By John Keefover of Keefography
SHT THRU-HIKE RECAP CHAPTER 1: DAY 1-3
Trip report from my Northbound Thru-Hike of the Superior Hiking Trail in June 2022.
In June of 2022 I Thru-Hiked the Superior Hiking Trail Northbound along the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. During the hike I filled 3 journals worth of notes, stories, trail conditions, and thoughts to be paired with photos take along the way. I enjoy sharing my adventures in hopes of inspiring others to get outside and experience it for themselves. For general information about the SHT itself see my other blog: HIKING AND BACKPACKING THE SHT. If you’re interested in planning your own trip on the SHT you should check out the SHT THRU-HIKE ITINERARY I wrote as well. For all of you gear nerds out there take a look at my GEAR LIST FOR THE SHT.
This is a more thorough Trip Report than the Itinerary I posted, and covers the first 3 days of the hike. To see the rest of the trip see the links below.
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CHAPTER 1: DAY 1-3
DAY 1: SUNDAY 6/12/22
Total Mileage: ~10 Miles. Southern Terminus - Jay Cooke State Park Campground.
We started our Northbound hike on the SHT by hiking South. The trailhead for the Southern Terminus is 2 miles Northwest of the Southern Terminus sign so we hiked to the sign and then doubled back to the parking lot to continue on. I mean if you didn’t take a picture at the sign did you really hike the trail? I was hiking the trail with my good friend, Justin Ridlon, and my girlfriend, Julie, was walking with us on this section since she dropped us off and took our picture at the sign. It was nice having her with for the beginning and she’ll be there again at the end when she picks us up.
The wildflowers here were blooming, most notably Trilliums and Forget Me Nots, as well as giant Ferns that appeared to be straight out of Jurassic Park. This section and the rest of the trail is a lush green right now after the spring we’ve had in Northern Minnesota. We met another John on the trail who lives nearby on the Wisconsin side. He said he actually helped build the sign and maintains the trail here for all hikers to enjoy. Thank you John, and all of the other volunteers who build and maintain the trail! The trail here was in really great shape too. It was pretty dry with occasionally muddy spots.
Once we got back to the trailhead we said goodbye to Julie and continued on our way the 6 miles towards Jay Cooke State Park where we’d be camping for the night. A lot of the views through here were pretty grown in since the trail was originally built, but it was still nice. Finally the trail comes to and follows along the mighty St. Louis River. The river passes through a dramatic gorge with unusual jagged rock formations sticking out of the water at a 45 degree angle. The iconic 200’ Swinging Bridge allows hikers and explorers to cross the river. On the bridge you get an excellent view of the river in both directions. We crossed the bridge and went to go check out our campsite at the nearby campground. I would’ve rather stayed at one of the more private backpacking campsite on the river we passed awhile ago, but I wanted to be closer to our destination tomorrow. Our site was actually tucked away in secluded spot considering how big the campground was. We got all set up and then decided to head back to the bridge for sunset. After sunset we bought a bundle of firewood from the ranger station before they closed up and had a fire back at camp. It turned out to be one of the only fires I had the rest of the trip. Was too tired and lazy to bother with them later on after hiking many miles. Especially in the summer time they just don’t seem for necessary to me, though they are pretty dang fun to sit around. We stayed up way too late hanging out and catching up. I know it’s pretty early to say this, but I’m feeling good so far and really looking forward to what’s in store for the rest of the trip!
Sunset from the swinging bridge over the St. Louis River at Jay Cooke State Park.
DAY 2: MONDAY 6/13/22
Total Mileage: ~17 Miles. Jay Cooke State Park Campground - Spirit Mountain Campground My apartment…
We woke up around 7 AM. Neither of us slept very well for the first night on trail. We both tossed and turned all night and by the time we got up the rain started. The bugs came with the rain as well. We packed up and hit the trail. There were many more massive ferns and wildflowers along the trail. If you looked closely you could occasionally spot some Yellow Ladyslippers. There were also some pretty big ups & downs with switchbacks through various ravines. Early on in the hike the trail goes right over the Forbay Lake Dam which was pretty interesting. Fog lingered on the lake in front of us. Eventually the trail meets up with the St. Louis River Fond du Lac Reservoir where we stopped on the riverbank and ate a quick snack. Not long after that we came to the Mission Creek Stone Bridge, which is the first of several old stone bridges we’d be crossing soon.
