SHT Day 4 (9/22)

Happy autumnal equinox!

This morning I woke up during a dream about dying from smoking related lung disease, probably caused by a mix of my job and the chain smoking lesbian hikers who shared my campsite last night. Anyway, I thought it was funny once I woke up and realized that I wasn't slowly suffocating.

Today was a perfect day of hiking. I'm starting to find my groove: the right intervals of walking and resting, the right pace, the right time to take ibuprofen, and the right time to lay down for a mid-afternoon nap in the sun. I've hiked 65 miles so far (obviously not including the 6 tequila miles) and it's getting easier every day as my body adjusts.

After a few of my walking intervals, 50 minutes of hiking and 10 minutes of rest, I stopped for an extended lunch break. I chose an old bridge over a creek that is used for snowmobiling in the winter. This also gave me a chance to lay out my tent and let it dry.

As I was hiking to and through Duluth, I was surprised to see virtually no evidence of autumn. Now that I'm north of the city I more and more fall color at every turn.

With 16 miles down and only two more to go (it's a short day) I stopped to fill up my water containers at Suckers River. Up to this point, I haven't had to use water from any natural sources. I've filled up at state parks, a restaurant, and a drinking fountain, so I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of purifying my water.

Everyone I've spoken to on the trail has been using a filter to purify their water. I didn't even think about bringing a filter because I'm used to getting my water from streams in the Cascades, where liquid purification like the Aquamira that I use is sufficient. All of the streams in this part of Minnesota are dry and I had no choice but to get water from this barely moving river, if you can really call it a river.

The water was yellowish, but tasted surprisingly good after sitting for the required 15 minutes.

A funny thing happened while I was laying down on the bridge, feet on the air, waiting for my water to purify. I heard some noise on the trail behind me and from my upside down view I saw two angels running toward me. OK, they weren't angels, but they were super mega hot trail runners. Like ultra mega super hot. They seemed to be in their late 20s, I suspect a gay couple, and they were running with their equally beautiful young dog which was some sort of Siberian breed.

The ultra mega super extra hot one with the perfectly shaped beard and two ear piercings high on his ear stopped running once he reached me on the bridge. He smiled and I quickly sat up to say hello from a non-upside down position. 

He asked me in the deepest Minnesota/Wisconsin/Canadian accent you can imagine (who can tell the difference?), "so whatcha' doin out heeere? Ya campin'?"

I told him that I was slowly making my way towards Canada.

He replied, "holy cow! Well thatsa big un!"

We talked for a moment more, but I couldn't really pay attention to what he was saying. Do people out here really not use profanity? Who says holy cow? I mean, he was even more physically attractive up close and right side up, but I found the accent and the "Minnesota nice" speak to be distracting and I tried to conceal my amusement.

Once the two beautiful Minnesota men and their beautiful dog ran off, I started the final two miles of my day.

I knew I would see a large beaver pond right before my campsite and I came across it in less time than I was expecting.

Beautiful, eh?

Since I got to camp about a hour and a half before dark, I decided to try starting a fire. I don't recall ever successfully starting a fire and I usually leave it to someone like my friend Heidi, Matthew, or the chain smoking lesbian hikers from last night. Some people seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to building a fire. I am not one if those people.

I was able to successfully start the fire, but it only lasted about 15 minutes. I couldn't get any large pieces of wood to catch and I was lightheaded from blowing on the embers. I decided it wasn't worth it and I would rather bask in the day's dwindling sunshine. I did get this great picture though...

One last picture of my campsite, all to myself.

Goodnight!

Rob