Women's Backpacking 101 on the Superior Hiking Trail

For registration and more details, please visit www.adventurhertravel.com/sht

Join us Labor Day Weekend on the Superior Hiking Trail, a Minnesotan long distance trail spanning 310 miles from the Wisconsin border to Canada. Featuring some of the most diverse topography in Minnesota, we'll hike through maple and cedar forests, across beaver dams, summit bluffs with stunning vistas of Lake Superior and various inland lakes, and over creeks and rivers on this 3 day journey.

We won't be hiking the whole trail (this time!), but we will be covering a point-to-point section while we learn essential overnight backpacking skills such as:
Trip planning, such as what to pack, daily mileage, water sources, through-hike logistics, meal planning, and more
How to pack a backpack
Back country navigation & survival
Wild animal management
Campsite selection & setup
Leave no trace ethics & back country best practices
And more!

This section hike is an introductory trip intended for folks with little to no experience backpacking, back country camping, and/or multiple night camping trips. We will be moving at a pretty gentle pace, with plenty of time for spur trails, breaks, and down-time at camp.

Day One: Friday August 30
We'll meet at a designated spot late afternoon and carpool up to Duluth for the night, 2.5 hours north of the cities, where we will review gear, trip plans, and prepare for an AM departure to the trailhead.

Day Two: Saturday August 31
Rising early and eating breakfast, we'll drive half the cars to the end of the trail and then return to the trailhead to begin our hike! Today's 5 - 6 mile section winds through maple, white cedar, and pine forests, past Bean and Bear lakes, Mt. Trudee and Round Mountain, and over creeks. We'll set up camp at one of the 3 campsites on this section, depending on availability.

Day Three: Sunday, September 1
Up early to break camp and eat breakfast, we have a beautiful 8 mile stretch ahead of us today and all day to cover ground! We'll start by hiking through more maple and pine forests, maybe taking a spur trail up to the Raven Rock overlook, past huge white pines, and through The Drainpipe, a 150-foot rock crevice with rock steps. We will take cross the suspension bridge over the 100 foot tall High Falls, the highest waterfall located entirely in Minnesota, taking a break on the shore at the base of the falls where we can relax, soak our feet, and even swim. We'll continue through a tunnel of balsam firs, past an old quarry, and up to a ridgeline with views of the Sawtooth Mountains. We'll have an optional spur trail with views of Lake Superior, Palisade Head, Mt. Trudee, and Silver Bay Harbor. We'll continue onto our campsites and set up for the night.

Day Four: Monday, September 2
Our last day on the trail, we'll rise early for breakfast and to break camp before tackling our final 5 - 6 miles. We'll skirt and then summit Sawmill Dome, a large anorthosite dome studded with large pines overlooking forest, farms, and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, then descending and exploring a cave at the base of the cliffs. We'll actually pass our cars with the option to drop our packs in favor of daypacks for the last climb to a wild and beautiful overlook (pictured above) known to rock climbers as the Section 13 cliffs. We'll take a break here, eat, and rejoice in a successful backpacking trip!

Coming back down to the cars, we'll drive back to the start and pick up our other vehicles, with an option for a celebratory beer at Bent Paddle Brewery in Duluth on our way back to the cities.

Rental gear available from the U.
Space is limited. Register before 8/15 and receive a free daypack. For registration and more details, please visit www.adventurhertravel.com/sht