Superior Hiking Trail
Map 1 - Section 6
Becks Rd. Trailhead to Magney Snively
Date Hiked: April 28th, 2025
Other Sections Hiked That Day: Map 1 - Section 7
My plan of working on the Superior Hiking Trail on Saturdays lasted an entire two of them. Given the previous series about the Minnesota Hiking Club, the only surprise about that is likely that I made it an entire week without jumping ahead. Even with how exhausted I felt staring at the impending Ely's Peak at the end of the previous hike, temptation won out. When the weather looked to be relatively cool and dreary, and with the season of bugs and North Shore crowds approaching, I imagined that this section might be one of the more popular weekend spots. Therefore, a cold morning summit felt like a good way to knock some miles off the highlight poster. (Why does that sound dirtier than it is?)
Only one other car was at the Becks Road trailhead that morning, as compared to the overflow situation that past Saturday. further validating my decision. Granted, that one car was one of the "Idling in the Car for Hours at a Time at a Park" Club I've seen so much of in the last few years, but I digress.
A few flurries began to fall as I recalled the tank top weather only a couple days earlier. The FAQ on the SHT website makes sure people know that the trail doesn't control the weather's predictability any more than it manifests mosquitoes and deer ticks, because some people apparently think going through the remote northwoods in the summer has an off switch that's only not flipped because fuck you, that's why. I wonder if they think mud is also a conspiracy to piss off the rubes.
I couldn't help but recall two previous adventures as I slowly pushed myself up the steep, rocky incline. First, that time my partner and I accidentally climbed Cougar mountain (no, accidentally is not a typo), where I was in mesh shoes, had no water, and every step on the hike down hurt my knees. How far I had come in three years, indeed. Second, my longest hike to date (as of this writing on May 14th, 2025), the 22.2 miles on the Münger Trail, likely because it was right below and I'd be taking it on the way back, but also because there was a time where that rail grade incline seemed difficult.
Blue blazes on rocks as a guiding sign were really useful. Good invention, them trail blazes, because AllTrails can be a liar. The views were good, but some white blazes led to the actual peak, and I was already there. Why not stare down from the place at which I stared up hours earlier? I mean, it's no Unimpressive Overlook, but it's alright, I guess. It's not its fault that it can't meet the impossible standard of Unimpressive, that doesn't mean it should stop trying.
After that though, it starts feeling like getting lost in Emyn Muil for a while (and that's not a bad thing, unless you're going in circles), but Duluth's skyview awaits.
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