SHT: Day 5

Superior Hiking Trail: Day 5

8/20/2023

Bald Eagle Camp - Heron Pond Camp

SHT miles: 10.5 mi

No bonus/spur miles

Elevation gained: 476 ft

Animals seen: heart attack inducing grouse

Elevation chart created on AllTrails.com

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That was a very unrestful night, which is typical for a first night on trail. You are getting used to the sounds and sleep system. Last night was also unbearably hot. The sun woke me up around 6:30am but I hit snooze (read: rolled over and covered my head) for another 2 hours. Even Leinie didn’t bug us to go out for his morning potty break if that says anything.

Breaking down camp was rough, we were out of practice and it was hard to find our groove. We had a small amount of water and the beaver pond was entirely mud. We elected to hike to the next campsite, a little over a mile, for brunch. So we packed up and set out.

The mile seemed rather long but we made it to the Lester River bridge to filter water and enjoy some brunch. Jake had raspberry pecan oatmeal and I enjoyed banana pecan oatmeal. It was hard to find motivation. After yesterday, we had no desire to rush and it was almost noon by the time we got hiking again.

Leinie enjoying a pack off break

Jake and I have come across a decent variety of animals and birds in our backcountry excursions, including grouse. I had one rather curious one watch me one morning on the HST. These grouse were on another level. They would wait until you almost on top of them and then fly out from their hidey holes to cause a near heart attack. We had to hike with a mild level of anxiety and trepidation.

The trail continued to be mostly overgrown snowmobile trails but being hydrated helped to keep the poor spirits mostly at bay. Jake was still not enjoying the trail and that wasn’t like him. I attempted to stay positive but my thoughts would wander to the possibility of having to solo hike the trail. The SHT was proving to be tougher than either of us anticipated. For a trail that got us into backpacking, it was shockingly unenjoyable.

Physically we were struggling to get a good pace. Mentally we were struggling as well. We took a break at a bridge to filter some water and fuel ourselves with snacks. We started with the goal of getting to the Sucker River tonight but that was still around 6 miles away. It was fast approaching 4pm and I was afraid of yesterday repeating itself where we were way too tired to appropriately make camp. (We had found only half the stakes were put in by yours truly.) Being so tired, we also struggled to get up and on trail at an appropriate time. We desperately needed a schedule reset and normal start time so we elected to stop at the next campsite which was only 2 miles away instead.

I don’t know if it was because we muled and fueled appropriately or if the change in plans gave us a mental boost, but we were able to make a good pace after the break and the two miles seemed to breeze by. We were also not hiking on snowmobile trails so that was instantly more pleasant. We rolled into Heron Pond Camp at a decent time and were able to leisurely set camp. 

View from Heron Pond Camp

Jake started a campfire to help keep the persistent bugs at bay. The fire with the nice view from camp created a wonderful ambiance as we settled in for the night. My only qualm was the lack of a decent hanging tree for the bear bag, but relative to how we were feeling the night prior I can deal. We feasted on rehydrated Italian pasta and brownie brittle. Leinie inhaled his greenie and dinner kibble well before Jake and I started and was in the tent waiting for us well before dark.

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