Hiking the Superior Hiking TrailRandom Memories of a 70-Year-Old
Rambler By Chet Anderson (aka Gray Ghost)
Front: Ruth, Patti, Kevin, Skip. Back: George, Kris. September
9th to September 25th, 2012Journals, photos, and more available at:
http://[email protected]
On Minnesotas North Shore, the Superior Hiking parallels Lake
Superior, usually up on high land above the lake with many views
overlooking the lake. Five people hiked all or part of the trail
with me. We started hiking at Normanna Road, southwest of Two
Harbors. We have 241.4 miles to hike to the north end of the trail,
which is on Otter Lake Road just short of the Canadian border. The
Trail will run between Jay Cooke State Park near Duluth and Otter
Lake Road, for about 300 miles when finished. Some trail is left to
complete and some is closed because of storm damage. Starting at
Normanna Road was the best option because that was the furthest
south that the trail was continuous, and that you could camp along
it. 9-7-2012, Started 12:30 pm 8.5 miles, Camped at Fox Farm Pond
Campsite Six people started with me. Ruth walked a few miles with
us and then walked back to do volunteer work on the Superior Hiking
Trail over the weekend. I hoped they would have a good weekend;
they are replacing a bridge on Encampment River. If they are
successful it will eliminate a detour for us. Patti (Peppermint
Patti) joined us for the first two days. Joining us for the first
80 miles are Skip (Chili Man) who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in
the 1970s and has done considerable mountain First nights campsite
climbing, and Kevin (Bean Town or F-stop) who just graduated from
college. George (Ole Smoky Lonesome), who hiked the AT and wrote a
book about it, is hiking to the end with me. Kevin is the quiet
type, which is probably good for us. The three of us men are all 60
plus and full of stories. It is nice to have somebody to listen to
us. Patti and Dale, her brother in-law, hiked the trail in
segments. They didnt camp on the trail. This gave them a chance to
have amenities each night. Patti will be hiking a part of the trail
that has been added since they hiked it previously. I had called
Dixies Bar & Grill (218-834-2846) late in my planning and they
were willing to hold food drops for us. With Kris Georges wife and
Ruths help we were able to locate vehicles at trailheads ahead of
us and leave our food boxes at Dixies Bar & Grill. This
eliminated the need for us to go to Two Harbors to resupply or
carry food for 80 miles to reach Silver Bay.
9-8-2012 - 14.6 miles, Ferguson Campsite Peppermint Patti left
us today. Now its four guys. Standards will probably go down from
here. She had fruit drinks and snacks in her car for us at the
trailhead. I had brought along a digital fish scale and had left it
in Pattis car in case anyone wanted to weigh his pack. Nobody chose
to take advantage of the opportunity. I sent my backpack hip belt
home with Patti, letting me cut another 8oz of my pack weight. The
next day at Dixies Bar & Grill when we picked up our food drop
Skip and Kevin did leave a number of items there to pick up on
their way home. We had a nice meal at Dixies when we picked up our
boxes. I was the last one into camp and there were a limited number
of campsites. I decided to camp on the riverbed. The bed consisted
of one large slab of rock; it made for a nice clean tent site. I
did think about storms but not enough to change my position and
look for higher ground. We did see distance views of Lake Superior
today but we are too far inland for any good views.My riverbed
campsite
9-9-2012 15.3 miles, Silver Creek Campsite We had a nice clear
day and a well-marked trail with lots of spruce and birch. When the
spruce trees are thick there is lots of moss the rocks and stumps
are often completely covered with green moss. This makes lovely
smooth mounds along the trail for a very picturesque walk. I found
a new joy by leaving my trekking poles home. Occasionally I would
find a small birch tree along the trail where I could use a little
extra support. If the tree was about 1-1, 1/2 inches in diameter
and smooth it had the nicest sensation on my grip. We met a
southbound hiker on his 11th day; he had completed 207.3 miles and
had 34.1 miles left to finish the trail. We hiked along Silver
Creek before our campsite. This was the first time I saw the
effects of the June storm of this year. There were large log/ brush
jams in the river bed and lots of debris washed up against the
trees up on the shore.
