West Leveau Campsite to the South Cross River Campsite

Sunday, May 6. 2012

I woke up in the morning to a cloudy day. It was cloudy, but at least it wasn’t wet. It had not rained like I thought it was going to. So that was a good development. I got my Kelly Kettle ready and made the usual “Choco Oato” trail breakfast. I noticed when I got out the matches that I was getting low on matches. When I did my gear sorting before the hike, evidently I didn’t check the matches.

I went down to the beaver pond and got some water. While I was down there I noticed a brown object on the other side of the pond. Was that a beaver? Nah, it didn’t move all the time I was down there, it must be a log. I headed back to the campsite and started packing up. I got everything packed up fairly fast, then headed out. But before I did I went back down to the Beaver Pond one last time, and the brown object on the other side of the pond was gone. It must have been a beaver. Perhaps it was a beaver playing possum.

I started down the trail and the thing that I noticed was that this beaver pond kept going and going. It must have been dammed several times because there were wetlands to the right of the trail for a long ways. Finally the trail went over a bridge with a sign saying Leveau Creek. There was a beaver dam right there at the bridge and a small lake with a huge beaver house on it. The beavers had been busy in this area.

The Trail departed from the beaver area, and soon it was just going through a regular woods. Pretty soon I made it to a cross country skiing trail, that had a sign. It was part of the Sugarbush Trail system and it looked like a very big trail system. It looked like there were miles of trails and that I would be crossing them again over the next few miles. Yeah, getting to a ski trail, that’s about all the excitement that’s going to happen over the next few miles of trail.

Eventually, I did find some excitement. I had made it to the spur trail to the Cedar Overlook. I set down my gear and hiked up there. It was an Okay overlook. It did have some nice views, but I thought Oberg and Leveau were better. And Yup, there were lots of Cedar Trees up there. I continued down the SHT crossing two ski trails then coming to the Springdale Creek Campsite. I did my normal tour of the campsite and found it to be a good campsite, then I headed down to the Springdale Creek Bridge which is down a hill from the campsite. It’s a nice sturdy bridge, and the creek was running good below it. Then the trail went up a hill then flattened out. The trail would go for a little ways, then cross a little boardwalk. Then it would cross another ski trail, then some more boardwalks dispersed along the way. This repeated itself several time then finally I made it to the Britton Peak Spur Trail. I stashed my gear in the woods and headed up.

I’d say the walk up to Britton Peak is a little bit rougher than the other ascents I had done recently. I was harder than Oberg or Leveau. It had many log steps and some steps made from tree roots. I climbed to the top and was greeted by a chocolate lab. It’s owner called for it as soon as he saw me. This is where I met two men that looked to be of retirement age. I met Joe and John. They were up camping in the Superior National Forest about thirty miles north, and they had come down for a hike. We were at a wonderful overlook and we talked for a while. I gave them an “I saw Tman” card and took there photo for the website. They took my photo and showed me another overlook that had a message written on it. It said “TS W. L. Britton, died 9-1-47.” Then there was a big cross painted on the rock. What an interesting memorial. Joe and John were headed down the hill and I managed to catch up with them. I asked them for a favor. I was running low on matches and I was wondering if I could get some from them. They said sure. Pretty soon we were down in the Parking lot at their truck. Joe fished around in the back compartment and found some matches. I asked how much he wanted, and he said he had plenty. I thanked him, and they were on their way. Enjoy your retirement, good friends.

Now I could rest a little easier because before this I had only two matches left. I examined the trailhead area and it had a latrine bathroom and some Kiosk signs. Next thing I know, Roger, who I had met on Moose Mountain came out of the woods on the trail. Evidently, after I talked with him on Moose Mountain, he decided not to go all the way to the Lake Agnes Campsites. Instead, after reaching an overlook, he turned back and camped the night at the Onion River campsite. And since I was doing a lot of detours like the Oberg Mountain Loop, Leveau, Cedar and Britton, he had caught back up with me. It was great to see him again, but now I had to get going. I had Carlton Peak to climb.

I started down the SHT, which paralleled the road for a little ways. In that section I found a nice picnic area with a campfire area and a picnic table. I bet that’s also been used as a campsite, too. I made it down to the Sawbill Trail, also known as Cook County 2. I crossed it and there was a big sign about Carlton Peak and another sign pointing to the parking lot up the road. I headed for Carlton Peak.

