14 August 2015
Still on eastern time, we wake at 6:15. It is just getting light. Today I bake
my first “from scratch” cake on the road. It comes out perfect.
We plan to hike up Carlton Peak today at the suggestion of the
ranger. We start off with about 2L of water each and some trail
snacks. We arrive at the parking area for Temperance River State Park. The joke is that when the river was first named there was no gravel bar at its
mouth – as there were at most of the other rivers flowing into
Superior. No bar, hence the name, Temperance.
O & I walk down to the shore of Lake Superior. We begin our hike there –
up the Temperance River Gorge powered by Wegman’s trail mix (thanks
to Dad and Linda), peanut butter pretzels and brownies. The trail
rises gradually along the river then turns away from the gorge. There
are many people enjoying the rapids and pools. The temperature is a
toasty 90+ degrees with unrelenting sunshine, and high humidity. The trees
are too thin to provide much shade. The weight of our water supply
quickly diminishes. Carlton Peak appears suddenly before us, a large
rocky dome that appears too steep to climb. The trail winds its way
behind the peak and climbs the back side. At the summit it is still
hot, but there is a pleasant breeze. We have a panoramic view of
Superior and the surrounding forests and peaks. While we are enjoying
the view we are visited by a cedar waxwing, a chickadee and a
hummingbird who perches on a pine branch showing off his iridescent
feathers.
We return back down the trail with a brief stop to cool our feet in the
river. O comes up with the brilliant idea of stopping for an early
dinner at the Blue Fin Grille. It’s 5:30 our time, but only 4:30 at
the restaurant. They are still serving lunch. We rehydrate with
3 large glasses of water each and then try the local beer: Voyageur
Boundary Water Brunette for O and Bent Paddle Black Ale for me.
Supper is delicious – catch of the day northern pike sandwiches and
a jicama-strawberry-pecan salad with lingonberry balsamic dressing.
Also house-made barbecue chips.
Back up the hill to clean up. It’s amazing how good it feels to have clean
hair. We replenish our water supply as well.
I read the sign posted on the Campground bulletin board again and realize
there is a Verizon phone hot spot and a wi-fi hot spot at the Sawbill
Outfitters about 14 miles up the road. I’ll update my computer
tonight in hopes of posting more blog entries.
O & I decide tomorrow is a good day to play tourist and drive around. The
forecast is for dangerous heat indices. We’ll head for Devil’s
Cauldron, a 70 ft waterfall in another of Minnesota’s state parks.
The waterfall divides, half going over the falls and the other half
dropping into a sink hole. No one has been able to determine where
that water goes!