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  1. #1
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    Superior Hiking Trail - Kadunce River Wayside To Caribou Trail

    Few weeks ago I was able to get back to the Superior Hiking Trail and complete another section of the trail. Trip was Kadunce River Wayside to the Caribou Trail parking lot, about a 40 mile trip near the northern end of the trail.

    Day 1
    The Kadunce River Wayside trailhead was a beautiful place to start, got to take in a rocky beach view of Lake Superior before starting up the trail.

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    8 miles that day to the Wood's Creek Campsite. After a brief climb up to the trail it was a mostly level day surrounded by forest. I have been trying to stop at all of the camp site to take a photo sphere for google maps, give people planning a trip an idea of if there will be some good spots to hang a hammock or how many people they can cram into the tent pads. One of the first sites we stopped at though we came around a corner and there was someone totally naked, bent over changing by the fire pit. We very quietly backed out of the campsite and decided to skip the photo op on that one.

    Bit before sundown there was some more climbing but had a great view as a reward, not always the case on the SHT.

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    We started the trip on a Wednesday so I was surprised how busy the trail had been all day. Trend continued when we got to the campsite and already found two tents and even another hammock setup! Fortunately we squeezed in and everyone else was already down for the night. Weather was cool overnight but no rain forecast so I left the tarp in the snakeskins and enjoyed the light breeze. Snuggled up under my TQ that night was even more comfortable than sleeping in a bed at home, exactly what you hope for.

    Day 2
    Second day was the long mileage day for us, just under 14 miles. Got up and early then spent a while futzing and looking at the map.

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    We realized that after the first couple of miles there were not any water sources for the next 11 or 12, really unusual for the SHT. So after the first 3 miles we stopped at the beautiful West Devil Track campsite, drank deeply from the river and made sure all the water bottles were topped off.

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    There was an amazing spur trail at Pincushion Mountain with views of Lake Superior and Grand Marais, definitely worth the brief detour from the trail. Right after crossing over the Gunflint Trail there was a section of uphill that came out of nowhere and never seemed to want to end. I strategically dropped some lighter items which my hiking partner naively thought was by accident and picked them up for me. More than one way to lose weight on the trail!

    Camp that night was next to a beaver pond. Water might have been a bit yellow after filtering but it just felt nice being able to drink deeply.

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    Camp was busy again that night. Group of 4 women out doing almost the exact same trip as us but on the opposite direction came in about an hour after we had with some of the heaviest looking packs I had ever seen. Apparently they were really serious about there food which I realized when they said they had a charcuterie board for lunch (with actual board) and for dinner pulled out an entire jar of curry. Hour after they arrived a solo hiker showed up. Chatting with him we found out this was his third time thru-hiking the SHT and he had just completed a 27 mile day which made my feet ache just thinking about it. Heavy rain overnight made me real happy with my Superfly. Other than waking briefly when the downpour started another great night of sleep.

    Day 3
    Third day we hung around camp chatting till pretty late before finally getting going. Was quite happy to discover my tarp was already dry so I wouldn't be lugging around any extra water weight. We headed to the Indian Creek campsite about 12 miles farther south. This section skirted by the Cascade River State Park and ran right next to the river for a long period.

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    We were a bit worried as we got close to camp as someone we passed on the trail mentioned a large group had been looking at a map at the campsite we were planning on going to. Sure enough there was already a group of 6 as well as another couple setup when we arrived. Fortunately between our hammock/tent combo and the couple letting us squeeze in close to them we didn't have to discover if our bodies would take us to the next site. Unfortunately this lead to a slightly too short hang, only off one of the trip. Was definitely glad I had a sleeping pad to help flatten out the bridge hammock a little bit more or I might of had to get extra creative with tree choices. This was also the first site I ever found on the SHT with buddy toilets. Suppose sometimes you just want to bring a friend.

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    Day 4
    Final day started with a steep climb but after that leveled out mostly. A few sections on the SHT are boardwalks put up over beaver ponds and this bit had a couple of them.

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    Near the end we also passed by Lake Agnes which is home to possibly my favorite camp site on the SHT so far. We got off the trail before going there but the entire lake has a BWCA vibe to it.

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    We made it back to the car, ditched our packs for a couple of beers and candy bars and then took a spur trail to an overlook for a long relaxing sit before getting on the road. Wish all trips had that as a treat at the end!

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    So somewhere around 40 miles total across 3 nights. Other than the trail being busier than I had ever seen it before it was a wonderful trip. Definitely going to look into an ursack though as sometimes there are tons of trees in Minnesota but I'll be damned if I can find an actual branch to hang my food bag off of...

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  2. #2
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    That's a very informative trip report and nice pictures to boot. Thanks for that!

  3. #3
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    That is a nice route. Twin poopers....class!
    Ahhh, I miss the old days were you rarely ever had to share a campsite. Such is evolution of a trail and the SHT is getting popular.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  4. #4
    ObdewlaX's Avatar
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    Looks like a good time out on the trail & thanks for the pics & play-by-play.

    My last time out, was kinda like yours in terms of people on the trail. A lot more than I am used to seeing, but I'm guessing with the Wuhan, people are tired of being cooped up at home & want to get out. And what better place to be than in the woods?

    Thanks for posting.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    Beautiful! makes me miss home (twin cities that is)

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    Definitely get people wanting to take to the trail after being cooped up. Know I was happy to be in the hammock again and on the trail.

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