At first it wasn’t too bad. I crossed a ski Trail and it started to rain. It wasn’t too heavy, but still it was rain. There were many boardwalks on this area of the trail, and also the trail was built up in some places because this evidently is a very popular trail. But this trail kept going in an upward trend. It started raining enough that I stopped and put on my blue poncho. And of course every time it rains enough for me to put on my poncho, then it promptly stops raining after I’ve got it on. Then the trail has a nasty uphill stretch with lots of rocks and tree roots. Fortunately, at the top of that stretch is a nice V shaped bench. The bad news at this point was that I wasn’t any where near the top Carlton Peak, and I was gassed.

I kept going up, and encountering more rocky and root filled sections. This kept going and going. It was getting to the point where the views were getting pretty good. I was hiking through a birch forest, so it was easier to see through the forest too. At any rate, I did a few more climbs and I had made it up to the rock cliffs of Carlton Peak. The only thing was I was on the bottom of the rock cliffs. The trail starts curving around the mountain, and you’re on this path at the bottom of the cliffs. Then I made it to a path going to the left with a sign saying Ted Tofte Overlook. After that trail junction, the SHT goes up at a sharp rate. I decided to take my gear up a ways and set it down, then come back to the overlook. That’s exactly what I did. I came back and the Ted Tofte Trail went down a ways, then there’s a sign pointing down the hill towards Carlton Peak Road. That’s the easiest way to get up here is to drive up that road and park. I kept going straight and started going up to the Overlook. After a couple minutes I’m at the top, and it’s a massive barren rock slab with great views. I took many photos including some self-shots. There were great views all around, including a great view of the nearby Carlton Peak, which I would be going up into next.

I finished at the Ted Tofte Overlook after I noticed a memorial marker for someone who died here, presumably from falling off the cliff. I took the trail back to the little valley between the Ted Tofte Overlook and Carlton Peak, then I hiked up to my gear.

I put on my backpack and hiked up to the spot where there’s a side trail to the top of the mountain. Well, it was only a few yards away, so it wasn’t even worth me putting on my backpack because I just took it off right away. At this spot there was an overlook going to the left, then there is a trail going up to the top of the mountain going to the right. I checked out the overlook and took some photos then I headed up to the top.

It’s a short steep hike up to the top, but once you get there, it’s easy hiking all around the top of the mountain. I found many spots where there were great overlooks. I also found the foundation of a fire lookout tower. It reminded me of the changing world we live in. Fire Towers have become obsolete. Fire Detection Satellites have taken their place. It made me wonder if my job is being replaced by technology. Well, I didn’t have to wonder too much because I knew that it was. The job that I have is making parts for textbooks. Sometime in the next twenty years all textbooks will be on the Amazon Kindle or Apple Ipad. There will be no need to print them. I explored the top of the mountain and found another great overlook looking toward the Ted Tofte Overlook and beyond. I was glad that I was doing a good job of exploring. Eventually, I headed back to my gear.

I started hiking again, but I was hiking on this small ledge at the base of the cliff. It was like a cliff on top of another cliff. This continued until I got around to the southwestern end of the mountain. Then I got to the spot that Roger warned me about. Roger was the guy I met when I was going up Moose Mountain, and then again at the Britton Peak Parking lot. He told me to watch out on the other side of Carlton Peak because you walk down the mountain going between some big boulders. He was right because it seem very treacherous. I walked very slowly down through the boulders. I looked up and there was a massive sheer rock cliff above me. It was the biggest cliff I had seen yet. I kept going down through the boulders and at one point there is this huge rock overhang that you hike near. That’s going to change the trail if it ever falls off the mountain. Then I finally finished with the hard part of the descent and I came out to a big grassy area with a rock lined campfire area and a picnic table. This is definitely where I’m stopping for a break. Roger, thanks for the advice. He really did know this trail.

I looked at my MacKensie Map and figured out that this place I was at was actually a dead end of a Cross Country ski trail. Perhaps the skiers come up here then hike up to the top of Carlton Peak. But I would think that would be extremely dangerous with snow and ice on the trail. I thought it was somewhat dangerous without snow and ice. I continued to look at the MacKensie Map and I determined that it pretty much was an all downhill hike for the next three miles to the Temperance River. That would make sense because Carlton Peak is a high point along the trail and the Temperance River would be a low point. So I headed out.

I started hiking and after a short ways there is a little spur trail going to an overlook. It was an okay overlook, looking inland, but not as spectacular as being on Carlton Peak. I hiked back to the SHT. The Mackensie map was right, the SHT does go on a downward tear. Most of it is at a very gentle rate, but there are some places that it goes down steeply for short stretches. I did pass over some small streams that had boardwalks, but there was nothing substantial that would still be running in August. But then I got to a bigger creek that looked pretty substantial. I looked back and got a nice photo of the sheer cliffs of Carlton Peak. The Trail continued on its downward tear over the next two miles. The one spot I do remember was on the side of a hill where there must have been an ice storm. It was a birch forest where many birches were tipped over creating arches. There were many arches over the trail, which looked very cool. But those arches would eventually become trail obstructions as they fell to the ground. So, the trail maintainers would have to watch this section very diligently.

