June 30, 2024

South Bally Creek Pond to Johnvick Creek

16 miles

The morning is slow as we pack up and chat with Slapshot and Feather Blue. They’ve decided to go hike Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota, before heading south, since they have to get back to the Twin Cities tonight. We walk with them to the trailhead, where we say our see-you-laters. Then Machine and I continue on a relatively flat, easily hiked trail.

The miles fly in the morning. We’re talking and meandering through lovely forest on well-maintained path. We see another grouse. It’s grouse city out here! Before long we spot a logbook next to a nice L-shaped bench at the entrance to North Cascade River camp. I sign the logbook and then spot the entry from Jupiter and Sprocket back in September last year, and even further back, an entry from Feather Blue, Slapshot, and Lost and Found in the fall of 2022 right after the PCT! That tells you how few people thru-hike this trail if the book goes all the way back that far. I do love a good logbook.

I start to wane a little towards lunch. My foot is hurting again and I think I’ve realized that it corresponds to my pack being heavy after returning from town. I zone out a little especially as there are some steep PUDs (pointless ups and downs) and thick, buggy slop.

I listen to my audiobook for a while while Machine puts on a podcast. My book isn’t exactly uplifting; it’s The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi. I am enjoying (that feels like the wrong word) hearing the full history of Israel’s colonization of Palestine, though, and even though it is so hard to wrap my head around a lot of it, I feel more informed. It doesn’t necessarily make for fast hiking, but it does give my brain a chew toy and in an odd way I can focus more on both the content of the text and my steps.

There are a few unexpectedly difficult climbs, including one to Lookout Mountain, at the top of which we are rewarded with a world-class bench. It gets an 8 on our bench rating scale because it’s sturdy, tall enough for me to swing my legs and not have to touch my feet to the ground, and, best of all there’s a view. It loses points for not having a back rest and a shelter, but it’s pretty good.

Not long after that we come upon an AT-style three-sided shelter next to a picnic table. It’s a backpacking campsite for Cascade River State Park. Dang it! I don’t think I could have made it here for lunch, but it would have been an amazing lunch spot. Right after the shelter we see the tiniest little rabbit I’ve ever seen!

The afternoon continues. We listen to our respective audio content. Then out of nowhere there are massive blowdowns and we are obliged to do some bushwhacking, hopping, and crawling. This frustrates me because I had a really good rhythm going on! But this trail never lets you relax for long; there is always some challenge that comes along.

We decide to eat dinner at a creek two miles before camp so that when we finish for the day we can just be done. The couscous tastes divine. It also fuels me for the last 2.2. That, combined with listening to music, rockets me up the hill, through the slop, and to camp at Johnvick Creek.

The campsite is a little damp and we are way more exhausted than we expected to be after a 16 mile day, but we made it. We set up our tents, get cozy, eat a few snacks, and then mercifully call it a day.