Sunday, May 29, 2011
I woke up in the morning and heard the song of water. But it wasn’t raining, it was the water going over the falls. I unzippered the tent and saw blue skies. I thought to myself that god had given me a good day.
I had a miserable night.
It was still cold, so I bundled up in my jacket. And I figured the thing that would warm me up would be a hot chocolate and hot oatmeal breakfast. So I got the Kelly Kettle ready. I had to wipe out some water that had collected in the chimney part of the kettle. Then I put some water into the kettle and some denatured alcohol in the chimney. This time I didn’t bother putting any twigs or anything like that in the chimney. I made sure I had my food all ready this time, before lighting the kettle, I had taken the trip to retrieve the bear bags and I also had set out the Spot Messenger to mark my spot. I threw a lit match in the chimney and it started burning. Again, it only took a few minutes and it was boiling. I had my oatmeal ready, so I poured the hot water in the oatmeal. I had to let it cool a little bit before eating. Then when I almost finished the oatmeal, I put some hot chocolate in the bowl and put some more hot water in.
Well, that warmed me up. I took some photos around the camp, but I wasn’t going to go down to the bottom of the falls, especially after it had rained for an extended period. The sun was shining on the waterfall, so it would have been a good shot. But the gully going down to the waterfall would have been even more treacherous than last night.
I started packing up and it didn’t take me long. The main problem was all my clothes were wet except for the night clothes I had on. So I decided I would hike in my long underwear. But the underwear didn’t have the hole to go pee in the front of it, so maybe it wasn’t all that obvious that it was underwear. Besides, who’s going to see me? I didn’t see anybody yesterday hiking a well-known trail. Today, I would be hiking a little known trail, if there is a trail at all.
I got ready fairly quickly. I put away the tent wet. I bunch of other stuff was wet including the boots I had on. But I had used the old ziplock bag trick. I had some dry socks, and I put them on my feet. Then I put a ziplock bag over my socks and put my foot in the boot. This seemed to work well to keep my feet from getting soaked from the wet boots. That’s why I always carry extra ziplock bags in the size that will fit over my feet.
To follow the Photos of this hike Click Here Start at photo 66
I got ready and took one last photo of me at the campsite, then headed out. I headed west on the muddy road down to the broken down Partridge Falls Cabin. I continued west from there and soon I found the stream that the Border Route Guidebook said would have to be forded. The path that I was on lead up to the near side of the stream, where it looked like it was a canoe launch for going into the Pigeon River. But the far side of the stream looked all thickety and brushy. There was no sign of a trail over there. I couldn’t see the bottom of the stream, so I thought it was fairly deep. I really didn’t want to cross the stream there, so I decided to look for another place to cross it.
So I went back to the Partridge Falls Cabin and started hiking down the road that lead away from the Pigeon River. Soon I found an area that had a bunch of impoundment ponds to the right of the road. And then I saw it. I saw a moose on that was wading in the far impoundment pond. Wow. There was 3 impoundment ponds that I saw, and each of them were the size of about a half of a football field, I could tell they were man made because the were fairly rectangular. There was a faint road going next to one of the ponds, so I hiked down that way because perhaps I could find a way to cross the creek.
I was also headed in the direction of the moose, who apparently had not seen me yet. It was a big bull moose because I could see the antlers. I would walk a ways then stop and take photos. Then I would walk a ways, and stop and take photos. I was getting closer, and eventually the moose saw me and decided to lumber away. But for about 10 minutes I was watching it and it was really cool.
Then I decided I’d better concentrate on the task at hand, finding a place to cross the creek. And I did. There was a little dam on the creek to create the impoundment ponds, so I could walk right across the dam. I’m not sure what the impoundment ponds were being used for. Perhaps it’s some sort of fish hatchery. But these ponds are infested with beavers, and the beavers had embellished the dam with more branches and stuff.
When I got to the other side of the creek I saw a woodduck house then the landscape became quite thickety. I had hoped the little road that I was walking on would continue, but no such luck. I spent some time thrashing around the area looking for the Old Border Route. I did not see any sign of it.
