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07/26/2016
Day 3 - Rest Day
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/1287.jpg)
We hiked 1.5 miles to a mountain reservoir full of trout. We lost count of the fish we caught on flies and spinners over the 6 hours we fished. Mostly brook trout, but a few rainbows and cutthroat, too.
The group decided on an early dinner since storm clouds were building and rolling past. We never did get any rain, but it was nice to eat early.
Tonight, the mosquitos were pretty bad. We saw a fisher exploring our camp and a moose across the lake.
07/27/2016
Day 4 - Over Ant Hill
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/1288.jpg)
07/28/2016
Day 5 - Seven Brothers
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/1289.jpg)
07/31/2016
Day 6 - Out of the Mountains
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/1290.jpg)
It was a super week with great weather having storms only at night, fun people, plenty of wildlife, and majestic views.
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Posted: 07/31/2016
Posted: 07/31/2016
08/04/2016
Hot Ash Review
So, what's your favorite kind of cooking fuel out in the wilds - wood, alcohol, canister, white gas, fuel tabs, or something else? They all have pros and cons, including efficiency, cleanliness, smoke, carry weight, speed, cost, and impact. I've used them all and am always interested in new options that come along.
![hot ash stove](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha1.jpg)
![](//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
The Hot Ash stove came out last year and it's a new entry in the general wood-burning "rocket stove" category. While an open fire tends to be inefficient, slow, and smokey, a rocket stove harnesses the fuel's potential and converts more of it into usable heat. Small twigs are the fuel and a well-designed combustion area creates big heat. Feel free to google "rocket stove design" to find out how they are being used in kitchens, as home heaters, and for outdoor cooking.
The folks at Hot Ash asked me to give their stove a try and let you all know what I thought of it. They provided me with a stove to test. So, the other day, I took a bag on my morning hike and picked up a bunch of twigs and sticks from the trail to burn. Then, I took the stove and sticks to a secluded area of the local park and got busy. Here's what I found out...
![hot ash stove components](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha2.jpg)
![](//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
The Hot Ash is a sturdy, thick metal, hot burning, wood fueled camping stove. The design allows it to be disassembled and packed into a 3x3x9 inch box shape (that's about the size of a 16oz. jar of Planter's dry roasted peanuts). That's a pretty small and portable size. It comes in cool packaging with simple instructions and a cloth bag to carry the stove in to keep your other gear clean. The stove is completely stainless steel - and it's thick steel, too. It will withstand pretty much any abuse you want to throw at it, or throw it at. I even pounded it on some rocks a few times and the metal just scratched a bit, no dents.
![hot ash assembly](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha3.jpg)
![](//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
I set up the stove by placing the pieces together and using two thumbscrews to hold on stabilizing feet and fuel chamber. It's very stable and low enough to the ground that there's not much danger of burns from spilled hot liquids. I think one design improvement could be to replace the thumbscrews with a sliding lock, something like a keyhole, so there are no small, loose screws. Other than that, assembly is easy and fast.
![lighting the hot ash](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha4.jpg)
![](//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
I shaved a few sticks for tinder and shoved the small bits of wood into the horizontal fuel chamber. The fuel chamber is above an elevated air chamber that pulls air in for efficient combustion, the key to a rocket stove design. My dry tinder lit easily and the twigs were burning in less than a minute.
![hot ash smokeless burn](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha5.jpg)
![](//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
One of the key benefits of a rocket stove is that it burns hot and with very little smoke. It took about 6 minutes from lighting to smokeless, hot fire. Once the air draw was going strong and the heat was roaring up the chimney, the stove burned hot and clean. With the fuel chamber full of small sticks, I let the stove burn to see how long it would last. With no additional fuel, it burned for about 10 minutes and took another 15 minutes to burn to ash and become cool enough to touch the support legs to move the stove.
![hot ash fuel supply](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha6.jpg)
![](//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
Ten minutes is plenty of time to boil a pint of water. Using just a small handful of twigs, a quick meal can be prepared. For longer heat, it's easy to feed more fuel into the chamber as it burns down.
I had fun playing with the Hot Ash, and I expect it will be a useful stove for many campers. Like any piece of equipment, it must be compared to alternative items that perform the same task, and individuals need to determine how they plan to use it.
Pros
Cons
Who Would Use It?
