Silver Bay, MN

I haven't been on a trail in months. The last trail I was on was Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, AZ. It's a great urban trail and I love the view from the top. It is a little different than what one would expect in a National Park, but it's a good one.

With that being said the last few months have been a whirlwind. I have struggled at work and its been very consuming of both my time and energy. So its been hard to break away and sneak to a National Park like Glacier or Yellowstone. But yesterday, I turned my phone off and headed up to Duluth. From

there I took a drive along the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior, where I first stopped at the cliffs at Palisade Head, and made my way to the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT).

The SHT is a trail from Duluth, MN to the Canadian border along the shoreline of Lake Superior. I chose a nice 7 mile out and back to Bean and Bear Lake. The trail was completely different than I expected it to be. I immediately started gaining elevation but it wasn't like hiking a mountain peak, it was moderate gains and losses for the entire trail.

The trail would open up to beautiful vistas of Silver Bay and Lake Superior and then dive back into the aspens. The trail eventually opens up to Bean Lake and the view is stunning. I found the first granite overlook and couldn't help but be in awe. The lake is so blue and it reminded me of the alpine lakes of the Rockies. The views of kept getting better as I walked along the east side of the lake. I kept going and after the trail cut back into the trees I descended down to the banks of Bear Lake.

The lake was calm chilly. I thought about going for a swim but only made it waist deep before it was too cold for me to continue any further. I left my pack and wandered around for a while before packing up and heading to the trailhead.

It was great to be back on the trail after months away. I felt at home on the trail. I already started daydreaming already about my next day on the trail, whenever trail that may be, wherever that trail may be. Until then I will enjoy my time spent on the SHT.

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