Looking toward the weekend...yeah ! I am planning on a trip to the North Shore and a Superior Trail Hiking Assn (SHTA) guided group hike Saturday morning, from Lutsen to Caribou Lake on the SHT, it runs basicclly from the Duluth area to the Canadian border. I have hiked this stretch many times and look forward to another trek. This section Trail follows the Poplar River, has a fantastic overlook of the Poplar River valley, and then skirts Lake Agnes, a gorgeous lake with no homes on it's shores. Total length is 6.4 miles, a nice day hike and I can finish with a lake swim in my favorite North Shore lake to swim in, Caribou Lake.
These group hikes are enjoyable because whoever shows up also loves hiking along the SHT as much as I do, and they are usually led by an informative naturalist, who explains all the different types of trees, vegetation, birds, geography, tells ya how to fight off bears, ect. Group sizes vary with weather but seem to be 20 - 40.
Afterwards, I will head to my 3 SHT campsites that I volunteer to maintain along the Little Brule River, about 30 miles further north on Hwy 61, north of Grand Marais. I usually clean out the firepits with a scoop, check the latrines, pickup any trash (altho there is rarely any as most that use the Trail are very clean campers), cut back any brush or grass that has overgrown, and cut up and pile firewood. It really isn't very involved or time consuming, very rewarding work to know I am contributing to helping the SHTA maintain the trail and sites. I also clean small brush/trees along the Trail on my hike in and out. Once home the SHTA has a website that all volunteers report into, stating any problems, necessary major repairs, or other issues the SHTA should be aware of. The SHTA is a non-profit that manages the Trail relying mostly on volunteeers for alot of their funding and trail, campsite and trailhead maintenance I park and enter the Trail at Judge Magney State Park, and on the Sunday trip back south, yes again can hit Caribou Lake for another swim.....I have come to love lake swimming this summer, logging many miles of open lake swimming. May also have a late lunch with a friend before heading on back home.
It looks like I will have one mroe work trip to Dallas before the end of our fiscal year on Sept 30, after that we rarely have travel funds for a month or so. I found a great hotel near our client there and it makes it comfy to return to the same place, becoming familiar with that area and the local roads. Travel from the airport to hotel is fairly easy once one figures which routes to stick to, and knowing the flight schedules helps.
Nice to hear from Mom and Dad last night from Branson, they got brave, and bored, enough that they decided to make a short trip down. Dad sounded excited on our 10 pm phone chat, late for him.
These group hikes are enjoyable because whoever shows up also loves hiking along the SHT as much as I do, and they are usually led by an informative naturalist, who explains all the different types of trees, vegetation, birds, geography, tells ya how to fight off bears, ect. Group sizes vary with weather but seem to be 20 - 40.
Afterwards, I will head to my 3 SHT campsites that I volunteer to maintain along the Little Brule River, about 30 miles further north on Hwy 61, north of Grand Marais. I usually clean out the firepits with a scoop, check the latrines, pickup any trash (altho there is rarely any as most that use the Trail are very clean campers), cut back any brush or grass that has overgrown, and cut up and pile firewood. It really isn't very involved or time consuming, very rewarding work to know I am contributing to helping the SHTA maintain the trail and sites. I also clean small brush/trees along the Trail on my hike in and out. Once home the SHTA has a website that all volunteers report into, stating any problems, necessary major repairs, or other issues the SHTA should be aware of. The SHTA is a non-profit that manages the Trail relying mostly on volunteeers for alot of their funding and trail, campsite and trailhead maintenance I park and enter the Trail at Judge Magney State Park, and on the Sunday trip back south, yes again can hit Caribou Lake for another swim.....I have come to love lake swimming this summer, logging many miles of open lake swimming. May also have a late lunch with a friend before heading on back home.
It looks like I will have one mroe work trip to Dallas before the end of our fiscal year on Sept 30, after that we rarely have travel funds for a month or so. I found a great hotel near our client there and it makes it comfy to return to the same place, becoming familiar with that area and the local roads. Travel from the airport to hotel is fairly easy once one figures which routes to stick to, and knowing the flight schedules helps.
Nice to hear from Mom and Dad last night from Branson, they got brave, and bored, enough that they decided to make a short trip down. Dad sounded excited on our 10 pm phone chat, late for him.
Oh yes....happy looking guy in the photo huh? Jeff took this pic after my last Tri 2 weeks ago, my bike and gear in background. This is what it looks like when you finish near the back of the pack, after most others, an empty parking lot...oh well the goal is not your time, but to finish, right?
Jim
Jim
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