As Ed and I broke camp in Reeves Falls this morning, Bob and Brian made us French press coffee – yum! Then it was time to hit the trail.
The first few hours of hiking took us through a lot of wet grass, water and mud. Ugh. But then we began climbing, and got our first few views of Lake Superior! I know it’s the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume. I know how massive all of the Great Lakes are. But it is still so impressive to see her from the trail – she is so enormous!
We also enjoyed hearing more grouse drumming and a woodpecker busily pecking away, but couldn’t spot either. There were also lots of little wood frogs hopping around. Oh, and we also heard a deer make this interesting whistle/snort, which I’m guessing was to scare us away from a baby.
Leaving Reeves Falls in the Dust
Despite the thrill of seeing Lake Superior, this day was hard. The trail was often rocky and rooty, especially at one spot where there had been a rock slide and you had to maneuver along a narrow trail covered in slippery shale. I got a bunch of blisters today. The bottoms of my feet are killing me.
But I did enjoy crossing the Encampment River (some wading involved) and climbing Wolf Rock, a pretty outcrop.
We had planned to camp at Middle Gooseberry Falls. There are several Gooseberry campsites in a row. When we got to Middle, one couple was already there and the remaining site was poor. Ditto with East Gooseberry Falls. We did find this outlier site near East Gooseberry and decided to take it. No place to hang my hammock so it was another night in the tent with Ed. Not that I don’t love my hubby, but I find hammocks more comfortable than tents.
Since we weren’t at an actual campsite, there was no fire ring or bench. The mosquitoes were bad. So after dinner, we went into the tent for an early night.
Snowshoe
MN NCT miles today: =20 (32.2 km)
MN NCT miles to date: 122.5 (197.2 km)
SHT miles to date: 122.5 (197.2 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 409.1 (658.4 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 4,190.9 (6,744.6 km)
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Need some good anti-blister protection? Check out some of my personal faves:
Body Glide: Spread it all over your toes, feet and heels.
Sheep’s Wool: Weave between your toes to prevent blisters. Also helps if your toes crowd together uncomfortably.
Mole Skin: Place wherever you have a hot spot. This works well on the backs of your heel, in between toes and on the sides of your feet.
