The Superior Hiking Trail
Last week (my first week of summer vacation), I spent 3 days hiking nearly 25 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail (between Silver Bay and Finland, Minnesota) with my youngest (19 yrs. old) daughter. "Construction" of the nearly 300 mile Superior Hiking Trail began in the mid-1980's as an 18 inch wide foot path that follows a ridge-line of the Sawtooth Mountains overlooking Lake Superior (the Ojibwa called it
Ojibwa Gichigami -The Ojibwa's Great Sea) and several inland lakes...and is now considered one of the top 5 hiking trails in America.
Day 1 Hike- 4 hours
The most memorable part of our trip was a hike that included...lots of mud (I face planted in a swamp!)...Mt. Trudee...
Mt. Trudee overlooking Lake Superior
"The Drainpipe"...
"The Drainpipe" - 150 foot vertical climb...
...Pesky gnats, mosquitoes, and ticks...quiet-only interrupted by various songbirds, woodland frogs, etc....and discussions with my daughter about the Native Americans (The Plano...The Cree...The Santee Dakota...The Algonquin...The Ojibwa)...who once made this region their home.
What was their life like...how did they survive...did they walk these trails...what do you think they called (in their language) these places...why did we feel we could take their lands...how did they feel when we took their lands...
"Gaa wiin daa-aangoshkigaazo ahaw enaabbiyaan gaa-inaabid."
(An Ojibwa Proverb - You cannot destroy one who has dreamed a dream like mine.)
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