Hike On
![hot ash stove](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha1.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
The Hot Ash stove came out last year and it's a new entry in the general wood-burning "rocket stove" category. While an open fire tends to be inefficient, slow, and smokey, a rocket stove harnesses the fuel's potential and converts more of it into usable heat. Small twigs are the fuel and a well-designed combustion area creates big heat. Feel free to google "rocket stove design" to find out how they are being used in kitchens, as home heaters, and for outdoor cooking.
The folks at Hot Ash asked me to give their stove a try and let you all know what I thought of it. They provided me with a stove to test. So, the other day, I took a bag on my morning hike and picked up a bunch of twigs and sticks from the trail to burn. Then, I took the stove and sticks to a secluded area of the local park and got busy. Here's what I found out...
![hot ash stove components](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha2.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
The Hot Ash is a sturdy, thick metal, hot burning, wood fueled camping stove. The design allows it to be disassembled and packed into a 3x3x9 inch box shape (that's about the size of a 16oz. jar of Planter's dry roasted peanuts). That's a pretty small and portable size. It comes in cool packaging with simple instructions and a cloth bag to carry the stove in to keep your other gear clean. The stove is completely stainless steel - and it's thick steel, too. It will withstand pretty much any abuse you want to throw at it, or throw it at. I even pounded it on some rocks a few times and the metal just scratched a bit, no dents.
![hot ash assembly](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha3.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
I set up the stove by placing the pieces together and using two thumbscrews to hold on stabilizing feet and fuel chamber. It's very stable and low enough to the ground that there's not much danger of burns from spilled hot liquids. I think one design improvement could be to replace the thumbscrews with a sliding lock, something like a keyhole, so there are no small, loose screws. Other than that, assembly is easy and fast.
![lighting the hot ash](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha4.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
I shaved a few sticks for tinder and shoved the small bits of wood into the horizontal fuel chamber. The fuel chamber is above an elevated air chamber that pulls air in for efficient combustion, the key to a rocket stove design. My dry tinder lit easily and the twigs were burning in less than a minute.
![hot ash smokeless burn](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha5.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
One of the key benefits of a rocket stove is that it burns hot and with very little smoke. It took about 6 minutes from lighting to smokeless, hot fire. Once the air draw was going strong and the heat was roaring up the chimney, the stove burned hot and clean. With the fuel chamber full of small sticks, I let the stove burn to see how long it would last. With no additional fuel, it burned for about 10 minutes and took another 15 minutes to burn to ash and become cool enough to touch the support legs to move the stove.
![hot ash fuel supply](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/ha6.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
Ten minutes is plenty of time to boil a pint of water. Using just a small handful of twigs, a quick meal can be prepared. For longer heat, it's easy to feed more fuel into the chamber as it burns down.
I had fun playing with the Hot Ash, and I expect it will be a useful stove for many campers. Like any piece of equipment, it must be compared to alternative items that perform the same task, and individuals need to determine how they plan to use it.
Pros
- Fuel is free - it just burns wood, actually just twigs.
- Clean burning - once burning, it produces little smoke.
- Sturdy - it won't dent, deform, or break when dropped.
- Made in USA
- Compact - doesn't take much space when packed up.
- Fun - feeding small sticks into the fuel chamber is not a bad way to relax for a few minutes. The feel of real fire is something special, rather than the blue flame of gas.
Cons
- It weighs 3.1 pounds. You can save 1/2 pound by leaving the support legs and cross-pieces at home. This is heavy to take backpacking since an alcohol stove, canister stove, or even white gas stove with over a week's fuel is lighter. (I feel the stove is actually much stronger than needed - a lighter gauge steel on the chimney and chamber would work well and cut the weight.)
- It is not fast. Gathering fuel, building the fire, and then cooking, take much longer than other stoves, but faster than an open fire.
- Success is reliant on the environment. If there is no fuel, or it is wet, then you have no heat. If there are open fire bans in place, you can't use it.
- Cost - the purchase price is more expensive than many other cooking options.
Who Would Use It?
- Car Campers - setting up camp for a couple days. No fuel to carry, small space, and real flames make it a good solution when weight is no concern.
- Preppers - in case of emergency, it will be ready when a catastrophe hits. Just use scrap wood or debris for fuel.
- Dinosaur Lovers - someone trying to conserve fossil fuels and consume renewable carbon fuel will prefer this over a gas stove.
