Superior Hiking Trail
SURPRISES Story and Photos
BY ERIC CHANDLER
[RIGHT] The Devil Track canyon is one of the North Shore’s lesser known scenic wonders. [ABOVE] The author and Leo pose above Bean Lake. | GLEN FLANAGAN
Last summer, my dog Leo and I ran the entire length of the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). Not all at once, although tougher people have done that. I broke the 296-mile effort into 41 different days over a five-month period. My faithful companion came with me on every leg. The trail gave me a few surprises. Like how many streams you cross. And that several hundred miles is longer than it seems. The most amazing thing was the number of wonderful places that I never heard of until I saw them. Everyone knows the marquee locations along Lake Superior. They’re mostly state parks and they’re great. Everybody’s there as a result. Other locations along the trail were breathtaking and I was the only one standing there. Okay, Leo was, too. If you spend enough time along the trail, you’ll come up with your own list. Here are just a few spots that caught me by surprise. For details on each of these trail sections, reference the Superior Hiking Trail website. Better yet, join the Superior Hiking Trail Association and get the more detailed guidebook.
14
MAY 2015
NORTHERN WILDS