I woke up wet this morning. Everything was wet, my sleeping bag, my tent, all of my clothes, my shoes, everything. I got up and slowly changed out of my moist, but warm, long johns and into my soaked and freezing clothes. Have you ever tried to put on a partially frozen shirt? What about a cold and dripping pair of underwear? It sure wakes you up quickly!
While it was tough to get up and moving in these conditions, I was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful view of the lake from my campsite that I had missed last night.
As autumn moves down the coast of Lake Superior and I move up, I've been waiting for the moment when we would really meet. The day when I would see the colors at their peak. I could be getting ahead of myself, but I think today is that day.
I'm also really excited to find that I've continued to adjust to the demands of this hike. My body feels stronger, my feet feel better and I'm finding that I can cover the miles much faster with fewer breaks. Today I even managed some hike dancing (thank you Madonna) and trail running. Yipeeeeee!
More beautiful colors from along the way...
About 6 miles into my day I came across some old, abandoned railroad tracks. This being the first dry area of the day I decided to take a break and let my things dry from the rain last night. I think these breaks, when I lay in the sun and dry out, have become one of my favorite parts of this hike.
I continued the day high on ridges overlooking the lake.
At mile 14, I came to Temperence River State Park. I followed this river 3 miles downstream, crossed it, then followed it 2 miles back upstream.
I spent a little time in this busy state park reclining on my sleeping mat in the sun, getting ready to pound out the last 6 miles in 2.5 hours before dark. This is faster than my typical 2mph, but I need to make up ground so I can get to the hotel I have reserved for Monday night at the Lutsen Resort. It's a ski resort in the winter and I'm so excited to get there because I have a resupply box waiting and I can't wait to shower. I haven't showered since day 2! I also read that they have a hot tub. As I obviously didn't bring any swim trunks, I spent some time pondering if it would be appropriate to get in the hot tub wearing only my boxer-briefs, which haven't been washed in 11 days. I think I'll take the chance.
As I was still reclining and elevating my feet, I saw two more gayngels. I decided that gayngel (that's a gay angel for all you squares) was a fun term and these two boys definitely deserved it. Eye candy! I flagged them down and chatted with them for a bit. I have to get my kicks where I can, ya know?
These boys are spending a week hiking north on the exact route I am, although they plan to spend 7 days hiking what I will hike in 4. This makes sense as their backpacks are enormous. I would bet that they each had at least 40 pounds on their backs. They were bent forward at the waist, trying to manage the loads. They reminded me of the sherpas my dad and I saw in Peru.
Seeing their packs made me feel good. My intense planning allows me to hike further and put less strain on my body by going ultralight. It also made me sad though, that these very cute boys probably wouldn't be able to keep up with me so I won't be able to hang out with them around a campfire.
I made it the 6 miles in only two hours, including summiting two small peaks. I set up my tent and made my dinner hoping that I would hear the choir of gayngels coming into my camp, but to no avail. Another quiet night for Little Bear.
Gooooooood night!
Rob
"Hang out with them around a campfire." Is that the new code? ;-)
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