¡La Vida Bella!: Boundary Waters Hike 2009

Snowbank Lake, Boundary Waters
Minnesota, September 2009

Hello all. . .:D

Sorry for the extended absence -- I have been picking up a lot of extra hours at work and focusing a lot of time on the wedding (which is happening 13 days from now! egad.) I have, however, found some time to go out exploring with my lover. Last weekend we went up to the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota with a hiking group we met on MeetUp.com. It was a refreshing break from the mundane life I have monotonously maintained over the last 3 months (i.e. bus, work, bus, waste time, sleep; repeat).

Rick and I with our ultralight backpacks. Woohoo! There is no hiking like hiking light!

We hiked with four other guys and a dog, Seti (who was literally neurotic about sticks -- something that got old real fast). I was the only gal, but it rarely was an issue (save the incident when all the men spent 90+ minutes discussing the most effective way to hang a bear bag. . .a total man thing). We hiked the Snowbank Lake trail, which we think amounted to something like 25 miles or a bit more over the course of three days. Being the only ultralight hikers there, the hike was extremely leisurely for Rick and I (low daily mileage, slow pace, and few walking hours). This, despite, a ill-maintained trail that we were told was a big improvement.

The first day of the hike, Friday, we spent a lot of time in a young forest without much of a view of the lake. It was a slightly hilly area with many steep rocks and roots across the trail. I was warned that I should have brought boots for ankle support. However, I quickly fell in even deeper love with my ankle-support-free trail runners. The grip on the bottom of these suckers is PHENOMENAL and it is so flexible and light that my entire foot can bend and be in contact with the surface of the ground -- ya know, like nature designed our feet to do? -- Anyway, because of this grip, flexibility, and breath-ability, I was in feet heaven not only the first and most rocky of days, but during the whole trip. . .I think I could climb walls with these things!

My sweet Inov-8 F-Lite 230's!!!

The first night we camped at a great outlook over the lake. It was beautiful, with a nice swimming area. After building a fire, Rick and I stayed up late talking with the others about all sorts of interesting topics, most notably spirituality.

We woke up relatively late and hiked the second day through a prescribed burn area. It was interesting to see all those trees charred and the ground lifeless. It looked like something out of Middle Earth. . .Mordor. By midday, one of our companions who was carrying a conventional pack and wearing hiking boots (with ankle support) rolled his ankle and could not walk very well. We camped early at a nice site, but lacking the vistas of the day before. Just the same we were surrounded by placid water, loon calls, and the wind through the trees. That evening Rick gave a little tutorial on ultralight backpacking (another guy moment). I sat by the water. It was peaceful and fresh.

On Sunday, we got out slightly earlier and hiked the morning through a bit of old growth pine forest and through a LOT of clear cut aspen groves. Rick and I, having the lightest packs volunteered to take the injured man's pack --he carried mine. Rick and I alternated carrying the 35-40 lb load, while our new friend experienced how wonderful a 5 lb pack feels (Both these weights are after food and with water).
We made it back to the cars around noon and headed home. We made some new friends and explored a new area. It was fun and much needed, but on the whole I was a little disappointed.

That area of Boundary Waters did not seem very pristine or secluded (there were motor boats on the lake) the prescribed burning and the clear cutting made it obvious that a lot of what we saw was being heavily regulated by man -- not nature. That said, there were some spectacular moments. For me, they often included the lake (which we rarely saw enough of) or a related swimming hole, the sounds of wild birds or trying to distinguish and identify the varieties of trees with Rick. It was a good weekend, but the location was not as I had imagined. I would not hike there again, but am interested in hiking through other areas of the Boundary Waters.