Traveling Well-Trodden Paths

A recent article in Eos provided a nice - though somewhat technical - geological review of the area including the Superior Hiking Trail.  I didn't realize we were passing over terrain exceeding one billion years old.  Enjoy!

Split Rock River Loop

Trail conditions dried enough for us to sneak in one more hike the morning before our departure, so we headed north to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, a mere four miles from our cabin.  A light dew made the trail a bit slippery in places, but we took it slow and used our hiking sticks for occasional support.  Starting on the west side, we enjoyed close-up views of the fast running river, still swollen with water from recent rains.

(The river moving along at a good pace)

(The split rock)

(We were able to get close to the river, so here’s a video)

(Over the bridge and back the other side)

After crossing the Split Rock River bridge, the trail climbed north and away from the river.  Once on level trail, we collected our ‘soil of the day’ and continued on to the wide overlook of Lake Superior.  The view was impressive.

(Last view of the river before heading off to the woods)

(Location of today’s soil)

(Inceptisols with Lithic and Oxyaquic subgroups; moderately developed soils that are shallow or periodically saturated)

(Wonderful trail placement!)

Back to Duluth

We squeezed in a sizable hike today from N. 24^th Ave to the Hartley Nature Center (about 13 miles).  The weather forecast provided ample motivation, and as I’m writing this Duluth is under a flash flood watch until mid-morning tomorrow.  Given the expectation of soggy trails tomorrow and Friday, today was likely our last day of vacation for hiking.

The route ran the gamut on elevation change, with >1100 feet at Enger Park, 600 feet along the Lakewalk, and >1300 at Hartley Nature Center.  Though challenging, conditions were optimal with overcast skies, a cool north wind, and tacky (but not wet) trails from a morning rain.

(Staying close to Skyline Parkway)

(Entering Enger Park)

It didn’t take long to reach the first major landmark 1.7 miles into the hike.  Enger Tower did not disappoint, with an excellent 360° view of the area.  We also took time to view (but not ring) the Ohara Peace Bell, commemorating the friendship with Duluth’s sister city, Ohara-Isumi, Japan.

(No problem with this tower standing strong in the wind)

(Soil type at the base of Enger Tower)

(Great view of the harbor from the top floor of the tower)

Gravity pushed us to the crossing of I-35, which was quickly followed by Canal Park, the Lakewalk, and the Rose Garden.  We were two hours into our hike (and feeling good) when we started our journey up 14^th Ave. en route to our final destination for the day.

(Bridge out = Additional mileage)

(The lift bridge)

(View from the Lakewalk)

(Alas, the roses – and the site of our second soil for the day)

(No wonder they were growing so well!)

The remainder of the hike was a good workout for our legs (due to the climbing) and even offered a few surprises from the recent storm damage that kept us on our toes.  All in all, it was an excellent way to wrap up our hiking experiences during our Minnesota vacation.

(Climbing along on Chester Creek Trail)

(Time to improvise)

(Yet more improvisation…)

(…and with good reason)

(Rewarded with a great view)

Hiking the Rivers: Cascade and Temperance

This was our day to explore areas north of Silver Bay, MN, a section of Hwy 61 we didn’t visit during last year’s North Shore vacation.  Along the way we hiked trails near two rivers where the North Country Trail (aka Superior Hiking Trail) was conveniently accessible from the highway.  We stopped at Cascade River on the way to Grand Marais and Temperance River on the way back to Castle Danger.  It was a hot day, so we were glad we travelled north instead of continuing our hiking ventures in Duluth where the afternoon temperatures reached the upper-80s.

(The Cascade River…)

(…and the location of the recorded soil)

(Wow, a shallow soil today!  5-8 cm of A horizon and then the Bw)

(Our turnaround point at Trout Creek)

(Moving on to Temperance River)

(Rock sculptures about a mile upriver…   …creepy and disrespectful of the beautiful surroundings)

(Approximate location of the soil along the Temperance)

(Makes one wonder if the soil type would have been the same if we were standing in the middle of the river)

(On first blush, it seemed we were in Montana)

Among the Fallen Trees

Given the wet trail conditions following yesterday afternoon’s hike, we decided to travel south to Duluth to hopefully find trails in better condition.  Starting from the Hartley Nature Center promptly at 10:00 a.m., we headed out to Martin Road, approximately three miles north.

(All business this morning: Left… Left…  Left, Right, Left)

The first mile and a half were along paved and gravel roads through quiet neighborhoods and two cemeteries (quieter still).  Cemeteries typically elicit interest from soil scientists since many are placed on undisturbed lands previously in native vegetation.  Given the forested area along the North Shore, it’s doubtful there are cemeteries on undisturbed land, though their land use history may not involve agriculture.  In any case, we captured our soil for the day between the Forest Hill and Park Hill cemeteries.

(Approximate location of today’s soil)

(Alfisols and Entisols yesterday; Inceptisols today)

Our hike became a bit challenging once we entered the singletrack trail in Downer Park.  The uneven rocky terrain made us appreciate our footwear choices (or not), though the elevated walkways were a welcome respite for all of us.

(Taking a quick break near Vermillion Ave.)

(Smooth sailing along this stretch, and definitely not representative of what was to come)

We were amazed by the amount of work that had been done to clear the trail following the massive windstorm on July 20^th that felled so many trees in the area.

(This would be impassable otherwise)

The fallen trees did provide a unique opportunity to view the soil, however.  Dark mollic colors and granular structure dominated the surface 6-8” of soil, only to give way to tan hues and numerous rock fragments below.

(Shallow roots and sandy soil…   …not a good combination for strong winds)

Beginning a week along the Superior Hiking Trail

Instead of continuing our journey from Riverdale, ND, we ventured east to Minnesota to hike along the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) during a long-overdue vacation.  Fortunately for us, the North Country Trail follows the SHT along it’s approximately 300 mile distance.  We intend to hike different sections of the trail throughout the week.

Today we began our hiking at Gooseberry State Park; familiar environs for us (we visited the park last year) and convenient, too (less than two miles from our cabin).  Our daughter, Sarah, joined us for the hike along the 2.1 mile section north of the falls.

(Heading out mid-morning before the temperatures rise)

(Gooseberry River, middle falls section)

(Fifth falls bridge, and location of today’s recorded soil)

(Soil map units seem to make sense...  Alfisol in a forest, Fluvent near a waterway)

It didn’t take long for us to reach the bridge, so we continued south along the trail for another half mile.  The extra hiking yielded a couple unexpected finds.  One was a huge ant hill (three feet tall…  …estimated from a safe distance) and a large forest exclosure.

(Now that is some serious bioperturbation!)

(Vegetation and litter fall were denser in the exclosure than adjacent forest)

Wild raspberries were abundant along the trail.  I took full advantage of the opportunity to try a ripe berry.  Tart, but good.

(Plenty left for the bears)

Later in the day we traveled south to Castle Danger, MN to climb up to Wolf Rock from Lake County Road 106.  Though short, this was a significant hike compared to our morning venture, but the view was worth it.

(A great view with a nice breeze to help cool off from the climb)

We continued from Wolf Rock for about another mile to the first primitive campsite.  Trail conditions were wet, so we decided to stop and return to the parking area.

(Our turnaround point for the afternoon)

(Lots of saturated soil and makeshift bridges)

As for the soil along this section, it was similar to we located this morning.  Both were along wooded areas of the trail, so the outcome wasn’t surprising.

(Who is Miskoaki?)