Man Trip, Final Day

antlered angel 

 The final day of any trip is always bitter-sweet,  a little more time to play with the deadline of going back to real life just ahead. I like to make the most of my last days by using them up and getting home as late as possible. What do I need to rest up for, work? I would rather have a good time all day and go in completely fried, that's what caffeine is for right.

This is much easier to follow than last night

this is the hole that had me freaked out the night before

this is where we "hid" our bikes when we transitioned to snow shoes. 

 On out final day we had the task of hiking and riding out from the cabin we had stayed in the night before. It was a beautiful day with lots of sun. The hike was much quicker due to easy navigation and a firmly packed trail from the night before. The ride was about the same but seemed to travel more up hill,but conditions were perfect and fast.

almost ready to roll out

beauty!

 It was about mid-day when we got everything packed back into the vehicles and back within cell phone range. A text message from both AF and my wife indicated a substantial snowstorm was on the way to the Twin Cities and we had better get back home ASAP. A.F. and I decided to scrap our idea of getting out in the pack-rafts however brief it might have been. I had one more adventure up my sleeve that I thought we could get in before it got too late.

Is this safe ?

This is definitely safe

If you know the north shore, here is your clue as to which river we were on

 Vandy and The Legend decide to bail, citing exhaustion. It would be just A.F., EP and myself for one more river ride. This turned out to be the best conditions I have ever been able to ride on any river on the north shore. The conditions were so good we got to ride much further than previous years, and with almost no walking. It was fat-bike heaven! The ride went much longer than I had anticipated, but was well worth the risk of driving home in a snowstorm. I arrived home around 9pm. Mother nature held off on the snow until around mid-night thankfully.

So concludes the story of Man Trip 2013. Thanks guys, lets do it again next year.

 Others welcome in 2014, please include resume' and references..........D Rider out  

Man Trip 2013, Day 3

camp site day two

 Day three started on the cold side again, well below zero, but that didn't stop us from sleeping in a little(7:40am). After packing up camp, A.F. and I headed for the van to cook breakfast in the back. The Legend joined us and received a special delivery from E.P. in the form of a gas station breakfast sandwich. E.P. drove from Duluth to join the group on the tail end of the trip, replacing JJ who had to head home the night before. We were five strong again and ready for action.

I love it when the sun is out

fat-bikes go anywhere, even waterfalls

 We started the days adventure riding another river. This one is very scenic and my favorite one that I've explored on all of the north shore so far. I've done a lot of them and would be surprised to find something better.  Going up river is not as much riding as it is hike-a-bike, but the reward is the amazing scenery and a fast twisty down hill on a nearby trail.

A fast downhill awaits

 Now that our little warm-up was out of the way it was time for something a lot bigger and more time consuming. Another x-c ski trip down a river. This particular river never ceases to amaze me, I've been down it at least twenty times over the last 13 years, and it's never exactly the same. This year we left early enough in the day that we planned to have a good sized lunch and a fire mid-way down. Ramen noodles, rice crispy bars, and Monster were on the menu for me, as well as a special treat I brought to share, Jiffy Pop.

The Legend

Is this Colorado? I don't think so

No slipping and falling allowed here

 In less than an hour we were all fed and on the move. We were cruising the small water falls and past pools of open water on our way the the crux of the whole endeavor, a big waterfall with a  mandatory rappel. A.F. and I set up the ropes and he was first to go. With our little lesson in rapping the day before everyone was quickly set to go,  and over the falls in no time. Typically we spend a lot of time here getting ready, and as a result we all get very cold. I was happy to stay relatively warm this time. The stretch after the falls is deceivingly long, about two miles of well worn, rock shard littered, icy single track, not conducive to skiing. I'm sure everyone's skis took a beating on this section with gouges and scrapes on the underside like mine did.

 I went swimming here last fall

Miles of this kind of terrain

Who wants pop-corn ?

Back at the vehicles it was time for a drive and retooling of required gear. For the next exploit we would be riding fat-bikes somewhere, to some place and spending the night.  We would also need the snowshoes to complete the objective when we ran out of trail suitable for riding. All of us got the packing done in a frantic effort trying not to be last, and also to make use of as much of the daylight as possible. This part of the trip was also one that we did last year but wanted to improve upon.