Silver Creek log jam
9-10-2012, the morning temp 42 degrees the high temp for the day
was about 70 13.8 miles, Gooseberry River Multi-Group Campsite The
Encampment River Bridge was finished two days ago. It was great not
to have to make a road walk detour. We extend a big thank you to
the Superior Trail Association and their volunteers. There was
hardly any water in the Encampment River but I did see many small
fish as I filtered water from a pool. I took a river bath and did
laundry in the Gooseberry River. Nice. During the night we could
hear machinery noise and thought it was from the ore docks at Two
Harbors. We have seen lots of flood damage from this summers rains.
There are big sections of the river banks that are washed away,
taking sections of the trail away, too. It is hard to imagine how
many tons of earth and mud were washed into Lake Superior during
the floods. We are seeing huge areas of earth cracked and sliding
towards the river. These landslide areas are still being eroded and
washed into the lake nearly three months after the June 20th flood
that caused the initial damage. 9-11-2012, 45 degrees 9.3 miles,
Southeast Spilt Rock River Campsite Chili Mans camera died. He was
changing lenses on his camera and the lens did not attach properly.
When he went back to the other lens, the camera did not work. We
were hoping we could leave the disabled camera at the park visitor
center at Gooseberry Falls State Park but that is against park
policy so he will need to carry the camera the rest of his 80 mile
hike. I was hoping to visit with Carly who previously worked at
Crex Meadows wildlife area near us and leave the camera with her
but she had transferred to the Jay Cooke State Park. I was asking
the park people about pictures of the flooding. They had a few
pictures of the flooding at its peak when the water was thought to
be more than nine feet over normal. The person at the desk said it
took five days for the river to go down. The pictures were amazing
to see. A sign at the Temperance River said it is one of the
longest rivers on the north shore at 38.6 miles. I find it hard to
imagine that much accumulated water in such a short distance.
Especially with all the different rivers that drain into Lake
Superior along the north shore.
For those of you who dont know: there was what I heard referred
to as a 500 year flood on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 along the North
Shore. Two figures that I could find say that 7.43 or 10.1 inches
of rain fell in 24 hours at different places. There was lots of
damage to the Superior Hiking Trail and its bridges. The Superior
Hiking Trail workers are an amazing group; they had it back in
shape for us to hike through. We hikers walk at different speeds so
we are not always together. We agree where to meet up one or more
times each day and where we will camp at the end of the day. We
usually see each other more often but we like to have check points
to make sure everyone is okay. On this day, we camped at Split Rock
River and I took another river bath and did my laundry again.
Laundry consists of washing the clothes I am wearing. I dry my
clothes by wearing them. My body heat speeds up the process, but
this can be pretty chilly if I do it too late in the day.
9-12-2012, the temp was 60 warmest morning on the trail. 13.5
miles, South Beaver River Campsite Our campsite was on Beaver
River, lots of large rocks which can make a nice clean place to
spend the evening and clean up and wash and dry clothes. F-stop
Turtlehead found it very nice for photos. I saw a blooming flower
growing out of a crack in the rocks. It was unique for me; I dont
think I have seen one like it before. If I have, it wasnt at that
stage of bloom. I took pictures that evening and when I left in the
morning, I went to take one last look at it; to my surprise there
was no blossom left. Something had eaten all the blossoms off and
did not touch the rest of the plant. With lots of help we have
identified it as Chelone glabra, or turtlehead, because of the
serrated leaves. The other possible flower was Gentiana alba,
creamy or yellow gentian. I find it interesting that both flowers
mentioned bloom in mid-summer or fall. Wikipedia states that
Chelone glabra is a popular browse plant for deer. The second night
my tent zipper broke. I decided not to worry about it. There were
hardly any bugs or mosquitos so it shouldnt be a problem. Within a
few minutes of getting in my sleeping bag I heard a noise next to
my head and there was a mouse on my ditty bag about 6 from my face.
