Hi all,
I'm looking for any and all advice you can offer about planning and packing for a four day trip. I've done a lot of camping,hiking and fishing, but this will be the first trip where we plan to carry everything in. I'm lookng to do a four day trip on the Superior hiking trail. thanks.

Check the gear lists on the left hand side of the main page for ideas, then post your list and exactly where and when you are going. You'll have a great time. The SHT is a wonderful trail but February/March vs. May or September vs. June/July are very different in terms of temps, bugs, and weather.

Welcome! If you haven't already found them, there are lots of excellent articles for beginners and on gear selection listed in the left-hand column of http://www.backpacking.net/, the home page of this site. This is the site to which thecook refers.

Another good site for gear selection is Mark Verber's website. Lots of ideas for gear, including low-budget alternatives.

For info on the SHT itself, I suggest you post in the "Trip Reports and Inquiries" section below. A search of that section and in the archives (see "How to Search" at the beginning of the "General Discussion" section) should provide some info, too.

Thanks to both OregonMouse and thecook for your insights and suggestions. As my son and I have only done dayhikes to this point we have been able to get by with minimal gear. I found the links and suggestions very useful and will continue to do research. Once I have assembled the gear I plan to take I will post and be receptive to any further ideas anyone may have.

Feel free to come back with any specific questions you may have!

And of course we'll be looking for a trip report after your hike!

Join the Yahoo group "Hiker" and ask question there. It is all SHT

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hiker/

Go to Superior Hiking Trail Assoc they have maps and a lot of information.

http://www.shta.org/

I have hiked the entire trail and it is a great trail, especially for beginners because there are designated camp sites with water and latrine. The trail is very well marked. If you have any specific question I will try to answer them.

hello. ive done a lot of backpacking on the SHT since i live in MN. if you have any questions about sections that would be good to do or anything feel free to ask.

you should check out www.shta.org its the SHT association's website, they have some good stuff on the site. the SHTA also offers a very detailed book of the whole trail, giving distances from site to site, detailed maps, a brief discription on what you will see on each section etc.

let me know if you have questions. its a great time

Hi Jake28,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am planning a 4 day hike on the SHT. I have never been on the trail before, and I am trying to determine which section or sections can be achieved over that time period. I most likely would be using the shuttle for either the trip out and walk back to the vehicle, or to shuttle back to the vehicle. It will just be my son who is 17 and myself. I plan on getting the most updated edition on the trail that the association sells. Any advice you have about what kind of mileage can be achieved in a day, or good places to camp, or anything else would be great. I will be driving up from St. Paul. I am really looking forward to it. Thanks.

the trail is very easy to follow, their are blue blazes and SHT symbols posted on trees every 100 feet or so. the trails are well traveled so you wont have to worry about losing your way. almost all sites have multiple pads (which are basically a spot for a tent) so even if someone else is at the site you planned to stay at you should be fine. some have more pads than others but that info is in the book i talked about. each site also has a latrine, a fire pit and an "L" shaped bench surrounding half the fire pit which is really nice for pulling out all ur gear, cook etc. i havent done the shuttle before, its pretty expensive and they want you to make reservations in advance which requires you to be at the meeting point at a certain, which can be hard to gague.

as far as mileage, itll depend on your pack weight, there are many people out there with 10lb packs that do 30 miles a day. thats much more than i do, my pack is heavier and its not like im out there to see how far i can go, i just wanna take my time and enjoy. i usually do 5-9 miles a day. but again itll depend on ur endurance and pack weight.

this is kinda a far drive from stpaul (im also from stpaul) it will be 5-6hrs by car but it was my first trip and itd be a good 4 day trip. we started at the grand marais overlook and ended at judge CR magney state park, you could also end at the kadunce river. which would shorten your trip so you wouldnt have so much walking to do on the first day and last day. one of my favorite sites of the whole trail is on this section, east devil track (i think, it could have been west though), its right on the river, great thing to fall asleep to.

im sure there are tons more i could tell you if you have more questions feel free to ask. also i have some good pictures i could post of sites and more on the trail if you would be interested.

Jake

The trail sounds great, and any pictures you have would be good to see. I had anticpated perhaps being able to travel about 10 miles or less per day. Pack weight will be somewhere between 25lbs for each of us. I don't want to overreach on distance either.If you haven't used the shuttle,do you park a car at either end of the of your trip? A couple of other guys I have talked with said the Grand Marais area is the best as far as scenery.It's also good to know that there are quite a few areas to camp.

You can park a car at each end. You can stash bicycles and ride back to your car. There is even an unfinished bicycle route paralleling 61 for significant sections of the way. You can hitch your way (I've never done this) and supposedly further north is easier for hitch hiking back to your car or you can pick an area with a sort of loop. For instance start at Split Rock State park and hike in and north on the trail. Day two hike south to Split Rock River (and beyond) Day three turn back and hike the other side of the river ending up back at the state park for a few more miles on the park trails.

wally, if you go under favorite backcountry photos forum on the main page, you can find some pics i posted of the SHT for you. enjoy

jake

Thanks Jake. I will take a look.

Jake,
Great pictures! Makes me want spring to come that much faster when I see all that green. Walked down by the river at lunchtime today. Started seeng more and more bicyclists and runners out on the trails. It's about this time of year that I remember why I still live in Minnesota. I'm sure I will have mor questions as I get closer to the trip. thanks again!