We should do this every day

Metal !

Watch it, that last step's a doosie

      This time we wanted more riding and less snowshoeing. We achieved both, but had a bit of a breakdown several hours into the journey when we got turned around/lost/disoriented and contemplated retreat if the solution did not reveal itself within a set amount of time. It's not like we could get lost, we had a snowshoe track to fall back on.  Correct forward movement in knee deep snow, in pitch black darkness, in the middle of nowhere, with temps now below zero, and headlamps that just don't seem to shine far enough to get a good lay of the land was not helping us. I was a little rattled by know, moments earlier my entire left leg broke through thin ice dropping me to my stomach and pinning me to the snow as I could not pull it free. I thought I just stepped into a void in the snow-pack until I could feel water seeping into my boot and around my leg. I didn't panic but inched back and wiggled my snow-shoe shod foot free. When I looked back at the hole, I realized that what we had all just walked over was compacted snow. It gave me a sick feeling to think what might have happened if one of us had fallen through completely.  For me, these are the times when all of my "training" in endurance events and back country travel pay off. Sure I was cold and tired and getting really hungry, but I knew this wasn't shit compared to what I've been through in the past. We were all getting frustrated and had different ideas on which way to proceed, but AF was right all along to follow the otter tracks. In the midst of it all I threw on my down sweater, ate a couple candy bars and felt better.   

I'm Ready

uh oh, it's getting dark

        Looking back on last year's trek to the same place, we had similar problems with the unknown.  As the self proclaimed trip leader I feel responsible for everyone having a good time and knowing what to expect and where we're going at all times. In this territory it's just as much a first time adventure for me as it is the rest of the crew.
   

where the hell are we anyway ?

Salvation

After nearly four hours of fat-biking and snowshoeing we arrived at a little cabin in the woods. Tranquility fell over me as I got my first glimpse of the moose skull hanging on the outside wall. The stars were out in full effect, the silence was at the point in which I can hear my heart beat, and inside the cabin a hot fire and warm food is about to erase any doubts I may have had about making the long trek to this special place in the middle of nowhere.

Man Trip 2013, Day 2

Breakfast in the back of the van

 Day two of the man trip started a bit on the chilly side, well below zero as we climbed out of our sleeping bags. The sun was shining brightly so it wouldn't be long before it was a balmy 20deg F. At this point in the winter everyone's blood has thickened and we've all become accustomed to the cold, 20 is warm and the sun is a welcome bonus.

Gladed  x-c run

nice tracks for the last guy

 

Yours truly, at the impasse. Rappel is on river right about a 200 feet down stream 

 On tap for the day's adventure is an X-C ski and snowshoe trip down the $#@^&*! River. It comes complete with a two stage rappel down a very steep side wall/cliff of the river. This is The Legend's first time on rope, so A.F. and I don't want it to be too daunting. We pass up a  100' + couloir in favor of a nearby route through the trees. It's still really steep and will give Mr Legend a taste of rappelling so he can complete the real rap were doing the next day. He makes it though with flying colors and is ready for the next day.

JJ on rope

tied up, ready for second rap

You have sharp things on your feet don't step on the rope , your life will be hanging by it tomorrow.

 Once we are all through with the rappel, we travel further down river and trade skis for snowshoes on the final stretch. AF, JJ and myself did the same route the day before but figured out a better way down the big water fall, a hand line. I've become a big fan of hand lines while canyoneering and urban exploring, it worked great here, you just can't let go! It's also way faster than having everyone put on a harness a clip in. Our turn around point is at one last waterfall that plunges just shy of Lake Superior. There is no way down this unless we want to go swimming, and we don't have the gear with us to make it back up. A.F. and I ponder the idea of coming back in the summer and either rap this waterfall or paddle the lake to the alcove below us and camp-out on the beach.

Mr Legend gives a salute

I took my kids swimming in this very spot last summer.

