In most cases, I would be moderately annoyed that this is the opposite of a nature trail. The absence of a nature trail. The antithesis of a nature trail. It is not in nature, nor is it an actual trail, except for the very beginning where the website (at the time) was cautioning people over vagabonds in the area. I found that weird, considering that thru-hiking is mostly just vagabonding with a budget, but I also know for whom those warnings are. Regardless, there was evidence of people existing near the end of the descent, and I still managed to survive the whole way to the concrete bridge crossing the highway, so I lived to tell my tale.
Though this is not a nature trail, as repeatedly mentioned, it's hard to complain when the urban trail portion of this hike goes through Canal Park, by the Aerial Lift Bridge, and along the shore of the big lake. Fortunately for me, it was not between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so moving about without clusters of tourists being oblivious to anyone walking around them was not an issue. I also made use of Lyft, with which is not something I'm usually comfortable, but doing section hikes two days in a row led me to not wanting to waste energy doubling back, so I parked at the Hartley Nature Center and got the ride to the Twin Ponds trailhead, which is something I wish was available for future portions of this travelogue, spoiler alert.
Duluth is one of my favorite places in the world, and the day was immaculate for photography and hiking. After dodging the construction around the Amsoil Arena, the slip bridge was up, which somehow takes more time to complete its process than the lift bridge, but spending time in Canal Park without the mob while the weather wasn't "biting face off" levels of cold was a unique privilege all the same.
The recently-revitalized trail along the shore heading toward Fitger's is a lovely upgrade from years past. If there is an advantage to being on a paved section of the trail, it's giving the trekking poles a break and just taking in the scenery, at least before the ascent through the streets in section 13. Sometimes the lake breeze on my face and the calming sound of the lake hitting the rocks on the shore is the perfect place for recharging energy, at least with one long section hike the previous day and more difficulty looming after a walk through the rose garden. Having seen that lake when it decides it's tired of everyone's shit and wants to show off how frail and temporary anything floating on it truly can be, relative placidity makes for a considerably easier pace.
After paying respects to Uncle Harvey and his emblematic representation of poor decision-making, there's a little more of Duluth's urban parks to get through. The remainder of civilization with which to intermingle precedes the lingering emptiness of Section 2.
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