Hike On
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Posted: 08/04/2016
Posted: 08/04/2016
08/13/2016
Bear Paw Wilderness Designs Review
![bear paw wilderness designs](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/bear1a.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
There's a small company in Colorado making some nice lightweight shelters. If you are ready to dump your 6-pound tent for something much lighter and just as protective, you really should check out Bear Paw Wilderness Designs. John owns the company, makes the gear, and even does his own youtube videos. He's ready and willing to customize any of his products for your specific needs. Let me tell you about my experience with BPWD shelters...
I made my own lightweight shelter in 2012, and I'm proud of what I sewed together. It kept me comfortable over many nights and miles, but it wasn't really great when the weather got bad. John gave me one of his tarps and a 1-person bug nest to try out, but I put it off because it weighed a couple ounces more than my own shelter.
This January, my son and I hiked through the Florida Keys and then through the Everglades up to Lake Okeechobee where my son left to return to college and I continued on to Ocala. I used my home-made shelter while my son used the BPWD shelter. As soon as he left, I had him take my shelter home and I switched to the BPWD - wow! I was completely protected from rain and bugs, had plenty of room, and wasted no time in set-up and take-down each day.
![bear paw shelter](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/bear2a.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
Last month, I ordered a 2-person bug nest from John that would fit under the tarp I already had, replacing the 1-person nest. My wife and I were heading to the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, leading a group of youth from our church. We spent 6 nights in the nest under the tarp while mosquitoes buzz bombed us outside, but had no chance in our spacious nest. We had 3 nights of torrential rain and intense lightning, but we stayed completely dry under the tarp that would not even budge when high winds hit it broadside. I'd like to think it was my excellent skill in pounding in stakes, but the shelter held up perfectly.
There was a small amount of very fine mist forced through the silnylon during the very, very worst of the storms but much less than other silnylon shelters I've used. The tarp extended over the sides of the bug nest enough that no rain blew underneath. The sidewalls of the bug nest kept all blown rain out while the mesh allowed complete air flow.
We set up on rocky ground, pine needles, and bare dirt. It was easy to get sturdy tension on the tie lines even though we had to place them at different distances and angles due to rocks and roots underground. The individually adjustable locks on each line worked nicely.
![bear paw inside view](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/bear3a.jpg)
![](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png)
We left the bug nest connected to the tarp at the two ridge points and the four corners. This allowed us to throw down our plastic ground sheet, drop the nest and tarp on top, peg out the corners of the nest and quickly lift the tarp into position. My wife held the front support pole in place while I pounded the lightweight aluminum support stakes in. We repeated that process on the rear support post. It took us about 3 minutes to completely set up the shelter, and the nest was never exposed to rain doing it this way.
I was not able to achieve a perfectly tight ridgeline, but there was very little flapping or ruffling during the windiest storm. A couple inches of space between the internal mesh nest and outer tarp at the top ensured no condensation moisture got inside the nest, even when I bumped up against the mesh.
We were in arid conditions, so there was little condensation inside the tarp. I plan to use this shelter again for a week on the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota, starting this Friday. I will check for condensation in a more humid area. I'm taking the 2-person nest because it will give me tons of space, at the cost of only a couple ounces.
Bear Paw Wilderness Design Shelter Benefits:
- Roomy - Long enough inside the nest to have a little extra gear above my head, and wide enough for our two sleeping pads plus about 6 inches between. I can sit up easily without pressing against the mesh ceiling.
- Comfortable - protection from rain with lots of ventilation.
- Flexible - The tarp can be pitched high or low, depending on weather and air flow desired. The nest and tarp, tarp only, or nest only, can be pitched depending on what weather and insect concerns you expect.
- Lightweight - the tarp, nest, and lines weigh 36 ounces. Adding in 12 stakes and a ground sheet brings it up to 46 ounces. It packs into a very small bag, taking up little pack space.
- Unobtrusive - the grey color blends in nicely to nature. It just looks like another rock in the mountains.
- USA - designed, made, and sold locally.
- Customizable - John can create pretty much what you want with different styles, sizes, and materials available.
For pricing, and detailed specs, take a look at Bear Paw Wilderness Designs website. I have a Canopy 2 Tent, a Walled Net Tent 2, and a Minimalist 1 net option.
![bear paw shelter on rocky ground](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/bear5a.jpg)
![bear paw shelter side view](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/bear6a.jpg)
![hail from storm](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/bear7a.jpg)
![bear paw shelter front view](http://hikingdude.com/i/gear/bear4a.jpg)
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Posted: 08/13/2016
Posted: 08/13/2016
08/19/2016
Short SHT Hike
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/1293.jpg)
08/20/2016
Start SHT Hike
Day 1 - Rain, Mud, and Hiking
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/1296.jpg)
I traveled about 10.7 miles today.
