Hogback Lake

 Where did the summer go? Family visits and house projects had consumed the days since our spring waterfall trip. Labor Day was fast approaching and we decided a camping trip was in order. 

 We settled on a U.S. Forest Service rustic campground in the Superior National Forest. We like the rustic campgrounds. With no services, these sites are more likely to attract our style of campers. Located on Hogback Lake, the campground offered hiking and canoeing opportunities. With only 3 well-spaced sites, we were likely to have the peace and quiet we enjoy while camping. I borrowed my friend Bob's hand-built skin-on-frame canoe. We loaded up the trailer and departed on Monday morning.

 

We arrived at Hogback Lake at around 3 PM. One of the three campsites was taken. We selected the best remaining site and set up camp. The site was nicely wooded with a picnic table and a fire pit. 

 

 

 

We had dodged rain on the way up but it found us soon after we arrived. We set up the Clam screen house over the picnic table to provide a bug and rain shelter and cooked dinner. After dinner we took a walk around the campground. Our neighbors turned out to be a retired lady school teacher and her friend. Ivonne, from Florida, camps all summer in Minnesota and returns to Florida for the winter. Her friend was from Wisconsin. Ivonne, an avid fisherman was an energetic 87 years old! Her friend, a former student, was younger. Good, interesting neighbors.

 

 

We checked out a sign at the boat launch which showed options for hiking and canoeing. Hogback Lake connects to Canal Lake and a short portage allows access to Scarp Lake. A loop trail system offered several miles of back country hiking. We retired to camp to have a fire and consider our options for the coming days.

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day with cool temperatures. We made breakfast of eggs, bacon and hashbrowns. A couple Canada Jays paid us a visit, looking for a handout. After cleaning up and doing dishes, we explored our surroundings a bit more. We enjoyed the views of the lake and some sun on the boat launch dock. A nice breeze was blowing in from the northwest. The lake was pretty calm but we could see whitecaps on the far shore. We decided this was a good day for a hike, hoping tomorrow would bring less wind and better canoeing.

 

Enjoying the sun on the dock

View of Hogback Lake from the dock

 

 We ate a light lunch, loaded rain gear and snacks into the pack and set off to explore the woods a bit. The trail left from the boat launch area and climbed up to a ridge running between the lakes. We followed the ridge above Scarp Lake for a while, enjoying the views and the wildflowers. We returned the way we came and followed the trail to Canal Lake, then returned to camp. 

 

Nice pines on the trail

Lake view

 

 

Glimpse of a lake through the trees

Trail signpost

Scarp Lake from the ridge

Goldenrod

Pearly Everlasting

Kathy on the trail

Asters

Sign of fall?

Moss topped stump

What bird is that?

Back to Hogback Lake

After our hike, we relaxed in camp, read books and I prepared some wood for a campfire. We ate dinner, watched a nice sunset and new moon rise. The wind kept the bugs away and we enjoyed a nice campfire. The clear night sky provided an impressive display, including the Milky Way and a couple of shooting stars. We went to sleep serenaded by the familiar and cherished calls of a loon.

Moonrise over Hogback Lake

We woke to another sunny but windy day. A new tradition- we made cinnamon rolls in our Coleman camp oven to augment another breakfast of eggs and sausages. Good strong coffee for me and tea for Kathy. And no surprise, a visit from the Canada Jays. We spent another relaxing morning in camp. Eventually, although the wind was still blowing, we decided to go canoeing. We packed a lunch and carried the canoe over to the shore for launching.

Hogback Lake is connected to Canal Lake by a narrow passage. We explored Canal Lake a bit and found the portage to Scarp Lake. The portage was well traveled and ended in a marshy area on the Scarp Lake side. There was a shallow passage through the marshy area into the lake. After a short time of feeling like we were Humphrey Bogart and Kate Hepburn in the African Queen, we found ourselves in Scarp Lake. The wind was blowing pretty good and we sailed down the lake, passing a large beaver lodge and some impressive rock cliffs that probably inspired the name of the lake. The trip back against the wind was a bit challenging but we followed close to shore and made it back to the portage without trouble. We found a nice lunch spot on Canal Lake and had a picnic in the sun. A large painted turtle poked its head out of the lake near shore to check us out before swimming on.

