I had a pretty incredible day making my way to the Kadunce River. Harriet couldn’t shuttle me until the evening, so I parked at the Pincushion/Grand Marais trailhead and headed out. The trail is part of a system of ski trails, so it was pretty easy hiking up to Pincushion, a little over one mile (1.6 km) away.
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The view from Pincushion, a rocky outcrop, is amazing! You can see the lake, shore and inland. I wished I had gone up there at sunrise, or had my breakfast on top. Brian did some photography here, including using the drone. It was just spectacular. (My photos do not do it justice at all.)
Making My Way to the Kadunce River
From there, the path was pretty pleasant for several hours. Then it got rather overgrown, plus sported lots of downed trees, for at least an hour. The reward? Around lunchtime I emerged on another mountaintop, this time with a meadow bursting with spring wildflowers. I was also treated to expansive views of Lake Superior. It was so beautiful, and I was happy to sit down and have lunch amid such beauty. (Again, photos do not do it justice.)
The afternoon got a little hairier. My phone was dying, and for some reason my 18-month-old battery wasn’t working. It wasn’t the patch cord; that was brand new. But I couldn’t communicate with Harriet about my projected pick-up time and spot, nor with Brian, who needed to find me for our daily photo shoots. But what can you do except keep hiking?
A Hairy Afternoon
The path wasn’t great in many spots. There were lots of roots to walk around, plus some spots with a lot of shale. Ugh. At some point, the battery kicked in and recharged my phone, so I was able to communicate with Harriet. Technology!
At the Kadunce River spur, I opted to continue on the trail instead of going to the Kadunce parking lot. The trail crosses Hwy. 61 about 2 miles (3.2 km) after the spur at a rather nondescript spot. When I hit 61, I waited for Harriet. Within minutes, she was there. She is really something!
Snowshoe
MN NCT miles today: =15.5 (25.5 km)
MN NCT miles to date: 281.8 (352.1 km)
SHT miles to date: 281.8 (352.1 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 568.2 (914.4 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 4,031.8 (6,488.6 km)
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