I decided to give up and walk around instead of trying to get through the unmaintained section. I had established that there was no trail on this end, just a thickety mess. And I would check out the Rengo Road end of the Old Border Route. So maybe I would have better luck going from that direction.
Or maybe I would find some other forest road that would take me across.
Basically, the layout of the land goes like this. The Partridge Falls Road goes in an east-west direction, then to the south there are the impoundment ponds, then there is a big swampy area. After that there is a huge ridge where Rengo Road goes on. If I could somehow find a way across the swampy area, I could go up the ridge and make it to Rengo. So I headed down Partridge Falls Road looking for any path or forest road heading to the right.
The worst case scenario would be that I hike all the way back to Old Highway 61, which I estimated to be about 4 miles, then go south on Old 61 for one mile to Rengo Road, then take Rengo for about 8 miles to the Superior Hiking Trail Northern Terminus.
I was already wary of the Old Border Route when I talked to Scott Rademaker who him and his wife Teresa are the last known Backpackers to hike the Partridge Falls to Rengo Rd route. They had camped at Fort Charlotte, then came over to Partridge Falls, which I think is about a 2 mile hike. After that they started on the Old Border Route, which is 4 miles, But they did not make it through in one day. They camped about a mile from Rengo Road near a creek. So, they must have spent the better part of the day struggling with the thicket.
Maybe even the 13 miles going around might be faster than walking through the thicket. But maybe I would find a forest road to the right, and find a short cut. I set sail down Partridge Falls Road.
It was easy enough walking down the road, and this road did seem a little better build than the forest roads I walked on to get to Partridge Falls. After about a mile or so I came across to forest roads heading to the left. That’s not what I was looking for. I was looking for something headed to the right.
After another stretch of road I found an area that was very rocky area to the right side of the road, and it looked liked there was a path headed that way. So I set my gear down, and set out my Spot Messenger to mark my spot. I wanted my contacts to know that I wasn’t hiking the unmaintained Old Border Route, and that I was going a different way.
So, I hiked down what I thought was some type of path and it soon fizzled out. Then I came back to my Spot Messenger, sat down and ate some food. The sun was out, and it was warming up, and I was soaking it in. The Spot Messenger sent it’s message and I was soon on my way.
But, now I had devised a new plan for my hike. I felt I was getting closer and closer to Old Highway 61, and there would not be a short cut. In that case, then I could walk 1 mile south and hit Rengo Rd, then hike about 8 miles to the SHT Trailhead. That’s a total of 9 miles. If I took a left on Old Highway 61 then walked about two miles to the Grand Portage Trail, then walk 3.75 miles, I would be back to my van. That would be less than 6 miles. I could also stash my gear on Old Highway 61 and come back to get it with the van. So, it would be a lot easier walking.
I passed a clear-cut area on the left side of the road, then walked a long straight stretch, and there it was, Old Highway 61. By this time I was clearly convinced to head back for the van. So, I stashed my gear on the side of the road near the intersection. I made sure I got my keys from the diddy bag inside my backpack, then I headed down the road to the left. All I had was the gear in my vest, which included two platypus bags of water, and my hiking poles.
At the corner of Partridge Falls Road and Old Highway 61 there is a big sign that says “It is a Federal Offense to trespass on Indian Lands to Hunt, Fish or Trap without a Permit. Permits in Grand Portage. So it seems as the Tribe is very serious about their fishing and hunting rights.
I thought maybe someone might come along and I might get a ride back to Grand Portage. One SUV came along and I waved at them, but they didn’t stop. Maybe I should have stuck out my thumb.
I kept going and it seem to take a little bit longer than I expected to get down to the Grand Portage Trail Junction, but I finally made it. Then I decided to take a break. Actually, I was kind of waiting to see if that SUV would be coming back this way, because they went down the direction of the Old Highway 61 dead end. I rested for a little while, then I went and signed out of the logbook at the backcountry kiosk.
I headed down the trail.
This time it would be faster because I didn’t have any gear, and I already have this segment photographed from hiking up it. So I didn’t have to stop that much to take photos. I was pretty much just barreling down the trail with a certain amount of reckless abandon. I made it to the Poplar Creek bridge pretty fast, and I didn’t stop for a break like I did the day before. I just had a break at Old 61.
