Trip Report Display
Linking people with nature by footpath along Lake Superior's North Shore.
I just returned from another short but eventful trip to the North Shore on my 2 year quest to hike the entire SHT. We left the Twin Cities Tuesday morning at 7:30 for Grand Marais. I was on the trail by 12:30. I hiked the 9.2 mile section from Cook County Rd 58 to the Kadunce River wayside. This was a nice hike, lots of woods and creeks to cross but not a lot in the way of overlooks. The Kadunce River gorge was a fantastic end to a great hike. The bugs were not a factor, I didn't even need bug dope. Temps were in the low 60's. My wife and daughter picked me up at the Kadunce River wayside around 5pm (they don't enjoy hiking). In the meantime they had found a room in Grand Marais at the Aspen Motel. We had a bite to eat at My Sister's Place in Grand Marais. They liked their burgers and fries but there was nothing on the menu to my liking. We checked out the next days drop off and pick up points, then it started raining so we called it a night and turned in. Wednesday morning I was on the trail by 7:30, having been dropped off at the Kadunce wayside. I hiked the 10 miles to Magney State Park. The highlight of this stretch is the Lake Walk, 1.5 miles on the loose pebble beach. It's tough walking because you sink into the pebbles, but it was not too bad and was beautiful. Several groups of campers were on this stretch of beach, including a group of 4 young people sleeping on the beach with no tent at 9:30 am. I tried to walk quietly past them but the crunch-crunch-crunch of my boots on the rocks made a temendous racket. I met a thru-hiker who started a north-to-south thru-hike a couple days ago and plans to hike the entire trail by July 22! Not sure how he can do that unless he's superman. No bugs on this section again! Temps in the upper 50's. My family was waiting in the parking lot at Magney State Park at 12:15 when I arrived. The next section of trail I need to hike is the newest section of the SHT, Magney State Park to the Arrowhead trail. It's a 15 mile section but there is a halfway point, Camp 20 Road, in case I want to break it up. The thru-hiker mentioned above said the trail is complete, and beautiful. I checked out the new signs at both ends of the trail so I'm ready for the next hike, probably after the bug season. I was swarmed by mosquitoes as I checked out the Arrowhead Trail parking area north of Hovland. We drove home in a light rain, stopping at Wendy's in Duluth. The Southwest Chicken Caesar salad is great. 28 miles to go! |
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