SHT Day 12 (9/30)

Today was consumed by my desire for a bed, beer, and a bath. I got out of camp by 8:30 for the 12 miles to Lutsen Resort where I had a hotel room waiting for me.

One thing I can say about the SHT is that they have fantastic latrines. There is one at every campsite, so there's always one within a few miles of any point on the trail. They keep the sites very clean and check this one out- Is there a more beautiful way to shit? I don't think so.

The day continued with more fall color. 

Halfway through my morning I came by this old advertisement for the SHTA, which is the association that advocates, maintains, and creates the guide for the SHT. I just loved the woman in this ad, she's so darn hip!

Only 6.8 miles to Lutsen!

Many of these miles were uphill. One big difference I've noticed between this trail and trails in the cascades is that they don't use switchbacks very often here. If there is a steep slope, they use wooden or rock stairs instead.

I feel like this guy was trying to attract females when I found him. Is this why they call them ruffed grouse?

I had a hard time seeing the trail for the last few miles. So many leaves!

See that building in the distance? That's where I'm spending the evening.

Since I arrived at 1:30 and couldn't check-in until 4, I decided to eat everything in sight.

Then I finally got to my room and spent an hour and a half bathing. HEAVEN!

Since the place where I'm staying doesn't have laundry service, I had to do my own. That water was dissssgggusting.

Then I spent some time unpacking the food I mailed myself and watching my clothes dry.

I also realized that the weather forecast for the rest of my trip is no bueno. Rain?! SNOW?! This is going to be exciting.

That's all. I'm too tired and full of brownies to write more today. I hope things are going well for everyone and that the government doesn't shut down tomorrow. 

Nighty night!

Rob

SHT Day 11 (9/29)

I woke up wet this morning. Everything was wet, my sleeping bag, my tent, all of my clothes, my shoes, everything. I got up and slowly changed out of my moist, but warm, long johns and into my soaked and freezing clothes. Have you ever tried to put on a partially frozen shirt? What about a cold and dripping pair of underwear? It sure wakes you up quickly!

While it was tough to get up and moving in these conditions, I was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful view of the lake from my campsite that I had missed last night.

As autumn moves down the coast of Lake Superior and I move up, I've been waiting for the moment when we would really meet. The day when I would see the colors at their peak. I could be getting ahead of myself, but I think today is that day.

I'm also really excited to find that I've continued to adjust to the demands of this hike. My body feels stronger, my feet feel better and I'm finding that I can cover the miles much faster with fewer breaks. Today I even managed some hike dancing (thank you Madonna) and trail running. Yipeeeeee!

More beautiful colors from along the way...

About 6 miles into my day I came across some old, abandoned railroad tracks. This being the first dry area of the day I decided to take a break and let my things dry from the rain last night. I think these breaks, when I lay in the sun and dry out, have become one of my favorite parts of this hike.

I continued the day high on ridges overlooking the lake. 

At mile 14, I came to Temperence River State Park. I followed this river 3 miles downstream, crossed it, then followed it 2 miles back upstream. 

I spent a little time in this busy state park reclining on my sleeping mat in the sun, getting ready to pound out the last 6 miles in 2.5 hours before dark. This is faster than my typical 2mph, but I need to make up ground so I can get to the hotel I have reserved for Monday night at the Lutsen Resort. It's a ski resort in the winter and I'm so excited to get there because I have a resupply box waiting and I can't wait to shower. I haven't showered since day 2! I also read that they have a hot tub. As I obviously didn't bring any swim trunks, I spent some time pondering if it would be appropriate to get in the hot tub wearing only my boxer-briefs, which haven't been washed in 11 days. I think I'll take the chance.

As I was still reclining and elevating my feet, I saw two more gayngels. I decided that gayngel (that's a gay angel for all you squares) was a fun term and these two boys definitely deserved it. Eye candy! I flagged them down and chatted with them for a bit. I have to get my kicks where I can, ya know?

These boys are spending a week hiking north on the exact route I am, although they plan to spend 7 days hiking what I will hike in 4. This makes sense as their backpacks are enormous. I would bet that they each had at least 40 pounds on their backs. They were bent forward at the waist, trying to manage the loads. They reminded me of the sherpas my dad and I saw in Peru.

Seeing their packs made me feel good. My intense planning allows me to hike further and put less strain on my body by going ultralight. It also made me sad though, that these very cute boys probably wouldn't be able to keep up with me so I won't be able to hang out with them around a campfire.

I made it the 6 miles in only two hours, including summiting two small peaks. I set up my tent and made my dinner hoping that I would hear the choir of gayngels coming into my camp, but to no avail. Another quiet night for Little Bear.

Gooooooood night!

Rob

SHT Day 10- Part 2

Motivated by food and my pristinely pale yellow urine, I got out of bed early and started the 4 mile trek to Our Place, the only breakfast restaurant, or actually the only restaurant, around the city of Finland. Most of it was road walking, but I didn't mind. I couldn't stop thinking of orange juice and pancakes. 

