Weather, Water, and Start Dates

With Minnesota weather, there's really no telling when the Superior Hiking Trail will be cleared of snow and ready for hikers.

The polar vortex that led to record freezing of the lakes and the significant snowfalls led the Superior Hiking Trail Association to post the following trail condition at the end of February:

February 27, 2014: The winter continues with lots of snow and very cold. Probably 36"- 50". There has been very little snowshoeing on the trail so much of the trail is not tracked. Unless you know for sure your ability to do a section through untracked snow, your best bet is to do an out-and-back hike so you know you can get safely back to your car.

In Grand Marais, this neat video shows how frozen the lake was on March 8. Check out the underwater/under-ice rocks from :35-1:15. As I watched the video, I was jealous of the experience of skating there but concerned by how all this cold was going to affect my start date.

The news floating around an email list for the trail isn't too hopeful, either, especially given that an April storm dumped more snow on the trail last year. There's speculation that it will take at least a month for the current snow to melt out, concern about the trail being really, really wet and muddy when everything does melt, and encouragement to keep tabs on the trail condition updates on the organization's website as the weeks go by.

One thing I do have going for me is that the annual meeting of the organization, including hikes at various locations, will happen the first weekend in May, so I'll have solid reports about trail conditions then and have a better feel for whether I'll be able to get on the trail as soon as I'm able to or need to wait for the trail to dry out some more...

86.5 Miles Done in March!

I was in Indiana for a conference this past week and decided to check out a trail at the Morgan-Monroe State Forest afterward to finally try out my new tent and some of my other new gear. I arrived late enough in the day that I decided to just stay in the SF campground just in case some of my gear didn't work, but I got the tent set up with no problem, rinsed the dirt out of my hiking socks from the last trip (they hadn't, for some reason, made it into the washer with my other clothes), and set about messing with and modifying my stuff like I do when I'm in camp.

I wanted to practice the PCT method of bear bag hanging this weekend, and my campsite had a perfect tree. You want your food at least 10' high, 4' away from the trunk, and 4' below the branch so critters can't get it. I thought I would like the Knotless PCT Method and had made myself a little piece of PVC like in the video, but with 4 days of food, the bag was heavy enough to make it really difficult for me to undo the rope wrapped around the PVC, so I went back to using a stick like everyone else does. If the rope is too tight to undo in the morning, you can just break the stick and your food will come back down to the ground.

I won't always have big mature trees with perfect branches in the MN woods, but I can adapt the method to keep critters from getting my food and, more importantly, keep them from associating people with food.

Here's a close-up of the bag with a stick tied into the rope so it prevents the rest of the rope from going through the carabiner, leaving the bag suspended in mid-air.

I'm a bit out of practice when it comes to camping, but I do remember how nice it is to have a table nearby for eating, reading, and spreading out stuff. The campsites on the Superior Hiking Trail have benches, which will be nice, too.

My site also had a nice view of the fire tower, though I couldn't climb up it since it was locked. This is a primitive campground with no water or electricity, so I didn't even think about checking for a security light when I set up. On a bicycle tour a couple of years ago, Jeff and I had to move our tent because of those things on a few occasions, so I was unhappy to see one not far from the pit toilets long after I'd set up my tent. Our freestanding tent was much easier to move than this one, so I resigned myself to having a bright nightlight.

The tent was a bit cozy, which I'd expected, but I was trying to set up like I would in a rainstorm (getting me and everything in the tent as quickly as possible while trying to keep everything in the pack dry). Getting my big air mattress aired up while I was in the tent with it was awkward--kind of like trying to carry too many helium balloons into an elevator. The mattress takes up most of the floor space of the tiny tent, but I was sitting on the floor trying to air it up around me and then scoot it under me. Me and everything, including the pack, all fit, but it was becoming clear that it was going to be difficult to fully pack and unpack everything with me and all that stuff in the tent at the same time.

Dinner was Wild Carrot Salad with pineapple and currents from Packit Gourmet. Tasty, but I wished I had brought along some chicken to throw in to counteract the sweetness and make the meal more satisfying. I like rehydrated carrots and put them in a lot of my homemade camping meals since they add extra chewiness, but since I wasn't super hungry, chewing a giant pile of mostly-rehydrated carrots was just a lot of work, and I ended up not being able to finish the meal. This would be a good size to share with someone else as a side dish (or in tortillas) or to eat by yourself when you're really hungry and is probably best on hot days when cool vegetables will be more appreciated. As it was, I ended up making a big bottle of hot tea right after dinner to help keep my hands warm.

