Sunday, September 09, 2018 2 p.m.
Gunflint Lodge, 3 miles (51.8 miles total)

After yesterday‘s hike, the 3-mile hike out to the eastern trail head felt like a walk in the park. The trail was still a bit brushy, but not too bad. There was one difficult stretch by Mine Lake. We’d been told that beavers had flooded the trail next to the lake. You could actually see where the old tread was running under the water because of how the plants were growing. People were trying to trailblaze a new trail to the north side of the old flooded trail, but the old trail was already running at the base of a granite ridge so the going was pretty hazardous and done at a 45-degree angle. At one point you had to hop across three boulders that were sticking out of a flooded channel. About halfway down the lake, you can see where trail crews had come through and tried to officially reroute the trail. (Now I know that there was a group of four hikers two days ahead of us on our hike who were hanging more blue flagging tape as they hiked, which is what we saw here.)

The last mile to the trailhead, we flew. When we reach the end, I did a little dance and hooted and hollered and high-fived Colin. We ran into one group of hikers just heading out on the trail. And then another gentleman in a red truck did a U-turn when he saw sitting beneath the Kekekabic Trail sign. He turned out to be a volunteer with the North Country Trail Association named Phil, who I’d heard of because last year he was infected with a new tick borne disease called the Powasson virus and it impacted him greatly. It can cause swelling in the brain. Phil is delightful. He chatted with us for half an hour, and gave me a copy of a map of the entire North Country Trail, which meant a lot to me as I have grand plans for that trail.

We started roadwalking to the lodge for lunch, but pretty soon two hikers we’d met on the trail out for a day hike picked us up and drove us all the way back to Heston’s Lodge, near where they were staying, so we could pick up our car. We ate lunch, then drove three hours back to Ely to pick up my car at the western trailhead. It felt like we’d left my car there a month before. I adore how slowly time passes on trail, how much I savor time on trail.

The Kekekabic Trail has been calling to me like a siren for the past three years, and intimidating me for just as long. I wasn’t sure if I was capable of hiking this trail. I’m very proud of us for doing it. I’m itching to hike it again already.

Annie and Colin, proud and happy (and very ready for a shower) after completing the trails