Hiking Dude Blog

I walked 26026 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 12 miles today.
Another fairly short day to reach Cascade River State Park where I'm supposed to meet Bryan tonite. We'll hike together until Sunday when he has to return to school. Larry and I hiked together to the park then he went on ahead. I expect Bryan and I will find him on the trail since he's stopping to fish tomorrow.
Five days have seen lots of ups and downs, animals, forest types, and weather. This pic is the shore of Lake Superior this evening after an hour of rain just passed through. I spent that time huddled under a cedar tree :-). It's now clearing a little to the south so my fingers are crossed.
Last night, it cleared at sunset but then came right back raining for 5 hours during the night. Better then while hiking.
My arm warmers from Northern Star Council have been a useful idea the past couple days.
Hopefully, my online map is updating regularly but with the thick forest I expect some pings get lost - Check out my current location on the map.

I walked 18725 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 7 miles today.
After a wonderful, warm, soft rest at the Aspen Lodge in G.M. (no idea how their continental breakfast, sauna, or pool are) we got hiking about 10:30 on a very windy, cold morning. I think we made a good choice to take this night offtrail.
I got us a short ride up the Gunflint Trail to the SHT by using my trusty thumb and winning smile :-). Right at the trail sign, we saw another hiker and it was Pilgrim - a guy Larry had met in the shuttle riding to the northern trailhead. They had hiked together the first couple days. This picture is of them in a beautiful marshy area south of G.M. on the trail.
We three stooges are camped together tonite at a great site only 7 miles from GM so it was a short day. No need to go farther since I'm meeting Bryan tomorrow night just 12 miles from here.
It's already cold so I expect freezing temp tonight. Clear sky, but I won't be out to enjoy the stars. We did have a campfire which was a treat.

I walked 43686 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 21 miles today.
My shelter and I survived our first rain last night. About 4 hours starting before midnight. I stayed mostly dry.
I decided to hike with Larry today since he's going the same direction. Met a group on trail and they said it should get down to 25 tonight. Grand Marais is a few extra miles past the E. Devil's Track campsite. When we reached that camp, we had to decide to stay or go on for 6 more miles.
So, after a very long 12 hour day of hiking up and down, we're at the Aspen Lodge in G.M. - the only place left in town with vacancy.
Shower was great and the rest will be helpful. Tomorrow will be a very short day.
On the trail, we saw a very cool eagle, some deer and grouse, tons of red squirrels and tiny birds. The leafs are changing some but the next week should bring more color.
This pic is overlooking the lake from Wildflower Hill - the prettiest place on the trail so far.
Hey - finished map 4 today and started in on map 3! The maps are numbered for NOBO hikers.

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.

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!

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.

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 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