I was hoping to hike the main part of the Superior Hiking Trail last year but fell at Temperance River State Park,braking a bone in my wrist. It had been raining so I had mud on my shoes and the rocks were worn smooth by the river, a bad combination. I'm hoping to finish up the trail real soon. A couple weeks later the doctor said I could go hiking, but I don't think she meant backpacking. Still, I went anyway. I quickly realized that it wasn't a good idea and it was really hard just getting into my tent when I couldn't put any weight on my one hand. I think fall is my favorite time to hike the trail. As soon as I've finished the Superior Hiking Trail I'll get my pictures posted. I should also have some pictures soon from New Zealand. I have to go there for work and I'd be crazy to not take some vacation time to go hiking, even if it is going to be early winter. If you're inetersted in hiking the Superior Hiking Trail think about joining the Yahoo Groups site Hiker. You can find answers to your questions concerning the trail there.

SIERRAS - California is in the middle of the 3rd year of drought. Conditions have improved recently, but not by much. The reservoirs are low and it will take a very wet year to fill them. For backpacking the recent snow has had a bigger impact. A snow survey in early May had the snowpack at about 66% of normal. Snow storms over a 10 day period in February dumped between 7 and 10 feet of snow. A new Survey will take place in early March. Its still too early to say when the best time to go backpacking will be, but mid to late June might be a good bet. Late June would probably be best but things could change drastically with a lot of warm weather, or cold weather.

Got Plantar Fasciitis and worried that it might cause a problem while backpacking? Personal Experience tells me that you don't need to worry, and that it could be the best thing you could do for it. On my hike to Pictured Rocks National Seashore I met some people from an Ohio hiking club. One of them told me that on the 3rd day out at Isle Royal National Park that his Plantar Fasciitis stopped hurting much. On the fourth day of my hike I realized that my Plantar Fasciitis wasn't bothering me much either, and while it hasn't gone away since then, its much better than it had been. Recently I found that my shoes were part of the problem. They were worn a bit on the outside of the heal. Just a bit was enough.

More on Plantar Fasciitis - I recently pulled some old shoes out and after a few days my Plantar Faciitis started bothering me again. It turns out the heal was worn slightly on one side. I went through all my shoes and got rid of the old ones. I haven't had a problem since.