I find the few days right before a backpacking trip to be very exciting. Trying to make sure I have everything I really need, but not extra weight I don't need on this trip. Wondering if I really have enough food, or if I should add another handful of Sour Patch Kids. Checking that I can actually access the maps I think I downloaded to my phone even when it's in airplane mode. And, on and on.

Tomorrow, we'll be Up North to hike our 100 miles on the North Country Trail for 2022 and get a patch! We're going to hike the Border Route Trail from the west trailhead on Gunflint Trail road to the east trailhead on Otter Lake Road. This hike is about 65 miles and just happens to end right where the Superior Hiking Trail starts. Isn't that convenient?

Instead of stopping there, we're going to hike about another 50 miles down the SHT to Grand Marais, MN. That way, we can hop in our car and drive home at whatever time on whatever day we happen to finish without needing a shuttle at the end.

Most of the first 4 days will be in the Boundary Waters wilderness with no phone coverage, but I'll have my Spot along. If you'd like to make sure we're still moving, check out this real-time map - I hope it works. Once we hit the SHT, I might be able to drop a note now and then, but we'll see.

We were planning on doing this last week, but starting into a 100% chance of rain for 2 days seemed kind of silly. The forecast is looking much better now and the fall colors should be well under way. And, there's a group of people I know doing a SHT thru-hike NorthBound that will be close to Grand Marais when we get there. If things fall into place, we might find them on trail to say 'Hi'.

Our packs with 10 days of food and expected temps right down to freezing are just about 30 pounds so I'm excited to start eating some of that weight off. When we finish, I'll tell you more about the new dinner meals we've been making and enjoying this season. So far, they've been most excellent!