July 5, 2024 Leskinen Creek Campsite to stealth site 15.0 miles Happily, it did not in fact rain last night like the original forecast said it would, and the morning is lovely and sunny. I take my sweet time waking up and drinking coffee and writing and before I know it, it’s after 8. Oops. …
July 4, 2024 Campsite in Manitou State Park to Leskinen Creek Campsite 14.5 miles On the AT in 2019 I noticed a pattern: almost always, a terrible day was followed by an amazing one. A hot day of steep climbing was followed by trail magic. Cold rain preceded dry warmth. Blueberries after a thunderstorm. There …
July 3, 2024 Fredenburg Creek to campsite in Manitou State Park 15.8 miles There are slugs all over my tent. The more I look, the more I see. Come on, guys. One is cute but this many is just nasty. Did you know slugs are mollusks? I feel like I used to know this, but …
July 2, 2024 Springdale Creek to Fredenburg Creek via Tofte 12.2 miles We knew the forecast for today, but that doesn’t stop me from being annoyed when I wake up in the early morning and it’s pouring rain. I potter around for a while, make coffee and have breakfast, and finally wrangle enough motivation to …
July 1, 2024 Johnvick Creek to Springdale Creek 18 miles As has become usual, we are slower getting ready than we planned to. I don’t know how I expected anything less, knowing how I am as a person. But when we do get moving, the trail is really lovely for a while. There’s slop, of …
June 30, 2024 South Bally Creek Pond to Johnvick Creek 16 miles The morning is slow as we pack up and chat with Slapshot and Feather Blue. They’ve decided to go hike Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota, before heading south, since they have to get back to the Twin Cities tonight. We walk …
June 29, 2024 Grand Marais to South Bally Creek Pond 6.2 miles When I say this hotel is nice, I’m talking huge cozy common room nice, six varieties of coffee nice, hot breakfast labeled in aesthetically pleasing font nice. I’m talking, an hour of quiet early morning to myself to eat my Chobani yogurt and …
Oh, zero day. How I love thee. Today consisted of a nice blend of chores and enjoyment. We had a luxurious breakfast at the Blue Water Café before moving our stuff over to the other hotel for the night, laundry, resupply, catching up on journaling and social media, and finally some shopping. This town has …
June 27, 2024 Cliff Creek Campsite to Grand Marais via the North Shore State Trail 10.8 miles It was cold last night, I didn’t sleep well, and I was slow to wake up today, even though I knew I was going into town. “Hello in there!” Machine called tentatively just as I became conscious. “What …
June 26, 2024 Judge C. R. Magney State Park to Cliff Creek 13.4 miles I woke up to the sound of raindrops again. I had to poke my head out of my tent to roll down my vestibule (which Machine calls a “vegetable”) and decided that if I had to be awake, I may as …
Sarahmarie Specht-Bird 