10 August 2016, Wednesday
We are up early having blueberry scones with local blueberry syrup to fortify ourselves before our 22.4 km hike up the Sleeping Giant and back. We need to get a fairly early start in order to get back to camp at a reasonable hour for supper. We pack plenty of water, lots of snacks, and rain gear for the 20% chance of showers.
The hike begins along the Kabeyun (west wind) Trail which follows an access road for a relatively flat 6.5 km to a junction where the trail starts to climb steeply up the side of the Giant. Before we proceed very far down the trail we find a 1 km out and back trail leading to the Sea Lion, a rock formation created by the erosion of a diabase intrusion. Early European visitors thought it looked like a lion sitting by the side of the lake. Unfortunately, the lion’s head collapsed in the early 1900’s leaving only an arch, but the name persists.
We finally arrive at the point where the trail begins to climb. There are several mountain bikes parked here. Many people ride in to this point to shorten the time needed for the hike up the Giant. We walk.
We manage the more than 300 meter ascent to the “top of the Giant” where a small sign informs us that we still have a 4 km “in and out” hike to reach the scenic views. On we stride. We come to a bench at an overlook facing southward. Far across Lake Superior’s waters we can see Isle Royale where we hiked the Minong trail last summer. Onward we go, passing many scenic overlooks. We are not sure where the trail is leading us, but we finally arrive at The Cliffs. Basalt columns rise straight up, almost 300 meters, from the waters of Superior. Looking over the edge I feel a bit queasy. I’m not sure if it’s from the height or from hunger, but I don’t want to get very close to the edge. O feels the same way.
After admiring the awesome cliffs we retrace our steps and sit down at one of the overlooks to have a late lunch. The 20% chance of rain had, of course, turned into a pretty steady shower for much of the steep part of the hike. We both donned ponchos, and I had my rain pants on as well. We are in much better shape than most of the other soggy, bedraggled hikers we saw along the way. By the time we eat lunch the rain has stopped. We keep our rain gear on as we descend, mainly to keep warm. Part way down the Giant we are finally warm enough from walking to stow the ponchos and rain pants. By 6:05 pm we arrive back at our car and head back to camp for some hot soup. The evening clouds are rose-colored. Our tarp is well-deployed in anticipation of tomorrow’s rain.
