Paige & I sporting the $5 trail leggings we bought from the grocery store. Ready to take on the SHT!

It began in January 2015. I was on a four day backpacking trip in Southern California with a group of students from UW-La Crosse. During the first day on the trail, I hiked ahead with one of the leaders and another girl who would later become a good friend. Out of the blue, the leader asked, so what are you two doing this summer? We shrugged. Working, probably. He smiled, Could you make time to thru-hike the Superior Hiking Trail? Oh yes, we could make time!

It was set. Summer 2015 I was going to spend July hiking the SHT with two of my closest friends, plus a few new ones. Planning was underway and we were getting stoked! Then we hit a roadblock. More accurately, the guy planning the trip hit a poorly placed mogul field while skiing in Utah that resulted in a broken femur. It went without being said; we were not thru-hiking the SHT.

However, when I decided to take my gap year before grad school, my summer went from long hours of studying to being completely free! It wasn’t long before I started planning my thru-hike of the SHT for Summer 2017.

There were many questions right away… Was I going alone? How was I getting up there? As a female backpacker, wasn’t I worried? I didn’t have answers to any of these except the last one… I have a lot to say about this stigma of women in the backcountry, but I’ll keep it short. No, I am not concerned about being a female backpacker. Last I checked, there are more shady characters in the cities then there are in the Northwoods.

The rest of these questions were answered as I started planning. I would be thru-hiking with a good friend and co-worker named Paige. She was also taking a gap year and was on-board as soon as I mentioned the hike! We would be traveling up to Northern Minnesota with my parents on our annual family vacation, leaving Paige’s car at our end-point in Duluth. After a few days of R&R, they would drop us off at the Canadian border, and we would trot off into the woods for three weeks and 270 miles.

This is everything I will need for the next three weeks  (minus some food re-supplies)

We have maps and med supplies. Hammocks and hiking shoes. Trekking poles and TONS of trail mix (roughly 30 pounds). Logistically, we are prepared. But mentally prepared…? I’m not sure. This is a first for me. Yes I’ve been backpacking, but never for three weeks. I will have no computer, no music, no watch. On the trail, my only job will be to hike.

For me, just hiking could be a challenge. I am notorious for keeping myself busy (I can hardly sit down for a whole movie, just ask my roommates). I have a constant need to be productive – whether it be drafting emails, cleaning the house, going on a run, or making plans for the next adventure. The result? I can’t relax and just “be.” However, for the 21 days on the SHT, I’ll have to learn to “be.” What does that mean? I have no idea. Hopefully I’ll be able to tell you in three weeks.

In the meantime, if you need me, I’ll be available by smoke signal or carrier pigeon.

Oh! And if you want to know more about our journey, get on-trail updates from Paige’s blog… Thru the Woods.