{"id":4123,"date":"2018-10-17T11:38:54","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T11:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4123"},"modified":"2018-10-24T00:50:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T00:50:08","slug":"sht-days-13-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4123","title":{"rendered":"SHT: Days 13-15"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>Start<\/strong>:\u00a0 Lutsen Ski Area
\nEnd<\/strong>:\u00a0 Kadunce River Campsite
\nDay 13-15 mileage<\/strong>:\u00a0 46.7 miles
\nTotal mileage<\/strong>:\u00a0 220.4 miles\n

I hated to leave the room, but I got hiking a little before 8am.\u00a0 There was a drizzle, high winds, and it was in the 40\u2019s, so generally miserable.\u00a0 It was a couple hours before I saw anyone on the trail and my poncho was blowing all around and my shoes were soggy. When I saw the first people of the day, I said, \u201cI thought I was the only idiot on the trail.\u201d\u00a0 They smiled and one of them said, \u201cThere are a few of us out here.\u201d\u00a0 I ran into some southbound thru-hikers a little later.\u00a0 They told me there was a shelter 10 minutes ahead.\u00a0 These emergency shelters are rare and do not have enough room for sleeping quarters.\u00a0 They do have benches inside, however. I stopped there for lunch, relieved to be out of the rain and a little out of the wind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
An emergency shelter I saw earlier in the trip, similar to the one I enjoyed lunch in<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had a hard time leaving, but sucked it up and did.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t feel my fingers or toes.\u00a0 I put on my gloves and rain mittens, and eventually I regained feeling in all my appendages.\u00a0 I found myself on a high ridge and it was so windy I was afraid to go to the overlooks, for fear of being blown off the mountain.\u00a0 On the bright side, the wind dried my shoes out and I saw a bald eagle overhead.\u00a0 He seemed to be the only one enjoying the wind.<\/p>\n

I am hoping to get into Grand Marais early tomorrow, so hiked a little further than planned.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A bridge just South of North Cascade River campsite (there was a short road walk this day)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am at North Cascade River campsite.\u00a0 There is a couple a hundred feet away or so, the river is fairly loud, and I am pretty exhausted. All of these factors should make for good sleeping.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
I think this was a mooseprint! I also saw tons of bear poop going into Grand Marais<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I got into Grand Marais around 1pm and stopped for breakfast before going to the outfitter where I picked up my food resupply box that I left there a couple weeks ago.\u00a0 It was very windy and the waves of Lake Superior were crashing like crazy.\u00a0 There was a little stoop near the outfitter where I sat down to organize my food and get the trash out of my pack.\u00a0 It was out of the wind.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure passerby thought I was homeless.\u00a0 I was originally going to sleep at the campground in Grand Marais and take a zero day.\u00a0 The weather forecast looked crummy and I figured I might as well be miserable on the trail since I was going to be in a tent either way.\u00a0 I also took a shower in Lutsen and since the weather has been cooler, I may be dirty, but can stand myself.\u00a0 So I hit up the grocery store on the way out of town and bought kettle-cooked BBQ chips.\u00a0 I began to walk out of town eating my chips and was dreading the walk on the Gunflint Trail.\u00a0 The walk on this scenic byway was a little less than a mile before picking up the trail again, but it was uphill and my pack was heavy with my replenished food.\u00a0 I picked Grand Marais as a resupply point because I wouldn\u2019t have to hitchhike.\u00a0 However, feeling lazy, I stuck out my thumb thinking it would be easy for an attractive (albeit smelly) lone female to get a ride.\u00a0 [Disclaimer:\u00a0 I know this is perceived as dangerous, but I carry pepper spray and a Spot device with SOS feature.]\u00a0 I tried about five cars, including one that slowed way down to get a closer look and then kept going (something that happened to Domonick and I on the PCT occasionally), and gave up.\u00a0 What was wrong with these people?\u00a0 I hoofed up the hill eventually making it to Pincushion Mountain with a view of Grand Marais.\u00a0 I slept at West Devils Track.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
View of Grand Marais from Pincushion parking lot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next day was a high of 44 and rainy in the morning.\u00a0 I slept in, planning to do only 11 miles, since the campsite after that had reported bear sightings.\u00a0 With my luck, I would be there alone and hear all the bumps in the night. My feet were so wet from high grasses I could feel the frigid water sloshing around in my shoes. I was crampy in the morning and had such low energy all I could think about was lying in my tent. I started my period, something I hoped to avoid on the trail, but apparently I needed one more challenge thrown into the day.\u00a0 Trying to change underwear and maintain a level of cleanliness slightly higher than a farm animal is complicated in the wilderness.\u00a0 Needless to say I was freezing, wet, and generally miserable.\u00a0 I ran into a few thru-hikers today who were flip-flopping. I had lunch with a couple and the conversation with them made things seem brighter.\u00a0 I got to Kadunce campsite about 4pm and set up camp, eating an early dinner.\u00a0 I was camping alone, but was so tired and worn out I didn\u2019t even care.\u00a0 Tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 61, so hopefully I can thaw out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A lemon meringue pie on the Kadunce River, haha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Start:\u00a0 Lutsen Ski Area End:\u00a0 Kadunce River Campsite Day 13-15 mileage:\u00a0 46.7 miles Total mileage:\u00a0 220.4 miles I hated to leave the room, but I got hiking a little before 8am.\u00a0 There was a drizzle, high winds, and it was in the 40\u2019s, so generally miserable.\u00a0 It was a couple hours before I saw anyone 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