Soon after sunset the temps started dropping and, I settled myself into my tent, checked for any messages on my phone, and tucked myself in, happy to be in my cozy sleeping bag. At some point in the night, though, the wind really picked up and changed directions, coming in through the ventilated bottom of the door of the tent. I made a little wall with some of my stuff to limit the chill, and the tent was definitely getting whipped around a bit, but all the guylines held secure and the tent performed well. The noise and chill of the wind kept waking me up, and I thought maybe I was up for good when I woke up around 4, had to pee, and couldn't go back to sleep (though considering I'd gone to bed at 8:30, that didn't seem so bad), but the wind died down soon after that and I slept for a couple more hours while waiting for sunrise.

The plan was to pack up and hit Three Lakes Trail with a full pack. I wasn't feeling particularly perky in the morning, so it took me a while to get packed up. Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed with instant coffee got me moving a little faster, and I knew I'd feel better (and warmer) once I hit the trail.

The Hoosier Hikers Council maintains this trail and had a nice register to track how many people were using the trail.

The trail was nicely blazed and followed ridgelines and ravines, with steeper hill sections mixed in. There were a number of small creek crossings, but only one of them got my feet wet.

One local trail maintainer marks the blowdown logs he cuts with a distinctive "W." I thought I might have to negotiate a number of blowdowns (trees that fall across the trail) because of recent storms, but most of them had already been cleared. I suspect this one was cleared just the day before since the air still smelled of sawdust.

As the trail made its way out toward Bryant Creek Lake, I finally saw my first fellow trail-users: two runners/speed walkers who stopped to ask about my pack and a couple of hikers just out for the day. The trail wasn't as challenging as I'd hoped since it had plenty of flat sections, but I was making good time. At the lake, a local couple was fishing. The woman must have received some bad news on her cell phone, though, because soon there was a burst of swearing followed by a lot more swearing when she actually got ahold of whoever she was yelling at. The lake carried the sound farther than it would have gone in the woods, so the woman's conversation followed me along the lakeshore for some minutes.

Beavers had been working on many of the trees near shore, with most of the smaller trees already downed and a couple of these larger ones just about ready to fall.

A shelterhouse near the trail on the far side of the lake provided a nice place for a break, including this very nice pit toilet and a number of stone picnic tables.

I stopped in this area for about 30 minutes noshing on a couple of granola bars and some almond butter in preparation for the second half of the hike and resting my feet. I was making good time, though, and started thinking about what I'd do the rest of the day after finishing the trail.

When I looked at these pictures, I thought this was one of the nicest ones I'd taken in a while, but then I realized that part of the reason I liked it was that it had green in it. With all the winter hiking I've done this year, I'm getting tired of crunching through last-year's leaves and seeing brown in every direction.

Including my breaks, I finished the trail in less than 5 hours but I was starting to feel kind of headachy and such. My original plan was to camp again and do another 10-mile trail the next day, but it was only 1 p.m., and I was getting anxious to be home after being away most of the week for my conference. I very briefly entertained the idea of trying to do the second trail right after the first, but it would be very close to sunset when I finished. I didn't know if I was capable of that many miles in one day, didn't want to injure myself trying, and knew I wouldn't be able to drive all the way home after that without camping or getting a hotel. I more seriously considered doing about half of the second trail and camping in a backcountry area, which is probably what I should have done, leaving me a short day on Sunday and giving me another night in the tent. What I did, though, was call my husband and tell him I was coming home. 

The forecast was for temps to drop down to 20 degrees, which would really be pushing the comfort of my sleeping bag and clothing setup. At best, I would have an uncomfortable night. I don't like having uncomfortably cold nights when I don't have to.

50-mile Spring Break Wrap-Up

So, I'd wanted to walk at least 50 miles during my spring break, but after my 3-day marathon, I was tired of driving very far just to go walking, so I headed to nearby Carlyle Lake to put on a few miles.

You know you're in a classy place when you see a sign like this at the entrance.

