February 25th – March 6th, 2022
I started my Minnesota ski trip at 5 a.m. on Friday, heading north on Interstate 75 towards Upper Michigan. The road was snow covered up to Gaylord and clear from there, across the Mackinac Bridge and on to Ashland, Wisconsin. There I spent the night.
On Saturday I made my way west through Duluth, turning northeast on Highway 61 along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior. I traveled along the scenic route to Gooseberry Falls State Park, where I rendezvoused with Mark, Phyllis and Roger for our first day of skiing. The temperature was in the mid-twenties with a mostly sunny sky and moderate wind. We crossed the river by the snow covered falls and skied the outer loop, northeast of the river. The first part of the route was on a ridge overlooking the partly frozen Lake Superior. Our total distance for the day was 5.2 miles.
Late in the afternoon, we drove north to our first cabin near the Lutsen Ski area. The cabin was 2 stories tall with a loft right on the shore of the lake. A breeze from the south pushed ice against the shoreline, but the lake surface was calm and flat.
On Sunday we skied the Bally Creek Trail System. Some of the trails we chose became confused in the forest and we did a little backtracking to find our way out. The trails were very nice, hilly and mostly forested with pines and birch trees. We covered 7.1 miles under sunny skies, no wind and temperatures in the high 20s. We did have a little adventure back at the parking lot, when a young visitor from Duluth drove in with a Toyota sedan. He could not make it up the hill out of the parking lot and slid back into the snow drift. I think he was a little out of his element, as he was from Texas. We used a snatch strap and a little human strength to pull him up onto the road. Had he come after we left, he most likely would have spent the night in the cold, as there was no cell signal to call for help.
On Monday we packed up, left the cabin and headed to the Deer Park trail. We left one truck at Cascade State Park, and drove up into the hills to start a mostly downhill trail back. We skied 4.8 miles trending downward along the Cascade River. Some of the trails were a little confusing, but we managed to find our vehicle. We headed up the North Shore after retrieving the other truck, stopping at Grand Marais for groceries before heading the 26 miles into the backcountry to a cabin at Bearskin Lodge. There we would be on the border of the Boundary Waters Wilderness.
On Tuesday we split up. Phyllis took the day off to read and enjoy the warmth of our cabin. Mark and Roger skied the Poplar Creek loop and I skied solo on the Beaver Dam trail. I needed a little peaceful time alone to think about my father who died 2 years before. The snow conditions were perfect and the sun provide a little radiant heat.
I didn’t run into anyone else and it was very quiet. I can’t say my father talked to me, but I could hear his voice saying things I remembered from the past. He traveled with me on a canoe trip years ago to this same area. He grew up in the “wilds” around Malvern, Arkansas. But, on the canoe trip he said “I didn’t realize what you meant when you said wilderness, but this is truly nowhere”. At one point we were 3 days from the nearest road. A storm came during the night and we heard a loud noise. The next morning as we unzipped the tent door, we stared into pine branches. The noise was a very large tree that was blown down across our campsite. Had it fallen 4 or 5 feet to the right, our trip would have ended right then.
As I skied along, I could remember a number of quotes. At a particularly tough time in my life he said “No sense complaining, just keep moving forward and go on about your business”. Ironically, that was easy to remember, as my outdoors friends quickly weed out those that complain a lot. When you are in the backcountry, whether it be backpacking, canoeing, or skiing, there are often lots of things to complain about. Bad weather, camp food, insects, poison ivy, sore muscles, sleeping on the ground, and being lost are just a few. Regardless, it is best to just have fun, even if you aren’t.
Mark and I chose to take a day off on Wednesday. We drove down to Grand Marais for a little shopping and a latte at a coffee house near the shoreline.
We were back on the skis Thursday and did the Yurt Trail out and back. After resting the day before, I skied my longest distance of the trip, covering 9.6 miles. At the top of a steep hill, I looked down the trail and was met by a Red Fox. He slammed on the brakes once he realized I was a human and darted off the trail to the left. I prepared to go down the hill, but a few seconds later, the fox jumped back onto the trail. He gave me a look as if to say “I want to use this trail, go away”. I couldn’t blame him, as the snow off trail was about 4 feet deep. The fox then ran into the woods on the right, and I skied down.
We packed up Friday morning in preparation for a trip back to Lutsen and another cabin. I elected to ski one last loop on the Bearskin trails, while the other 3 headed to Lutsen Ski resort for a little downhill skiing. I covered 5 miles over to Ruby Lake and met the rest of the group in Lutsen.
As Saturday was overcast and very windy, I took the day off and relaxed in the cabin. Later in the day I packed up for the 14 hour drive back to Michigan and home.
The week was an excellent experience with good friends, great conversations, perfect weather, and awesome lodging (thanks Mark for a good job with VRBO).
Starting All Over 
Just read The North Shore. Thank you for sharing your experience with narration and photos. I particularly liked your reflections about your dad. I can hear his voice saying the words you shared. He was a wise, centered man, Kerry. We are both remarkably fortunate to have had the fathers (and mothers) we had. This truth has become clearer and clearer the older I get.
LikeLike