Leaving Hannah to enjoy the luxury of the St. Paul Crowne Plaza Hotel, I grabbed a car and drove north. And more north and more north, up to Duluth and from there along the north shore of Lake Superior. My destination was the Superior Hiking Trail - 277 miles of it, from the tip of the lake to the Canadian border. Though I was tempted to strike out for Canada, maybe to claim political asylum, I stopped 90 miles south at Tettegouche State Park.
I decided not to go full Davy Crocket, and got a campsite in the park rather than one of the "backwoods" ones on offer. I'm now fully Californian, and will only camp somewhere with hot showers. After pitching my little tent I saddled up and set off.
The trail as it winds through the park is spectacular. Everywhere is aspen and pine, and you ascend to various overlooks that show off the vastness of the forest as it covers the hills and valleys of the Sawtooth Mountains.
Then there's Lake Superior, ever-present and pretty huge, given it's the largest freshwater lake in the world. Hiking conditions were perfect, if a little close to English, but it was clear and bright all day and in six hours I took in waterfalls, a couple of inland lakes, and Mt. Trudee. I was accompanied everywhere by woodpeckers antisocially breaking the silence, baby squirrels, deer, pheasants, and even a mouse or two. The squirrels and birds chirruped out warnings whenever I approached, confirming my status as the alpha male of the woods. Luckily I didn't meet any bears or wolves or, indeed, another human.
Back at camp I enjoyed my dinner of noodles and was kept company by a fox, who fulfilled the scavenger role that the raccoons have cornered in California. I was in bed early after some stargazing in the perfect blackness of these skies. The warden told me it was going to get to 20F overnight (-7C) and I have a 20F-rated sleeping bag, which I think means I have an evens chance of survival.
All dressed up and ready to go! I did get some strange looks as I walked through the streets of St. Paul on my way to the car hire place.
After a three-hour drive, here's the lake! Looks as big as they claim.
My home from home for tonight.
My excellent tracking abilities led me to the trail.
Onward through the aspens.
Baptism River. It was cold but soul-cleansing.
One of the hundreds of woodpeckers knocking about.
From one of the overlooks, looking over the forest and out to the lake.
Most of the autumn colours had fallen...
...but I did indulge in a little leaf peeping.
I was told by the ranger not to miss the "old growth forest". But is conservancy even a word?
A baby squirrel, scarpering.
Up on Mt. Trudee, the southernmost point of my walk.
The forest is massive. Did I mention that?
Proof that I really was there.
Decisions.
A few final autumn colours as the sun sets.
It's a fox! I need to work on my wildlife photography skills.
Here's a quick glimpse at the stars. They alone made the very real risk of hypothermia worth it.