I just kept going and going. It didn’t seem to take that long and I was down to the new Highway 61, then I headed down the creek walk section into Grand Portage. I made it back around 1 pm. Not bad, over 10 miles in less than 5 hours.
On my hike through the Depot, I talked with a National Park Ranger. I told her that the bridge over the big beaver dam that is past Old Highway 61 is in disrepair. She said they would be working on it. I also told her that the bridge to the west of Fort Charlotte is in disrepair and she said that bridge would be taken out because it leads people onto tribal lands. I also noted that I did not see the trail to the Cascades, and she said it is pretty obscure now. And the Old Border Route between Partridge Falls and Rengo Road does not exist. I also went to the Heritage Center and talked with the people there. But the main thing was that I was back to my van.
I got in my van and drove up to the intersection of Old Highway 61 and Partridge Falls Road and retrieved my gear. I really needed a shower, so I headed back to the Grand Portage Campground and parked at a tent site next to the Restrooms/Shower house. I proceeded to lay out all my wet gear on a picnic table. It was fairly windy, considering it is right next to Lake Superior, so I put some heavier stuff on top to hold my wet gear down. I put my wet socks in the on the fire grate, which was somewhat shielded from the wind. I got some clean clothes and my shower kit then headed to the shower house.
Boy that felt good.
Now I was starting to formulate a hiking plan for the next day. I would drive up the Arrowhead Trail, and take Jackson Lake Road to the Trailhead that is on it, and I would lock up my bike there. Then I would drive up to Otter Lake Road and stay overnight at the Swamp Lake Campsite. I would also have plenty of time this evening to check out the Old Border Route from Rengo Road. That’s what I decided to do. I headed down Highway 61 towards Hovland.
I wasn’t going to use Rengo Road to cut over to the SHT Trailhead because I thought it was a little rough for my minivan the last and only time I drove on it during my trip last year. Besides, if I’m leaving my bike at the Jackson Lake Road Trailhead, it wouldn’t make much difference. So, I drove about 15 miles down to Hovland and turned north on the Arrowhead Trail. I drove on it for 5 miles and turned right on Jackson Lake Road. Then I drove about 4 miles down to the Jackson Lake Road Trailhead and locked up my bike. It was a small parking area, with only room for about 4 cars, and it’s down the road a ways from the trail crossing. Then I headed up Jackson Lake Road to Otter Lake Road/Rengo Road. This would be a fairly long bike trip. Although the SHT from Otter Lake Road to Jackson Lake Road is about 9 miles, the bike trip back is longer.
I drove up to Otter Lake Road/Rengo Road a found the spot where the Old Border Route is supposed to be. I parked my van next to the road, and started hiking. The first 300 yards is an old forest road that they still must use today for firefighting purposes. You walk downhill gradually and get to a dead end of sorts and the Old Border Route goes to the right on the remains of an old forest road. But it is blocked off with a bunch of stumps and other logging debris. It was easy enough to walk through, but it would block any ATV riders from taking the trail. At this point, it was a fairly recognizable old logging road. After another 300 yards there was another pile of logging debris blocking the trail. I walked past that. At no point did I see any marking of the Border Route, but I knew I was at the right spot because of the location of the trail compared to the Gravel Pit and Prout Lake on Otter Lake Road. Plus, this trail that I was following goes exactly like what is shown in the Border Route Guidebook.
After the pile of debris, the trail is still pretty easy to follow, but it keeps getting worse and worse. Finally I got to the point where I wasn’t sure there was a trail. Then I made a big circle trying to find anything that looked like a trail. But I didn’t find anything. It was one big thickety mess. I thought about continuing to try to find the creek where the Rademakers camped near last year, but I said to heck with it, and started back for the van. Now, I was totally convinced that the Partridge Falls to Rengo Road route of the Old Border Route is not a viable trail and should be avoided by everyone except people who love bushwacking. I got back to the van in short order, then I headed west on Otter Lake Road/Rengo Road. I intended to camp at the Swamp River Campsite near the Border Route Trailhead, and just 1/4 mile from the SHT Trailhead.
