I've spent a lot of energy on the Superior Hiking Trail this year without technically making much progress on the undone portions. A snow hike from the Rose Garden to Hartley most notably, and as I got stuck on Hundred Percenting shorter long distance trails this winter, the distance and remoteness needed to get the unfinished sections didn't feel worth it. Then, during the summer, wildfire smoke, an encounter with a family of bears (Isanti), and three-plus weeks on the Great Wander all contributed to my lack of progress. The one new section I did (Split Rock to Beaver Bay) was so overgrown and thick with bugs and ticks made me put it off even longer until fall. The terrifying encounter with an entire family of bears admittedly had me leery of going anywhere too remote, as with the common thread of consolation always being "they're not a problem unless the cubs are around" had me even more paranoid than usual.
All that to say, when I got to Duluth with my new camera and mission for the first time, I opted for the shorter Drive and picking up a verified complete badge from section 1 that I hadn't gotten along the way on 2025's completion.
Having traversed the side closest to the lake previously, once I went under the tunnel, I turned right to explore the side I hadn't seen before the loop met the junction at the familiar trek.
The word "park" in the title has certain implications, even in Duluth. Even aside from the state parks, much of section 1 goes through considerably developed park areas, like Enger most notably. Brewer Park is pretty much indistinguishable from other remote sections of the SHT. The views on the main were still lovely, of course, and they looked different than in the early spring, which was to be expected. It's fine, it isn't a complaint at all, it just didn't seem like what I was expecting for a park specifically, given the complete lack of anything I saw other than the trail. It feels weird to say it, but alas. Maybe I've watched too many Dustin Poynter videos and I feel like I'm saying "am I the red flag for thinking that a park was more than a trail in the wilderness?" Which is a very odd thing to ask, but feels like it would be better than some of the other "absolutely not totally staged" skits online people do, or "am I the asshole for lighting my ex's house on fire and singing the Star Spangled Banner at the top of my lungs while she attempted to put out the fire on the irreplaceable photos of her great-grandparents who were the last two residents of the Isle of Fuchsia?"
I shouldn't write on my lunch walk at work.
I feel like I'm getting better at the camera thing. I'm hoping to have it down a little more before hitting some mountains in Washington. Really wanna get those views.
