North Country Trail/Lake Superior Adventure 2014

To date this has been my longest backpacking adventure at over 600 miles.  Initially I planned for it to be larger including several hikes in Canada, but I opted to save those for later and spend some time at home with family after finishing up school.  Being from Michigan, the plan was to explore the scenic wonders close to home that I have missed while exploring others regions of the country.

My journey included the following six parts:

Part 1: Isle Royale National Park Grand Tour Figure Eight 

 This ~135 mile route starts from Windigo and includes the Feldtman, Greenstone, and Minong Ridge Trails with only slight backtracking needed.  This is quite possibly the best week long route Isle Royale National Park has to offer for those willing to hike 20+ miles/day.  Isle Royale is the largest island in Lake Superior, located in the northwest corner of the world's largest freshwater lake.  Accessible only by boat or plane, it offers a very remote experience.  Of special interest is the decades long research study on the predator/prey relationship between wolves and moose.

Trailgroove.com has published my article about this hike on Isle Royale:  Trailgroove Isle Royale

Part 2: Superior Hiking Trail thru-hike

At ~300 miles this is arguably the finest semi-long distance trail in the midwest and rated as one of the top trails in the nation by Backpacker Magazine.  The name is somewhat deceiving as the trail is rarely on the lakeshore, but do not be deterred.  The wonders of this trail are found in the surprisingly mountainous nature of Minnesota's North Shore with many scenic views from rocky outcroppings and the numerous pristine rivers and waterfalls.  Best of all, Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake (by surface area) is always lurking and impacting this beautiful country. The Superior Hiking Trail Association has done a fantastic job creating and maintaining this trail.

• Days 1-2: Duluth Section
• Days 3-6: Bald Eagle Campsite to Silver Bay
• Days 7-12: Silver Bay to Grand Marais
• Days 13-15: Grand Marais to 270 Degree Overlook

Part 3: Border Route Trail

 This rugged 65 mile wilderness trail offers some of the best scenery in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with a major emphasis of trail design placed on routing the trail to spectacular views overlooking beautiful lakes and Canada.

Part 4: Kekekabic Trail

This ~40 mile trail was the most remote and rugged trail of my adventure.  Mostly in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the "Kek" passed many lakes, several waterfalls, and was the most isolated backpacking experience that I have had to date.

Part 5: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

This 52 mile loop included much of the best of the park including a portion of the North Country Trail, several scenic rivers, many waterfalls, Lake Superior shoreline, old growth forest, and best of all, some of the top mountain views in Michigan.

Part 6: Pictured Rocks Lakeshore Trail

  42.4 miles- Mile for mile the most scenic trail of my adventure including impressive sand dunes, a lighthouse, shipwrecks, remote sandy beaches, inland lakes, and best of all the Pictured Rocks themselves.  My dad joined me and we took our time enjoying this wonderful trail.

Trailgroove.com has published my article about this hike: Trailgroove Pictured Rocks

Much of these adventures coincided with the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) as the SHT, BRT, and Kek are part of the NCT's Arrowhead re-route.  My route through the Porkies utilized much of the NCT in the park and the Pictured Rock's Lakeshore Trail is officially designated NCT.  The NCT at ~ 4600 miles is the longest of the eleven National Scenic Trails in the National Trails System.