So I drove down the road and found out there was already someone camping there. I parked at the Border Route Trailhead, and walked down to the campsite. This is where I met Jeff and Beth. They are a couple in their 50’s, who to my surprise are SHT Trail Volunteers. They had done their trail work down near Valley Road on Saturday, and today they came up to this campsite and are just hiking and relaxing. I told them there is a great hike from here on the Border Route Trail up to a 270 degree Overlook which is less than a mile away. They said that they already hiked up to it.
Then, I asked them if they could help me out with some shuttling in the morning, and I would be willing to pay them for it. I wanted to shuttle my van down to the Jackson Lake Road Trailhead, and have them bring me back to the Otter Lake Road trailhead. They said yes they would do it, but I didn’t have to pay. They said they didn’t want to wake up too early, so they would like to do it around 9:00 am. That was Okay with me. They asked me where I would be staying at, and I said I was going to sleep in my van up at the Border Route Trailhead. So, it was arranged, and now I could hike a day with a lot less gear, which would be nice.
Beth had seen a tick on me, and I saw another one. Dang, I thought, I should have never taken that Old Border Route hike in my non-hiking clothes. I wore blue jeans and a T Shirt. My hiking clothes are treated with Peretherian, which repels ticks. And it had worked good because I had not seen a tick on me during the whole two days of hike out to Partridge Falls.
It was past 7pm, and I was getting hungry, so I excused myself and headed back to the Border Route Trailhead. I had the whole trailhead to myself, which is kind of sad because it would have been great to see some cars parked here. That would mean some people were hiking the trail. This is a good spot to stay because there is an outhouse in the woods across from it. People using the campsite also use the outhouse. I looked down Otter Lake Road to the west and saw the spot where it was blocked off due to a bad culvert. It didn’t hike all the way down there, put it looked like it was a matter of getting an excavator to dig up the culvert and put in another one. I had heard about the road closure on the SHT Hiker Yahoo Group bulletin board.
I was getting my supper stuff ready. I set out the Kelly Kettle and a camp chair I brought. Meanwhile, Jeff and Beth had taken a walk down the road towards the Superior Hiking Trail Trailhead, and they were coming back in this direction. So, I decided to wait to boil the water. Jeff and Beth were coming closer to the Border Route Trailhead, and I invited them to come over and take a look at a new piece of equipment that I bought for this hike. They came over and I showed them my Kelly Kettle. I showed them where the water goes, then I put some denatured alcohol down the chimney. I said that you can put any burnables in the chimney, like twigs and paper, and it would still work. I just use alcohol because it is faster and there is no cleaning up afterwards.
I lit the alcohol in the chimney, and within 3 or 4 minutes the water was boiling. They were impressed. They had never seen anything like it. So, I put the hot water into my dehydrated meal, stirred it and let it sit for a while. Jeff and Beth invited me to come down to their campsite in at about 8:30 for a campfire. I said I would be down. They headed back to the campsite.
I ate part of my meal, then set it down and did some other stuff. I sorted out my gear for the hike the next day. Obviously, since I would be day hiking, I wouldn’t need the tent or sleeping bag. While I was working on that stuff, a car pulled up and was going to go down into the Swamp River Boat Landing and Campsite. Since they did not have a boat to launch, I figured they were planning on camping. I waved at them and went over to talk to them. I told them that there were some people already camping down there. But they said all they wanted to do was to fish from the shore. They were Steve and Carolyn, and they looked to be in their late 20’s. So, they headed down into the campsite.
I went back and finished off my dehydrated meal, which was beef tips and rice. It was really good, and hit the spot. It was getting about time to head down to the campfire, so I got everything into the van except for the camp chair, and I proceeded down to the campsite with the chair.
Jeff had the campfire going and was sitting by it. Beth was getting some stuff out of the van. I put my chair facing the campfire next to Jeff, and I sat down. I said hi to everyone, including Steve and Carolyn who were fishing along the shore. Jeff said that Steve had caught a nice fish right off the bat. Steve looked like he was really into fishing where Carolyn was fishing, but not really that into it. Beth brought over a cooler with some food, and gave me a bowl with some chips and then she sat down. We were just relaxing, having a nice conversation, and watching Steve and Carolyn fish. It was still light out, but dusk was soon approaching.
