long hikes – Page 45 – besthike.com

September 18, 2007

Superior Hiking Trail, Minnesota

The Superior Hiking Trail is a 235-mile long distance hiking trail along the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. The trail is located within the Superior National Forest on both public and private lands, and is privately maintained. The trail currently begins near Two Harbors, Minnesota, extends along Lake Superior through seven state parks, including Split Rock and Tettegouche state parks. …

Ultimately the trail will begin on the Wisconsin border near Jay Cooke State Park, and will end by connecting to the Border Route Trail, which passes through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The SHT is a proposed segment of the 4,000-mile North Country Trail.

The Superior Hiking Trail Association (SHTA) is currently building 40 miles of trail through the forests and ridges of Duluth, MN. 22 miles of trail have been completed in and around Jay Cooke State Park and Duluth, MN. Future plans are to complete a segment of trail between Duluth and Two Harbors. When completed the trail will measure approximately 300 miles in length.

Considered one of the best hiking trails in the country, Backpacker Magazine named the Superior Hiking Trail the trail with the “Best Trail/Camp/Shelter conditions”, the trail with the “Best Signage” in the country, and one of the most scenic trails in the nation …

Wikipedia

If interested, get the guidebook:

Complete and up to date maps, info on campsites, and mile-by-mile description of the trail. The Guide can be used for both day hikes and backpacking.

Day hikes from trailhead to trailhead are 5-11 miles in length. A through-hike is 205 miles. Also includes the new 39-mile section of trail through Duluth built in 2004-2006. …

Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail details over 270 miles of wilderness footpath on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Mile-by-mile descriptions lead the casual hiker or ardent backpacker through hardwood forests of birch and maple, and into boreal forests of spruce, pine and fir–a region thriving with spectacular wildflowers and diverse wildlife. This landscape, once carved by ancient glaciers, is dominated by Lake Superior, the largest-area freshwater lake in the world. The Superior Hiking Trail weaves along the Sawtooth Mountain range–easily the most impressive scenery in the Midwest.

Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail provides information on trailhead access, parking accommodations, designated campsites, scenic overlooks and linkages to the seven Minnesota State Parks along the trail. Complete trail maps are included in each section. Whether you have two hours or two weeks, an afternoon or a weekend, this guide will enhance your hiking experience.

Fifth Edition

map – SHTA.org

more photos – SHTA.org

July 21, 2007

start in Seattle and walk NORTH

Married couple Erin McKittrick (Molecular Biologist turned jewelry artist) and Bretwood (Hig) Higman are incredible adventurers.

Where to begin …

Currently they are on a 9 month trip from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska by human power:

Journey on the Wild Coast will be an unprecedented four-thousand-mile expedition along the northern edge of the Pacific Ocean, through some of the most rugged terrain in the world. No road or trail follows this steep and fragmented coastline.

We’ll be traveling through forests, between islands, around glaciers, and across the tundra – by foot, packraft, and skis. No one has done this before.

Journey on the Wild Coast

more detailed itinerary

I’ve subscribed to their trip blog. It’s an expeditions to explore environmental issues.

I’ve you’ve any doubt Sig and Erin have the ability to finish it, check their previous Alaska Treks. Wow!

Blockade Glacier – 2005

May 1, 2007

first Hayduke Trail thru hike

Steve Sergeant of Wildebeat.net pointed me to a very professional trip report posted by Brian Frankle on his ULA (Ultralight Adventure) website.

Perhaps Hayduke is not so dangerous after all.

This was the first ever thru hike of the 800mi+ route. Brian seems to have handled it with ease. (Of course he is an accomplished long distance hiker.)

I tackled the Hayduke Trail in typical long-distance hiker fashion: frequent re-supplies, higher daily mileages, and with a focus towards lightweight equipment.

This presented some challenges and resulted in a longer distance hiked than the described route, but I think this strategy is critical to implement if you plan to tackle this rugged and demanding route… especially so in the context of thru-hiking the Hayduke.

ULA – Hayduke Trail 2005

Brian’s trip report (including resupply points).

Just last night in Moab, Utah I met a hiker setting out for just a short section of the Hayduke.

He was worried. Worried about water supply. Worried about getting lost.

April 19, 2007

Way of St. James pilgrimage, Spain

Researching the famous walk in Spain, I started (as usual) with Wikipedia:

The Way of St. James or St. James’ Way, often known by its Spanish name, el Camino de Santiago, is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are said to be buried.

Way of St. James – Wikipedia

The standard route â€” the Camino FrancÃ©s (French Way) â€” is 800km route from Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees. But there are many variations starting as far away as France, Germany, and further afield.

(larger version – Regenisis.org.au)

I got interested in this walk, more religious pilgrimage than “best hike”, after reading an excerpt from a new book by Ward called All the Good Pilgrims : Tales of the Camino de Santiago.

Robert Ward has always enjoyed travelling, especially on foot. When he discovered the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago in Spain, he felt compelled to walk and experience this historic road. From his first journey along the Camino de Santiago, Ward fell in love with the pace, landscape, history, art, and romance of this old pilgrimage path.

Above all, however, Ward fell in love with the people of the Caminoâ€”both the welcoming Spaniards and the pilgrims who come from all over the world to find out what it means to travel five hundred miles, one step at a time.

