On top of Minnesota: 7 Summits in 3 Days

Someday soon my life is going to be a lot more structured with church duties and other life responsibilities, which makes it all the more important to enjoy the time I have now. Lately, I've taken that opportunity. The Superior Hiking Trail has its own version of the "7 Summits Challenge," boasting 7 summits of varying heights but all with spectacular views and worthwhile climbs.

The view from Carlton Peak

Minnesota is sometimes mocked by people who come from more mountainous terrain. For them, I was hiking the Sawtooth "Mountains" with emphasis on the quotation marks. I understand the sentiment. I've worked in Idaho and Oregon, hiked in both the Cascades and the Rockies. What we have in Minnesota looks nothing like Mt. Hood or Mt. Rainier. That much is a given. Nonetheless, Minnesota has some genuinely challenging  terrain in the arrowhead with the Superior Hiking Trail and Border Route Trails displaying that in spades. As I climbed up Moose Mountain this past week I thought to myself how baseless it is to call this a flat state. It's not. After this trip, I can prove it.

From Lookout Mountain

Three days on the trail, over 30 miles and 3500 vertical feet, brought me a new sense of achievement. This was, finally, a trip to see the best of the north shore. From Ely's Peak in Duluth, to Lookout Mountain in Cascade River State Park, to Pincushion Mountain in Grand Marais, to Oberg Mountain, to Moose Mountain, to Carlton Peak, to Mount Trudee I traversed the length of the north shore, driving mile after mile to find the next vista. My quick advice for anybody pondering a similar trip: do it. Just go.

Oberg Lake from Oberg Mt.

At every summit was a view worth savoring. There were miles and miles of trees in varying shades of green, yellow, orange and red. Entire ridge lines of vermillion from sugar maples in the early autumn. And always there was Lake Superior 1000 feet or so below, vast and crystal clear with the odd ship off in the distance. It was heaven.

The second day I was the second car to arrive in the Oberg Mountain parking lot. It was before 8 am and the sun wasn't showing above the peak. By the time I finished with Oberg and Moose it was nearly noon and I returned to see more than thirty cars and hikers of every shape and size milling about the lot. My first thought was "Dang! I want this to myself!" But then I realized how the whole shape of the trail is due to those who have gone before and had the wisdom to build and protect the wilderness that is a part of the Superior National Forest. Finally, I was glad that there were others who had the same desire as myself to climb a summit and to see creation from a whole new perspective.

Autumn on the SHT

I would sometimes go several hours without seeing another person even on some of the most well-traveled parts of the trails. I spooked something large on the third morning that was likely a bear; I guess this not so much for the noise it caused (even squirrels sound like a herd of elephants when you're alone on the trail) but for the tracks and matted brush I spotted soon thereafter. Nature was at its best. It was, in a word, wonderful.

The last day was the perfect cap: a 3.7 mile excursion through Tettegouche State Park to the top of Mt. Trudee. I planned it this way because it was the southernmost peak outside of Ely's in Duluth, so I was closest to home. The view was merely a bonus, but what a bonus it was! Trudee, Oberg and Carlton are on my short-list for most beautiful hikes I have ever experienced and each of them is do-able in 3-4 hours. Oberg, in fact, is much quicker (an hour if you want).

From Mt. Trudee, looking back over Tettegouche State Park

I offer this all because this is a place worth celebrating. It helped to go when the colors were just beginning to peak. A dry late summer means that the leaves are changing quickly, so get out and enjoy it. Take a walk, whether it's on the SHT or in your backyard. Not everybody has the free time I currently enjoy, but everybody has a moment or two to take a break and relax. The reward wasn't just in the completion of the challenge but in the experience itself. This was no ironman; it was tough but not overwhelming. It was mostly just fun. And if that's not what it's all about, it's at least a good start.