Bill's Back! - Day 328

  Here's my big surprise. Bill came back to hike with me some more! And we certainly took off with a bang- check out today's mileage.

Because of the road locations, we needed to do big miles today. Two-thirds of them were on road, but we hardly noticed because we found things to talk about. A few big pines lined the way.

The sky continued to look ominous all day, but the worst we experienced was a few sprinkles from time to time. We stopped for lunch at Scott Rapids campsite. It's always really nice to have a table. This is on the St. Croix River, and this is all new trail since I was here last.

I did another snake resuce. This cute little redbellied snake wasn't interested in holding still so I could get a good picture of his red belly. However, they are really docile, and there wasn't enough sun to really warm him/her very well. I returned him to the leaves at the edge of the road.

I keep trying to get a nice picture of color against white aspen trunks. This one still isn't what I'd like it to be, but it's not bad.

Miles today: 18.3. Total miles so far: 3808.5 (Over 3800, but don't get too excited. This is a wonderful milestone, but the fact is that there are slightly more than 4800 miles of trail, and there could be extra detours ahead or whatever. So the remaining mileage is still in four digits for sure, but I'm sure it will soon be down to three digits. Wow! That's going to feel great!)

See People of Note

People of Note - Day 327

  Oh, OK, people and a snake. A cute little garter snake. It was so warm today the reptiles were out warming their bones. I nudged this one back into the grass in hopes it wouldn't get flattened.

There are a lot of people to thank from this past week. Cindy shuttled me for three days, even though she had to drive quite a long way to do so. She did take advantage of that to complete her SHT hike to the Wisconsin border.

I spent the week with the trailer at Lori's house. She wasn't even home, but she trusted me with the key and let me use whatever I needed from the house. I did get to meet her this morning before I moved the trailer.

My shuttle for the past three days has been Dom. It's pretty amazing how people have stepped up to help me on my way during this time without a Live-in helper.

However, the person encounter today that really blew me away is this one. Aaron, who is hiking the NCT this year, mentioned to me a lady named Zoe who is going east to west on the trail. That's really all I knew about her, except for one picture he had posted. So, Dom is driving me to where he would drop me off this morning. There was someone with a backpack walking the road- not a normal sight. Must be a crazy NCT hiker, right? Even stranger yet, we had just been talking about how many long-distance hikers were on the NCT this year.

It was Zoe! She's hiking a little longer, then taking the winter season off.

All road miles today. Not too high value in scenery, but the tamarack trees are totally golden against the dark spruce. With a blue sky, I'll take those for October!

I did move the trailer this morning, and hiked good miles on top of that. I'm trying not to share where I'm staying until after I move along to protect my hosts' privacy, but I will tell you that I had a horse-drawn carriage ride this evening. What fun! Big surprise coming tomorrow too!

Miles today: 15.4. Total miles so far: 3790.2.

See Manitou Falls

Manitou Falls - Day 326

  Very soon after the North Country Trail was authorized in 1980, two places in Wisconsin jumped on board. As I've said before, the National Forests did. We'll get to the Chequamegon NF in a few days. And Copper Falls State Park. But about 1995, Pattison State Park also agreed to host a bit of trail. This park features two waterfalls on the Black River. This is Big Manitou, the highest falls in Wisconsin at 165 feet.

This is the lower (downstream) falls on the river. I believe it was a rainy day when I was there before. That was in 2005, and there was a lot more water! One thing for sure about waterfalls is that they can look quite different depending on the flow rate. This was 2005 (and also from a vantage point on the other side of the river.

A sign explained the geology of the falls. It has exactly the same story as the St. Louis River. The glaciers cut through the sedimentary rock above the volcanic bedrock and washed that away exposing the bedrock. The Glacial Lake Duluth I mentioned yesterday? This falls was at the bottom of the lake for centuries, under 100 feet of water, until that lake drained enough to leave what we now call Lake Superior.

There is about a mile between the lower and upper falls. Part of the river there widens into what is called the Interfalls Lake. I won't show you the dismal picture of that from my 2005 hike, but here is the cheerful view today.

I was stunned when I got to Little Manitou Falls. I had no idea it was a pretty little double falls.

This is what it looked like in 2005!

Other than this beautiful treat (with really nice trail- all upgraded since I was last there), the day was roadwalk. I just walked fast to get it done. However, even when the other trees are pretty much finished with autumn, the oaks can still put on a good show.

The weather was lovely and I sure can't complain about that! However, I am very tired and sore. Shopped for groceries after hiking, and I have to move the trailer tomorrow and also hike. Not doing 17 tomorrow!

Miles today:17.3. Total miles so far: 3774.8.

See Wisconsin!