Once at Our Place, I was greeted by a woman in a tie dyed shirt. She said, "you're gunna have to move that thing" referring to my backpack and, "it's going to be a long time for breakfast." When I ordered, biscuits and gravy and a pancake on the side, she grunted something about if I wanted a filling for the pancake. The menu said that the options for filling were either chocolate chips or wild rice. When I asked about the wild rice- because seriously, wild rice?- she rolled her eyes and said, "hunny, it's horse shit, that's why it's on our menu." 

I ordered the wild rice and I couldn't help but love this tie dye lady. Minnesotans aren't the sarcastic type so her attitude made her seem like such an outsider.

If you're reading this, please trust me and don't put wild rice into pancakes. It just doesn't make sense and it certainly doesn't add anything to the pancake, but apparently the rice is local and the customers love it. Yuck.

After my stomach was full, I set out to try hitch hiking for the second time. It was only a few miles back to the trail, but I wanted to make up time and a ride would be a huge help.

I started walking towards the trail thinking I could hitch and walk at the same time, but before I could even stick out my thumb a car pulled into the parking lot right in front of me. I stopped in my tracks because the car was essentially blocking my way. As I motioned to the driver to continue, I would wait, the passenger rolled down her window and exclaimed, "Seattle! Seattle!" I was totally confused. Was I wearing something that said Seattle? How did she know I was from Seattle? I looked back at the woman and realized that it was Eagle Eye!

Eagle Eye and her husband were just out for a drive and they were happy to give me a lift back to the trail. As I was putting on my pack at the trailhead, I ran into two other thru hikers. They are hiking south, opposite of my direction, and had tons of questions about the rest of the trail. They had previously met on the Appalachian Trail in 2012 and had made the SHT a sort of reunion hike. I also learned that one of the two, who goes by the name of Turkey Feather, will be hiking the PCT next year and is planning to start only 3 days after my start date. Crazy! 

The trail continued...

Only about 2 miles into this section and with at least 9 miles to go in my day, it started to rain. My dad suggested I bring this giant poncho that covers me and my pack, so I put that on pronto. The trail was going between long exposed ridges and low muddy fields, so as the rain intensified it got more and more difficult to hike. I trudged on for 5 more hours though, soaked, muddy, and without a break as it continued to pour.

I didn't get many pictures since I was afraid of getting my iPhone wet, but I got this one while I was able to take cover under a bit of shelter.

I finally got to a camp at 5pm, only 2 miles short of my distance goal for the day. I'm thrilled considering the circumstances. If breakfast and a full afternoon of rain only sets me back 2 miles, I call that a victory.

One thing about hiking with wet feet- it really highlights any dead skin you have. Here's a picture of how my feet looked after I took off my shoes. Keep in mind that this damage isn't just from this trip, it's a culmination of damage from these past 170 miles, the many 12-30 mile urban hikes I've done this summer, and the 75 miles through the rain in the Cascades a few weeks ago. I know this is gross and I can't wait to get home and clean these up, but I also see them as badges of honor.

May I present... The feet.

Well it's an early end to a long day. I think I'll listen to a book on tape and nod off.

Night!

Rob

SHT Day 10- Part 1

Just an update after last night. My urine looked fine late last night and is totally back to normal this morning. I'm going to tough it out since now I have no abnormal symptoms... Also, I might take this as a sign to eat pancakes at a restaurant google maps found a mile off if the trail. Maybe the bleeding was due to acute pancake deficiency?

I'll let you know how it goes!

Rob

SHT Day 9 (9/27)

Before I tell you about today, I must warn you that by the end of this entry I will be talking about my urine in detail. In fact, it's almost 9pm and I'm still awake only because of my urine...

Today was an incredibly colorful day. The forecast was for rain and thunderstorms, but until around 4pm there was only sunshine. Since there has been so much fog for the past two days, today was the first day that I could clearly see the full extent of the color change in this area. Incredible!

In the middle of the day I hiked through Tettegouche State Park, home of the highest waterfall completely in Minnesota. I guess that implies that there is another, larger waterfall only partially in Minnesota. Anyway, I loved the little stairs they built to get to the falls.

...and the falls, aptly named High Falls.

Today's hike was the toughest so far. I only hiked 17.5 miles since most of the day was spent going up and down these little mountains. It was physically exhausting, but it was also mentally draining. It's obvious that the folks who designed the SHT wanted you to summit all of these mountains because they could just have easily made the trail go around some of them. Once or twice it was a bit much to see the trail go out of its way to summit another mountain instead of taking a more direct route. Then again, if I hadn't summited all of these mountains I wouldn't have gotten these amazing views. No mud no lotus.

I've seen tons of these little guys the past few days.

Just one more beautiful autumn view!

