MN Trip ~Day 5 The SHT

othercampsite

There are very few pictures from our second day on the Superior Hiking Trail because it rained!

It was supposed to rain for most of the time so one day of rain was not too bad.

Of course when it started sprinkling I did not want to put my rain jacket on.

I was hot so I thought I would wait.

Later I had to try to dry out my wet things and I realized I was not planning far enough ahead.

boardwalk

The trail was pretty muddy in spots so the fact they had bridges and boardwalks in places was really nice!

This is a really well travelled trail and they seem to take good care of it.

Since we were headed to Tetteguche State Park campground that day we headed up Mount Trudee which would had some really awesome views.

Since it was raining I thought I would take pictures the next day when we headed back that way instead of trying to get my camera out of my pack, where I put it to keep it dry.

dry

I found out really quickly that one of my shirt choices was really bad.

The grey one you see hanging in our tent is a really cheap Danskin from Walmart and it is amazing.

It dries quickly and is a great base layer.

I wore a black t-shirt from target on top and it soaked up the water like a sponge.

That guy is not coming hiking with me again…

eating

Even though the park let us call them to check into our campsite we still decided to make the 2.5mile trek to the visitor center to check it out after we set up camp.

Even though it poured on the way there, I am so glad we did it!

They had a fireplace!

We stayed there for a couple hours to dry out and then headed back into the rain…

It was a cold wet night but that is what happens sometimes when you camp.

I should have brought a base layer for my legs instead of just the pants I wore.

Live and learn.

What is your favorite thing to bring with you camping?

I was dreaming of long johns all night…

MN Trip ~Day 4 The SHT

On day four of our MN Trip Nick and I grabbed our packs and headed north to the Superior Hiking Trail!

beforehim

Our plan was to go from Silver Bay to Tetteguche Campground and back in 3 days.

beforeme

lake

There were some beautiful views on this part of the trail!

We even got to see Lake Superior.

campsites

The plan was to go to the Bear Lake the first day which was 3.4 miles.

I wanted to take it easy since I knew we would be driving up that day also and I did not know how I would handle a pack.

trailmark

This section of the trail does have a lot of up and down.

leaves

lightpath

pack

smile

I was pretty excited to be in this part of the country.

I love it up there.

colors

view

bearlake

We got to Bear Lake really early in the day despite driving 4hrs to get to the trailhead to begin with.

bearlake2

After taking off our packs for a bit we decided to keep going to the next campsite to save us some miles the next day.

bearlakecamp

beanlake

pathhike

low

trailhike

trees3

lookout

My pack was pretty light.

I have never carried a full load but am working my way up.

roundmountaincamp

Round Mountain Campsite!

It was supposed to be around 4.6 miles from the Silver Bay trailhead but might have been a bit further.

We got water while at Bear Lake.

I am really glad we did because the creek and beaver pond near this campsite did not look very appealing.

I will be doing a post on what gear we brought.

campfire

There campsites are really nice.

I did not expect backpacking sites to have seats!

campsiteround

bathroom

All the campsites have a designated bathroom.

It is just a hole in the ground pretty much but still it is nice to have something!

Am I the only woman that has trouble with the zero privacy backpacking brings?

I was really glad no one else decided to camp here!

fire

The wood was really wet so a fire was way too much work.

We just used the little stove we brought to cook our meals.

potboiling

After eating dinner we headed up the trail a little ways to an overlook.

overlook

This is me extremely excited to not have my pack on!

I felt like I could hike forever!

sunsetview2

I highly recommend going to the overlook!

Not only does it have a perfect view of the sunset but on the other side you can see Lake Superior.

lakesuper

iphone

You can also get a phone signal…

us

I was so excited I made it to the first campsite without injury!

The next day we head north to Tetteguche!

MN Trip ~Day 3 Tamarac

roadcolor

We took everyone but my youngest nephew to Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge on Monday.

It was beautiful!

We ended up going again on our last day to the festival there.

I will share those later.

water3

loon

Loon

look

They have a nice little nature center that the kids enjoy.

oldindian

I think we have done the Old Indian Trail every time we have gone there.

feet

This is the first time my niece has joined us though!

light

trail

pathway

leaves

moss

kids

this

She wanted to hold both our hands.

It was pretty adorable.

path

Just a couple of us went on a second hike to the dam.

teach

A deer jumped up from some brush right next to the trail.

I was so shocked I just stared at it.

No pics…

teach2

Grandpa trying to show my youngest how to skip rocks.

tigersalamander

Tiger Salamander!

birds

I think these guys were Grebe’s.

They startled whenever the swans would fly over and the sound of their beating wings on the water was incredible.

fly

boys

Of course the boys decided they should startle them instead of waiting for a swan…

water

water2

landscape

It was an absolutely beautiful day!

Definitely a great stop for the area!

They have easy short trails as well as long ones so be sure to stop by!

If you do not want to hike they also have a nature drive!