Freedoms of Wilderness: an Independence Day Weekend Getaway

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We took the long weekend before the 4th of July to get away in Grand Portage State Forest. We camped here before so that made going down pothole-filled dirt roads in the dark of night with the possibility of deer popping out more comfortable than it could have been had we have never been there before.

With the canoe on top of the car, we slowly navigated through the long, cratered dirt roads of the Grand Portage State Forest at 11 PM Friday after Hovland, MN, the final “town” you drive through before turning off HWY 61. You’re on a dirt road for about 45 minutes from Hovland to the campsite. I recommend people stop in Hovland at Chicago Bay Marketplace for a fresh homemade cinnamon roll! They win my heart over and beat Tobie’s cinnamon rolls any day.

To our surprise, there was one other group at 1 of the 3 campsites in this section of the forest. They had the campsite we preferred (where we had camped at last summer), so we had to settle for the site across the way from it. Both sites sit right on the water; the one we wanted had a more open lake view.

We set up camp in the dark with our trusty headlamps and were sleeping by midnight. Even Daisy joined us in the tent. When we hammock camp Daisy sleeps outside, but our 2 person tent can squeeze a 4 legged fur ball in, too! We like having her sleep in the tent with us because she gets better sleep… she’s not on “watchdog” duty all night watching and listening for woodland critters. I’d guess she sleeps with one eye open when she sleeps outside.

On Saturday, we went for a 5-mile round trip hike on a section of the Super Hiking Trail (SHT). The SHT is unique and diverse in its 300+ miles of trail. The section we did was rocky and steep in some areas. The rocky parts made it challenging especially since part of our hike was weathered with rain making for muddy, slippery terrain. Sarah slipped in one section and bruised up her hand. We both regretted not bringing our hiking poles. Andy did, however, make Sarah a temporary hiking pole – 100% all natural (a hikers version of a flower bouquet).

We wanted to find an overlook we had read about in the Superior Hiking Trail guide book so we hiked in and found the overlook (or so we thought.) we got back to the car and read the description of the overlook, to find that where we thought was the overlook, wasn’t it. We were probably less than a mile from the “hellacious overlook” we wanted to be at.

On Sunday we paddled in the canoe. Daisy is still getting used to the canoe, and we are still getting used to a dog in the canoe! We found that Daisy does best in the front of the boat in “captains” view. This takes her mobility away to walk around the canoe and possibility tip us. She can’t get anywhere when she’s in front of me! From now on, it’s captain Daisy when she’s in the canoe with us. There were a few fishing boats on the lake while we were out. Lots of people like to use this area to fish during the day.

We decided we wanted to find the real Hellacious Overlook, so we took an afternoon hike of 1.5 miles (3 round trip) starting at the Jackson Lake Road trailhead. This hike is recommended if you want some incline with rocky terrain. There were a few times where I needed to crawl up bouldering rocks on the trail. Daisy has a hard time with the rocks but she pushed through them. There was also a section of the trail which gives off a Jurassic Park feel with overgrowth and open meadows.

We got to the top and enjoyed our turkey provolone wraps for lunch with the view of Lake Superior and Isle Royale. Soon we started the descent. It was hot and buggy at the top so leaving quickly was preferred.

That night we prepared hamburgers with all the fixings, foil-wrapped potatoes, and garlic broccoli. The thing most people love about car camping is the luxury of the cooler and thinking you can pack the whole kitchen. And it felt like we did. Why? Because we can fit it all in the car, so why not?

This is why backpack camping is preferred to us, it’s much more simplistic and you need to live a minimalist life. You can’t pack foil, hot pads, fire starter, wine, pans, extra clothes, etc.