In All the Good Pilgrims, Ward returns to Spain to walk the Camino for the fifth time. He thinks he knows what heâ€™s getting into but, as his many Camino journeys have taught him, the Camino never runs out of surprises. Each day brings new lessons, friendships, questions, memories, gifts and challenges, reminding Ward that it isnâ€™t the pilgrim who walks the Caminoâ€”itâ€™s the Camino that walks the pilgrim.

An engaging travel narrative, All the Good Pilgrims is a personal and insightful tour of the Camino de Santiago, as Ward takes readers on a secular pilgrimage in which he reflects on his past journeys and contemplates the mysterious and enduring allure of this ancient and historic road.

Amazon.ca

April 11, 2007

check out Florida Hikes

Guidebook author Sandra Friend runs the Florida Hikes website. We’ve linked to it under WEBSITES on the right hand navigation.

She’s just revamped the site and it looks great.

Happily, Sandra will be advising besthike.com on the very best hikes in Florida. And will introduce us to other experts in the region.

She’s is always on the trail in Florida and networks with the SE hiking community. Sandra’s friends with Mike DeWitt of Florida Trail video fame.

Sandra got a good photo of Mike, exposing the fact that he is no ultralight walker:

Now hereâ€™s a real comparison in pack weight for long distance hikers. To the left, Mike â€œSmileageâ€ DeWitt, with a pack that many of us gals could crawl into and sleep in, itâ€™s so danged big. He wonâ€™t say but Iâ€™m guessing it tips the scales past 50 pounds. To the right, the esteemed Nimblewill Nomad and his pack, roughly 12 pounds with water. I split the difference when Iâ€™m hikingâ€¦.

floridahikes.com Â» Pack Weight

Florida Hikes! – website

Here’s just one of Sandra’s guidebooks:

50 Hikes in South Florida: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacking Trips in the Southern Florida Peninsula, First Edition

April 10, 2007

only 6,875 miles left to hike

Andrew Skurka has begun his â€œGreat Western Loopâ€ â€” nearly 7,000 miles!

I’ll be following this adventure. It may just be the greatest thru hike of all time.

You can get email updates by signing up on his official website. (The RSS feeds for photos and podcasts are not up-and-running as yet.)

April 7, 7AM – Just about everything has come together over the last 24 hours and I am feeling confident in my level of logistical preparedness for this trip.

My maildrops are about 75 percent packed (all the maps, most of the supplies and food, and some of the gear), my extra gear has been neatly organized in the basement so that it can be sent out quickly and correctly when I need it, the website is pretty much dialed ….

Andrew Skurka

(via Cutter’s blog)

April 8, 2007

best section of the Colorado Trail?

Running 479mi from Denver to Durango, the Colorado Trail is a classic. It shares about 200mi with the CDT.

planning – ColoradoTrail.org

For those of us who do not have a long month, what’s the best section?

Outdoor Magazine recommends:

… concentrate your efforts during a ten-day romp along a remote 95-mile ribbon that runs just east of San Luis Peak to Molas Pass, in the southwestern part of the state.

Start at Spring Creek Pass, 33 miles northwest of Creede amid the 13,000-foot-plus San Juan Mountains. Plan on grinding up to 15 miles a day along airy ridges, down steep gorges, and up winding switchbacks.

You’ll spend four days cruising above tree line, at nearly 12,000 feet, and the closest you’ll come to a town (Lake City) is about 17 miles, which means tackling thousands of vertical feet each day with a heavy pack.

Take a break and frolic in Snow Mesa, a flat, grassy expanse so huge it takes a few hours to cross.

Outdoor

Sounds great. We’ve added San Luis Pass to Molas Pass to our list of the best hikes of the world.

ColoradoTrail.org calls it Section 6 – San Luis Pass to Molas Pass (advanced difficulty).

Next, what’s the best guidebook?

Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook (Colorado Mountain Club Guidebooks)

Get packing!

April 3, 2007

video – Florida Trail hike

Superbly edited slide show of journalist Mike DeWitt’s hike of the Florida Trail.

His reporting of that adventure was a huge hit, as well.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(Thanks Joe Moraca)

March 29, 2007

Scott Williamson Yo-Yo-ing the PCT, twice

Recommended – A great audio podcast was posted by BackpackingLight.com.

Scott Williamson is best known for his thru-hikes of the Pacific Crest Trail. He has walked the trail nine times in its entirety, including a Yo-Yo from Mexico to Canada and back – twice.

… topics from his 191-day Yo-Yo of the PCT in 2006, including the psychological challenge of touching the Canadian border and having to turn around and go back; on-trail surgery for septic blood poisoning; the use of ultralight footwear (by Inov8) for long-distance hiking; and more.

Scott is featured in an upcoming film about long distance hiking on the PCT entitled Tell It On the Mountain.

Podcast: Scott Williamson and Yo-Yo-ing the Pacific Crest Trail @ Backpacking Light

That same page hosts a trailer of the soon-to-be-released film.

movie – Tell It On The Mountain (official website)

Scott Williamson – official website

Scott and his new bride will be doing the PCT the summer of 2007. Congratulations and good luck!

March 21, 2007

3300 miles around the Alps

We recently posted Andrew Skurka’s audacious 7000mi Great Western Loop. I doubt there are any unbelievers.

In Europe Judy Armstrong has already begun a 3300mi quest she’s calling the Alpine Challenge, the first to attempt to circumambulate the Alps.