Last time: Biscuits and Hiking -- Links to all of my adventures.
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| Sarah enjoying the view out the Lake Superior cabin's window |
Monday May 26, 2025: I woke up every few hours during the night, each time only remembering that I'd had a sequence of vivid dreams. I awoke for good around 9 am, feeling surprisingly well-rested.
The day was sunny, with a lake breeze making the air even cooler than yesterday. Breakfast was oatmeal plus freeze-dried raspberries, an attempt to make three packets of instant mush a bit more palatable. It worked, mostly.
We took the morning slow, since today's hike was to be a mere 1.2 miles to the mouth of the Big Carp river. Technically backcountry cabins and campsites have a check-in time, and we didn't want to push out the current renters of our next cabin prematurely. That check-in time was a mystery to us, however, since it didn't appear in any of the printed materials that the park had placed in the cabins, in the park newsletter, nor on our camping permit (much later -- as I write this -- I found it in an email: 3 pm).
After breakfast, we spent some time down at the beach, reading and collecting a bit of driftwood for firewood. After that, we slowly packed up, but it was still much too early to leave.
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| Beach selfie: Cool air, no bugs |
So of course, we played Yahtzee. Some kind soul had left a set of dice and a score pad in the cabin, so Sarah and I chucked dice for half an hour. Just as I was starting to total up the final score, the next renters of our cabin showed up shortly after noon. They were good natured about us still being there -- they dropped their packs and headed straight down to the lake, much like we had done yesterday -- but we hurried to sweep out the cabin and head out on the trail. (We never did finish totaling the scores, but I'm pretty sure I won. Pretty sure.)
As we left, we reflected on our second visit to the Little Carp cabin. It's a nice cabin in a nice spot. But it has one big problem: It's so hard to get to the beach that it actively discourages you from seeing the best part of the location. Other cabins -- including our very next cabin -- have much easier lake access and views.
We hiked down the short access trail, down the steps to the spectacular wooden Little Carp bridge, crossed the bridge, and stopped. We set down our packs, pulled out peanut-butter-rice-cake-sandwiches, climbed down onto some sunny rocks next to the river, and enjoyed our lunch.
Sarah said as we relaxed: "We just walked 500 feet and took a break." It was true. We have a long history of relaxing near the Little Carp River bridge (here's evidence going back to 2015). It's a beautiful spot: The bridge itself is spectacular, the river is made of waterfalls as it runs through a deep and rocky gorge, yet the rocks are often sunny and warm. If you're lucky, there are even fish spawning for your amusement. It's worth stopping there, even if it is just 500 feet from your starting point.
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| Interesting rocks supporting the Little Carp bridge |
After a good long rest, we packed up again and headed east on the Lake Superior trail. The next mile or so was uneventful, with mostly flat and relatively dry trail and no bugs to speak of.
Our next cabin was the Lake Superior cabin, another one we hadn't visited in quite a while (10 years, in fact). I remembered it as the "thimbleberry hut", buried deep within a field of thimbleberry bushes. But in spring those bushes hadn't had time to grow up yet, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the Lake Superior cabin had a decent view of Lake Superior through its big bank of front windows.
Another change, less welcome, was the doors: The cabin's screen door scraped so badly on the porch that we had to grab it and yank on it repeatedly. The inner door, in contrast, had a 1 inch gap under it and other holes (bugs? a woodpecker? large-bore lockpicks?) around the lock. The frame had a huge variety of jagged holes and rot, some clearly the work of mice or other gnawing animals. There were piles of rocks inside and out, apparently left by past visitors who were trying to block drafts... or mice.
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| Lake Superior cabin, featuring sticky screen door |
The cabin itself was small and cozy -- much smaller than the Lake Superior cabin. There was a good supply of dry firewood too, a sight that always makes me happy.
We opened all of the windows to let the cabin air out. I took my camp chair -- 1 pound of relaxation! -- down to the beach, while Sarah sat on a log (she'd replaced her camp chair with a solar shower and was currently regretting that choice). I may have gloated a bit, which was put to an abrupt stop as my chair legs sank deep into the rocky sand and I toppled over. I had to reset it with flat rocks under each nubby leg for support.
The beach was sunny but cool, with a strong breeze blowing off the lake. We snacked on meat sticks and read.
Once we were satisfied that the cabin was aired out, we unpacked, then headed right back down to the river mouth again to get drinking water. We also filled Sarah's solar shower bag and left it sitting out in the pale sunlight, which I thought was unlikely to warm it up much in the chilly lake breeze. While we were getting the water, we spent a little time "talking" with the renters of the Big Carp 6-bunk cabin, across the river, which required more shouting than actual chatting. They offered us some spare firewood if we needed it, but it seemed that everybody was well stocked-up this early in the season.
Nonetheless, we did collect and process some firewood, because it's always good to leave a solid supply for the next people. Like at Little Carp, there was lots to be found.
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| Cozy Lake Superior cabin interior |
Next we made dinner. Since it had been an easy day, we chose an old favorite: Backpacker's Pantry Pad Thai with Chicken. It turns out "old" is the most appropriate part of that description. This package said it had expired one year ago, although since freeze-dried meals are designed to last for years, we didn't think that would be a problem. But this one comes with a packet of peanut butter and peanuts, which go rancid quite fast. In fact, the peanut butter packet in this "expired in 2024" meal came with its own expiration date... in 2022!
We ate it anyhow, but it turns out the date was right. The peanuts and peanut butter both tasted off, and the rest of the meal was just OK. It was disappointing, but at least we still had freeze-dried cookie bites -- 7 each -- as a good end to the meal.
By this time the sun was getting low and the lake breeze had only made things colder. I started a nice hot fire in the woodstove with the well-dried wood left by previous campers.
Our next stop was our beds, because both of us were tired out from our 1.2 mile walk and associated activities. When we were both upright again after a quick rest, we spent the rest of the evening reading, playing solitaire, and generally staying nice and cozy.
Sunset was, surprisingly, visible from the cabin's front windows. I went out to the beach to see if it looked any better in person, but it was still just OK.
After dark, as I was laying in bed, I heard a strange rhythmic sound in the distance that puzzled me. As I was drifting off to sleep, I realized that it might be fireworks for Memorial Day. People will take any chance they can get to set off fireworks, and I wondered where they were coming from.
I drifted off to sleep in the cozy, quiet cabin.
Miles hiked: 1.2
Total miles: 7.1
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| Day 2 map: New trail in green |
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