Superior Hiking Trail

[Northman]

Nice pics. It was fun hiking with you guys & gals. I hope you heal soon.

[Wander'nFool]

I will leave the details of this SHT trip to the more experienced of the group. I would like my trip report to speak to the Noobs on the list, of which I am included.

It was my first trip on the SHT and only my third time on the trail with my hammock. To be honest, I was so focussed applying my hammock skills and learning new skills, I do not feel I fully appreciated the beauty of the SHT. I will definitely repeat this section in the future. I was fortunate to have been able to hike with experienced HF members and outdoorsmen: MrGreen, Shug, StormCrow, Fin, Pizza and Northman.

I was brought to the hammock by my friend of many years, Shug. However, I think he will be the first to tell you that I have not solely relied on his hammock experience to further my experience.

Hammock Forums is our Encyclopedia Britannica. The HF home page search window is your priceless source to the woods for pleasure and survival. The research I have done on HF has made me a better hammocker and really helped shorten my learning curve to the woods. There is no quick route to hammocking and rarely is there one solution to a matter.

Google and youtube are awesome supplements to HF.

A few things I learned on HF and the SHT...

Watch how experienced hammockers work the woods. Do not stare; it is creepy. Questions are fine, but learning by example and "doing" is the real key.

Your clothing system is all about layers and knowing when to remove and add. I never fully understood how often I would have to adapt my clothes system while on the trail and at camp.

Your hammock is more than a sleeping system... it is your thinking space, storage space and social space.

Letting your feet hang higher than your head is not just for comfort, it is a necessity to reduce the swelling in your feet and legs after hiking to your hammock camp site.

Mountain House meals taste better in the woods, than in your kitchen at home. Bring black pepper.

You must seam seal any mods to your tarp ridge line BEFORE it rains in the woods. A rain coat draped over your hammock ridge line, under the tarp drip, keeps you dry in your hammock. (Thanks Shug)

When you pack your backpack under your tarp, do not stand hunched over. Sit in your hammock and pack your bag as it lays on the ground in front of you. D'oh! (Thanks Stormcrow)

A single jetboil fuel canister will boil two cups of water for six meals (including a hot beverage) and four additional cups of tea... and still have quite a bit of fuel left over. No need to run the heat wide open.

You can pack light and still eat very well (MrGreen, the Hammock Gourmet, is proof of this)

Your bare hands at 38 degrees feel warmer than wet hands at 50 degrees.

Wrist warmers are awesome.

You can build a fire when it is raining. (Thanks Fin)

When you get to camp, do your set-up and chores right away–it makes for a more enjoyable camp site experience. (Thanks Pizza)

Reflectix is your friend.

A zipper pull wrapped, or shock cord tied in a prusik knot, around your UQ shock cord (above the hammock ridge line) about four inches from where the UQ wraps over your hammock's gathered end... will prevent your UQ from rolling off of your shoulder while sleeping.

Water tastes better out of your own DIY gravity filter.

A TQ and UQ combination are very comfy and warm.

It's not about having an expensive hammock and gear... it's about having a hammock and gear that works.

When a fellow hammocker's dog peaks over your hammock and rests his warm snout on your nose, BEFORE you are awake... you are thankful that you emptied your bladder earlier that morning. (Thanks Northman)

You can do all the research in the world, but nothing or no one is a better teacher than actually getting out in the fresh air and working your hammock and gear in the woods. Can I hear a Whoooooo Buddy on that!

I gotta go proudly hand sew my SHT patch on my pack now...

Wander'nFool



photo credit: Shug

[Shug]

Terrific post WF!!!!!!!!
You deserve a field promotion........

I has fun and am thankful to be asked along.

It was a nice reprieve to not video on this one and just enjoy the trip...... but mainly the company.

Shug

[fourdog]

Thanks for sharing WF ! Sounds like a great trip .

Great info for newbe's or old hands.

-Doing is better then reading, watching or knowing .

fourdog

[mbiraman]

Well said WF.

[pgibson]

Excellent post Wander'n Fool. Most Excellent.

[MrGreen]

WF- Well played sir !

A great group of people and a wonderful few days on the SHT. Thanks to all who joined me on this late season adventure. You kept me warmer than a fire under a cedar in the rain !

[questtrek]

Thanks .. for posting your trip report and taking me along for the ride. Nice pics. I hope to hike the SHT one day.

[fin]

Dude, you're choking the fire!

Great to catch up with shug and pizza again, and meet some new people along the way. Wander'nFool, it was great to finally meet you! You forgot that peanut butter fajitas taste great around a campfire, especially when you aren't expecting it! MrGreen, thanks for putting this one together, and it is always good to hike with you. And it was also nice to meet your friends, Heather, Sonny, Northman (w Bentley) and Brad. I love having a dog in camp, and Bentley was a great camp dog! And now having done Glacier and the SHT within a month with you, I can attest that you truly are the hiking gourmet. And I actually put Stormcrow to the test on the first day, until the last mile when my own knee flared up. He was BEHIND me until then. I enjoyed hiking with SC for a change, I usually hang back and let the speed demons do their thing. It was nice to take a slow hike on my own the second day, even if it was raining. Very peaceful, and nobody else on the trail I took around Leveaux. It was a great trip, with a great crew. The drive up and back from Ohio, on the other hand..........

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=2d618e56b8

[MuseJr]

Thanks for sharing your trip fellas. Sounds like a good time.