Most of the time we were riding, this spot was particularly steep and required feet

Vandy

 The ski trip burned up most of the day, but as I said before, our adventures for the weekend usually go into the night. We had so much fun riding the perfect conditions of the *^%$# River the day before we went back and rode it again. This time we started a little earlier so we had more daylight on our side. When we turned around the previous day we left behind a perfectly good track that seemed to just keep going, I had to see how far. As a result I rode at least twice as much as the day before. Several miles up river, when I came to a newly installed bridge with an immaculately groomed ski trail running over the top, the trail started to diminish. At this point only the Legend and I were still riding upstream, we could have kept going but it was getting dark and our appetites were taking over so we headed back.

AF and The Legend heading upstream through the best part of the ride, steep walls

fat-bike at sunset

We saw these guys the day before, they invited us to stay and have some drinks. The fire was very temping but I don't drink and I needed food 

 After the ride, Vandy and I had a quick dip in the hot tub, a sauna, and a shower (separately of course) at the municipal pool in Grand Marias before meeting the rest of the crew for dinner at Sven and Ole's. It was the best four bucks I spent the whole weekend, er, the best four bucks AF lent me the whole weekend. After dinner we went to another small river and set up camp, and had fire with some pre-gathered firewood before going to sleep around 11pm. Some other guys, unknown to us, showed up about an hour later to camp out and have a fire as well. After talking with them in the morning, I think we burned all of their wood they had pilled up earlier in the day when they were ice climbing in the area. Sorry dudes. I thought the woodland gnomes were doing us a solid.

We've had fires before in the little alcove, but camping out here was a first.  

Man Trip 2013, Day 1

JJ

The Man Trip has been going on officially for four years now. Well before that I was heading up to the North Shore camping and exploring on a bi-weekly basis with my good friend Corky. For two years Corky and I explored as many hiking trails, ski trails, gravel roads, rivers, creeks, camping spots, and restaurants as we could.  These twice monthly trips from November to April, coincided with my wife's weekend master's program. She didn't want me around bothering her after a hard day of school, so I gladly took the opportunity to go camping. As the years went on and kids came into the big picture, the trips were reduced to one per winter if I was lucky. The once a year Man Trip came into being as a way to get in as much of the north shore as possible over an extended weekend.

Gitche Gumee

Urban exploration on the North Shore ?

I'm not sure my body could handle much more than an extended weekend at the pace that is kept. The adventures piggyback one after another, and usually finish after dark.  Arc Flash, JJ and myself started out on Friday morning with a snowshoe hike up Beaver River and back for about two hours. The snow was deep, the sun was out, but the wind was cold and stiff, it was good warm-up but we needed more.
       Further up the shore I had my sights set on navigating a river we tried last year. My original route through the woods at the upstream end, was too long and we ended up getting shut-down just as we reached it. This year we started near the mouth on Lake Superior, and laid the ground work for a "complete" adventure the next day when the rest of the crew would join us. Our day of recon was very rewarding and gave me some piece of mind in the way we would construct the events for the next day. I was also very excited for the rest of the gang to see this amazing river. 

A little free-climbing with the ice tools 

We're going to make everyone come down this tomorrow without tools , He He

After our recon mission was complete, it was time for some fat-biking. Back in 07' I brought my bike along as a last minute gear item. I rode a pristine, well packed, piece of river that year and the fat-bike has been a permanent fixture on the Man Trip ever since, ranking as my  #1 required piece of gear. Some years are better than others, as conditions dictate. From what we rode on Friday night, 2013 would prove to be the best yet.

Too steep to ride up

A.F.      The sun is beginning to set as he makes his way up river on perfect conditions

After the ride, and after dinner, we met up with Vandy and The Legend at Tettegouche State Park for a big campfire and some bull-shitting before going to sleep around 11pm. Friday night was cold, minus 10-15, but would be to our advantage in keeping everything nice and frozen for the next day.

I never get tired of seeing this

Teaser

Man Trip 2013 is in the books, stay tuned for a full report. Too tired to write anything just yet, but I will say it was non-stop fun and adventure with some great guys.