June 24, 2024

Northern Terminus to Caribou Pond

11.3 miles

I didn’t sleep well because I never sleep well the first night of a backpacking trip, but on the bright side, the moon was absolutely gorgeous last night, huge and round and low in the sky reflecting on the water.

This morning was cold and I struggled slightly to get everything together, but it eventually got together. We walked down to the road and back to Slapshot’s truck, which was, happily, still there. It looked like everything was in order and we were finally going to get to the trail!

…And then Slapshot noticed that his tire pressure was extremely low. “I’m getting a flat tire,” he said, matter of fact, calm as could be. So we drove the short distance back to town, he filled up his tires at the gas station, and I got a coffee and breakfast sandwich. Slapshot and Machine investigated the tire and found the problem: a nail. It seemed pretty lodged in there, though, and pretty secure, so we just headed up to the terminus and it luckily kept the same pressure all the way there.

The highway turned into a small paved road and then more gravelly, and then we were at the parking lot. Slapshot gave me his puffy to borrow and send back at the end (because I didn’t bring mine because I thought it was summer and it would be warm even in Minnesota… amateur hour) and we said our goodbyes and thanks, and then, because the mosquitoes were already swarming, we got started on the trail.

We had to hike a mile north to get to the Northern Terminus before we could turn around and officially start walking south. It was lovely, green, full of wildflowers—and also very muddy and teeming with mosquitoes. We climbed a small hill until we reached a turn-off for a viewpoint and the Northern Terminus appeared next to a rock outcropping. It was break time at the top, drinking in the views of the gentle green valley and flowing river below, then photo time at the monument. I wrote in the logbook (it feels so good to write in a trail logbook) and we were off, hiking south!

Back the way we came from, then across and down the road over a river, and through a muddy path lacing between patches of tall grass. We were talking, meandering down the overgrown road, when I saw a lumbering shape ahead. It was running. My mind first went “mountain lion!” but it was far too small. I shifted to bobcat, then dog, then raccoon, finally thinking “nah, it’s too smooth,” and then I put it together at the same time that Machine said “I think that’s an otter!” Sure enough, a little river otter trotting down the trail. I reached for my camera, but that was when it saw us and scampered off into the woods.

Not long after the otter we had a luxurious break at the first SHTA campsite at Andy Creek. There was a fire pit with benches on three sides, several tent sites, and a latrine (genuinely just an open toilet, no walls or roof).

We hiked a few more miles before taking a two-hour lunch break at Jackson Creek. It was the same setup as the Andy Creek site, with a slightly nicer latrine. I had the classic trail lunch of a tortilla with lemon pepper tuna and crushed chips, but Machine gave me some of his avocado and it became chef’s kiss

I took a little nap with my feet elevated on one of the benches, and when I got up and put weight on my feet, my left foot screamed in agony. It’s the same one I messed up training for the marathon this year. It feels like plantar fasciitis but it’s sort of on the outside, and really deep feeling. It felt okay after some intense stretching and walking around for a bit, but that’s a concerning sensation and I’m going to keep an eye on it and be sure I’m stretching, elevating, and rolling it out. Ugh. Don’t run marathons if you want to stay healthy for thru-hiking, kids.

We decided that we would keep today short and just do three more miles after lunch. We set out at a relaxed pace, meandering through the same mix of scenery as the rest of the day: conifers, birch, and maple, rocky forest floors strewn with ferns and other low-lying leafy plants and flowers, impressive boardwalks over permanently muddy ground. It is a really gorgeous forest and, despite the omnipresent mosquitoes, mud, and now, I guess, foot pain, I am just loving being out here in this beautiful place.

We made a sharp climb up to what was labeled on the map as “Hellacious Overview.” As we were looking the view snapped into place and I remembered that there was a gigantic lake nearby, and that line of whiteish blue in the distance was said lake rather than clouds. It was really magical once this picture clicked into place, like a Magic Eye puzzle.

We descended towards Caribou Pond and got confused about the campsite we were looking for. On the map it seemed like it was right at the pond, but we didn’t see a turnoff. So we kept going for a bit, got nervous that we had missed it, turned around, and finally kept going down the trail until we noticed that now standard fire ring with benches. Camp at last!

Quick camp setup, then lying in my tent, exhausted, then underwhelming but tasty dinner of ramen, tuna, and sriracha. We are both just beat, so out of long-distance hiking shape and carrying far too much food. Hopefully it gets a little easier tomorrow and each day for forward. For now I’m just enjoying the slowly darkening world and the chattering of birds and frogs somewhere near the pond.