By John Keefover of Keefography
SHT THRU-HIKE RECAP CHAPTER 4: DAY 10-12
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 going Northbound. 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 days 10-12 of the hike. To see the rest of the trip see the links below.
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CHAPTER 4: DAY 10-12
DAY 10: TUESDAY 6/21/22
Total Mileage: ~14.5 Miles. E Palisade Creek Campsite - Section 13 Campsite. 4 tent pads. No water source. Carry water from Sawmill Creek .5 mile before camp.
A big storm passed through last night starting around 11:30 PM and lasting for a few hours. There was strong wind, constant lightning, rolling thunder and a downpour of rain. My Zpacks Duplex held up great throughout it with no problem. When I woke up again later in the morning the storm had subsided but it was as still pretty moody out. My buddy Rob Pelton was still in his hammock by the time I was all packed up but we said goodbye as he’s heading back to his car today. Looking forward to the next trip with him and a couple other backpacking YouTubers when we hike the Border Route Trail in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in October. You can watch Rob’s video from his hike with me on the SHT here: https://youtu.be/KhV6QXK_QpE. After leaving the site I filled up on water from Palisade Creek where Maps & Poptart were doing the same thing. I said good bye to them too and continued on. They’re heading off trail today to re-supply and stay at a campground so we likely won’t run into each other again. The trail was wet & muddy after the big storm last night and it immediately climbs up to Mount Trudee. I was really looking forward to the views up there but as soon as I got up there I was greeted with heavy fog blanketing everything. It was still a good spot to take a break and try to catch a brief glimpse of the landscape below when the wind would blow the fog around.
Fogged in at the top of Mount Trudee
Since the fog was still thick I decided to skip all of the spur trail overlooks. My left achilles has also been killing me as of a few days ago so I wasn’t hiking anything I didn’t have to at this point. I did hike through the legendary “Drainpipe” which was quite different from the last time I came through here. It used to be a difficult rock scramble on big boulders. The Superior Hiking Trail Association has recently built a nice wooden staircase over it though. Before the stairs it was a pretty fun section, but I welcomed the change especially with the rain making every surface slick.
I soon came to a sign warning people the swinging bridge ahead on the Baptism River is closed due to the flooding this spring. The bridge will be out for the rest of 2022 at least I’ve heard. There’s a quite a big reroute with a couple extra miles following the campsite road down towards the Tettegouche State Park visitor’s center and then back up on the other side of the river. More road walking… I decided to go to the visitors center since it was right there. I washed up a little bit in the bathroom, topped off my water bottles from the fountains, and caught up writing these notes down in the journal while I waited for ibuprofen to kick in to help with the achilles. After checking the map it looks like I’m around 6 miles away from my resupply point. Back on the trail I followed the Eastern side of the Baptism River to connect with the SHT again. I skipped the High Falls of the Baptism even though they are beautiful. I’ve been there many times before and I am hurting a bit today. If you’ve never been I definitely recommend checking out the falls though!
I left Tettegouche State Park and headed towards the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. I love this section of trail and Wolf Ridge itself. So much so that I used this hike as a fundraising opportunity for them! Specifically for their “Superior View Hike Class” which brings over 2,400 kids out on the SHT every year where they teach them stewardship, ecology and outdoor education. Raising awareness for Wolf Ridge while hiking the trail we managed to raise $1,725 from generous donations! Thank you so much to those who contributed to this great local Non-Profit! Wolf Ridge will be closing the fundraiser on 8/21/22 so if you are interested in donating there is still time! See the fundraiser page to learn more & donate directly to Wolf Ridge: https://www.keefography.com/fundraiser
Back to the hike! Before the trail passes through the Wolf Ridge ELC campus there’s a fantastic spur trail to Fantasia Overlook. Again, I’ve been there before so I skipped it this time. I took in the view of Wolf Lake though from the cliffs along the SHT. It’s a beautiful spot and perfect for a little snack.
Wolf Lake from a cliffside overlook on the SHT
The next overlook is called the “Superior View” and features… a view of Lake Superior! There’s rolling hills all around as well. This is also where Wolf Ridge brings the students during the class we raised money for. At the overlook I met Joe Walewski, Programs & Naturalist Training at Wolf Ridge, for my next food re-supply. It was a pleasure to meet him, talk about the adventure and what he does here. I thanked Joe and went on my way.
After passing through a claustrophobic broken boulder called the “Lime Squeezer” another impressive overlook waited for me. On top of Sawmill Dome there was a bit of a reprieve from the heat & humidity with a nice breeze on this exposed rock. Right after Sawmill Dome is another vista at Picnic Rock, and then you begin to climb down from the ridge to cross Lake County Road 6 where there’s another small road walk to the trailhead. They’ve recently rebuilt this trailhead parking lot thankfully as before it was just 2 or 3 spots tucked away in the woods. Now it’s a whole dirt parking lot that can fit many cars. There weren’t any there when I went through which made me excited thinking I might have the Section 13 campsite all to myself tonight! There is no water up on the cliffs at Section 13 you have to come prepared with plenty or fill up at Sawmill Creek about a half mile before the campsite shortly after leaving the trailhead.