View from under the canoe on the portage

End of portage to Scarp Lake

 

 

Narrow passage

 

 

 

Portage back to Canal Lake

 

 

End of portage to Canal Lake

 

 

Lunch spot on Canal Lake

 

 

Nice spot for a picnic

 

 

Lunchtime view

 

 

After our lunch break we paddled back to camp. We spent some time watching a loon fish- it's fun to try and guess where it would surface after a dive. Kathy read her book in the Clam and I set up the hammock for a nice nap. After dinner we walked around the campground a bit and I took some photos of the woods. Then we read our books until dark. We spent some time looking at the stars on another clear night- so many stars.

Serious work by a Pileated woodpecker

Base of the tree showing impressive output

 

Woodland scene

Woods with lake in the background

 

Interesting moss

Tree roots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View of Hogback Lake from the woods

 

Hogback Lake scene

 

Thursday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and packed up camp for the drive home. I had to trouble-shoot the trailer lights which stopped working on the way up. I determined the contacts in the wiring connection to the truck were the problem. Once I got those cleaned up all the lights were working again.

On the way home we scouted out some other rustic campgrounds in the area for future reference. We had a very pleasant picnic lunch on the shore of Eighteen Lake. We stopped for dinner at a favorite spot- the Northview Drive-in in Webster, Wisconsin. It is an old-fashioned drive-in with car-side service and great hamburgers. We opted for a table. A nice way to wrap up a relaxing camping trip.

Nice lunch spot at Eighteen Lake

Northview Drive-in

Last rest stop before home

Waterfalls of the North Shore

Renowned for its natural beauty and scenic waterfalls, the shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota is known as the North Shore. It is one of our favorite destinations.

The north country benefited from heavy snow cover this past winter. Welcome relief for last year's drought, the snow persisted until late into a mostly absent spring. When warmer temperatures finally arrived, the snow melt was fast and furious, and spring storms added heavy rain to the mix. The numerous streams that originate in the forest were quickly filled to flood stage as they carried the water over ancient rock, culminating in spectacular waterfalls at the edge of Lake Superior. Many streams overflowed their banks and carried away trees and historic bridges that stood in the way. After a drought year when many of the streams were nearly dry, it was a sight to see. CBS Local News coverage of North Shore river flooding

We decided to take a trip north and check it out for ourselves. We waited a couple of weeks after the peak since the flooding had closed most of the parks and trails that we wanted to visit. There would still be plenty of water flowing.

There was lots to do before we could go camping. The camper was still tucked away in the garage from the winter and needed to be loaded on the truck. The camper battery needed replacing after 10 years of faithful service and the propane tanks needed refilling. We did all that and conducted the normal spring search for misplaced gear. We loaded up and left home on a Monday.

Note: you can click on the pictures for a larger version.

 

Location of Poplar River Campground

Our destination was a rustic USFS campground along the Poplar River north of Tofte. We stopped at the Tofte Ranger station for last minute intelligence about closed roads and what not. We picked up a new forest map as ours was many years old. We arrived at the campground around 4 PM to find it empty. We picked the nicest campsite on the bank above the river and set up camp. The river was flowing full and the rapids provided a nice backgound sound.
 

View of the Poplar River from camp

Rapids below camp

Another view of rapids

 

 

We set up camp and made dinner. After dinner we relaxed and planned the next day. A nice campfire was welcome on the chilly evening. We stayed out until after dark. Chilled and sleepy, after dousing the fire we hopped in the camper and fell asleep to the pleasant sound of the river.

 

Cooking dinner

Getting water from the trailer

 

 

A nice evening campfire

 

We woke to a brisk 34°F in the camper. I'm glad we can reach the furnace thermostat from the bed. In no time the camper was warmed to 60° and we could emerge from our cozy covers in comfort. Breakfast was to be a special treat.

Vintage Coleman camp oven

Cinnamon rolls!

My friend Bob had given us a vintage Coleman camp oven handed down to him from his parents many years ago. It had never been used and was in the original box complete with instructions. We deciphered the diagrams of how to unfold it and set it up on our camp stove. In no time we had fresh Pillsbury cinnamon rolls- a first for camping for us! Yes we ate them all.

A clean camp

We cleaned up camp and set off for the day's adventures, leaving a chair and the tablecloth to indicate our planned return to passersby. I locked the trailer with some cables and removed the coupler to discourage opportunistic bad behavior. 

 

Our first stop was the Cascade River.

Cascade River

Cascade River

 

It was mesmerizing to watch the water. The sound was deafening. I took several videos to try to capture the experience.

 

Note: after the videos play, YouTube will suggest a random video to play next. Please ignore their suggestions. I have no control over this and I haven't figured out how to disable it. 

 

If you would like to replay the video, simply click the replay symbol.

