Finally linked the 3 sections of the Superior Hiking Trail after 4 years of trying
Four years ago I did the Split Rock loop as a weekend test run and my knees hated me for a week after. Last Saturday I finished the last piece, the section from Finland to Crosby Manitou, and that closed out all 3 chunks of the Minnesota stretch I'd been chipping at since 2020. The middle chunk near Tettegouche took me 3 separate trips because of mud and one very bad rainstorm in June. My total pack weight was down to 26 pounds this time, which helped way more than any new gear. Anyone else piece together a long trail in odd chunks like this, and did the order you did them in matter to you?
Wait, did you actually link all 3 sections? The SHT through Minnesota is usually broken into the Duluth section, the Two Harbors section, and the Grand Marais section. Finland to Crosby Manitou is up in the north part, so you might have closed out just the northern chunk and not the whole state stretch. Split Rock is in the Two Harbors area, so if that was your first piece, you'd still have the Duluth end to cover. Not trying to nitpick, just wondering if you're counting the whole trail or a specific section.