Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
We don't like to think that way at FCFP but that said, being prepared is the best antidote to the law.
In this post we're going to outline what our set plan was for hiking from miles to campsites on the SHT. This is what we planned on completing and the method in which we did it. Remember tools are everything. Make sure you have at least an outline of a plan or goals which will help you if something goes astray.
The Hills Are Always Bigger Than They Look
The first and foremost thing we did was realistically figure out how many miles we could travel in a day. We test ran a few hikes building up our endurance at a state park that had similar terrain to the SHT. You can read about that here.
After a few weekends of test running time, pack weight, weather, and distance we came to our conclusion that we could average 14 - 16 miles a day and still have time to spare at the campsite to read or enjoy the evening without the sun going down immediately.
Each part matters in determining how far you can go. You also won't know a true time frame until you actually backpack. Factors include:
- How heavy your pack is
- How quickly you can pack up camp
- What time you leave camp
- How long breakfast takes
- What the weather is doing
- What the weather WILL be doing
- How far you're hiking
- How much water you have left
- How often you need to eat
- How far apart campsites are
- How long do you have to be on the trail
We laid all of these factors out along with the knowledge of our average distance and started to devise a plan.
How to be Prepared
Materials
- Guide Book
- Maps
- Compass
Hopefully whatever trail you are traversing has a written guide book on that trail with details on water sources, campsites, trail conditions, mile markers, and terrain features. Most major trails have a book published within the last few years and are fairly up to date. If not, you will need to become comfortable in the usage of a compass and map to find your direction. Check out this REI post with video instruction on how to become an expert HERE.
The guide book we used for the Superior Hiking Trail was the Seventh Edition Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail compiled by the Superior Hiking Trail Association 2013
It can be purchased from the store here!
This guide is phenomenal with almost mile by mile descriptions and easy to follow directions. The Association has created excellent campsites along the trail that all include a fire ring, benches around the fire ring, stamped down tent pads, and a backwoods latrine. The guide book gives you exact mileage to the next campsite and also gives descriptive features as well as a water source location. A fantastic and well versed guide for any level hiker. Read our review on the trail guide here.
Maps: You can purchase maps of the trail or area online or from most outdoor stores. If searching online you can find ones that have a finish on them making it water resistant. Our maps were purchased from the trail head store and included 6 maps of the entire trail. Each one shows campsites, elevation gain and drops, and trail head parking/amenities.
Compass: Our compass was purchased from a local outdoors shop for $10.00 - it's a basic model but easily used with a map. Blake was responsible for using this because Maurina can get lost in a parking lot.
Our plan was to fit in as many miles as we could between campsites and with the easily laid out guide it made our decisions for us. On this trail it is very discouraged to camp off trail sites so we set our miles by the doable distance between campsites.
Pick Your Miles
The real deciding factor was what days we wanted to go longer distances. There were sections of the trail that varied by difficulty level so we wanted to make those our shorter days and keep our long days to the lower elevation. Any map or guide book should show you elevation gains and drops. This will also determine how far/fast you go in a day.
Breakdown
Day 1 - Tuesday
Castle Danger to Gooseberry Falls State Park
9.1 Miles
Gooseberry Falls to Split Rock River Wayside
(Camped part way there)
2.8 Miles
Camped at Blueberry Hill Campsite
No water sources near campsite - fill up from drinking fountains at Gooseberry Falls State Park
Total day miles = 11.9
Day 1 was a killer - we left St. Paul, MN at 6:00 AM and drove the 4 hours to the SHT store in Two Harbors to pick up maps and talk trail conditions. We didn't get on the trail until 12:00 p.m.
We had great weather and beautiful views as we passed through Gooseberry Falls. We lost a lot of time taking pictures of the waterfalls and talking to other hikers - we learned pretty quick how that can cut into your mileage time!
We were losing daylight by the time we found our way into camp and had to rush to get our tent up and a fire started. Good wood made for a better fire that crackled into the night. Rain started up around midnight and went through most of the night.