It really wasn't that bad today. We hit the trail at 1:30 and enjoyed about 5.5 hours on the trail while it sprinkled, showered, and eventually rained. Somewhere in there we did put on our rain gear and left it on most of the afternoon and evening. There's still water dropping from the trees but I think it's just leftover drops being dislodged by the wind. We reached our first camp spot early and decided to push on. The east lake Agnes site was full of tents so I walked the .3 miles to the west site while Martin watched our gear. There was more room so we moved there. We set up tents, got water, and made our meal. We visited with Scott and Jeff, but a couple ladies didn't come out of their tent at all - the weather wasn't that good. While chatting, i mentioned my site (of course) and Jeff already knew of it and used it. Cool! We built a soggy fire, sat around a bit more, and that was that. Now, it's time for lights out. Saw a lot of day hikers, 2 woodpeckers, 3 toads, 2 red squirrels, but nothing bigger. Xps
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Posted: 08/20/2016
Posted: 08/20/2016
08/21/2016
Day 2 - Making Tracks
![](http://boyscouttrail.com/i/blog/1297.jpg)
I traveled about 16 miles today.
Yeah, that's right - bear tracks! Didn't see any other Wildlife today, but it was a beautiful day for hiking with sun and breeze all day. Once the leftover water on the trail and foliage dried up, the trail was fine. Ran into lots of day hikers around Lutsen, but only one other backpacker on the trail. Tyler started yesterday north of us and plans to hike to his folks' home somewhere in Minnesota. We wound up staying at the same site with him tonight, along with a bunch of Neanderthals. Actually, that's what they asked me to call them in my post. They're a handful of guys, all related, but big age range, that go out on a short camping trip each year. We shared a nice fire, but I'm in bed earlier tonight after our longer than planned distance. Our mashed potatoes and chicken dinner was great - lots better than last nights noodles. Oh, early this morning we walked by the view of the Poplar River valley which I think is one of the nicest spots on the trail. Early tomorrow, we'll go up Carlton Peak - another favorite spot.
Older Posts Newer Posts
All Comments:
Feb 13, 2020 - Jason Berklund
Hey hiking dude I have several questions planning my first north to south trip
from 270 all the way down. I kind a know what to wear what to eat all that
important jive. I am in relatively good shape definitely Not concerned about
where in tear. 45 years old going with a 21-year-old nephew. My question is
I have friends in Duluth that I don’t want to burden with driving me what’s the
best way to get up to otter Lake Road that’s not gonna cost a crap ton. We
were thinking 15 miles a day. We were also thinking hammocks. Let me
know what you think please. I have read so much and look at so much and
heard so many opinions but You seem to be very realistic on your
comments. Thank you
Feb 13, 2020 - Hiking Dude
@Jason - Hammocks work fine - most campsites have lots of trees.
15MPD is realistic, and you'll probably do more than that many
days.
Getting to the northern terminus is expensive (in my mind). If you can schedule correctly, Arrowhead Transit is cheapest to Grand Marais, but then Harriet Quarles is the only shuttle I know of. You might find a good ol' boy in Grand Marais willing to drive you the 35 miles to the end for a few $$$.
It's a 3 hour drive from Duluth - that's 6 hours and 300 miles round-trip. Maybe your friend would like to drive up the north shore for a day.
Getting to the northern terminus is expensive (in my mind). If you can schedule correctly, Arrowhead Transit is cheapest to Grand Marais, but then Harriet Quarles is the only shuttle I know of. You might find a good ol' boy in Grand Marais willing to drive you the 35 miles to the end for a few $$$.
It's a 3 hour drive from Duluth - that's 6 hours and 300 miles round-trip. Maybe your friend would like to drive up the north shore for a day.
Feb 04, 2024 - John
Me and my fiance are going to Costa Rica for our honeymoon and we
are so excited!
May 02, 2024 - Zeke Mead
Has anyone cycled this Camiño? Sounds like the trail is a road
and if trucks are able to do it, maybe bikes too?
May 03, 2024 - Hiking Dude
@Zeke - Someone could certainly bike part of the Camino de Costa
Rica, but other parts are simple trail that would not be passable
by bike.
Sep 02, 2024 - Susan
I am Ms. Susan from USA looking for
fun. Check my profile:
www.tinyurl.com/SEX696x
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