A Sunburnt Country

Monday, December 19, 2011

Help a Sloth

This holiday season if you are looking for a way to give back, please consider donating to Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica. The sanctuary is home to over 150 sloths, that need our help. By donating money, you are providing medical care, food, enclosures and towards the education program. http://www.razoo.com/story/Slothsanctuary

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Superior Hiking Trail: a 9 day walk in the woods

Bear Lake on our last morning

This is what it is all about

The dirty and more fit version of Jessy

View from one of our camp sites. Here's my little tent.

Jessy in Minnesota

The group, 12 teenage campers and three staff

Wolf prints, we saw hundreds during the first portion of the trail.

Most of my view for 9 days was a bunch of backpacks, but I was lucky to see the birch trees!

This summer I worked at the camp I have been going to since I was 9 years old. I was teaching environmental ed there as I did in South Carolina. a day before their Counselors in Training were getting ready to go on a 9 day backpacking. Well, turns out their female counselor was sick before the trip and could not make it. They asked me to go, expecting the worst and I happily agreed to go, leaving them all in shock.

The only item for the hike I had brought along with me to the camp was my amazing water proof backpack! Everything else I had at home, so needless to say there was a lot of borrowing going on. I managed to get everything I needed, including biodegradable soap for when we did happen to find a body of water.

Superior Hiking Trail, also known as the SHT is one of the 10 best hikes in the world. Its rated the 5th best in the US. It goes from Deluth Minnesota to Canada along Lake Superior. It also goes through the Sawtooth Mountains. Its up and down, over massive rocks, through swamps, through mud, through birches and over bridges. Its great!

The first day we walked maybe a mile..I thought I was going to die! It was hot and I was tired of walking, believe me it crossed my mind if this was going to work out for me. We also managed to break a water pump that night, but luckily David (the trips director) ran out to buy a new one since we were still close to the road. We did hear wolves howling that night and in the morning.

The trail ended up being amazing, the sights were breath taking. Sure it was challenging, but this made it even more worth the while. The teenagers I got to know were each such great individuals! Especially the one who boiled my water for my coffee every morning.

For anyone wanting to try this hike, I would give yourself plenty of time to do it, I could have kept going after the 9 days! Make sure to bring a good bag, a water pump, and a camera!