Click to watch video on YouTube

Click to watch video on YouTube

We spent a couple hours scrambling over the rocks finding new vantage points and enjoying the power of the water.

Cascade River

Cascade River

 

We decided to drive to Tettegouche State Park for lunch. From the DNR website:

Established in 1979 to preserve an outstanding example of the North Shore Highlands Biocultural Region, the 9,346 acres of Tettegouche State Park contain a unique combination of natural features: rugged, semi-mountainous terrain, one mile of Lake Superior shoreline, six inland lakes, cascading rivers and waterfalls, and an undisturbed northern hardwood forest.

Nature lovers adore this park! Hiking trails along the Baptism River provide views of many falls and cascades including High Falls, the spectacular 60-foot waterfall. In addition, a section of the Superior Hiking Trail runs through the park.

 

Our plan was to have lunch and then hike to the High Falls of the Baptism River. These falls are the highest within Minnesota and we had never seen them in person. The usual trail from the park campground was closed by the flood, which also wiped out a swinging bridge over the river used to access a view of the falls. We chose an alternate route which used a spur of the Superior Hiking Trail to reach the river below the falls and then from there, a trail along the river to reach the falls. The hike turned out to be more challenging than we anticipated with some very steep up and down sections over rough, rocky terrain. There were some nice long views from high ridges. We persevered and eventually reached our destination. The falls were pretty spectacular. I failed to take photos during the toughest stretches of the hike but got a few good ones of the falls.

 

Hike to the High Falls of the Baptism River

View to Lake Superior from the Superior Hiking Trail

The High Falls of the Baptism River

The High Falls of the Baptism River

The High Falls of the Baptism River

View from the Superior Hiking Trail

View from the Superior Hiking Trail

 

We were pretty tired after the hike back to the truck. I got a text from Mark, a friend with a cabin nearby inviting us to their place for happy hour. Nothing could have sounded better! We had a nice visit with snacks and drinks sitting in the wilderness overlooking a lake. Good friends and good times.

The next morning, Mark sent me a live picture of a visitor checking out our happy hour site from the evening before. I posted it here as a video to capture the motion.

 

 

Click to watch video on YouTube

Wolves are common in Minnesota but they are not usually checking out people's patios! We were sitting in those very chairs the night before. This young one was probably looking for some of the tasty snacks we had consumed.

 

Driving back to camp we ran into a bit of an obstacle- a tree had fallen across the road.

A tree across the road

Our saw was back at camp. Fortunately, I was able to pull the tree sufficiently aside for Kathy to drive the truck past and we made it back to camp without further trouble. I will carry the saw with us from now on.

Poplar River near camp

 

We had a light dinner and went to bed, pleasantly tired from the day. In the morning, the furnace got another workout and we had a nice breakfast of eggs and sausage wrapped in tortillas. A snowshoe hare, halfway through with its seasonal color change joined us for a time. With rain threatening, we packed up camp and headed towards home. We planned to stop at a couple more waterfalls on the way.

 

Driving the Honeymoon Trail in the Superior National Forest

 

First up was the Temperance River. Flowing through a narrow basalt canyon, the water has sculpted smooth curves and potholes into the rock as it roars through.

Temperance River

Temperance River

Click to watch video on YouTube

Click to watch video on YouTube

 

Our next stop was Gooseberry Falls State Park. From the DNR website:

Gooseberry Falls is the gateway to the North Shore. It is known for its spectacular waterfalls, river gorge, Lake Superior shoreline, Civilian Conservation Corps log and stone structures, and north woods wildlife. Listen to the thunderous roar of the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls of the Gooseberry River as it plummets through a rocky gorge. Watch for waves, ships, or the moon rise on Lake Superior from an ancient lava flow known as the Picnic Flow.

Hike or ski to see the Fifth Falls through a forest of evergreens, aspen, and birch, and enjoy camping in modern campsites, picnicking, and relaxing along the Lake Superior shoreline or the Gooseberry River.

I have many memories as a kid of scrambling around these waterfalls as do our kids.

Upper Falls at Gooseberry

Upper Falls at Gooseberry

Middle Falls at Gooseberry

Middle Falls at Gooseberry

Lower Falls at Gooseberry

The rain had increased to the point of making a picnic less than enjoyable so we ate lunch in the truck. After lunch we said our goodbyes to the North Shore and headed for home. Along the way another young wolf casually crossed the highway in front of us.

We are blessed in Minnesota with an abundance of clean water and we are thankful for that. We will return again to the beauty of the North Shore.