Friday, May 11, 2012
I got up plenty early enough in the parking lot of the West Branch Bar. I set out my alcohol stove on the gravel in the parking lot away from the van, and boiled some water for a Choco-oato breakfast. I finished my breakfast as Dave came over and told me he was ready to go. I said I was ready to go, but I needed to get some gas down at the Co-op. He said he needed to go down to the Co-op anyway to get some morning coffee. So we headed down there. I filled up my Van’s tank, and Dave was already out of the store with his coffee.
We drove up Hwy 1 and dropped the van off at the trailhead. Then Dave drove me in his pickup truck down to Hwy 61 and we went along Lake Superior over to Hwy 6. It’s a big hill going up to the trailhead. I’m glad I didn’t try to hike and bike it. Dave dropped me off at the trail, instead of the gravel pit. I gave him $40, thanked him and told him to have a great summer. He was on his way. He’s got quite the retirement. He lives in Northern Minnesota near the Boundary Waters during the summer. Then, he takes his trailer to Southern California for the winter. The amazing thing is that his wife does it with him. You wouldn’t think women would be all that thrilled with the nomadic life. But, Dave was originally from the Finland Area, so I imagine his wife likes to see all her friends. And then they have family in California that they like to see also. Keep enjoying your retirement, My Friend.
This was starting to feel like the beginning of the end. I really thought that today was going to be my last day hiking for now, then, I would head back to Madison. If started back to Madison tonight I would make it home some time tomorrow (Saturday). Then I could rest up and attend my family’s Mother’s Day gathering on Sunday. If I hiked on Saturday, I might be able to make it back for the Mother’s Day Gathering, but I would be really tired. Besides, it just felt like I should end this hike.
To follow along with the Photos of this Hike Click Here
I started up the hill towards Sawmill Dome. And up I went, on a series of rocks and roots. This was a rough section to go up, but at least it was early in the morning when I was fairly refreshed. The Trail kept going up and pretty soon I was getting to see some pretty good views. After climbing up over another rocky stretch of trail, I came out to a pretty good outcropping where I took some photos. Then the trail goes down using a switchback and a series of steps. But then it almost immediately goes up with a rather long staircase. After that I was pooped and decided to take a break for breakfast.
And it was the “Breakfast of Chimp Peons” as I call it when I don’t eat so good. I had a Butterfinger Candy Bar and a bottle of cranberry juice. I guess the bottle of cranberry juice wasn’t so bad. Sometimes I buy the cranberry juice just to keep my urinary tract in good shape. After resting a little bit I continued up the hill. I reached some good overlooks again. I had a good view of Hwy 6 where I started hiking for the day. Then the trail turns away from the overlook and goes through some woods on the top of the hill. According to the SHT Guidebook, I was supposed to be getting to a side trail to Picnic Rock, then, I would be getting to the top of Sawmill Dome. And that’s what happened.
I came up to a little sign saying “Picnic Rock” with an arrow pointing to the right. I set down my gear and started hiking. Soon I was hiking at the base of a large rock face. I was expecting to see some type of overlook down that way, but that wasn’t the case. Instead I found a little cave create by huge rocks piled up on each over. I guess I didn’t read the SHT Guidebook too well. I kept walking down the trail at the bottom of a large rock face looking for an overlook and finding none. The trail fizzled out and I came back to the rock cave. I checked the guidebook and found out that’s Picnic Rock. It is an interesting landmark, but I had a wrong impression of it.
I headed back to the main SHT, which continued in an uphill fashion, coming ever closer to a rock face. I was hiking to the left and heading up closer and closer to where I would be getting on top of the rock face. One thing I did notice was a huge pine tree on top of the rock face. It was on the edge and looked like it was holding on for dear life. I made it to a little staircase, then went up on top of the rock face. It wasn’t long after that when I made it to a tremendous overlook. I was at the Sawmill Dome Overlook and there was a sign saying so. It’s an overlook looking inland towards Finland, MN. You could see Hwy 6 down below, and a view houses and farmsteads along the Highway. I stopped, took some photos and made a video. This is a great spot.
I continued on after the Sawmill Dome Overlook and went up over a short staircase then came out to a flat spot that obviously had been used as a campsite. It’s not an official campsite, and it’s hell and gone from water, but nevertheless people have camped there. Now I was in for some easy hiking. Matt, the guy I met down on Hwy 6 the day before said once you get on top of it, it’s easy hiking for a long ways. I was looking forward to it. The trail went slightly downhill for a ways and I saw a green murky pond on the right side of the trail. I guess that’s where you would need to get water if you’re camping near the Overlook. But that pond didn’t look that appealing as far as getting water. The Trail went through the woods over to an overlook of Lake Superior. It was nice. Then it continued through the woods to some more overlooks of Lake Superior, but they were not as good as the first one. Then the trail went through some rocky areas, with big rocks piled up on the hill. I took a photo next to one of the rocks. The trail went downhill after than, then I came to a spot with some more rocks, but these were gigantic rocks. Two of these giant rocks were only 5 feet apart, creating a gateway that you walk through.
