The first 3 miles of trail were about as easy a warm up as I
could have hoped for: dry, flat, and a soft, smooth trail surface. Much to my surprise, my right heel was not
giving me any problems for the first time in several days. Feeling good, I started ticking off the miles
at a pretty quick pace.
After about 4 miles, the trail steeply descended to a bridge
over the Devil Track River, followed by an equally steep and rugged climb back
to the top. The trail followed an
impressive gorge through which the Devil Track flowed. As little as a hundred feet across in certain
parts, the river was at least 300 feet below... it was like a mini grand
canyon! After the Devil Track, I was
greeted by more ridge top views of the distant Lake Superior.
Yet another gorgeous view of Lake Superior
While the terrain had grown more difficult, I was still
feeling good so I kept my pace up, and after 17 miles I met dad at a road
crossing a little before 1:00pm. I had
arrived at a segment of the trail that I had been looking forward to for quite
some time: the Lake Walk.
Every long distance trail has its own unique defining
characteristics: the rugged Green Mountains of Vermont's Long Trail; the sights
of Yosemite and Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US, for the
John Muir Trail; and of course the storied Appalachian Mountains for the
Appalachian Trail. For the SHT, that
defining characteristic is of course Lake Superior. A thru-hiker catches his or her first glimpse
of the lake within the first few miles, and the lake is a constant, though
distant companion of the hiker throughout the trail. Although we've been close to the lake at
several of our State Park campsites, the SHT does not actually hit the lake
until the Lake Walk, near the 200 mile mark.
Here, the trail ceases to become a hike through the Sawtooth
Mountains, and for a mile and a half follows a sand\pebble beach along the lake
shore. I had truly been looking forward
to this moment, although at the same time dreading it because I knew it would
be tough walking.
Fortunately, the weather cooperated with me for once. The day had started off with glimpses of
sunshine, and I was really hoping for a warm, sunny walk along the lake. About a mile before I got to the Lake Walk,
however, some clouds had rolled in and it started raining (although this
actually felt somewhat refreshing due to the quick pace I was keeping). Thankfully, just before I stepped out onto
the beach, the wave of clouds passed over and the sun revealed itself!
View
from the Superior Hiking Trail lake walk section
I felt like I was on an entirely different hike. I had gone from forests, ridge lines and
rainy bogs to a beach with the sun glistening off crystal clear waters. Although it was really tough going through
the sand (my quads were on fire!!!), I had a real sense of fulfillment hitting
the 200 mile mark of the trail and finally reaching this lake which for so long
had been only a distant view. I was
truly glad to be here in this moment, and happy that I had stuck it out in
spite of the challenges.
After leaving the lake behind, I hiked the final 5 miles
into Judge Magney State Park, where we are camping tonight. While it seems hard to believe, we have only
one day of hiking left! There are 29
miles between us and the end of the trail.
Tomorrow morning, dad will hit the trail from here, while I break camp
and then drive the car to a parking lot 14 miles from the end of the SHT. I'll start hiking the final leg, and when dad
gets to the car he'll drive to the end of the trail to pick me up.
I'm definitely feeling the 24 miles from today, but I am
super motivated for tomorrow's hike knowing that it will bring me to the end of
this journey. It has been an incredible
experience so far, and this trail has revealed more and more to me the further
I have gone, so I'll anxiously await to see what's in store tomorrow!
Matt
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