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| Gooseberry Falls State Park |
Day 2 - Wednesday
Gooseberry Falls to Split Rock River Wayside
(Finished this section)
3.2 Miles
(We skipped the 5 mile Split Rock Loop)
Split Rock River Wayside to Beaver Bay
11.3 Miles
Beaver Bay to Silver Bay
(Camped part way there)
1 Miles
Camped at North Beaver River Campsite
This was our favorite camp site and was literally 10 feet from the river. It was an awesome water source and you could shower here if you needed to.
Total day miles = 15.5
We started to feel those up and downs gaining and dropping through the cliffs that edged along Lake Superior. We passed through mosquito valley and actually ran part of it because of the thick swarm that attacked. We pushed on to Split Rock and got some stellar views of the light house from above on the trail.
We went over some huge hills and open faced cliffs to get to our campsite - we only got lost for a few minutes when signage was not clear and the maps didn't show enough detail. We got in pretty late again and had to set up our tent in the almost dark.
The stars were brilliant and there were rocks you could sit on in the middle of the river. Fantastic spot.
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| Awesome views to Lake Superior on this high climb |
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| North Beaver River Camp Site |
Day 3 - Thursday
Beaver Bay to Silver Bay
(Finished this section)
3.7 Miles
Silver Bay to Tettegouche State Park and Highway 1
(Camped part way there)
9.4 Miles
Camped at East Palisade Creek
Was by a good water source but had to go up/down stairs to get there. Many tent pads here.
Total day miles = 13.1
This was our favorite section with breathtaking views of Bean and Bear Lakes. This section was tough with very large climbs and quick drops but still came out as our number one. We crossed a lot of day hikers here and trail runners.
We stopped and spent a lot of time viewing the lakes and taking everything in. We weren't worried about miles this day.
Camp was great until it started pouring around 4 a.m. and continued indefinitely.
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| Bean Lake |
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| Bear Lake |
Day 4 - Friday
(The hurricane)
Silver Bay to Tettegouche State Park and Highway 1
(Finished this section)
6.3 Miles
We woke up in an absolute downpour. Lake effect rain in the north woods isn't like rain anywhere else. It's like you're standing under a fire hose for hours. We packed up the tent (Blake was thankful I insisted on bringing a tarp since our rain fly was unreliable) and we started moving. It was freezing and we were soaked in a matter of a few minutes. We had to climb Mt. Trudee and still had 6 miles to go in the rain until we would be around civilization.
We had fun and sang in the rain while we kicked up our speed. No views on the trail due to the thick fog and clouds so we didn't stop for much. We descended the drainpipe in the downpour and didn't fall (can't say the same for the people ahead of us). As we climbed one last cliff the water was rushing so hard through the trail that it was hard not to slip.
We took stock of our gear (soaked) and ourselves (more soaked) and decided we wouldn't make the miles to our next campsite in time. We were standing on the edge of Highway 1 - a pick up stop for the SHT shuttle and we decided to get off the trail.
Total SHT miles = 46.8
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Puny compared to thru hikes but we were just getting our feet wet, literally. We were unprepared for that type of rain - constant choking heavy downpour. We learned a lot about what the north shore can dish out and we're ready to tackle some bigger miles next time while wearing better gear. We cut out about 20 miles off what we planned to do and were pretty upset over it.
We were picked up by the shuttle and headed back to our car. We were glad we got off the trail after looking at the intense thunderstorms and pure rain that was forecasted for the next 6 days. You can find this anywhere but if you have the proper gear and time - rain won't matter.
We had a blast and can't wait to dive into the details of each section we hiked. We've already upgraded gear and will be cutting about half our pack weight in unnecessary items we brought with. This was a test run hike to our larger Colorado adventure planned for this summer.
See you on the trail!
Go Breathe the Wild Air
-FCFP
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