seemed like isolated bonsai displays.

I will be out hiking in Yosemite starting Thursday, back in civilization on Monday. I am planning a hike down the John Muir Trail, from Toulumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley.

This is my first extended solo hike. I feel ready. I am curious if I'll go a little nutty by myself.

It should be a fun trip. I hope I don't forget anything crucial. From the experience of my last trip I am bringing more toilet paper.

I seem to be missing a few items. Notably a pack towel and the lid to my pan set. Oh well, nothing that can't be replaced. I am also concerned that I am bring way too much food. It's not like MN, where I can just leave it in my car and not worry. It seems the black bears in Yosemite have been known to break into cars without any compunction.

Although I really enjoy viewing wildlife, I sure don't want to see bears or puma too closely on this trip.

It's too late tonight for more, you'll have to wait for the trip report.