I did a few miles, but I just wasn't feeling it, even though it was nice and sunny. The trail was boring except for a few recent blowdowns. The trails here do these small little loops that mean you actually don't get very far away from anything, so I didn't do many miles.

I spent the next couple of days not walking much--just a few here and there running errands around town, so I had to put in 18 miles this weekend to get to 50. For Saturday, Jeff and I decided that he would ride his bike to Pyramid State Park, where I'd be hiking. He'd get to see some new scenery on the way down there since it's too far for an out-and-back ride from our house, and I would get to try a few of the trails there that I hadn't been on before. I decided to put 30 pounds in the pack (gear + 5 days of food + 2 liters of water), which is more than I should have to carry on the trip at any time except for maybe one day or so when I'll have to do a big resupply with extra food.

This area is a reclaimed mining site full of little lakes, and it was great to see and hear more wildlife than on previous trips, so spring is definitely here. Most of the turtles I saw hopped off their logs and into the lakes before I could get too close, but that big one was sitting pretty close to the trail, and we stared at each other for a while before I headed up the trail. This big turtle family was far enough away not to be threatened by me, I guess, but I scared up a flock of turkeys and saw what I'm pretty sure was a pileated woodpecker. 

My previous visit here was so cold and icy that seeing the sparkling water was nice for a change!

The pack felt really heavy, so I took two 15-minute breaks along the way at conveniently placed picnic tables and made minor adjustments to other gear and my shoes. The weight was manageable, but it slowed me down a bit and motivated me to go through the pack to get rid of stuff to cut some more weight.

By about mile 9, I was getting a little tired and ended up choosing a fairly direct route back to the car to wait for Jeff.

He texted that the wind was slowing him down, so I got out my ground cloth and took a little nap in the sun while waiting. The cool breezes and warm sun made for a good combination, and I was almost asleep when Jeff pulled in. We had briefly considered doing a few hiking miles together after he arrived, but my right foot was sore (again) and his ride had been harder than anticipated because of some strong headwinds, so we quickly abandoned that plan, ate some cold tangerines I'd stashed in a cooler in the trunk, drank our Gatorades, and headed out for some Mexican food on the way home. 

That trip still left me 8 miles short, and I thought that wouldn't be a problem for Sunday, but I hadn't checked the weather and realized too late that an ice/snow storm was coming in, so those 8 miles would be around-town miles. Jeff came with me for a 4-mile loop right after breakfast, braving rain and sleet with me. Once the sleet stopped, I headed back out for another 4-mile loop to finish out my 50-mile spring break.

My total for the month is 64.5 miles, so I'm still on track to hit 100 this month without too much difficulty.

3-Day Marathon, Part 2

Sweet, sweet (although temporary) spring! It's warm today! So warm I actually wore just a t-shirt!

Since it's spring break and I have a bit more evening daylight now that we've sprung our clocks forward, I decided to drive a bit farther and visit the McCully Heritage Project, which was supposed to have quite a lot of trail miles on old logging roads.

When I pulled into the site, two friendly dogs approached and were quickly vying for attention and/or my lunch. Bob, the black one, also promptly peed on the car tire, so I made a mental note to wash the car before returning it to the garage at home.

Nope! You can't have my musubi! 

I got my pack on and went to talk to the site caretakers and check out their maple syrup cooking process before hitting the trails.

Tapping a Black Maple to make maple syrup. 

I started with a 2-mile loop on the northern part of the site to warm up and quickly stripped off my long sleeved shirt. Bob and Amelia, the dogs, stuck with me on this loop, dashing off after interesting smells every once in a while, but mostly sticking to the trail, which I'm sure was familiar to them. I don't think many people had been on the trail since a recent windstorm, so I pulled some decent sized branches off the trail while I walked.

 Neat older signage.

Then it was off to the southern part of the property, which showed a much more complex set of trails/old roads and some serious hills. As I headed out, both dogs again followed along, but Bob didn't make it far and headed back home before crossing the creek and heading up the first big hill. Little Amelia stuck with me, though, running ahead and wondering why I was taking so long to climb the hill. Soon, though, we were both at the top, and she rushed ahead, seemingly oblivious to this possum just off the trail.

Hissing 'possum was unhappy with my proximity. 

As I headed for the part of the property farthest from the entrance, I worried that I might end up carrying Amelia part of the way if she kept following me, but she seemed to have boundless energy and happily chased after a small group of deer and a number of squirrels.

