It was a little past 2 pm, Sunday, October 13, and I was .7 miles east of the Wild Valley Rd parking lot on the Superior Hiking Trail walking towards the terminus just before the trail crosses Wild Valley Rd for the last time.

The cougar was on the trail walking away from me. I saw the tail first as it was straight up with a tiny tilt of the end of it towards its head. Thought it was a raccoon but as I approached I got a very clear view of it from its tail along its body to its head from behind. Mostly tannish gray with black tipped ears. It sauntered off at an angle and slowly disappeared into the undergrowth. I was upwind of it so it must have known I was there but it didn’t look back nor leave in a hurry. Unfortunately the encounter was over so quickly, ten seconds or so, that I did not have time to pull out my phone to take a picture.

I’ve seen mountain lions twice in Northern California. This one was smaller. About half the size. About the size of a large Labrador dog.

Howdy y'all,

Planning a hike between Martin Rd Trailhead and Pincushion Mountain this fall. I made a big mistake by not booking my travel dates on Tuesdays (which is when the Arrowhead shuttle runs) and now need a transport option. I'd hate to reserve an entire shuttle for myself and looking for rideshare options. Is anyone looking to head from Duluth to Grand Marias on October 3rd? Or head from Grand Marias to Duluth on October 17th? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you SHT community <3

Hey everyone! First time SHT hiker here. Looking to do the whole thing SoBo starting on September 18th.

My main issue right now is getting an affordable ride from Duluth to the northern terminus. I have a Superior Shuttle ride booked for September 18th at 8am leaving from the Duluth bus terminal. It's about $500 and I'm looking to split the cost up to 3 riders ($166+ per person)

My asks:

1. Is there anyone who'd like to split this shuttle with me?
2. Is there anyone who's willing to do the same shuttle/ride for less?
3. Is anyone already going up to the northern terminus that I can hitch a ride and chip in for gas, snacks, etc.?

Thanks in advance and looking forward to this adventure!

Hi all just a question. /I am doing one overnight camping in September at temperance falls. for the superior fall trail race.

I purchased the day car pass for camping over night. I only got a receipt as I payed for it online.

is the receipt with the bar code what I display ? or is there an actual graphic pass I print out? to display?

Thanks

Just planning a trip, and, looking at the Google satellite view, I don't see any parking spots. The SHT just crosses the road, and there doesn't seem to be any place designated for leaving your vehicle. Is it the spot I've marked with a red X in the picture? Are you meant to just park on the side of the road? There doesn't seem to be much shoulder. Here's a link to Google Maps if you want to look at the satellite imagery yourself: https://maps.app.goo.gl/V5H9osDMDWakhLj17

(By the way, Google calls this trailhead the Cramer Road Superior Hiking Trail Trailhead. The SHTA, in their maps and guidebooks, calls it the Cook County Road 1 Trailhead. I've checked and double checked to confirm it's just two different names for the same trailhead.)

Satellite view of Cook County Road 1 Trailhead, with red x marked for potential vehicle parking.

EDIT: Could it be you're upposed to park in the spot I've marked with a purple X in this second picture? That looks like a very short road that just ends at the SHT. Not sure if more than one vehicle could park there without one blocking the others in. But the SHTA map does seem to show the TH symbol as east of the creek and right by that little bend in the SHT, which would put it at the purple X.

https://preview.redd.it/aiujft9ai4hd1.png?width=1064&format=png&auto=webp&s=ffd335949cdff474d0d888e87584c87624d91a82

Detail from SHTA map.

Hey everyone! First time SHT hiker here. Looking to do the whole thing SoBo this fall, most likely between mid or late September and finishing at the southern terminus or Jay Cooke by early October at the latest.

My main issue right now is getting an affordable ride from Duluth area or Jay Cooke to the northern terminus. Superior Shuttle will give a ride from Jay Cooke but it's about $500 for up to 3 riders ($166+ per person)

My asks:

1. Is there anyone who'd like to split this shuttle with me?
2. Is there anyone who's willing to do the same shuttle/ride for less?
3. Is anyone already going up to the northern terminus that I can hitch a ride and chip in for gas, snacks, etc.?