The mouse was gone as soon as I saw him. I had another go at
repairing the zipper. This time I was able to get the zipper
working again. We had light rain during the night. It sounded like
it was really raining but in the morning everything was dry. The
sound of raindrops falling on the tent, and the dread of packing up
a wet tent let my mind magnify their sound. I eliminated 25 ounces
from my gear weight this trip. The dry weight of my pack is now 14
pounds. I left my trekking poles at home and I sent my backpack hip
belt home with
Peppermint Patti. My total gear weight now is 18 pounds which
includes shoes and clothes that I am wearing. Food and water add a
varying amount to this weight. I am going to quit carrying water
because of how often there is water along the trail. I know I can
go five to ten miles without water at this time of the year. I am
really enjoying the camaraderie of hiking with others on this trail
after my many miles of hiking alone on other trails. Kevin (Bean
Town) wants to be a professional photographer and has taken about
300 photos so far on this trip. He seems to be enjoying himself.
His picture taking has given rise to a potential new trail name,
F-stop. Kevin has blisters on the bottoms of his feet and between
his toes but it doesnt seem to be slowing him down much. 9-13-2012,
50 degrees 9.9 miles, East Palisade Creek Campsite We had 4.3 miles
to hike in the morning to reach the trailhead parking lot for
Silver Bay. This was as far as Skip (Chili Man), and Kevin (Bean
Town, F-stop) were going. They had reached their van. They gave Ole
Smoky Lonesome and me a ride into Silver Bay to pick up our food
drops at the post office. We all had breakfast together, and then
they took us back to the trail before heading down the road. Having
a ride to town and back to the trail sure made resupplying easy for
us. My food weight leaving Silver Bay was 8 pounds, and the next
resupply was at Tofte, 63 miles ahead.First Northwestern College
group
We had just got back on the trail when we heard a woman
shouting. Ole Smoky Lonesome called out to her and she responded
she was okay. It turned out to be a man and a woman looking for a
group of 10 kids. That sure set off my heart rate. He quickly
explained that the kids were kids from Northwestern College in
Illinois. The woman was wearing tights and a tutu. I have never
seen a hiking outfit like that in all of my miles of hiking. They
asked us to tell the group of kids to wait if he saw them. I did
catch up to the group of 10 and passed on the message. I then
continued hiking and made a wrong turn which led me to Bean Lake. I
realized my mistake within 100 yards but decided to go down and
take a look anyway; I still hadnt seen or heard a loon (still no
luck). When I was back on the SHT I only hiked a short distance and
there
were the 10 kids again. I thought I had not only gone down the
wrong trail but now I was heading back to Duluth. Thankfully that
was not the case. The 10 kids had decided to move further along the
trail to find a better spot to wait for the lady in the tutu. We
met Kristine on the trail who was hiking for a few days. We hiked
together for the next few miles and she camped near us. In talking
to Kristine I learned that her ex-husband was from St Croix Falls.
She now lives in the Twin Cities. The three of us spent the evening
telling stories. Our evening with Kristine was one of those good
memories of this trip. 9-14-2012 13.7 miles, Section 13 Campsite We
had lots of ups and downs for the day. We met the second
Northwestern College group; they camped nearby. We are seeing lots
of birch trees that appear to be sick, with most of the small
branches gone. Im not sure what is causing this. I found this
comment on a UM discussion board. Bronze birch borer may be
involved; the more serious culprit is a combination of drought,
thin/poor soils (particularly up the north shore), and simply old
age. A lot of the birch trees rot while they are still standing.
When they fall down they will break into shorter pieces. I removed
at least 100 of them from across the trail. Many of them were quite
large in diameter. My involvement in trail building and maintenance
has changed my view of the trail as I hiked. I can no longer just
step over a log or walk through brush without thinking I should
take care of this. I didnt remove all that were possible but often
I couldnt ignore them any longer, and started moving them off the
trail. George suggested that we go into Finland for breakfast in
the morning. With my no-stove hiking, I am always ready for hot
food. Dead Birch trees on trail 9-15-2012, Left camp at 6:25 am, 40
degrees 13.7 miles, for the day plus 2 miles for Finland for
breakfast, East Branch Baptism River Campsite In the morning I
crossed a large beaver dam on a boardwalk alongside it. There was
frost on the plant leaves (colder here than at the campsite). Just
after the beaver dam there was a sign-in box. As I was signing in,
I heard a beaver slapping its tail; I had not seen it as I crossed
by the dam. George said he saw it when he crossed shortly after
me.
