My goal of my third scouting trip would to cover the entire Duluth section (the trail is divided into six sections), the southernmost 50 miles of the SHT (which I did plus some thanks to unexpected shuttling from a current FKT holder). Realistically, I gave myself a 50/50 shot to get this far on the route. My furthest race was 163 miles, only 39 hours, where I received aid every hour, at the WausaUltra Backyard Ultra. I’ve never slept in a race. Although I was familiar with self-support through adventure racing, I always had teammates within 100 feet (a rule in adventure racing) and volunteers at transition areas to have my back. For this endeavor, I’d spend my first night sleeping on the clock, then repeat that for an entire week.
I was surprised that despite most of this section going through the largest city on Lake Superior, I often felt like I was in the wilderness (except the tameness of the deer kept reminding me that apparently there are a lot of people hiking this section). I enjoyed several beautiful waterfalls, rock escarpments with breathtaking views of Lake Superior, and challenging terrain.
The biggest benefit of this visit was the knowledge from FKT holder, Michael Koppy. Michael not only answered every question, but offered to shuttle me to trailheads during my visit and support my FKT attempt. When I met up with another Duluth runner, a former Minnesota Trail Runner of the Year, she commented that Michael was prolific. Despite Michael being almost twice my age, Michael scampered down the trails with ease, training for two fall 200 milers. Michael advised that I make a trip to trial out my sleep plan, which I did.
Fourth scouting trip