Thanks in advance and looking forward to this adventure!

what are the odds on parking at 270 and leaving my vehicle for 3 weeks or so? its a bland sedan no flash, no hustle, heart of a champion sort of vehicle.

Hello! I am planning a trip for Labor Day weekend. We will be starting on the Friday before and ending on Labor Day. I’ve hiked the southern half of the trail before in an attempted thru hike, so I know the trail well enough. Will we have to worry about campsites being full? I know that the trail is typically quite empty, but idk about holidays. I don’t have a specific location picked out at, and we are down for going to a less traveled part of the trail if needed. We just don’t wanna compete for campsites. Thanks!

I'm looking for some advice. I'm planning a 2 or 3 day long backing trip along the SHT. The plan is for me to drop my son and three of his friends off at a trailhead along the SHT. They would then hike and camp (one or two nights). They would then finish up at a location where I would be waiting.

I'm an experience backpacker, and have been section hiking the SHT for years, but I can't quite figure this one out. I know there is one that would work out that ends at Gooseberry SP, but of course nothing reservable this time of year. I suspect I'll have to find a dispersed site, or maybe something along the SHT to wait. But not really sure. Wondering if any if you all have recommendations? Thanks so much, in advance, for any ideas.

PS: we'll be driving up from the Twin Cities.

I'm planning to run a few sections of the SHT this July 3 and 4. Given the weather of the last 1-2 weeks, can anyone tell me about the current conditions of the following:

• Finland to Sonju to Crosby (Sonju will be inaccessible by car, but I'm only running past it)
• Silver Bay to Tettegouche (I'm aware of the Bean/Bear reroute. Is that portion still closed?)
• Crosby to Sugarloaf
• Tettegouche to Co Rd. 6

Thank you!

My son and I would like to hike about half the trail going South towards Duluth. On an average day of low intensity walking around the cities I burn 3-5k of calories, for note I weigh 205 and can stand to loose 30lbs. My son is about 160. Lean growing 16 year old. This is without packs. We want to take about 2 weeks for this.

First is it reasonable to carry all food needed, and meet caloric needs. I obviously have 105k of extra energy and could pull from these reserves a bit. My son however does not.

What caloric input should I be aiming for in general? What foods do you generally consume to get there? The math just is not working, with pre made foods, or the highest caloric rich foods I can think of? Obviously we want to limit weight of food but are willing to carry more food in exchange for say more clothing.

Ideas?

I'm going to slack-pack the Duluth section later this summer. I know there won't be any SHT campsites with latrines. Do I need to bring a trowel or will there be other options?

Is there a better map available than the official maps + guide book? A few gripes with the official setup:

• the full map is impossible to lay out end to end because it's double sided and made up of many individual 8.5x11 sheets, you need to photo copy them yourself to be able to do it

• the full map includes all campsites names, but doesn't list many trailhead names, just trailhead icons

• the guidebook section overview maps do the opposite and list trailhead names, but don't show all the campsites (at least on the overview pages, you can view (some?) of the campsites on map if you flip through the entire book to view all the mini maps of certain sections)

• I also have the Avenza maps, and those are just as annoying when you are trying to get a full view of the map, as they are split into many individual small maps that disappear and reappear as you scroll through the trail.

You have to do a weird mixture of using several sources just to get the basics (trailhead locations + names, and camp locations + names on a map). The official online sources are no better and are limited so that you buy the guidebook and maps. It's a very frustrating experience. I'm curious if everyone just deals with it, or if there's something better to use.

Just got in contact with Harriet Quarles to ask about shuttling between some trailheads and learned she's retired! A sad little thing for regular SHTers.

Just completed section 13 today on May 26th. Weather was good but it was a bit wet but not unmanageable. It stayed a cool temperature in the woods, manageable with just a short sleeve shirt (although I'd suggest longer sleeves for the bugs) A few Bridges over the marsh were in disrepair but still passable. Other Bridges of newer design were holding up very well. Also of note is new sections of the trail were being rebuilt.