The road to Finland was 6.2 miles from camp; I was cold and
pumped thinking about a hot breakfast. I moved out and did it in 2
1/2 hours. Ole Smoky Lonesome came along shortly. As we were hiking
into town, the Superior Shuttle went by and turned around and gave
us a ride into Finland. We did have to walk back so we did walk 2
miles extra for breakfast. The shuttle driver recommended Our
Place, a nice bar and restaurant. Good food, reasonably priced,
served by Anne, a pleasant young waitress with a sense of humor.
There was no reception on my Verizon phone for me in Finland. Ole
Smoky Lonesome had reception on his phone. We met the third
Northwestern College group today. Sonju Lake had an 80 boardwalk
going to Lily Island. It was a pretty island with a sweeping view
of the lake. I saw my only Belted kingfisher on the trail from the
island. There are a few covered boxes along the trail with
notebooks in them to register in if you choose to. There was one on
the island but not many hikers made that short walk; it had been
quite a few days since anyone had signed it. 9-16-2012, 45 degrees
Slight drip/drizzle 14.8 miles, Sugarloaf Pond Campsite I passed
Archer (trail name) and his adult son sitting along the trail
smoking pipes. Archer had arrows and a traditional bow. Archer and
son He had attached a protective cover on one end of his bow so he
could use it for a hiking staff. It was 9:20 am and they were done
hiking for the day. They were going to spend the rest of the day
fishing. We met Bob Myer, a birder and trail maintainer who had
binoculars, a hand pruner, and a bow saw in his pack. Nice way to
get out in the woods combining two activities. I wish maintainers
would prune high enough for tall hikers, especially where one must
concentrate on foot placement. As an example, on a hard, rocky
climb, I walked right into a limb and broke the skin on my nose. I
know I am responsible for myself, but this is a problem I have on
all trails. End of rant. Ole Smoky Lonesome talked to Steve, who
was carrying food for 3 weeks. Im not sure how far he was going
each day, but probably not far since he was still in camp at 11:00
am.
I took another river bath and did my laundry in the Caribou
River. My hiking style is catching on. Ole Smoky Lonesome is
sending his stove home at Tofte. He has been heating water for me
to use in my Mountain House meals to use up fuel prior to sending
the empty bottle home. 9-17-2012, Left camp 6:26 am 12.5 miles,
Temperance River State Park The campground is right on Lake
Superior but quite a few feet above. We could hear the waves all
night from our campsite. Kind of nice; not like a couple of rivers
we camped near which were a little too loud. Tom & Jan from
Richfield, Minnesota were sitting at the picnic table at our
campsite when we walked up. We thought there had been a mistake but
they were just having a picnic lunch and looking over the lake from
our assigned campsite. They offered to take us to the Tofte Post
Office even though it was the opposite direction for them. They
said they would wait for us but we didnt want to ask them to do
that. Tom & Jan also left us grapes, baby carrots, crackers and
one pear to split; the pear was perfectly ripe. What a
mouthwatering delight that was. Ole Smoky Lonesome had two things
to pick up from the post office but one package containing a spare
Diana at Tofte Post office camera battery hadnt arrived yet. Diana
at the Tofte Post Office was super nice and offered to pick up Ole
Smoky Lonesome at the park on her way to work in the morning. After
the Post Office we went across the highway to a Holiday station for
some misc. items. There was a young woman pumping gas who looked
like she was going our way so I asked her if she could give us a
ride. She said her father had advised her not to do things like
that. We decided our charm was all used up and walked the two miles
back to our campsite. When we came back, Amy, who works in the
Temperance Park office, didnt know we had been to the Post Office
and offered us keys to her car if we needed to go to Tofte for any
reason. Were not sure if we had a little charm left or if people
just feel sorry for a couple of old guys. Ole Smoky Lonesome hopes
his camera battery will be in the morning mail. Diana starts work
at 8:00. She sorts the mail that comes in overnight and then opens
at 8:30. Ole Smoky Lonesome went to the gas station nearby to pick
up more food while he waited for her to open; he was back by 8:15
since she was already open and had his battery.