I made it to the top of the cliffs at Section 13. It was windy up here but it’s one of my favorite views and campsites on the whole trail. There’s rolling hills all around and Sawmill Creek Bog in the valley below. After a quick appreciation of the view I went to go set up camp. I’ll be back at the cliffs for dinner & sunset a little later. To my surprise there was no one at the campsite! This might be my first campsite I’ve had to myself so far on this trip. That soon changed though when I was eating dinner on the cliffs and a group of like 15 teenagers showed up! I’m pretty sure it was actually a group from Wolf Ridge, but didn’t talk to them besides a passing hello. It’s a good thing there’s a big overflow campsite right next to the main site I was set up at so there was plenty of room for them. The strong winds also helped drown out their voices. I enjoyed the last of my dinner on the cliffs which was my favorite Peak Refuel meal: Chicken Coconut Curry. Once the sun set I returned to my tent and went to bed. Really looking forward to the next section tomorrow as I’ve never hiked that part before.
Last light from the cliffs of Section 13
DAY 11: WEDNESDAY 6/22/22
Total Mileage: ~16.5 Miles. Section 13 Campsite - Aspen Knob Campsite. 2 tent pads. Water from unnamed creek, unreliable in dry conditions.
Leaving the campsite in the morning I got one last cliffside view with golden morning light shining down on the landscape below. It was absolutely beautiful and got me ready to start the day’s adventure.
Golden morning light from Section 13
After taking it in I started my hike with an immediate steep descent down to the Sawmill Creek Bog area. I was excited because I know the volunteers with the SHTA have recently rebuilt the boardwalk over the bog that was previously in serious disrepair. This new boardwalk was well built. Looks like there’s lots of new beaver activity around it as well which I hope doesn’t affect it too much. I was really hoping to capture some reflections in the waters of the bog but it was still very windy which made for a choppy surface. The breeze welcomed though on what was shaping up to be another hot day.
Not long after the bog you encounter a giant Glacial Erratic, which is a glacially deposited rock differing from the area it rests in now being a heavily forested area. It was massive. Hard to get a picture of it showing the true size without a person in the frame to show scale. When passing by the Leskinen Creek Campsite there was another large group of about 15 people. I waved and said hello as I passed by. A long green tunnel finally opened to Egge Lake. I checked out both of the campsites out of curiosity and for a good excuse to eat some snacks. I’d say the North Campsite was a littler better and bigger. The lake was nice, but I prefer Sonju Lake over it which is coming up next. The Southern site at Sonju Lake is better mostly because Lilly’s Island is right there. It’s a neat little rock island with a boardwalk going out to it over shallow water. This spot reminds me of the BWCAW. According to SHT guidebook it was named after a dog who loved the island.
Leaving Sonju Lake behind the trail crosses over the East Branch of the Baptism River on a neat bridge. Unfortunately a large portion of it was destroyed in the flooding this bridge. That seemed to be a very common problem this year with lots of damage to bridges and boardwalks along the whole trail. Before you start your hike be sure to check out the SHTA website for current trail conditions. Thankfully you could still cross the river though as most of the damage was on the part over dry land.
Flooding this spring destroyed this boardwalk up to a bridge across the East Branch of the Baptism River.
The trail then follows along the river and is completely covered in cedar tree roots. If it wasn’t so difficult to walk through it would be really cool! There’s 2 campsites right on the river here that are small, but quite nice. The Blesner Creek site is nearly surrounded by moving water and would’ve made for a good camp for the night. It was pretty early though so I pushed on to the next one at Aspen Knob. I wanted to be as close as I could to George Crosby Manitou State Park for a big day through there tomorrow. In hindsight I should’ve tried to book a backpacking site inside the park to be even closer, and because Aspen Knob was just not a very good site. There wasn’t much to it tucked away in the woods with a very small stream nearby. The flies & hornets were terrible as well. I ate dinner and retreated to the tent for the night to get away from the bugs.
DAY 12: THURSDAY 6/23/22
Total Mileage: ~21 Miles. Aspen Knob Campsite - South Cross River Campsite. 4+ tent pads. Water from Cross River.
The wind died down and the bugs went away over night. It was really quiet now. Almost unsettlingly quiet. I slept from 6 PM to 5 AM waking up occasionally to the sound of someone’s dog barking off in the distance. Right off the bat the trail comes to Cramer Rd/Lake County 7 and the entrance to George Crosby Manitou State Park. The trail follows the dirt road into the park for about a half mile until it gets to the trailhead parking lot.
Entrance to George Crosby Manitou State Park.