The spring had a picnic table where Amelia and I both took a break.

Thankfully, I wasn't in a hurry because the hills were slowing me down. None of them were particularly long, but they went straight up and straight down from the ridges. Ridgewalking between the hills was really nice, and I needed the uphills for training, but some of the downhills were a bit tedious because of poor footing and deep mud. However, just being outside on a decent day made the trip a worthwhile one. I didn't see anyone else on the trails all day.

Southern Overlook above the Illinois River. 

The best part about this post is that it's in the sun! Each intersection along the trail was marked by a number, making it fairly easy to navigate with the property map.

The mud is still following me...Just a few bad sections, though.

By the last mile or so, Amelia was getting tuckered out, but this cold creek revived her for the last bit of trail. I stayed in the water for a while, too, getting the mud off my shoes, but ice was still visible just upstream of the crossing, so I couldn't keep my feet in it too long.

When I got back, the sap from the syrup-making was bubbling like crazy, had cooked down quite a bit, changing from clear to amber, and smelled like breakfast!

I'd done about 7 miles, making for a total of 26 miles in 3 days, but Amelia probably did an extra mile or two with all her chasing and running about. When we got back to the parking area, she promptly flopped down in a flower bed and looked like she was going to stay there until dinner time.

Overall, even though this place is a bit of a drive, I'm glad I went and will probably go back and do more miles next time. Despite the mud, it has the best hills I've found so far, and I definitely could use more hilly training.

3-Day Marathon, Part 1

So far, March has been much better for hiking than February. As of today, I have hiked/walked 40.5 miles this month, so I'm on track to hit 100 for March. I'm a little behind on my squats and weight loss goals, but I'm making progress in both, so with 1/3 of March gone, it's so far, so good.

Jeff joined me for a 6.5 mile hike in Pere Marquette on March 1 to kick off the month. We were planning to do at least a bit more, but an ice and snow storm was headed our way, so we headed home just in case. We didn't get much ice, but the temps dropped uncomfortably low for a few days. I did a few miles in the cold/wind/snow/ice just to say that I did, but most of my miles during the first full week of March were "around town" miles without a pack.

The past three days, though, I've done a marathon of miles with the pack. First up was a trip back to Weldon Spring Conservation Area, where I'd planned to try for 13.5 miles by doing both the longer and shorter loops of the trail. However...

There's only so much mud I can take. This trail gets a ton of use, and I thought everything would be packed down enough so that even if it was wet from melting snow, the trail would be in ok shape. I was most certainly wrong about that. Mile after mile of muck. Shoe-sucking, gloppy, slippery, sticky muck. Gross. And not particularly good for the trail, either. I was very glad I was hiking with poles to help me stay balanced and upright.

This insole I was testing clearly is not going to work since it won't stay put. 

There were brief periods of respite between muddy sections, but the only place I could make decent time was a less-muddy section up on the highest ridge on the trail overlooking the Missouri River.

Otherwise...so. much. mud. My pretty blue shoes aren't so pretty any more.

The mud got into my shoes, coated my socks, and was squishing between my toes. After 8.5 miles, I called it quits on that trail. I had been out on the trail over an hour longer than I had been on previous trips on that loop, and by that point, I wasn't sure I had enough gumption or daylight to do a second loop. Plus, I wasn't doing the trail any favors by being out there, even though I had plenty of trail-running company. (By the way, trail runners, stop dropping Kleenex all over the place out here. I know you probably aren't doing it intentionally, but it's gross. Get a handkerchief or zip those things into your pockets a bit more securely.)

I used a very cold bottle of water to rinse off my feet and put on clean socks and shoes for the drive to REI and then home.

The next day, I didn't feel like driving anywhere, so I hit the backroads around our town. The following photos are the highlights of the next 10.5 miles.

Well, that's it for highlights. (No, those aren't UFOs in the corner of the pics. Just something on my lens.) The lowlight is that my right foot was killing me after walking that much on pavement even though I'd lightened my pack to just the base weight before heading out. I just really need to not do that kind of distance on pavement anymore. I needed a hot bubble bath and two beers to recover.

So that was 19 miles in 2 days, and even with the poor conditions, those miles were a good start to my spring break. Stay tuned for part 2 of the 3-day marathon!