Fall maintenance check of our section of the Superior Hiking Trail

It's that time of the year for our annual late summer check of our section of the Superior Hiking Trail. Susan and I have been section leaders for nine years. A section leader basically is responsible for doing two checks a year on their section of trail and turning in a report of trail conditions to the Trail's maintenance supervisor. We carry saws, an axe and brush loppers and do some trail clearing as we hike. Due to Susan's health issues I've been doing it solo since the Fall of 2009. Out section is about 7 miles long. Depending on how much work is done, it takes me between 6 and 8 hours to complete the hike. I didn't take the time to document much by camera this time. I did a lot of brush clearing along the sides of the trail and took out maybe 6 fallen trees that were across the trail.
Susan let me take her car for the day. I use the bicycle to shuttle myself to my starting point. I had already stashed my backpack and tools off the side of the trail near my starting spot.
I get to ride a nice section of hard packed gravel during the bicycling portion of this hike. When the road turns to pavement there is a two mile downhill with a view of the Big Lake.


The above picture is of the Cross River on my maintenance hike back on May 7th. The river is swollen with snow melt. Note the location of the birch tree across the stream. Below is the same spot today (with the birch tree still there). This area is in a severe drought. This is the lowest I've seen the river in the 9 years I've been hiking it. Ironic because in Duluth we have had a wetter than normal summer. This is only 80 miles to the northeast of where I live in Duluth. Strange there is such a huge difference in rainfall in such a short distance.

A forest fire is burning in the Boundary Waters Wilderness, part of the Superior National Forest. It has burned 100,000 of the 1,000,000 acres in the Wilderness. The fire is about 30 miles from this spot. I could smell smoke the entire time I was on the trail today.
A nice view of Lake Superior from Tower Overlook today. I thought it would be hazy with smoke from the fire, but was quite clear.



This section of hardwood trees seemed very lush and green. I wasn't expecting that due to the drought and the early coloring up of birch and aspen I witnessed on my backpack trip on a nearby section of trail over the Labor Day holiday weekend two weeks ago.

Overall it was a great day to be out on the trail.