I must have been bad luck for Steve and Carolyn, because they didn’t catch anything while I was there. Soon, Steve had enough, and told Carolyn that they would be leaving soon. Steve said since he only caught one fish, that he was going to return it to the water. I said that I would take a photo of him with the fish and that he could download it from my website. So, I went over there and started taking photos
He grabbed the fish off the grass and held it up for a photo, then he went in the water with his waders and gently moved the fish back and forth to get revived. Then he finally let the fish go. Then I took a couple photos of Steve and Carolyn with their fishing gear and I gave them a “I Saw Tman” card. Steve and Carolyn are from the Twin Cities, and they are staying at their family’s vacation house near Hovland for the Memorial Day Weekend. And when they come up to the vacation house, they go on little fishing excursions like the one they are doing now.
Steve and Carolyn left, and I went back to the campfire with Jeff and Beth. Jeff decided it was time to break out the hot dogs, He had a metal grilling stick and he got a hot dog out of the cooler. He asked me if I wanted one and I said that I ate that whole dehydrated meal earlier, which was actually meant for two people. The chips were more than good enough for me.
Jeff and Beth are interesting people. I asked them if they were married and they said no, that they had been dating for ten years. Were they thinking about getting married? They said no, they had been there and done that. They each had separate houses in the Twin Cities, and they were happy with it this way. Jeff recently quit his job as an Engineer. Evidently he is financially sound enough to do that. He said he was tired of it, and the engineering firm that he worked for was going through some changes. Evidently, the changes were not for the better. He just wanted to get a part time job like at a hardware store or something like that. I told him that I had worked part time for several years being an Epson Representative at Best Buy. Maybe he could get something like that. Beth is a Polution Control Agent for the Minnesota DNR. She seemed a little worried about her job given all the political turmoil of late. Living in Madison, Wisconsin, which is ground zero for the turmoil, I knew all about it.
I asked them when they would be headed back to the Twin Cities and they said Tuesday. I asked them what they were planning to do on Monday, and they said they were planning on doing some hiking. So I started discussing some nearby places that I thought might be good spots to hike. I told them about Mt Rose in Grand Portage. I also told them about Partridge Falls and how to get there. I showed them pictures from my camera of Partridge Falls and the Moose I saw near there. I also told them about the John Lake Overlook hike on the Border Route Trail at the top of the Arrowhead Trail.
Beth told me that she had hiked the entire Superior Hiking Trail, and that’s how she got interested in doing Trail Clearing. And the section they clear is near Bally Road, when earlier I thought she said Valley Road. I said that’s a section north of Cascade State Park, and she said yes. I told her that I had hiked that section back in 2009 and had camped at the North Bally Creek Campsite. To this day, that is still the only SHT campsite that I have actually camped at.
It was dark by now, and Jeff stood up and shown his light onto the bank of the other side of the river. He wanted to see if any moose had come down to the water to drink. But he didn’t spot any. I told them my plans tomorrow I would be hiking down to Jackson Lake Road, and then the next day I would be hiking to the Arrowhead Trail, then road walking back to my van. Beth said that she had actually done that loop herself. I’m telling you, any woman who has actually hiked the whole SHT is a keeper. I wish Jeff and Beth all the best. They are great people to spend an evening with.
It was getting late, and I decided I should be getting back to the van. Jeff and Beth were talking about turning in also. But before I left, I grabbed a piece of paper from my pocket and explained to Jeff and Beth that I wrote down on the paper all the stuff I need to let go of. I had written down a list of stuff I need to put behind me. I had written the list when I was relaxing while eating supper. I put the paper into the fire and watched it burn. Beth gave me a few words of encouragement.
So I headed back to the comfort of the van. I had a nice set up for sleeping which included 2 extra thick sleeping pads. Tonight would be a lot more comfortable than last night. God had given me a good day.