July 7, 2024

Silver Bay to Beaver Bay

5.7 miles

It’s starting to rain as I write and drink coffee in the lobby this morning. The weather app tells me that it will stop by the afternoon, but I’m dubious. It looks dark, threatening, and settled-in. Ah, well. I guess we will be getting wet. The weather for the rest of the trail after today looks good, so at least everything will dry out.

Machine comes to join me after an hour or so of my requisite solo coffee and writing and waking up time. He’s not been in a great headspace recently with some family-related concerns, and the thunderstorm outside doesn’t help. We discuss the possibility of staying here in Silver Bay another night, but decide against it since it will cut into our Two Harbors time, and that town seems really cool. We accept our fate, until—brain blast!—Machine floats the idea of walking to Beaver Bay today and staying there in town. That way we could get some miles in, but still have a building to sleep in if we get wet as we walk. It’s genius. I check, and miraculously, there is space available at the very nice-looking Cove Point Lodge near Beaver Bay. There’s even a sale going on, so it ends up being cheaper than our current stay. Cove Point is right on the water, has free breakfast and a hot tub, and all kinds of amazing looking amenities. This brightens our spirits immediately and immensely. We finish up our breakfast, pack up our now less disgusting gear, and head out.

But first, before we leave town, we take more photos with Rocky and then go to Zup’s to get our t-shirts. We both end up with varieties of purple, which is cute matchy-matchy. Then we pick up a quick lunch at Zoe’s. Is this hiking? It’s technically on our route out of town. It’s after 1 by the time we actually get moving, and also… completely sunny. Ha ha. We follow the track out of town and onto the Gitchi-Gami State Trail, that lovely, lovely bike path we’ve been using as an alternate when we just can’t with the mud. It winds through the southern part of the city and then parallel to the lake. It’s near the mining company and we watch trains pass by as we walk. Soon we meet up with the SHT proper and hop back onto our wet, buggy home.

This section is actually really lovely. It follows the Beaver River, and there is a rock outcrop where we stand and ogle at the power of the water. There have been so many impressive rivers on this route, but something about this one is extra impressive. The water is just churning, moving in all directions as it tumbles inexorably downwards. There are holes and arches cut out of the rock, and watching this overflow, it’s obvious how those would form over the years. The path is also pretty nice—wet, of course, but nice all things considered—and it must be a popular stretch because we see more hikers and runners today than we have on the entire SHT so far.

Before long we’re at another gravel road that we’re taking to get to Beaver Bay. It spits us out practically right next to a gift shop, Stepping Stones, that I had seen on Google Maps before we got here. We take a spin through the cute shop, wind up with SHT pins (I swear, I’m going to have more swag from this trail than either the AT or PCT) and the two sisters working there are very friendly and they want to know all about our hike. Afterwards we walk through the very tiny town and end up at a little shop where I buy a postcard to send home and a little stuffed loon that I just couldn’t resist. I name her Agnes, after Lake Agnes where I saw the loon with a baby. I can’t help it that I’m like this. I just love little thingies. Little thingies make life fun!

At some point I realize that my dilly-dallying is costing us time at Cove Point and I feel terrible. So we head down there post haste and it is… it’s just divine. The main sitting area in the lobby has a gigantic fireplace, like a real fireplace with real crackling wood, and the whole space looks like you’re in a log cabin. There are tables with various games set up: cribbage (which seems to be quite the thing up here), chess, checkers. There’s a s’mores station, a cookie jar, and a little shop with clothing, guidebooks, stickers, and other neat things. I’m mentally compiling a list of places to return to for a North Shore road trip later on. I’d love to come back here when I’m not hiking, wearing normal people clothes, and just sit in the Adirondack chairs by the lake all day.

We go up the hill to the Crossings restaurant for dinner, then wander around the cove. There’s a little shelter with more game tables and a fire pit that’s freely available for guest use. We also find a little trail out to the rocky point facing the lodge. It’s gorgeous out there in the evening light, the water gently lapping up against the rocks. It feels peaceful and so very nice.

Later we take a trip to the pool area and use all three amenities: sauna, pool, hot tub, repeat. Is this hiking? (Yes, this is my version of hiking.) There are big windows and through them we can see the world turning slowly darker over the lake. What a gorgeous place. What a perfect double nero. I am so fortunate to be here, so grateful to be able to do this at all, and especially to do it comfortably.

Later I stay up late alone in the lobby in front of of the fireplace drinking a cup of mint tea, writing. What a life. What a life.