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The Bean and Bear Lakes trail is a 6.4 mile loop that starts and ends in Silver Bay, MN. The loop is part Superior Hiking Trail, and part Twin Lakes Trail. I have done this trail twice, once as a training day hike (with full 7 day pack) and then as a more relaxed two day trip with my sister.
The first time I hiked this trail, in June 2009, I was training for my Rae Lakes Loop trip, and this was a great hike to help get in shape and test my full load and adjust my pack. A storm was blowing in as I did the hike, and the wind was intense in some sections. The overlook to Bean Lake was particularly fun. The wind had 40-50 mile an hour gusts with rain hitting me horizontally. It made the hike much more interesting! It did limit the number of pictures I could take since I didn't want to drown my camera. It did allow me to really give my DriDucks rain gear a workout. I was impressed.I checked out the campsites along the trail just for fun. The site at Bear Lake is very secluded, and only has room for 2 tents. It is a really great site, right on the lake.
There are two different ways to complete this hike. One would end the trail at a different spot than you started, sort of an 'almost' loop. Since I wanted to end up back at my truck, I took the leg that starts and ends on the SHT, and retraces your steps for the first (and last) 1.8 miles.
I completed the 6.4 mile loop in 3.5 hours.I did this trail again in October, 2009. My sister was visiting and we decided to do a 2 day trip. I wanted to pick a hike that would be appropriate for a new backpacker. This is the perfect trail to introduce someone to the sport.
Once again, the weather decided to add challenges to our trip. It was cold, and rained almost constantly for the entire 2 day trip. It did give us a break both during our tent setup, and then again when we broke camp. I was REALLY grateful for this respite! We tried to use the campsite that was right on the lake, however it was already occupied. This is the downside to the SHT. No reservations required, but it is first come first served. We lucked out however. There is another spot about 200 yards above the lake that is a larger campsite, and has a fire ring. We setup camp there. With the constant rain, a fire was not in the cards. We did give it a try, but no luck.
My biggest 'lesson learned' from this trip was in taking care of 'mans best friend'. My German Shepherd Timber was enjoying this trip with us, and of course was wet with the constant rain. I had brought a 2 person tent so he could sleep out of the elements. I also had a wool sweater for him. The temps were in the 40's, and my poor pup was cold. I thought the wool sweater was a good idea, but it turned out that it prevented him from drying once he was in the tent, and the ground was pulling his heat away from him. He started shivering a couple of hours after we went to bed. I tried covering him with my clothes, but the ground was too cold. I finally took off his sweater when I realized it was working against us, and used all of my dry clothes so he had an insulation layer under and over him. This worked, and he was able to warm up. My last resort would have been to somehow get him into my bag with me! Since he is 105 lbs, this would have been interesting!
Planning for, and anticipating the needs of my dog is my responsibility. He depends on me for this, and cannot 'fend for himself' in the wild. I took Timber on another 3 day trip later in October. It was wet, and even colder. This time, I brought him his own ground pad, and his own SLEEPING BAG! Yes, it was extra weight, but he was warm and toasty, and enjoyed the trip. It also meant that I got a good night's sleep and didn't have to nurse a guilty conscience!
I was amazed at the number of people we met on the trail. I was expecting to be the only ones crazy enough to be out in the cold and rain, but the trail was actually crowded! There were day hikers, backpackers and trail runners on the trail. My sister had a good time, and seemed to enjoy the trip.
1 day Hiking Trip
2 day Backpacking Trip