The Trail went on a downhill run, going over a little creek, then it went up slightly to some overlooks of Lake Superior. And these overlooks were quite good. Better than the other ones I had already passed. After that the trail goes down over a boardwalk and continues downhill all the way to an Electric Line Right of Way. At the Electric Line Right of Way there is a big sign saying “Wolf Ridge Property, No Hunting, Foot Travel Only.”
Right away when I got onto the Wolf Ridge Property, I could tell the SHT was having some trail work done there. First there were some ribbons around trees. And from my trail crew experience, I know that when they put several ribbons around a tree, that means it’s the beginning of a structure, like a boardwalk. Pretty soon I saw a pile of new wood piled up. That for sure meant that they were working on the trail. The trail goes up to a little overlook then down into some scrublands. This is where I came up to the sign for the East Kennedy Creek Campsite. Right at the sign for the campsite, there was another sign for a side trail going to the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. I checked out the campsite. It seemed to be a nice enough campsite, with some grassy tent pads. But it looked like it would be getting plenty of sunshine, because it was in the scrubby woods.
I went back to the main SHT and soon found Kennedy Creek. It was a cute looking creek with the yellow Marsh Marigolds growing along its banks. I crossed over the short bridge and soon found the side-trail for the West Kennedy Creek Campsite. I decided to take a little break here. So I set down my stuff on the bench around the Campfire area and went off to find the latrine. I guess that’s why I decided to take the break. It was one of the more deluxe Wilderness Latrines. One of the green ones with the lid on the top. I finished up my break and inspected the campsite. It was very much like the other Kennedy Creek Campsite, in the sunny, scrubby woods.
Immediately after the campsites the SHT goes on an uphill run and comes out at a very nice overlook of Lake Superior. And there were large birds flying around, I’m pretty sure they were turkey vultures by the way they were circling around. They really put on a flying display. After that I kept walking on the top of the hill and pretty soon I seen a lake down to the right. Then I came up to a full-blown overlook of the lake. You could see the buildings of the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center on the ridge on the other side of the lake. It was quite the vista because the lake was a long ways down from the overlook. And the overlook was on a cliff. I walked along the cliff, which kept going for a long ways. I walked along the cliff taking dozens of photos.
After the great section of cliff walking, the trail went downhill, and I came to a sign saying that I was leaving the property of the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. What a property that was to hike on. Thank you for letting the trail go across your land. The trail continues on a downhill run going past another boulder. When I got to the bottom I found a small stream and a forest road. Then I found a bunch of trail building wood stacked up. It looked very sturdy, so I decided to take a nap on top of it. I was being very leisurely, mainly because I knew I didn’t have that far to go to get back to the van. I propped up my backpack as a pillow and laid down on the pile of wood. I don’t know if I actually went to sleep, but it felt good just taking it easy for a little bit.
I had noticed there were a few muddy spots on the trail, and with all that lumber it looks like they are addressing those problems. I finished my rest period and continued up the trail. And the trail does go in an upward pattern from there, but nothing too hard. Pretty soon I made it up to a side trail and the sign for Fantasia Overlook. It said it was a half-mile to the overlook, so I set down my gear and headed up. The spur trail headed up the hill using some stairs at one point, then it turned to the left and went parallel to the SHT below it. The view was getting better and better, then finally the spur trail came out to a tremendous overlook. The view at the overlooks was to the west and the south. And quite the view it was. I could see Palisade Head, the hill next to Lake Superior at which is part of Tettegouche State Park. It’s the most recognizable feature along the shoreline. Then way off in the distance I could see the smoke coming from the Taconite Plant in Silver Bay. Looking to the west I could see Mount Trudee, also in Tettegouche State Park.
Looking down from the overlook I could see a road and some houses at the foot of the hill. Then looking to the right I could see a couple houses up in the hills. One of them didn’t look that far from the overlook, perhaps a 1/4 mile away. It looked like this area was getting more and more developed.
I also saw MN Hwy 1, which was about a mile away, according to the SHT Guidebook. I looked along the highway to see if I could see my white van parked over there, but I didn’t see it. Sometimes at certain overlooks I have been able to see my van. It’s always good to check up on your vehicle. It reminds me of the case when a guy was at the Observation Deck of the John Hancock Building in Chicago when he noticed someone was breaking into his car parked down below. I took a bunch of photos at the overlook and even did a video. It truly is a fantastic overlook worthy of the name Fantasia.
