| 'I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.' James Baldwin |
Black Hills, SD
Superior Hiking Trail June 2008 37 images
One of my goals is to become an 'ultralight' backpacker, and this trip was my first shot at it. Packing light allows me to move more easily and quietly - I can cover a lot of ground when it doesn't feel like I'm carrying anything. I also spend less time setting up and tearing down camp, and leave less of a footprint.
For this trip I originally went for a 15lb pack and a 2-night trip. When I lengthened the trip to three nights, I upped my weight to 20lbs to accomodate more food. My itinerary was 34 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail north from Split Rock State Park to Hwy 1 near Finland. In the end I wound up covering a ton of ground due to my light pack and finished my 34 miles in less than 24 hours!
I parked at Split Rock and took the Superior Shuttle back to my car.
My gear list was not an absolute success, but definitely a damn good first try. Left is a photo (click it!) of my last prep two nights before I hit the woods. My final weight was just a hair under 17lbs. The shot on the right is after all the gear is packed away. The list follows.
And that's it. It all was packed into the Camelbak Mule except what I wore and kept in my pockets. Food totaled out to 4600 calories, 671g carbohydrates, and 216g of protein. A little light, but it was only a couple days. Plus, I loaded up on spaghetti the night before.
For this trip I originally went for a 15lb pack and a 2-night trip. When I lengthened the trip to three nights, I upped my weight to 20lbs to accomodate more food. My itinerary was 34 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail north from Split Rock State Park to Hwy 1 near Finland. In the end I wound up covering a ton of ground due to my light pack and finished my 34 miles in less than 24 hours!
I parked at Split Rock and took the Superior Shuttle back to my car.My gear list was not an absolute success, but definitely a damn good first try. Left is a photo (click it!) of my last prep two nights before I hit the woods. My final weight was just a hair under 17lbs. The shot on the right is after all the gear is packed away. The list follows.
| Camping Tarp | Rope | Ultralight Joe's Moose Goo |
| Bivy Sack | Knife | 6 Tortillas |
| Aluminum Tent Stakes | Headlamp | 6 Granola Bars |
| Sleeping Pad | Compass | 3 Tuna Steaks |
| Wide-brim Hat | Lighter | 3 Mayo Packets |
| Extra Shirt | 100% DEET | Dried Bananas |
| Extra Socks | Camera | Water Filter |
| Nylon Pants | ChapStick | |
| Stocking Hat | Watch | |
| First Aid | ||
| TP | ||
| Map |
And that's it. It all was packed into the Camelbak Mule except what I wore and kept in my pockets. Food totaled out to 4600 calories, 671g carbohydrates, and 216g of protein. A little light, but it was only a couple days. Plus, I loaded up on spaghetti the night before.
Photos from the Trip
