Trip Report Display
Linking people with nature by footpath along Lake Superior's North Shore.
I certainly had another amazing time on the trail, made even better because I brought a good friend and newcomer. My buddy Wade Harris was coming back to backpacking after a long hiatus with brand-new ultralight gear. We drove up Wednesday afternoon and hiked into Section 13 for an overnight camp before starting our trip. We had an excellent time climbing around the cliffs, trying to stay out of the winds that were blasting us. We built a decent campfire and enjoyed the great location of our site, situated in a spot where the wind was almost totally shielded by the cliffs. At one point, the clouds parted and revealed the billions of stars you can only see in a wilderness setting. The next morning, we packed up and drove down to Silver Bay to drop off the car and hitch a ride back up to the trailhead on County 6. Our Good Samaritan, whose name I regretfully can't remember, spent a good part of the drive talking about his long vacations in Peru and many hikes on the Inca Trail. Wade had also hiked there several years ago, so the talk centered on where they had been and the impressive dignity of the local people. Our trip was oozing with Good Karma as we got off at the trailhead and started our hike. We climbed up toward Sawmill Dome and took the spur trail to Picnic Rock. We ended up turning the out and back spur into a loop because the trail kept going and I wasn't exactly sure which amazing rock formation was Picnic Rock. It looked like we weren't the first to do this and we got to see the entire cliff formation of Sawmill Dome as a result. It is an impressive sight, almost like something out of 'The Lord of the Rings' movies. We had to backtrack to retrieve our packs, but it was definitely worth it. Our hike continued from overlook to overlook. The weather was cooperating and we had moments of sun and clouds throughout the day. We camped at the West Kennedy Creek campsite and were awoken the next morning at around 5:30 by a raucous group from Wolf Ridge who were out enjoying a hike, albeit a bit earlier than sane people ought to be doing much of anything. It was another nice day, although we did get snowed and sleeted on for about an hour. This just added to the whole North Shore experience. There aren't too many places in the lower 48 where you can get snowed on in May.The next day brought us past spectacular Wolf Lake to Tettegouche and the magnificent falls on the Baptism River. This has to be the most photographed spot on the entire trail, and for good reason. The falls were especially impressive due to the rain and snow melt swollen river. We continued the up and down hiking through the park, with some fantastic ridge walking past views of beaver dams and birch forests, inland lakes and the Big Lake. Mt. Trudee offered glorious views. Spring hiking is truly vista time on the trail and we sat on ridge tops in intermittent sun watching vultures wheeling through the updrafts. We had another great campsite at West Palisade Creek and were awoken by the drumming of nearby grouse.Our last day on the trail took us past Round Mountain and the Twin Lakes and down to our car. The impressive work of many generations of beavers at the Round Mountain campsite and their four-tier dam system was another trip highlight. All told, it was a short but very sweet time on the trail, in terrific conditions. The mud was minimal, the bugs non-existent and the cold bearable. We had a great time and the Superior Hiking Trail has a new member, hopefully for a lifetime. What could be better than that? |
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