I headed back to the Superior Hiking Trail. But I had that feeling now, the feeling that the end was coming. I saw Highway 1 where my van was parked. When I get there will that be the end of this weeklong hike? Will Fantasia overlook be the last big landmark on the trail for this hike? I would have to reassess the situation when I get back to the van. It’s still really early, perhaps I can do some more hiking. I made it back to the SHT where I had stashed my gear. Then I continued west.
The trail goes in a downward pattern for the next 1/4 mile after the overlook spur trail. Then it goes up to another nice little overlook. It had a good view of Palisade Head, which was much closer now than when I was at Fantasia Overlook. After that the trail goes in a downhill pattern through a scrubby woods. I reached a sign saying “This Area Burned in 1990.” I really couldn’t tell that it had burned, other than having a sign stating so. It just was a younger scrubby woods, which could have been clear-cut instead of being burned. The trail goes down over a couple little bridges with little streams under them. Then I saw some electric lines and I was out to the road.
It was early afternoon and I had walked 6.8 miles since Lake County Hwy 6 where I started this morning. I was around 3 pm, so I still had plenty of daylight to do some hiking. I checked the SHT Guidebook. The High Falls of the Baptism River was only 1 mile away. I could hike into the Falls and have it be the last Landmark on my hike.
Should I put my bike in Tettegouche State Park? Well it would be considerably longer biking back to my van, perhaps 5 miles, and I would have to go up a big fricken hill on Highway 1. It would be much easier to hike to the falls and just hike back. But then I decided on a different plan. I would hike half way to the falls then hike back. Then I would drive over to the parking lot at Tettegouche State Park. I would then hike to the half way point, then hike back to the parking lot.
To follow along with the Photos of this Hike Click Here
So that’s what I did. I started hiking west from MN Hwy 1. The trail starts out going up over a little rocky hill. When you get to the top there’s a nice overlook, but nothing as tremendous as Fantasia Overlook. Then the trail goes down sharply past some huge rock masses and levels out. After hiking over a few boardwalks in this level area, the trail goes on a slightly uphill run. I was taking photos all along the way. Then on the way back to my van, I would just concentrate on walking fast. I got to a point where the trail took a turn to the left, then headed slightly downhill. This is where I decided to stop. I saw some busted up birch logs on the side of the trail and I picked them up and set them in a T pattern next to the trail. This marked the spot I would hike to coming from the other direction.
So, I hiked down to the level area again, then back up over the rocky hill to the Trailhead. I drove down to the entrance of Tettegouche State Park, and stopped in to the ranger station. I always like checking those places out to see what type of maps and literature they have. Then I headed up to the Trailhead, which is located not that far from the campground, about two miles up from Hwy 61. For some reason Minnesota State Parks calls it the “Trail Center,” which makes me think there’s some sort of building there, but it’s just a parking lot. I parked my van and continued on my hiking journey. I wasn’t taking any photos now, instead I would hike to the half way point then start hiking back taking photos. Then the photos would be in succession with the photos I took previously.
It’s a nice wide trail leading away from the Trail Center. It looks like it gets plenty of use. I suppose they get lots of people hiking to the falls. To the left of the trail there is a big fenced in area, which was made to prevent deer from eating young trees. Then there was junction with a new trail, which was freshly seeded. It looked liked they were building some new skiing trails in the park. Pretty soon I made it up to another trail junction. This is the Junction with the Main SHT and I turned to the right. I continued down the trail, which was muddy in spots, and pretty soon I could start hearing the rush of the river. I got to a spot that had a bench and a big staircase going down. The river was down below, and I walked down the stairs to a viewing platform. And there it was, the High Falls of the Baptism River. It was a spectacular sight indeed. I headed down some more wooden stairs and there was a side trail going to another viewing platform. I skipped it because I would be going there on my way back.
Finally I made it upstream of the waterfall and found the fantastic feat of engineering, the SHT cable bridge. I crossed it with very little fanfare and kept going. There were more wooden steps and viewing platforms. I skipped them. Then there was a staircase going down to the river, I skipped that also. Pretty soon I came up to a trail junction for a trail that goes down the river to the Park Ranger’s Station. I kept going on the SHT. I kept going and going. It seemed like a very long hike back to the spot where I had placed the birch logs in a T. I had failed to take into account the distance between the Trail Center and the Falls. That added another half mile to the hike each way. I kept going and I thought I passed it, but finally I found it.
Then I started hiking back towards the Falls but this time taking photos. I headed back and found the trail junction for the Trail going down the river to the Park Office. That also passes another falls called Two Step Falls. But I kept on the main SHT. The SHT goes on a downhill run, with log steps every once in a while to help prevent erosion. Then I made it to a wooden staircase going down to a boardwalk walkway. Soon I made it to another stairway going down to the left from the SHT. This went down to the river with a great view of the High Falls of the Baptism River. I took several photos here including a self-shot.
