Date: 2017-07-22
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Miles today: 0.0

So yesterday my feet were talking to me - LOUDLY. I have a blister on each pinky toe. Not sure if I need to toughen up or try different boots. Resting overnight helped some, but they are still quite sore this morning. Based on that and talking to another hiker who said the Big Carp River trail was a great trail, we've decided to scale back our mileage today and take his trail recommendation. We had a very slow start this morning which I will blame on the thick gloomy fog that was enveloping the area. This was an improvement over last night's thunderstorms. The lightning kept its distance but we did get light to moderate rain on and off between midnight and two. We were finally packed up and moving around 10:15. The first order of business was the three mile long Correction Line trail. After making the initial climb out of the lake basin we settled into moderate ups and downs as we made our way through an area of mature forest with the occasional small stream crossing and frequent mud pits. It's too bad these mud pits exist. I get that there have been frequent heavy rains in the park causing the mud, but the hikers response is to try to go around the edge which only expands the size of the trail and the mud pits. And yes, we were often guilty of this because if I tried to go straight through like you are supposed to, I would have had mud and water over the tops of my boots. The park has placed boardwalks in some of the wetter areas, and this has kept the area adjacent to the trail from getting trampled. More of these boardwalks would allow the trail to heal. After completing the Correction Line trail, we stopped for lunch before starting down the Big Carp River Trail. This trail was more of the same muddy mess until we came to the river. The river was about 50 feet wide and, when we crossed it, about a foot deep. Switching to flip flops to ford the river felt awesome on sore hot feet. I made sure to take my sweet time in the water. Also it was about this time that the sun started coming out so between the warm sun and the cold water this was starting to feel like a vacation. Once across the river the socks and boots went back on and the vacation was over. We encountered a few more mud pits after the river, but soon the trail moved up to higher ground with sandy dry soil. Most of the rest of the way to Lake Superior the trail followed the river on a bluff 100 or so feet above the water. We enjoyed a great view of Shining Cloud Falls from the trail, as well as several rapids as the river spilled down over long smooth rock beds again and again. By the time we made it to the mouth of the river, my feet were once again in full rebellion. Peter was gracious enough to head south along the lake to scout for a campsite while I took a break at the site of the old bridge across the river. We had taken the new bridge across. The old bridge met its fate last year when the area received nine inches of rain in four hours and the swollen river swept the bridge away. After a few minutes, Peter returned without his gear and led me to the site he had found. Our site is right on Lake Superior. I mean if the waves kicked up, my tent would get wet. I'm set up twenty feet from the waterline. A giant bonus of being next to the lake and its fresh breeze is that there are virtually no bugs. At these lakeside sites the park has built wind breaks out of driftwood logs around the fire pits to make it possible to have a fire. We used this safe haven to set up the stove and cook dinner. Tonight's lake bath/splashdown took place balancing on boulders in the lake while negotiating the fairly heavy surf. I felt very refreshed after depositing a layer of sweat, bug spray, and mud in the big lake they call Gitchee Gumee. I'm settled in now for the night tired, sore, and having a great time.