Ole Smoky Lonesome has included a pound of beef jerky with every
food drop. He found he couldnt chew that much in fifty miles. His
jerky supply was building up on him. We were able to have our only
showers of the trip at the Park. A hot shower and soap was so nice
I had a second shower in the morning and washed my clothes and
partially dried them under the hand dryer: just enough so I wouldnt
freeze while they finished drying on me. Marty & Peggy from
Brainerd had a teardrop trailer camped near us. They had pictures
of three birds on their power lines, with the birds looking into
their house. Ore boat on Lake Superior They had shown them at the
DNR exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair and they werent able to
help identify them. I was able to identify them as Black-crowned
Night-Herons. In the morning when I was leaving they treated me to
a culinary delight: Spam fried in olive oil. My food weight leaving
Tofte was 7 lb. 6 oz. for the next 46 miles to Grand Marais.
9-18-2012, left camp at 8:05 am 40 degrees 12.1 miles, East Rollins
Creek Campsite My camera quit. I think I may have put pressure on
it getting in and out of the tent or rolled on it during the night.
I plan on sending it home with the Westigards. The good news is
that it will cut another 8.4 oz. from my pack weight. This was one
of the few things that I have not worn out or replaced with lighter
items. I carried it on all my hikes. I doubt that I will replace
it; my iPod has a camera on it and though the pictures arent the
same quality, it is one less item to carry and worry about. [After
using the iPod camera on the Border Route Trail at the end of
October I decided that I needed better pictures. I have now bought
a new Nikon Coolpix L610 with 16-megapixels and 14x optical zoom.
This is still a low-end camera but quite an improvement over my old
one with 7.1-megapixel and 3x optical zoom.] Because Ole Smoky
Lonesome had to go to the Post Office, I thought I was miles ahead
of him. I enjoyed the rock faces as the trail passed by Carlton
Peak so I decided to take the spur trail to the top. Very nice
views, but not much different from many others we had seen. The
West Leveaux Pond Campsite was on the trail with lots of sun. I
thought that it was a nice place for a snack and nap while I waited
for Ole Smoky Lonesome. I filtered some water laid my pad down, dug
out some food. I no more than lay down and along comes Ole Smoky
Lonesome. Diana at the Post Office was too much help; he didnt lose
as much time as I anticipated.
We have different hiking styles. Ole Smoky Lonesome likes to get
up in the morning and keep moving until he reaches the goal for the
day. This works nice with two of us because we can swap stories in
the evening. When I am hiking alone I like to take longer breaks
and eat my big meal in the middle of the day when the temps are
best. Then I hike right up to dark and set up my bedroom and crawl
into my sleeping bag. This worked great on the Pacific Crest Trail;
it meant that I didnt need as many clothes for sitting around when
it was cool in the evening and I wasnt hiking during the hottest
part of the day. Ole Smoky Lonesome said he is looking forward to
eating cold ramen noodles. I thought when he sent his stove home he
would keep a pot and soak the ramen noodles but he is eating them
like popcorn. I tried a bite and they werent too bad by my
standards. I suppose that statement coming from me doesnt carry
much weight as a food reviewer. He gives me his flavor packets to
me to add seasoning to my Mountain House meals because they dont
attach to the dry noodles. I met Marius and Iris, his dog, who were
day-hiking from Oberg Mountain trailhead to Carlton Peak and back
(a 14 mile round trip). We met the fifth and last Northwestern
group. We have slowly found out more about them. They are freshmen
from Northwestern Tent for North western group University in
Illinois. This was a way for the students to meet others and start
their collage experience. There were two counselors for each group
of 10. They were not allowed phones and all slept in one tent. The
tent was a large tarp set up like a pup tent. There were 18
different groups out like this. I dont think all of the groups were
on the Superior Hiking Trail. The counselors were there for general
help but did not necessarily chaperone them like they would a youth
group. This trip was taking place before classes started. I thought
this was a wonderful way for them to start their college life. We
crossed lots of short, nice, new heavy duty bridges in the
afternoon, and encountered one great set of switchbacks. We saw
more maple trees than usual today. 9-19-2012, 6:43 13.9 miles,
Camped at snowmobile Shelter one mile short of Spruce Creek
Campsite. Light rain during the night quit by 6:00 am. I had packed
up a wet tent in the morning; everything felt damp. I found a very
nice sunny rock overlook to dry and air my things during the
day.