It started raining around 4pm, just as I was crossing this giant bog on these wobbly, sometimes tilted sometimes partially underwater, wooden pathways.

I also passed this massive glacial erratic. It's a rock that was carried into the area during the melting of the last ice age. I forget the type of rock this is, but they know it's a glacial erratic because it differs from the types of rock you would normally find in this area.

Right after I passed this rock, around 5pm, I stepped off of the trail to urinate (it's so simple and one of the joys of being a man). I noticed that my urine was dark red. Bothered, but unsure of what to do, I continued on to camp. Once at camp I made dinner as usual, set up my tent and urinated again. This time it was worse and much brighter red. I caught some in an empty container I had so I could examine it closer. It was the color of coffee with a hint of red. I smelled it as well and it smelled undeniably of blood.

Not knowing what I should do or think, I checked to see if I had reception... I did! How awesome that this would be the first time I had reception at a campsite. I called Janet, my dad, and Matthew (thanks guys) in addition to the 24-hour nurse hotline affiliated with my insurance company. The consensus was that it was likely nothing major since I have no other symptoms, but I should consider seeing a doctor just in case, as I'm only hiking further and further from civilization for the next 3 days.

Well, I'm 2 miles from the tiny town of Finland and I would have to take a $90 taxi each way to get to the nearest urgent care in Two Harbors. Also, I can't afford to even take a half day off the trail if I want to make it to the end in time. What's a boy to do? 

After some cursing, I booked a ride to the doctor in the morning. If I go, it will mean that I'll have to skip 18-20 miles of trail to stay on schedule. I say "if I go" because a few minutes ago I went to the bathroom again and, while still dark, it was much closer to normal. What if I was just dehydrated and had bladder irritation? Is the $180 and loss of 20 miles worth the caution? Why can't this situation be more clear cut?

I guess I have no option but to sleep on it, look at my urine again in the morning, and decide from there.

Here's hoping that it's normal by morning and I can continue as expected!

Rob

SHT Day 8 (9/26)

Another hazy day, but I got out of my tent on time and that's a huge victory. The motivation of pizza 12 miles away definitely helped and I was up and ready to go by 7:30. Eagle eye was already up and greeted me with a, "good morning Seattle!" I was flattered that she tried to give me a trail name, and I did giggle from the consistent lack of creativity from these Minnesotans, but I don't think "Seattle" will do.

These hazy mornings remind me of my dad. The one time he convinced me to go hunting with he and my brothers in Colorado, with promises of Native American sites and historic landmarks, we ended up sitting in a clearing for four hours in the cold, hazy morning. That's when I learned to hate hunting- it's so boring and you can't even talk AND the goal is to kill things. But these hazy mornings are more nostalgic and I remember the trip fondly, as a time I was able to spend with my dad and brothers.

I think I used this next picture as an excuse to take a break. It also reminded me that I look more and more like my father every day.

Today was supposed to be a day of big vistas since I would be climbing some of the largest hills in the area. The fog killed most of the views, but I can tell that the peak color is still on its way, so there should be plenty more incredible views to come.

I ran out of water last night, not having realized the distance between the two closest rivers, and I would have to hike 7 miles this morning until I got to another river. There were some creeks and beaver ponds on the way, but I'm too concerned about giardia and the diarrhea it causes to drink out of these sources.

I made it to the river and rested while I rehydrated. From there I only had 5 more miles until I could take a spur trail to Silver Bay, the home of Jimmy's Pizza. 

I love when the trees grow over the trail, creating these sort of green tunnels.

Silver Bay seems to be composed on one Protestant church, one school, about 11 streets of homes, and this strip mall.

I sat at Jimmy's pizza for a few hours, kicking up my feet, recharging my electronics, and going crazy on pizza, hot wings, and unlimited refills of pop (when in Minnesota, eh?). I was so focused on eating that I couldn't manage to get a clear picture. Can you blame me though? Look at that pizza!

Before getting back on the trail, I stopped at the other restaurant and got a coffee to go. Walking back to the trail with a hot coffee in hand and the cool breeze in the air was pure bliss.

This area has tons of sugar maples, which is one of the trees that make the fall colors are so bright near the shore. According to my guide book, they require warm winters and deep soil which is rare in northern MN. The thermal mass of Lake Superior acts to keep the area cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, allowing these trees to survive.

High on a ridge I found this great view of Bear Lake.

I also found a trail register. Another part of thru-hiker culture, trail registers are a great way to see who is ahead of you and check out if you recognize any of he trail names. I wrote my own entry signing it "Little Bear", a trail name I'm trying on per my friend Kirsten's suggestion. I like the name- sweet, gentle, and undeniably endearing (like me!) I also found the entry that Eagle Eye left two days ago.

Only a mile or two later I made it to camp, alone, but happy to be here in this moment alive and full of pizza.

Time to go to bed. This time I might even be asleep by 8pm!

Au revoir, 

Rob