Wisconsin! - Day 325

  First thing this morning, I crossed the "new" bridge at Jay Cooke State Park. This one was built in 2013 after devestating floods in 2012 took out the old one. However, this is actually the 5th swinging bridge in this location. The best known one was first built by the CCC in the 1930s and then repaired and raised several feet higher in 1950. This is my 3rd time here, and the first time I've crossed this particular bridge.

The water in the St Louis River, which the bridge spans, was the lowest I've seen it.

The St Louis River is actually the largest river to drain into Lake Superior. It's 192 miles long and provides connections westward with the Mississippi watershed. But today, with so little water, all the rocky ledges birthed small waterfalls. This geology is clearly volcanic. From what I can learn in a quick search, the glaciers removed the sedimentary rock from the western end of the Lake Superior basin- known as Glacial Lake Duluth- exposing the bedrock.

This makes some sense to me because everything near, but above the river on both sides is clearly glacial moraines and eskers. The soil isn't as sandy as that at home, but the topography of dirt shoved around by big sheets of ice is really familiar. After meandering along and over 8 miles of moraines and eskers, here I finally am. Wisconsin! This is pretty exciting, because most of our state lines have nothing special. However, this is a nice portal. The light wasn't good to pick up the lettering, but it says "Welcome to Wisconsin" on this side and ditto for Minnesota on the other. There is a bench, a trail register, and some other informational signs. I was sure happy to see the NCT emblem again. It's not used on the Border Route or the SHT. (Although since that only became official in 2019, and we are now pretty much past Covid, NCT signage may begin to happen.)

Next section of trail is through MacQuarrie Wetlands. The Brule- St Croix Chapter is actively building trail through that property. I have to say they are doing a superb job. The slopes are expertly graded (even over those glacial deposits- nearly painless hiking!), there is a hiker campsite, good solid bridges, boardwalks are being built, and there is an observation platform in memory of Atley Oswald (an NCT volunteer). I expected this to be largely swampy, and there is some low area and a number of ponds, but it's primarily nice woodland. I heard some trumpeter swans trumpeting.

The leaves are mostly down now- the vistas look more pastel. But there were other things showing bright red color. This is the umbel stalks of gray dogwood. The white berries have mostly been removed by birds, but the remaining stems with sun on them are nice.

OK, this picture was taken a couple of days ago. But I really want to show you. Green moss and a sedum gone red for fall.

And, at that wetland observation deck, there were several beautiful red dragonflies. Probably ruby meadowhawks, but the guidebook says they are so varied the actual number of species isn't even nailed down yet.

There are a ton of things I'm supposed to be doing, but by the time I drive myself around, fix my meals, do even a couple of errands, and blog... I'm beat.
Tomorrow will be mostly roadwalk, but there is one nice treat in the middle. Stay tuned.

Miles today: 16.3. Total miles so far: 3757.5.

See Ely's Peak

Ely's Peak - Day 324

  The Superior Hiking Trail is drawn to hilltops like a moth to a candle flame. If there is any little bump to go over, they just have to go to the top. There was even one bare rock today that didn't have any kind of view. It was just a lump in the woods, but the trail cheerfully went to the summit and then did a horseshoe curve and came right back down. I had to laugh, even while being annoyed at the total PUD (pointless up and down).

I saw this bump ahead of me and said to myself, "I know where I'm going next." Yup. Although I can't be annoyed about this one.

This is Ely's Peak, a lump of volcanic rock. It's only 1133 feet high, but it stands out from the surrounding land that is about at elevation 800 feet. I went right to the tippy-top. (OK, it is a short spur trail, but it was worth it) It was named for Edmund Ely who founded Oneota, which is now West Duluth.

The view back toward Duluth into the morning sun.

And the view northwest, which takes in the next rock outcrop.

I've actually been here before, even though all of the trail I walked today is new since I did my first NCT hike. (then the trail stayed down low on a rail trail). But in 2014, the NCTA Conference was in Duluth. The big joke of the weekend was that it was so foggy all weekend that the scenery was all a bust. Here's the situation on Ely's Peak on that August weekend in 2014.


The climb up was fairly gradual. Not coming down! Lots of rock scrambling. After I got down on the level where the SHT still follows a short piece of that rail trail (the Willard Munger Trail), you can see Ely's Peak standing alone. The trail basically zig-zags down that front rock face.

There is also a railway tunnel that goes through the rock. I haven't ever seen that. And supposedly there are 18 rock climbing routes up to the peak.

Although the fall colors are certainly past prime, there are still some really nice moments in the woods.

Finally, the trail gets down to the St. Louis River and follows an historic portage route.

But is it content with that? Oh, no! It just can't resist climbing back up 300 feet- apparently just because it can- before coming back to the river again. But it can't even do that in one up-and-down. In the middle of that, it drops 200 feet to a creek and climbs back up again. Was there a different trail that didn't make this dip? Yes there was. But I did my duty and followed the official route.

Miles today: 15.2. Total miles so far: 3741.2.

See Hills and Rocks