I saw one of last years black bear cubs on the trail at the top
of Moose Mountain less than 20 feet away. I had no chance for a
photo; once it saw me it headed down the mountain. We stopped at
Lutsen for breakfast, but a crew laying asphalt said it was closed.
We met Janusz, an older hiker who had some interesting stories. He
was born in Poland and was a professional violinist and pianist in
Germany. He has lived in Germany, Italy and other places that I
dont remember. Since the 1980s he has lived in Green Bay,
Wisconsin. He has a school there, where he teaches music. It was
raining so we camped at a log Adirondack shelter just past the Haul
Road. This was a snowmobile shelter with an outhouse. It was a very
nice place to sit out of the rain. After a while the rain quit and
since I wasnt carrying water, it meant that I had to hike one mile
to the next campsite to get water to bring back. It would have made
more sense to move to the next campsite but I was fixated on
spending the night in a shelter. Ole Smoky Lonesome developed a
habit of cleaning up our campsites. The shelter needed considerable
policing before it was fully enjoyable. Most of the litter was old
papers and kindling for starting fires scattered around on the dirt
floor. We are sitting in the shelter thinking we are out in the
wilderness and Amber comes jogging by from behind the shelter. We
all three were quite surprised she said she never sees any one
there. She said something about the area behind the Shelter after
cleaning shelter (a wide spot on the snowmobile trail) was used for
helicopter landing and taking injured people out. Im not sure why
there was the need but I didnt want to keep her out in the rain to
answer all my questions. We are hiking at a good time of the year.
We almost can see a daily change in the color of the leaves. They
are not yet at peak, but many are bright and beautiful. There seem
to be no ticks and hardly any bugs. One caveat is short days.
9-20-2012, 42 degrees at 6:50 am 16.2 miles, North Bally Creek Pond
Campsite We met Hiking Dude on a southbound hike with a friend who
was walking part way with him. This is his second long trail; the
first was the Arizona Trail. He has an interesting website He has
plans to hike all 11 of the National Scenic Trails and the year
that he will hike them. The list goes up to 2023 and he will still
have three left to complete. http://www.hikingdude.com/blog.php
We met Marie-Anne and Gregg Westigard in Cascade State Park.
They were ready to join us for two nights. They had camped in the
park the night before and walked out to meet us on the Superior
Trail where it goes through the park. They had brownies for us and
Marie-Anne was ready to start hiking with us and spend the night
also, in a hammock. Gregg would camp at the park again and meet us
at a road crossing the next day. Marie-Anne brought a coffee pot
along that has been used over many campfires. She brewed an
excellent cup of coffee over an open fire in the morning. Ole Smoky
Lonesome and I never build fires on our hikes so Marie Anne had to
make the fire herself. Ole Smoky Lonesome and I are willing to
gather wood and drink hot coffee in spite of our self-imposed rule
to never make a fire.Gregg, Marie-Anne, Ole Smoky Lonesome
Cranberries
9-21-2012 10.6 miles, East Devil Track Campsite The trail ran
along the edge of a huge swamp and Marie-Anne spotted a few
cranberries. She was able to spot them but Ole Smoky Lonesome and I
had difficulty finding them. We wonder if this is something to do
with women being the gatherers and men being the hunters. The
cranberries tasted great. We met Ellie (trail name Cheese) from
Rhinelander. She was southbound. She hiked the Appalachian Trail in
2010. She had the nicest smile and worked at a cheese
house/factory. When we were doing introductions and she heard Ole
Smoky Lonesomes name, she lit up because she had his book. We met
Cedar (trail name) southbound. He had 14 days food and 14 days to
finish the trail because of a wedding he was participating in. He
lives in Alaska during the summer, and is from Duluth. Cedar
carries a ukulele and has a tattoo of a cedar tree on his arm.
We met Gregg at the parking lot on Gunflint Trail which is the
closest route into Grand Marais. We had food drops at the Post
Office and hoped to have a hot meal. Gregg had been to the dock
where fish are brought in. The recommendation for the best place
for a fresh fish meal was the Crooked Spoon so we took that advice
and had the catch of the day, a white fish lunch. We had a pleasant
young waitress that was soon expecting her second child a daughter.