Speaking of trail obstruction, there were very few on this whole hike since the Caribou Trail. It must have been a mild winter up here with no major windstorms. I kept going and eventually I could hear the river. That’s the thing up here in the Sawtooth Mountains. Most of the time you can hear the cascading rivers before you actually see them. It made me feel good because I was getting to my next landmark.

I hiked down to the river and at that spot the river is fast and curvy. You can see lots of rocks sticking up icebergs in the river, so it would be a pain to kayak. The trail started following the river up on the shoreline. At one place there is a nice bench. Then you see little paths going out to the river every so often. Then there is a big path going out to the river, and I could hear that the river is louder right there, so I took the path. It came out to some stunning waterfalls. The river ran down through a short little gorge, but it created many small but powerful waterfalls. I kept hiking right out by the river, instead of hiking the real SHT, which was up a ways from the river. I took a self shot photo by one of the waterfalls then I headed back to the real SHT because the waterfall area was ending, and it was just a river with rapids, again

The SHT actually goes up a hill away from the river here, but then goes back right next to the river. For the next several hundred yards the river is fast and has many rocks in it. Then I got down to a spot that had many waterfalls again. And these were bigger more spectacular waterfalls. There were a few people out exploring the waters. This is where I met a young man named Jake. He is from Grand Marais and he told me that this summer he’d be working for the Minnesota Conservation Corp. I thought that was pretty cool. I took his photo and gave him an “I saw Tman” card. There were other people milling around the waterfalls, but Jake was the one that I struck up a conversation with.

The rivers started looking more and more like a gorge. I went back to the SHT and I walked up some stone steps that looked liked they were built way back in the Civilian Conservation Corp days. When I got up on top of the steps there really was a river gorge in that section. The cliff walls were about twenty feet high and I looked down and saw some waterfalls and cauldrons. I also saw something else at this spot. I looked downstream and saw a big red footbridge crossing the river. I was making some progress because this is the spot where the SHT crosses the river. From time to time I would look across the river and see the SHT over there.

After taking a bunch more photos I made it down to the bridge and took more photos on the bridge. This was the bridge for a bike trail too, so it was wide, but not wide enough for a car. I crossed the bridge then started up the SHT on that side of the river. The trail on this side of the river passes the same waterfalls that I already took photos of on the other side, but I took some more photos anyway. This is an amazing stretch of river. Then I passed the waterfall area and was walking next to the fast river for a few hundred yards again. Then I got up to the spot where there was the second stretch of waterfalls. I passed that and continued up the river to where I saw some smoke down by the river.

So, I headed down by the fire and that’s where I met Joe. He was on vacation and was sitting in a camper chair right next to the river. He had made a fire by leaning a bunch of wood up against a big rock. The fire seemed to be going pretty good. I introduced myself and started talking with him. I asked him if I could use his fire to warm up some water. He said yes, so I started unpacking. I got my Kelly Kettle and put some water in it. I got my dehydrated meal ready, then I put the Kelly Kettle next to the fire. The water was boiling in just a few minutes, and Joe who was watching was amazed. I filled up my dehydrated meal with hot water and stirred it up, then shut the package. You’re supposed to wait ten minutes for the meal to rehydrate. In the mean time I filled up my water bags with water and put in the purification drops.

Soon, the ten minutes were up and I dived into my Lasagna meal. It was great and I was really hungry. I was thinking about saving some for later on, but Nah, I ended up eating it all. Joe got some water from the river and started putting out the fire. Once he had it all out he started distributing the remaining logs and ashes out into the wood. When he was done he said now no one would ever know there was a fire there. He folded up his pack chair, grabbed his little cooler and away he went. I thanked him again for letting me use his fire.

I packed up and headed out, too. I followed the SHT to the Temperance River Road, a gravel road. I saw ahead of me the big hill I would be going up. I knew it would be a rough climb. And yes, right away after the road there is a steep climb. This was the beginning of my undoing, but I made it to the top. Then the trail goes along the side of the hill for a ways, and it’s pretty easy hiking. I thought the worst was over, but it wasn’t. Then I got to “the spot.” Yeah, that’s the spot where I could see another long uphill climb. I was really discouraged.