Then I went up the stairs back to the SHT. The SHT went up some wooden stairs and came to another wooden deck overlook. This is an overlook of the top of the falls where you can see water falling over the edge. I continued photographing at a high rate. This is a very scenic area. I continued on the SHT and soon found the Cable Bridge over the Baptism River. It has a tall metal structure on each shore of the river that looks like an oil drilling derrick. The cable stretches from each derrick and the long red metal bridge hangs from the cable. I’d say the bridge is at least 40 yards long if not longer. And since it’s a cable bridge, it swings around a little bit when you walk on it. There’s a sign warning people not to make the bridge swing back and forth. It says in the SHT Guidebook that it’s the most expensive and elaborate bridge ever built on the SHT. It truly looked like quite the engineering feat. I crossed the bridge and then the SHT turns to the left and head back towards the falls. I head over a smaller bridge, then up some steps. Then I found a wooden boardwalk side trail heading to a viewing deck by the falls. I decided to make a video here. I did the introduction, then grabbed the camera and filmed the falls and cable bridge. The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJVVIgMMZ_s
I finished up at that viewing deck and heading down the SHT to another viewing deck. This would be the last viewing deck, because after this one, the trail goes up a large staircase and away from the river. I took some more photos at this viewing deck and headed up the stairs. I’d say it’s the equivalent to going up a three-story building. And at the top there is a well-placed bench. Also, at the top there is a trail going along the river to the left heading to the campground. I wasn’t heading that way, so I headed straight, and away from the Baptism River. The High Falls of the Baptism River would be the last major landmark on this hike. And what a landmark it is. It’s the highest waterfall completely in Minnesota. There’s another waterfall on the border near Grand Portage that’s higher, so that’s why they say “completely in Minnesota.” So, now I’ve seen one of the most spectacular sights in Minnesota from pretty much all angles. I was down near the river below the falls. Then I was above the falls on the east side of the river and upstream of the falls on the Superior Hiking Trail Bridge. Then there were two more viewing decks on the west side of the river.
I headed down the SHT, which now was a really wide park trail. Soon I reached the trail going to the left to the parking lot. My SHT journey was over now. I took the side trail to the parking lot. I passed the newly constructed ski trails and the fenced in area that protects young trees from deer. Then I was back at the Parking lot.
I set out my Spot Messenger on a log next to the Trailhead to mark the end of the hike. Then I drove down a couple blocks to the Campground and pulled up to the Restroom/Shower house. I went in and used the facilities. I washed up and put some different clothes on. I drove back up to the Trailhead and retrieved my Spot Messenger, which had send its message. Then I rolled down the park road to Hwy 61 and turned south. Without much fanfare, this hike was officially over. There was no turning back now. I was headed home.
I suppose I could have stayed another day and hiked over to Silver Bay. But I really didn’t feel like it. The High Falls of the Baptism River was such a good spot to end this hike. Anything else would probably be anticlimactic.
It was around 5:30 pm when I left, and I wasn’t looking back. I headed back down through Two Harbors and stopped at the Culver’s. Somehow this Culver’s to me symbolized coming in and out of the wilderness. Every time I came up to the Arrowhead Region I always stopped at the Culvers. And every time I left the Arrowhead Region I always stopped there, too. I guess to me it’s kind of a Gateway to the Wilderness, or coming back, the Gateway to Civilization.
After Culver’s I headed down the 4-lane Highway 61 to Duluth. I crossed over into Wisconsin. I finally got tired and pulled over to go to sleep at the Rice Lake, Wisconsin Super Walmart. I woke up in the middle of the night and had to use the bathroom facilities in Walmart. That’s why I stop at that Walmart to sleep. It’s open 24 hours and that means the bathrooms are open 24 hours. I usually park my van to sleep in the outer reaches of the Parking lot. So, I drove up close to the building and parked, then went in to use the bathroom.
After that, I really couldn’t get to sleep again, so I started driving down Interstate 53. I drove down to Eau Claire then started driving south on Interstate 94. After a while driving on Hwy 94, I started to get tired again, so I pulled over in the little town of Northfield and went to sleep. I woke up around 8:30 in the morning and headed out again. I ate breakfast at the Quik Trip Truckstop in Black River Falls. Then kept going home without any detours. I made it home around 12:30 pm. My mom was happy to see me. Now, I could rest up and be ready for the Mother’s Day Brunch my family had planned for the next day.
All in all it was a very good hike. It had some ups and downs, but mostly up. Going through Crosby Manitou State Park on a wet day proved to be a little much for me. That’s when I changed from being a backpacker to a dayhiker. I saw over a dozen waterfalls and over a dozen overlooks. It really doesn’t get much better than that.