It rained as we ate lunch; it was nice to be inside. We were happy
that it quit before we started back on the trail. Gregg hiked with
us the rest of the day and Marie-Anne drove the car to the next
trailhead north of us and hiked back so all four of us could camp
together. That night gave us our only evening rain the entire trip.
It chased us into our tents early and cut short our story telling
time. The tent sites along Devil Track River werent the best for a
rainy night. The Westigards moved uphill to another well-used (but
not official) site so that they could avoid the water running under
their tent. Kris & Ole Smoky Lonesome celebrated their 49th
wedding anniversary today. 9-22-2012, 37 degrees 16.7 miles,
Northwest Little Brule River Campsite Marie-Anne made a small fire
and had a pot coffee again. Gregg hiked with us and Marie-Anne
drove to meet us later at another trailhead. Marie-Anne had gone to
town and was waiting with coffee and pastries for us when we came
to the trailhead. Trail Magic from a Trail Angel. Shortly after
Marie-Anne and Gregg left us, we hiked the 1.5 mile lake walk. This
is the only time the Superior Hiking Trail reaches the Lake
Superior shore after Duluth. The walk is quite challenging; it
consists of small stones that shift under your feet like beach
sand. If the waves had washed up rocks a little bigger, walking
wasnt so difficult but that never lasted for long. I had an added
problem because my trail running shoes were worn out and had
openings where the tops were separating from the soles. That meant
additional discomfort; the insides of my shoes would gather small
pebbles. Near the end of the lake walk we met a middle-aged
southbound hiker. He asked us to use his phone to take a picture of
Ole Smoky Lonesome on beach walk him to send to his wife. We had a
lot of concern for him because he was so unsteady on his feet that
it was hard to imagine him doing the lake walk, let alone the
trail.
9-23-2012, 42 degrees 15.2 miles, South Carlson Pond campsite We
camped near a beautiful beaver pond. The campsite was elevated, and
in shade from trees with wind blowing through, which made it quite
cold. We spent the evening on the shore of the pond where we had
sun and no wind. I did see some wild rice on beaver ponds but never
saw enough that it looked harvestable. We heard two Trumpeter swans
come in after we were in our tents. They were still on the pond in
the morning as we left. We had planned to meet at the parking lot
in Judge C R Magney State Park. The trail went close to the park
camp grounds and I decided to use the campground bathroom. They had
taped a sign by the door saying it was for registered campers only.
They probably have trouble with SHT hikers showering there. I cut
my visit short and only washed my face and hands with hot water and
soap. I had left my pack on the trail to let Ole Smoky Lonesome
know that I had gone into the campground. I picked up my pack and
continued to the parking lot. After spending a short time there and
still no sign of Ole Smoky Lonesome I started to wonder if we had a
communication gap about are next meeting place. It turned out that
he missed a turn and took the interpretive loop trail. Surprisingly
this was the only time that I was concerned that I didnt know if
Ole Smoky Lonesome was ahead or behind me. On other trails I have
seen people hiking fast to catch up to somebody that they think is
ahead of them only to find out later that they were behind them. I
was greatly relieved when Ole Smoky Lonesome walked into the
parking lot. 9-24-2012 Finished the Superior Hiking Trail at 3:15
pm 17.1 miles, end of trail camped at Swamp River access. We
crossed an interesting bridge today. A beaver had felled a tree
about a foot and half in diameter across a small stream. The
Superior Hiking Trail crew had nailed 2 x 6 planks on the sides to
make supports for deck boards on top. This cut the cost and effort
of hauling in stringers for support. (Somebody was thinking!).Wild
rice plant on beaver pond
Bridge on beavers log
We reached the highest point of the trail: Rosebush Ridge 1,829
where there were no views and no rosebushes. The ridge was covered
with mature trees. like a term used in the guide book for some high
points: seasonal views-a euphemism for wooded.
