SHT: Day 6

Superior Hiking Trail: Day 6

8/21/2023

Heron Pond Camp - Big Bend Camp

SHT miles: 13.9 mi

No bonus/spur miles

Elevation gained: 1,007 ft

Animals seen: MN nope ropes, territorial bees

Elevation chart created on AllTrails.com

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The alarm went off at 6am and we hit the snooze twice. Close to 6:30am Jake and I opened the nozzle of the sleeping pads and he went to retrieve the food for brekkie (banana cinnamon walnut oatmeal) while I rolled and packed the sleep systems and tent. Routine was still a bit rusty but we were able to hit the trail around 8am.

It felt good to get an early start and being properly fueled in the morning for the first set of miles had us setting a decent pace. The sky was rather overcast but the forecast didn’t show rain until late tonight.We stopped at the next campsite at the Sucker River to filter water and eat some snacks. Jake foraged a bunch of wild raspberries and thimbleberries. 

I’ve dubbed these Tim Burton Flowers

I took the lead after the break. I had been feeling great and set a rather ambitious pace. Our trail legs hadn’t set in yet and the pace wasn’t sustainable. After a couple miles, I slowed down. The feet were still adjusting to the rugged trail and we had a pit stop at the next campsite, Farm Fox Camp, to use the latrine and bust out the first aid kit.

Jake’s knee wasn’t getting better but it also wasn’t getting worse. His pack’s hipbelt thoroughly chewed up his sides and his boots had started to chew up his feet with the higher mileage days. I could see why his motivation was bottoming out. One problem you can usually suck it up and deal with, but three consecutive problems is a lot to tolerate. 

We also had a decision to make. The SHT cuts through a lot of private land so camping has to be done at designated sites. The mileage in this section between sites was awkward. We could either stop here at Farm Fox Camp but it was early afternoon after only 7 miles or we could push on an additional 7 miles to the next campsite for our longest day yet. We decided to push on. Taking easy days wouldn’t help us finish this trail before winter.

So off we went, but the pace was noticeably slower. Jake’s feet hurt and out of nowhere I developed a shooting pain in my left leg. From the sole of my foot to just behind my hip. I tried to figure out if there was a pattern or trigger for the pain depending on what I was stepping on, but it seemed pretty random. Lovely.

Leinie embracing a pack-off break

We had another quick break at the next trailhead, a few miles from our campsite to drink some water and rest the feet. Starting again the shooting pain seemed more localized to the hip/glute area and stemming from my lower back. Rather than shooting down my leg as before, it would randomly spasm which had me thinking nerve pain/spasms. Super fun.

My motivation was rapidly deteriorating and my pace grew slower and slower as I fell further and further behind Jake and Leinie. Jake was dead set on a fire and getting to camp so I told him I would catch up with him there. When I finally stumbled into Big Bend Camp, Jake was already attempting to light the fire to deter bugs. 

I set up the tent and hung the bear bag. Jake was attempting to add some of his gear to the tent when he met a rather territorial bee that was convinced the tent was its home. The battle waged longer than one would expect, but Jake came out victorious. 

While dinner (buffalo chicken mac and angel food crumbles) was cooking we pulled off the boots. Jake was now sporting a severely swollen ankle that was moderately concerning. How?! I made him take nsaids and a benedryl. I silently pled with higher powers that our injuries, which were building at a concerning rate, would not lead to an early exit from trail.

We had just crawled into the tent and Leinie snuggled into the base of my sleeping bag when we heard the pattering of rain, several hours earlier than expected. We were curious to see how our tent would hold up in a real rain storm. We purchased it in SoCal and the most rain it has seen so far is what midwesterns would call a drizzle.

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