Mid July I had a free weekend from the Family . The only problem would be finding someone to go up north with. No Luck. I went any way and had a pretty good time. The first night I slept on the beach at Minnesota Point. This sucked as the mosquitoes nearly drained me of all my blood. I moved closer to the beach and was awakend by people walking by in the middle of the night. Note to self ; no more bivy -sacks. The next day I headed further north,not sure of what to do. I stopped at Temperence river for some cliff jumping, fun, but hit bottom and bruised side of foot. I had my sea kayak but decided to stay off the lake for fear of large waves . From there I headed north again. I planned on canyoneering the Devil Track river but would scope out the Kadunce river first. The Kadunce was alot of fun. I was surprised to see families walking the river as I was,some as young as 4. After scaling the first water fall I would see no one until I returned to my vehicle. The canyon is amazing, the water is warm and clean, moss and ferns cling to the sheer walls as it gets narrower with each step. At one piont you can look up 50 -60 feet and touch both walls with out streched arms. Once through this narrow section a series of water falls will test my footing. Mid way up a slimmy rock water fall I am beyond the point of no return. The water is rushing past a narrow section that I must pass right through. I go for it and make it. I now realize the the Devil track will not be mine. Were not talking Everest here but that river will require ropes, and I don't want to get myself into something I can't get out of. I finish with a few more waterfalls and head for the van. I reward myself with a fish dinner in Grand Marias. MMMMM After my little snack there is time for more. I head to Grand Portage and check out the fur post just before it closes. I got some beta on the kayaking in the area and decide I will go see the Susie Islands and see If I can find the witch tree tomorrow. Around 7:00 I head for my super secret free camping spot down the road. This was an erie spot, it's very remote but there are some odd people here. After sleeping with one eye open all night, the morning brings rain and I decide to get the fuck out of here and head south.
9:00am It's starting to get sunny now, I will do the kayak trip I wanted to do the day before . I drop my bike at Tetegouche and head for the put in at silver bay. It's a little windy at first, since I have not been on the lake in several years it takes a little while to get comfortable. The lake is awesome, it's hot out but has a constant cool breeze. I check out a beach I'm sure no one has been to,only because of the cool rocks I find there. I paddle through a small arch just before I reach Palisade Head. This is a really cool view that I have not seen before. Onward , I meet a couple from Chicago in an open top boat. They have no wet suits and thier life jackets are being used as a cushion. They are among the cliffs now and if they capize and can't get back in their boat they are fucked. Ignorance is bliss but they are nice and happy to be out, I paddle on. I arrive at Tetegouche and lug the boat up a but load of stairs and take a break. On the ride back I decide to check out Palisade from the top. It was neat to see some people paddling by as I watched from the top of the cliff. I thought to myself how cool I was for paddling there myself and how I was a hero and everone wanted to be me, yeah right, any way it looks reallycool from the top. Long story short I ride to van, get boat, and decide I'm feeling sick and should call work cause I can't work when I'm sick right? Besides that I have one more adventure tomorrow.
Monday Today I will ride some gravel. Leaving from Cascade River I head to the Boundry waters . A 20 mile ride gets me to the trail head for Eagle Mountain (highest point in the state). I grab some snacks and my camera and head off . It takes about an hour and a half and I am at the top. The view is amazing here, it makes me feel like paddling some of those lakes down there. The last time i was here was with the wife, before kids, (at least 7 years) it was spring and it started blowing snow so we missed the great views. I head back and walk through a little rain storm. Back at the trail head I meet 2 dads ,2 young kids,and grandpa. They want to know how long it will take to get to the top. Since they are all wearing crocs or flip-flops I suggest they skip the 5-6 mile walk through the boulderfield that is the trail. I share some beef sticks with gamps and talk about wild mushrooms. They drive away and I head back to the van making one stop to eat as many wild raspberries as I can.
Driving home I feel satisfied with all the stuff I did but not quite . I stop off at Split rock State park to paddle out and see the light house from below. The water was calm and peaceful. It only takes 10 to 15 min to get where I want to be. I admire it for a while and paddle back. Now I am satisfied and it's time to get home.
