Superior Hiking Trail: Getting Lost, September 29, 2012

It's weekend #2 on Fall Color Tour 2012: The North Shore.  After last week's marathon Bean and Bear Lakes hike, we decided to break things up a bit this weekend.  Instead of one huge hike, we'd do two or three smaller ones.  We had it all planned out.  The weather even cooperated - mid-70's, sunny, and dry.   According to the DNR, fall color was at 75%-100%.  Thunderdog promised that she would be good and not whine when we reached the overlooks.  Here we go!!

The first hike was to Fantasia Overlook, on the Superior Hiking Trail.  This is the same overlook that I hiked to back in May.  Back then, I said that it was like a little gem tucked into the forest...and that I should come back in the fall.

As usual, the good pictures were taken by Joe.  The mediocre ones were taken by yours truly.

Here we go!

We ambled along, enjoying the weather and the scenery.  There were lots of great views - not only of the fall color, but of the lake in the distance.  The sky was ridiculously blue.  We were, understandably, a bit distracted.

On the trail - picture by Joe

The trail was tough.  Lots of rock "staircases" and scrambling up and down.  "I don't remember it being this hilly and rocky," I started to think.  But then I saw a leaf and was completely distracted by how BEAUTIFUL it was.   It wasn't until we reached a crossroads that we pulled out the map and realized that we'd just hiked a mile in the wrong direction.  All of that up and down, for nothing.

I felt like a dope, so I made myself sit in the corner of the forest out of shame.

So we hiked all the way back to the trailhead, discussing the myriad ways in which we should have been able to tell that we were on the wrong path.  The trailhead lot was so full of cars - fifteen, I think - that we wound up parking my car on the road outside the lot.  We hadn't seen a single person until we reached the crossroads.  All of the up-and-down - I didn't remember any of it from the last time I'd taken this hike.  But...but...I've hiked over 130 miles so far this year.  I don't remember EVERY STEP I took.  That's why I write this blog!  I write it down so I don't HAVE to remember!!

Oh well.  Joe was not upset or anything like that.  Thunderdog was just happy to be out walking.

We hiked the one-mile stretch from CR 106 to the crossroads about .1 miles from the Baptism River High Falls.  We were determined to see the Fantasia Overlook, so we just turned around in the middle of the crossroads and headed back.  Did we ever make it to Fantasia Overlook?  Stay tuned...


Total miles hiked today: (this section) 2
Total miles hiked (in 2012): 138.3

Total ticks today: Joe - 0; Thunderdog - 0; Elly - 0
Total ticks (in 2012): 49