SHT Day 21

July 12, 2018

Cook County Rd 1 to Aspen Knob • 18.1 miles

The AmericInn provided ample opportunity to refuel in the morning with a big breakfast! While I ate, I chatted with two women who also escaped the rain after camping at Temperance. Temperance River is so called because it has no [sand]bar! The two women were so kind, and I asked them for a ride back to the trailhead once all the fog lifted. I watched my new favorite TV station and the radar looked clear after 8 a.m. There was a dense fog outside, so I talked about the hike and explained my maps to the women and we all ate a leisurely breakfast. We packed up our rooms and played Scrabble while the clouds subsided outside.

Once all was clear, we packed the car and drove down the paved-to-gravel road to the trailhead where I hitched out the day before. I hopped out of the car, spewed gratitude, and started hiking. Of course, after all the rain the trail was a muddy mess! Plus, it was cloudy and there was rumbling, and I hoped that it wasn’t more thunder. I figured that it was an airplane, but it felt silly that I was unable to distinguish between the two.

The morning mud hopping was getting old, but I was still making good time, and I arrived at Alfred’s Pond and was blown away by how beautiful it was.

Alfred’s Pond– such a tranquil area, amid sinking boardwalks

I arrived at Sugarloaf parking lot quickly, after singing the whole 5 miles there since someone on the Facebook group saw a bear in the area recently. In the parking lot I saw the couple I had camped with at Springdale campsite two nights ago. They said the rain wasn’t too bad, but seeing their socks drying over the sign made me relieved I decided to stay dry. I wished them well and hopped along the trail, which began to climb and descend all over. It was a nice respite from the mud. Eventually, I got to the George Crosby State Park area, and saw the Eastern campsite filled with tents. Down by the river was a group of girls and their camp counselors from a northern Minnesota summer camp. One asked me where I was from, and they asked if I was thru-hiking. I was excited to tell them yes to the latter question, especially as a solo woman hiking thru. I wished them well and about a mile later I stopped at a logging road to air out my feet a bit and eat half a Twix.

There was a steady climb up to horseshoe ridge, and then the climb turned abruptly steep. Despite the heavier pack, I was feeling strong conquering the tricky slopes, and once on top, the ups and downs on the ridge had rewarding views of Lake Superior. At first, the lake was overrun with fog lapping at the trees, but as the sky grew bluer and the sun grew stronger, the fog receded. There were puffs of white lichens on some knobs I walked over, and beautiful juniper and conifer forest between the various peaks. After some hours of walking, I descended steeply and gingerly stepped on damp rocks and gravely slopes down to the Manitou River that was ranging after all the rain.

As I crossed the river, I saw the fee campsites that could be reserved with the park. They looked so nice, right next to the river, but I knew I had a big climb ahead and wanted to stay at a SHT campsite for my last night on the trail. So, I climbed on weary legs, but took my time and before I knew it the terrain was leveling out and signs/maps showed that I was less than a mile to the next parking lot. The walk through the park was glorious, and the paths were well maintained, with only one area so muddy that I laughed.

I arrived at the parking lot around 5:20 p.m– I had walked 17.1 miles in 6.5 hours. However, once I saw the SHT sign going South, I was confused since I didn’t see Aspen Knob campground listed. After a momentary bout of confusion, I figured it was an old sign, and I would be at the campsite in a 1.5 miles. After a brief snack break, I hopped up for a 0.6 mile road walk and I crossed a road where weekender cars whizzed past. More uphill followed when I crossed to continue the trail, and sure enough the sign right where the trail re-entered the woods listed Aspen Knob campsite as less than a mile away! Relieved, I hiked up a slope, around the corner, over a small creek, and arrived at my last campsite for the trip. It was a buggy campsite, and I swatted mosquitos as I made my dinner, and started a fire to scare them away. As I drifted to sleep, a smaller animal, followed by a bigger animal, ran through the campsite. Suddenly much more awake, I tried to focus on the short morning hike in the morning, and quickly fell asleep again thinking of how I much preferred hearing the lullaby of a stream running in the distance to the cars motoring on busy roads.