October 2003

The annual fall trip in 2003 was the year we got out and really explored the North Shore as much as we could while still trying to enjoy the relaxing peace and quiet of Bearskin. It is hard to do both in one trip, but we made the best of it. This year Dave and I were the only 2 up there so I guess you could say this was the year the TGNMAC really took off. For as much as we love hanging out at the cabin, grilling food and drinking some Northwoods beer, we like to be out on the trails as well. The highlights of this trip were the Fall colors, Tettegouche State Park, Lake Superior, Eagle mountain trail, mountain biking at Lutsen and of course Bearskin.



We started out staying in Duluth at the South Pier Inn right next to the Aeriel Lift Bridge. It was pretty cool to see the big 1000 ft. freighters go right by our window under the bridge. Dave apparently was ready for this year's adventure as we got back from checking out the night scene in Canal Park, we walked back to the hotel, and over the bridge had stopped to check out the view from under the bridge. We would watch as it went up to let the boats go through the canal and on out to sea. So there we are just hanging out and Dave decides he would like to get a better view from higher up. So as the bridge starts to go up for the next ship he decides he would like to grab on to the bridge as it is going up. Now I was not worried as I knew he really had no intentions of actually hanging on the whole way to the top. It was just for a couple of seconds, enough to get his feet off the ground. Well the bridge operator that has a booth at the top of the bridge had different thoughts of Dave's adventurous behavior, as there were cameras so he could see our every move. From his point of view, he may have thought that it was a terrorist....a very white and pale terrorist trying to conquer the bridge. Nope, he was just drunk as was I.

So all of a sudden we hear a loud voice come over the speaker system that could be heard from the bar we were at....."Let go of the bridge, let go of the bridge. " So he did and no harm was done. We then scooted back to the room as that was enough fun for our first night.


The next morning we on our way up the North Shore headed for the Gunflint Trail. We really seemed to hit the fall colors of October just right this year. It has to be one of the most scenic drives around on a sunny day like we had.

After a day of the cabin we took our mountain bikes and headed to Lutsen ski resort for some fun on the hills. This is a great place for some real mountain biking with some serious descents. The great thing was taking the lift chairs the skiers use in the winter to get up to the top of Moose Mountain. Mystery Mountain is not as extreme as Moose but for whatever reason, Moose was the only one open that day so we took it. We load our bikes on the back of the lift chair and up we go. It is a good thing to make sure your brakes are working well if biking here as once you start going down, it is hard to stop. The views were incredible as Lake Superior was shining bright out on the horizon. After 2 or 3 hours on the trails we were ready for a lunch break. Moose mountain has a nice little cafe up at the top with outdoor seating with views that is hard to beat.

On about day 3 our friend Brad and his girlfriend drove up from Minneapolis to join us. It was his first trip to Bearskin. The following day we all felt like going for a hike so we picked the Eagle Mountain Trail that was not too far from the Gunflint Trail. It was a 7 mile round trip and it crossed into the BWCAW with a nice view of Whale lake along the way. When at the summit of the trail, it is the highest point in Minnesota at 2301 feet. It was challenging in spots as there were parts that were very rocky. It was a nice fall hike and would do it again. Once we got to the top we took a break to soak in the views before heading back.


The next day we all headed up over the border into Canada. We wanted to see the Thunder Bay area. We chose to go see the thundering waters of Kakabeka Falls. What a cool place that was. After seeing that and having lunch in Thunder Bay, Brad drove back to the cabin while Dave and I wanted to check out some nightlife in Thunder Bay. I remember the drive back to Bearskin from Thunder Bay felt like a lifetime as it was pitch black out with not much too see but the star filled sky which was lit up.


After Brad had headed home the next day, Dave and I went to see Tettegouche State Park. It is one of my favorite parks as there are trails, waterfalls and of course the Big Lake. It was a perfect fall day for exploring and we did a lot of it that day. There was a big waterfall inland and along Lake Superior were some great views of Shovel Point.

It was a great trip and before we knew it, we had to head back home to the cities. There were some great memories from this trip for sure. Of course I can't wait to get back for 2004.