I
We met Fred and his wife on a day hike. She has been working on
completing the Appalachian Trail for 25 years. Next week she is
hiking on it near Pearisburg Virginia. I asked how her AT hike was
coming; she said not too well. She didnt volunteer how many miles
she has left to finish it The guide book said that there was a
campsite with an outhouse at the Swamp River Access. This was true
but surprisingly, it was not well marked and a little bit into the
woods. We couldnt see any sign that anybody had used it or that
they had ever cleaned up to make tent pads. But the outhouse had TP
and with a little effort, soon we were set up for two nights. One
nice thing about the Superior Hiking Trail was having benches to
sit on and latrines at every campsite. A few even had some sort of
table. We were eating our dinner by the Swamp River Bridge because
it was in the sun and warmer. I was low down by the water and out
of sight of the road, and apparently Ole Smoky Lonesome was hidden
by the bridge guard rail. A couple in a Class B motorhome stopped
on the bridge to admire the Swamp River. I thought that they had
seen Ole Smoky Lonesome and wanted to talk or offer help so I stood
up. You cant believe how fast they got out of there when they saw
me. Must have thought we were homeless. I can picture them saying
that even out in the wild the homeless are living under
bridges-what is this country coming to? 9-25-2012 -0-day We
finished one day sooner than planned. That meant we had to take a
zero day waiting for my brother Gordy and sister- in-law Judy to
pick us up. There was lots of frost on everything in the morning.
The tops of the wood railing on a bridge across the Swamp River
were completely white. I met Mark Tessier, a professional
photographer who was walking out one mile to a vista on the Border
Route Trail. I mentioned that Kevin, the young hiker who started
the trail with us, was interested in becoming a professional
photographer. Mark commented that he had better get used to a
frugal way of living. Mark has a frugal life style. He lives off
the grid: he has to haul in water, and has an outdoor toilet,
candles and lamps are his light, and wood is his heat. The house is
two stories made out of hay bales. It takes only two cords of wood
to heat his home for the winter.
End of the trailI joined Mark on the walk to a vista on the
Border Route Trail, and found it was a marvelous view. They call it
the 270 degree overlook. Looking south you can see the Swamp River
and the valley flowing north into the Pigeon River which separates
the US and Canada. Looking east you can see ridges that are between
you and Lake Superior, and with my binoculars I think I can see
Isle Royale through some of the low spots. Below you are the Pigeon
River and miles of undeveloped land that is Castle Creek Provincial
Nature Reserve in Canada. Yesterday Ole Smoky Lonesome had pushed
for the finish, saying Im not hiking tomorrow. But I was able to
persuade him to walk to the vista. We both agree that would be a
much better place to end the SHT. George was a United States
Geological Surveyor and he was quite happy to find a survey marker
at the top of the vista. We each ended up hiking about ten miles
around our campsite, on the road, and out on the Border Route
Trail. The Border Route Trail starts 0.2 miles west of the end of
the Superior Hiking Trail, on Otter Lake Road. It heads north, then
west, through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for 65 miles, ending
at the Gunflint Trail. For the entire trip, I saw no sign of moose
until the last ten miles of the trail. Then I saw what may have
been fresh tracks, and a few old droppings. We did see ruffed
grouse every day on the trail. I did not carry water for the last
180 miles unless water was uncertain at campsites. This meant I
only carried water for 2.5 miles of the last 180 miles. I left my
trekking poles at home and also took my hip belt off my pack to
save weight and I never regretted doing so. Pack weight at end: 13
lb. 9 oz. Shoes and clothes I wore: 4 lb. Total: 17 lb. 9 oz. I
lost 7 lbs. of body weight. I spent 18 days on the trail. We
averaged 13.4 miles per day.
The 50 Birds I Identified on the Superior Hiking TrailCommon
Name American Crow American Goldfinch American Kestrel American
Redstart American Robin American Tree Sparrow Bald Eagle Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher Black-and-white Warbler Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay Brown Creeper Canada Goose Canada Warbler Chipping Sparrow
Common Loon Common Merganser Common Raven Dark-eyed Junco Downy
Woodpecker Eastern Bluebird Eastern Phoebe Golden-crowned Kinglet
Gray Jay Hairy Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Mallard Nashville
Warbler Northern Flicker Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruffed Grouse Sandhill Crane
Sharp-shinned Hawk Spruce Grouse Trumpeter Swan Turkey Vulture
White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Sparrow White-throated
Sparrow Wild Turkey Wood Duck Yellow-rumped Warbler
OspreyPied-billed Grebe Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak
270 degree view of Canada
270 degree view of Swamp River