I knew something like this might happen because the Nature Nymph had written on her Facebook page that coming up from Temperance State Park was really difficult. I started up this really difficult section and took it slow. I kept on thinking about the Nature Nymph. We had a falling out of sorts. I was following her hike on facebook, and making comments once in a while. But it was a rather innocent comment that got me in trouble with her. I had made a comment about the Duluth Section of the SHT and she thought the trail ended at Castle Danger. Evidently, she never bought the Guidebook and was just using the SHT fold out maps, which didn’t have the Duluth section.

Maybe she still thinks there’s no Duluth Section of the SHT for all I know. It’s pretty evident that she didn’t research her hike good enough. And that’s why she nuked me from her facebook page. Maybe I made her look bad. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the Nature Nymph was actually using her SHT hike to promote her Backpacking Videos that she is selling. She’s supposed to be an expert, and she couldn’t have someone coming along and making her look bad. At any rate, I didn’t really know about all of this at the time, and I never have claimed to be the chosen hiker.

I continued up the hill at a slow rate, taking lots of breaks. It was a rocky trail and I had to step up on rocks the whole way up. Then, finally, I made it to the top. Amen.

Then the trail goes on top of a ridge for about a mile. There are really good views. But was it worth it. Well, maybe I was too worn out from going over Carlton Peak that this climb really seemed like a buzzsaw. At any rate I was just moseying along on the top of this ridge, taking it as easy as possible. Then the trail started going downhill and I started to hear rushing water. I was getting close to the Cross River. After descending some more, I came to a trail junction. It was the Cross River Spur Trail, a 1.5 mile trail that comes up from the town of Schroeder, MN. After a short walk there is a stairway going down to the Cross River Bridge.

The Cross River Bridge is a big metal bridge. It’s not as wide as the Temperance River Bridge that also serves as a bike trail bridge, but it still is a major bridge. And the best part of the Cross River Bridge was that there was a stretch of the river with many waterfalls right by the Bridge. I crossed the bridge and took some photos. And on the other side of the bridge I found my destination for the day: the South Cross River Campsite. At that point I didn’t exactly know it was my final destination for the day, but I did know I had to find the Latrine. I found the Latrine sign at the base of the hill in back of the campsite. So I walked up the hill and found the Latrine about half way up. It felt good to sit down.

After finishing my activities up on the hill, I decided to explore the area. I was at the South Cross River Campsite and the Guidebook said there was another campsite .1 miles away, so I wanted to go check out that campsite to see if I should camp there. The South Cross River Campsite was just upstream of the big metal bridge. It was to the left of the bridge as I was crossing it. So, I walked down past the bridge and immediately I saw the campfire area for the North Cross River Campsite out by the river. The campfire area was right next to the river, but the tent pads were back in the woods a ways. I decided I would go back and camp at the South Cross River Campsite because there were tent pads right near the campfire area. But the thing with these two campsites was they were very close together. It felt like one big Multigroup Campsite instead of two campsites.

I liked having the tent pads right near the campfire area, so I went back and set up my tent at the South Cross River Campsite. I hiked up the hill and put up the rope for the bear bag. While I was up on the hill I tried making a cell phone call but there was no reception. I thought maybe since I was so close to a big power plant, that there would be reception. I thought maybe it would be useful to have cell phone service in this are so workers at the plant could call another area of the plant.

I wanted to call Jan and Kathy at the Cobblestone Cabins and arrange a pickup for the next day. Why, because I needed to recharge my batteries. I was really burning through batteries for my camera, and I didn’t think I would have enough battery power to last more than another day. I had visited too many photogenic locations like Oberg Mountain, Britton Peak, Carlton Peak and Temperance River State Park.

I believed that I was less than about 5 miles away from that Minnesota Power Plant. I could see it and hear it when I was walking along the ridge between Temperance River State Park and the Cross River. The only reason I wasn’t hearing it at the campsite was because the rushing water of the river was louder and drowned out the noise from the Power Plant.

I went down by the bridge and set out my Spot Messenger to mark my spot for the end of the day. I figured there were no trees right there, and the Messenger would have an easier time sending its message. I went back by the campfire area and got my Kelly Kettle ready for boiling hot water. I got all my stuff ready, then I lit the match. The water was boiling in just a few minutes. I put some water in my leftover dehydrated meal, then some in the dehydrated sweet potatoes that I bought from Cache Lake. This would be a little dessert. I stirred up the meal then the sweet potatoes, then I let them sit for a little bit. But I didn’t leave them sit two long. I ate the remains of the dehydrated meal, then dove into the sweet potatoes. And those sweet potatoes were Oh So Good. I really like them. Cache Lake is going to have a repeat customer. It was a nice dessert after a long day. I retrieved my Spot Messenger that send its message, then I hit the hay.