Ely’s Peak kicked our butts, and more specifically our knees. Especially Justin’s. He was really struggling and in a lot of pain through this section. Once we got to the top we took in the view with fog rolling in quickly over the hills and lakes below. Even though we were really close to our campsite for the night at Spirit Mountain, Justin didn’t think he could make it there. We decided to road walk on Skyline Parkway until we hit the Magney/Snively trailhead where I had my girlfriend, Julie, come pick us up and bring us to our apartment so that we could assess the situation more. It was actually nice getting out of the cold, wind and fog and be able to sleep in my own bed again! Plus we ordered some Pizza Luce and ate a big ole meal.
The view from the top of Ely’s Peak with fog rolling in.
At home I also used this opportunity to strip some gear from my pack. I wasn’t able to get out for a shakedown hike before this trip, so after the first couple days on trail I made a few changes. Most notably was leaving the camera gear behind! Doing so saved over 5 pounds of weight from my pack, which might not seem like a lot, but it adds up over 310 miles. Plus phones these days are more than capable of taking great photos and videos. In the end I was glad I left the camera behind. I felt like in doing so I was able to enjoy the hike more and be in the moment. It was sort of freeing to be honest. This trip felt like it was more about the experience than the photos. Plus I live so close to the trail that I used this hike as a scouting mission for new locations that I can return to later with my camera during better weather and lighting conditions. Check out my SHT GEAR LIST to to see what else made the cut. We took it easy the rest of the night hoping that Justin’s knees would be good to go for tomorrow. Julie will drop us off in the morning at the same place she picked us up at earlier.
DAY 3: TUESDAY 6/14/22
Total Mileage: ~18 Miles. Spirit Mountain Campground My Apartment - My Apartment…
Once again we didn’t get much sleep even in my own comfy bed. To be fair though my couch that Justin was sleeping on isn’t really comfortable at all. Sorry Justin. We also got out of bed pretty late. Got up around 7:30 and by the time we were ready to go it was 8:30. Even just going down the stairs at my apartment Justin was struggling with the pain in his knees again. He wanted to see if he could push on so we got in the car and had Julie drop us off at the same trailhead by Spirit Mountain where she picked us up yesterday. Unfortunately almost immediately on the trail Justin said he couldn’t do it and that I should go on without him. Luckily Julie wasn’t too far away so she was able to circle back and pick him up. It was a bummer to leave Justin behind, but I continued on with the journey by myself from there.
Hiking the rest of the trail solo.
It was very foggy on that morning in Duluth. The trail felt pretty magical with heavy fog and limited visibility. I was really enjoying this section and though it was sad that Justin had to bail, I really enjoy hiking by myself. It feels freeing to me. Especially today. Since I was dropped off here and will be hiking back to my apartment today I was able to strip down my pack and go really light with my backpack today as basically just a daypack with only food, first aid kit & layers in it.
As someone living in Duluth I’m well aware of the homeless population. While on the trail though you get some pretty up close views of encampments set up right on the trail. At one point after you climb down from the Enger Tower area and head towards Canal Park there were makeshift shelters right on the trail, trash everywhere, and broken glass all over the ground. It was sad to see and also a little unsettling. I felt fine walking through there but could definitely see others feeling pretty uncomfortable walking through there. Right after that area though I did see and was feet away from a deer so that was nice I guess.
The trail hits the concrete as you cross over many lanes of Highway 35 on a pedestrian bridge as you start to enter the Canal Park area. Once I get to the Aquarium and the DECC I saw a row of those touristy BIRD scooters. I decided to hop on one those sweet rides for this last stretch to my apartment on the hillside. Maybe it’s seen as cheating to some Thru-Hiking purists, but I didn’t care. It was pretty damn fun! Felt like I was flying after walking for many miles. I took the scooter all the way to Sir Bens where I would’ve stopped for a drink and some food if Julie wasn’t already preparing some dinner for me at home nearby. Once at home I enjoyed a hearty meal, took my last shower for the foreseeable future, charged my electronics, re-supplied my food bag for the next section, and spent time with Julie as I won’t see her until she picks me up at the end in 2 weeks!
Trip Report from backpacking the 42 mile long Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail. It follows sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.