To my surprise there were only 3 cars in the lot there. This is the only State Park on the North Shore that isn’t right off of Highway 61. It’s off the beaten path and a little more rugged than the others. In fact the road into the park got washed out this spring with the flooding, but it was repaired pretty quickly to allow access. The day use shelter on the Middle Trail section of the park that follow the SHT was also completely destroyed in the spring as well. It sits in ruin right off the trail.
This day use shelter in George Crosby Manitou State Park was destroyed in the spring.
After this point the trail gets pretty challenging. There’s a steep rocky descent down to the Manitou River and then it crosses and climbs out of the ravine and up and around Horseshoe Ridge on the other side. It can be a difficult section, but it’s pretty easy going after that for awhile. For now I got to the river and took a quick break at the waterfall. It’s a series of several cascades and makes for a great place to filter water and have a snack. Back on the SHT the trail passes two State Park backpacking sites that are right on the river. They were both empty when I walked by in the morning. Kicking myself for not thinking of reserving one of these sites yesterday as they looked really nice, especially in comparison to the one I stayed at last night. My achilles was hurting pretty bad by the end of the day yesterday though so maybe it was good that I didn’t push it further. It feels fine so far today though.
Waterfall on the Manitou River.
I came to the bridge crossing over the water and immediately noticed all of the debris all over it. This spring the water was so high it submerged the bridge which is almost hard to believe with where the water level is at now. Glad it’s passable now! The climb out of the river and up Horseshoe Ridge is a burner. It eventually came to a marked vista called “Overlooked Overlook.” There was another hikers coming from that spur trail. I asked if there’s a reason why it’s called that and he said there’s nothing to see at all. Just past that sign though there is a decent opening for a view. From there it was onto the Caribou River. Right when I got to the West campsite a mother Grouse came after me chasing me for a good 50 feet! Those things can be scary when they catch you off guard and are huffing and hissing at you! This one was especially relentless. Glad I had trekking poles to keep distance between us to fend it off. Also glad there was no one at the campsite there to witness that spectacle as I was trying to shoo it away and calm it down. It’s just protecting her chicks but man that was excessive! After that encounter and the difficult section I just went through it was time for a much needed break at the river. I didn’t take the spur trail to Caribou Falls as I’ve been there a bunch and it’s a bit out of the way with a ton of steps, but definitely do it if you’ve never been! It’s one of my favorite waterfalls on the North Shore and that’s saying a lot! Most of the trail for the rest of the day is pretty flat thank goodness. I cruised through this part in comparison to what I hiked earlier today. Soon I came to the covered Crystal Creek Bridge which is definitely my favorite pedestrian bridge on the SHT. As a side note the latrine at the campsite there is also my favorite toilet on the trail as well with a fantastic view of Lake Superior when you’re sitting down…
Crystal Creek Covered Bridge
Next up of note was Alfred’s Pond marked as Ruffy Lake on the map. It’s very boggy here so make sure to stay on the trail and near the benches as to not impact the delicate vegetation or even sink through! Dyer’s Creek came up soon after that. I was originally planning on staying at the campsite here but wanted to push on through this flat section as I was feeling good. It was around here where I passed another group of 15 people. This stretch is mostly a green tunnel until it opens up for a glimpse at Tower Overlook looking out over Lake Superior towards a radio/cell phone tower in the distance. There’s another view of a swampy/boggy area called Boney’s Meadow too, but it was very buggy so I didn’t stay long.
The trail then meets the Cross River. There are 4 campsites on the river here. The first one was The Falls. It had a pretty steep hill up to the site and down to the river so I passed on that one out of sheer laziness. The second one was called The Ledge which had a really nice secluded tent pad but didn’t really have what I was looking for with a chill spot on the river. The next two sites are huge group sites. The first one actually had another big group of teenagers as well. I’ve never seen so many big groups on the trail! Thankfully there was no one else at the other group campsite. I set up as far away as I could from the group and was glad the river was loud enough to drown them out as I randomly heard F-bombs and even the Penis game coming from them. Yes, the game where each person tries to say “Penis” louder then the other one until they’re all yelling. Ah, memories… but also the SHT isn’t really the place for that.
Right after I made dinner I heard non-stop thunder in the distance. I packed up all of my things and hung my bear bag quickly. As soon as I got in the tent it immediately started pouring! Plus side is it quieted down the kids at the other campsite. I sound like a grumpy old man now! It wasn’t long before the storm subsided. It was right around sunset when it happened so I was curious to see if they’d be any good lighting. Often times the best light and color comes right before or after a storm at sunrise or sunset. Sure enough I witnessed one of the wildest sunsets I’ve ever seen! The sun was actually setting behind me, but it was absolutely lighting up the storm that just passed and was now over Lake Superior. The massive fiery cloud was spouting lightning every once in awhile still too. It looked like something out of Stranger Things! I wished I was somewhere a little higher or with a more clear view, but it was still incredible seeing it through the gap in the Cross River from the bridge right at the campsite. What a good way to end the night, and this chapter!
Insane passing storm absolutely lit up at sunset over the Cross River.
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.