End of the Line

The end of our journey on the Superior Hiking Trail

This morning we awoke to a cold, but clear day.  Dad and I would be splitting the remaining 29 miles of the SHT.  I had finished yesterday's 24 mile hike just a few feet from our campground at Judge Magney State Park, so after eating breakfast, dad hiked out of camp for his 15 mile hike.  You can see his entry for today below.

After dad left, I broke down the tents, packed up the car and drove to a trailhead that would mark the end of dad's 15 mile hike and the beginning of my final 14 mile leg to the northern end of the SHT.  While my feet and knees were still sore from the 24 miles the day before, with a shorter hike and the end of the trail beckoning, I set off in high spirits.

Based on the guidebook's description, I didn't think this last leg of the journey would be very scenic.  Fortunately, I was wrong.  After a few miles, the trail led me on a brutal climb up to a ridge named Hellacious Overlook.  I'm sure the name comes from the lung-busting climb to the top (and the knee-wrecking descent back down), but the view was incredibly rewarding.  I was greeted by the sight of a beaver pond dotted valley, the Sawtooth Mountains and Lake Superior.  Off in the distance, I could see Isle Royale, the country's most remote National Park, set in the waters of the lake.  This would be my last clear view of the lake on the trail, so I stopped to savor it.

The View from Hellacious Overlook

After descending from the ridge and hiking a few more miles, I arrived at Swamp River Pond and the surrounding cedar swamp.  While I was afraid I'd be slogging through the wet ground, I was amazed to see nearly a quarter mile of boardwalks which had been constructed to allow the hiker to enjoy the sights and sounds of the area.  From rocky, pine studded ridgelines, to cool maple forests, to bog areas exploding with wildflowers, butterflies and bird song, the SHT is home to an amazing diversity of wild habitats.  It's hard to get bored on the SHT when the scenery changes so dramatically every few miles.

Wildflowers in bloom on Swamp River Pond, with the sky reflecting off the water

After passing these highlights, I moved onto the final, relatively flat and uneventful few miles of the trail.  At this point, I was really struggling to move forward after all the miles yesterday and today.  While on the one hand it would have been nice to have easily cruised to the finish, in a sense it felt really good to hobble to the end, because I knew I had given this trail everything I had.

When I arrived at the parking lot at the end of the trail, dad wasn't there yet, and I realized that I had left earlier than I should have/hiked faster than I thought I would and would be waiting for him for a while.  While I wasn't exactly expecting a brass band and champagne toast at the end of the trail, it was an odd experience to complete such a major challenge and find myself completely alone.  This was quite a contrast to the finish line of the Flying Pig Marathon!

This solitude did, however, give me some time to process the experience.  While I think it will take a while to fully understand what I've learned on this trip, I will share one lesson.  I did this trip for a lot of reasons, one of which was to gain a renewed sense of confidence.  I thought that after I finished this challenge, when I encountered a challenge at work or life in general, I would be able to look at the problem and say to myself, "I hiked 235 miles in 10 days, this will be a piece of cake."  And while I certainly did have to dig deep on this journey and overcome a lot of obstacles on my own, when I reached the half way point on the trail I came to a place where I simply could not meet my goal of hiking the trail on my own in 10 days.  I had two choices here: give up on my goal of hiking the SHT, or adjust my goal and ask my dad to tag team the remainder of the trail with me.  After coming to the end of my journey, I'm so glad that I chose the latter!  I hope that when I encounter a seemingly impossible challenge in the future, I remember this lesson, seek a creative solution, and ask my wife, my family, my friends or my co-works for help.

OK, we've just pulled up to a motel somewhere in Wisconsin, so I'm signing off for now.  Look for more posts over the next few days with a slideshow from the trip, more reflections, and Matt's Expert Hiking Tips (aka Dumb Mistakes I Made that Hopefully you can Learn From).

Matt

Blessings
Matt and I finished the hike this afternoon and we're enjoying a last bit of scenery as we drive down the North Shore.  This trip has given me an opportunity to reflect on the many blessings I have received.

It's a blessing to live in a country that has such abundant resources.  We are lucky to have had leaders with the foresight to set aside some of the most beautiful areas for our enjoyment.

It's a blessing to be healthy and fit enough to enjoy an experience like the SHT.  There's nothing like walking a couple miles into the backcountry to experience peace and solitude.

It's been a blessing to share this experience with  my son, Matt.  He has been the most congenial of traveling and hiking companions.  I've shared a million laughs with Matt and his friends Ted Tofte and Bill Lutsen.

Finally, it's a blessing to be heading home to the rest of my family.  I love them and I've missed them a lot!

Dave