Anyone know the distance from the Gooseberry River campsites to Blueberry Hill campsite?

The website says Castle Danger to Gooseberry State Park is 8.73. Does that include spur trail to visitor center or is that just from Castle Danger to spur trail? That section with the old gap was 9 miles (via book 8th edition), so it doesn’t seem right since the spur trail is 3.3 miles.

TIA!

I'll be up that way next weekend, just checking if anyone has crossed the Indian Camp Creek ford recently. Was it a relatively easy crossing, or was it running deep?

I have a mini dauchsund that I am thinking about bringing along to my backpacking trip next week. I've been backpacking all over the trail the past few years but I've never had a dog out there. I'm from a different area of the country with different wildlife and wanted to know if yall had any advice on if I think its fine or possibly a bad idea. We would be on the trail for 4 days hiking about 70 miles (I have a way to carry her so she can get breaks). Not sure if bears would be an issue or non issue in regards to having a dog on trail.

Thanks for any advice you guys have!

I've got a 90-day Visa with multiple entries for Nepal. I just did this short trek to the Mundhum Trail in eastern Nepal. You never know how beautiful the hospitality of this place is. I vouch for those lovely villagers. I was invited to a house. At first was skeptical about going in there, but my guide convinced me. It was hard to go to a stranger's house. But as soon as I entered it was something.

Everybody was so happy to see me. I was given lots of food to eat. Even after I said no, they said it was their culture to get my plates refilled after one time. More than this, those villages are just awesome. Nepal is of course friendly but the Mundhum region is the Nepal that you have never seen before. Anyway, this is not something I ever experienced in my whole life before. I just want to say that this place is a must. I don't know what Everest Trek or Annapurna looks like. Regarding the spectacular views yep, they're just mesmerising. But the Mundhum thing got me. I doubt that this place can become my second home.

I myself want to gather a group of female travelers to Mundhum. Let's fix a date: October 28, 2024. I'll talk with the company I dealt with.

I vouch that you will never want to leave this place. See the pictures attached, too.

Somewhat experienced hiker/survivalist, Army Cadet, planning on doing the whole trail in June or late July early August. I want to finish in under 2 weeks and see the major landmarks on and around the trail on the way up, I love mountains and a picture of the split rock lighthouse is what inspired me to make this trip and it looks like I'll need to make a detour to see it. I also want to see the northern lights. I just learned that a shuttle service exists through this sub, but I haven't found any other information on it, having a way back to my car in Duluth is crucial to me being able to make this trip. Any tips and information regarding the details of my trip and the shuttle services will be greatly appreciated.

Hello all. I’m planning a section hike on SHT during the end of May. It looks like my average hiking pace will have me at Sugar Loaf pond one night. All research says this is a bad place for water. Is the stream at Sugar Loaf Road reliable? I could stock up there for evening and morning needs and then grab water the next day at Dryers?

Hello guys. With your experience from past years, and a calm winter, do you think the trail will be too muddy in early May to do a nice long hike?

So many sites to choose from but looking for advice based on the fact that this will be our first time on the STH. I grew up backpacking through scouts but that was 10+ years ago and my wife is new to this so I’d like to start on a shorter loop as a shakedown.

It would be a 1-2 night trip and I’ve heard parking at Split Rock or Tettegouche are good options but any suggestions or specific things to know or consider are helpful.

How do shuttles work? Where to park? What campsites won’t be full right away as we’ll be driving up from the cities?

Thanks!

Does anyone know if it's feasible/possible to access the southern terminus from the NCT State Line trailhead to the south? Looks like the railroad tracks would get me most of the way there, but I can't tell if there's a way to get from the tracks to the trailhead.

I try to avoid doubling back with all my heart and soul, even if it means walking along RR tracks.

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https://preview.redd.it/yl0z4z1nyckc1.png?width=558&format=png&auto=webp&s=63e98827171494997bf4b15c3fd0b54c992984af

Just wondering if the SHT is accessible at this time. Thinking of a small adventure from the Lutsen side between Lutsen and Tofte for beginning of March?

I assume not much snow on the trail? but how are the conditions at moment? thanks