The Great Carrying Place

“There is no life so happy as a voyageur’s life.” 

 

A model of a French Canadian 'voyageur' 
carrying a 90-pound pack by a head strap
 Grand Portage National Monument Heritage Center

 

Voyageur is the French word for traveler and the words above are attributed to a voyageur who retired after 41 years of this hard work.  While David and I consider ourselves travelers we could never think of ourselves in the same league with the French Canadian voyageurs that traded in furs and supplies for most of the 1700s.

 

Grand Portage Bay and the North West Company Headquarters

 

Grand Portage, Minnesota about 5 miles south of the Canadian Border is the place where much of the fur trading centered from about 1731 until 1803.  We spent 4 days near “The Great Carrying Place,” Grand Portage in French or “Kitchi Onigaming,” as the Ojibwe peoples called it.  There is both a national monument and a state park within a few miles of each other to explore and learn the fascinating history of this place and actually walk a piece of history, the Grand Portage itself.

 

David and Maya on the actual Grand Portage trail

 

The voyageurs carried their loads along this route and through the 'notch' in 
the mountains about 8.5 miles to Fort Charlotte on the Pigeon River

 

The Great Carrying Place was known for hundreds of years only to the Indian people inhabiting the region.  This approximately 8.5-mile land trail connected Lake Superior to the Pigeon River and a vast inland system of lakes and rivers in the continent’s interior. So with all those rivers and lakes about, why was this ‘great carry’ necessary?  The reason was twenty miles of rapids, cascades and waterfalls finally ending in the High Falls, a thundering drop of nearly 120 feet on the lower portion of the Pigeon River just before reaching Lake Superior.  

 

High Falls on the Pigeon River

 

Indian birch bark canoes were the means of transportation and although they were swift, they were also fragile.  Even excluding the High Falls, the birch bark canoes could not navigate this portion of the river.  (Today’s metal or fiberglass canoes and kayaks can not manage this section of the Pigeon River either.)  So the Ojibwe and other Indian peoples carried their canoes, baskets, fish from Lake Superior, wild rice, flint and other trade goods over the portage to meet and trade with other tribes.

 

North West Company Great Hall and Lookout Tower

Furs in the storage room

 

 

By the time the French and English fur trade began, this carrying route was well established.  The bay at Grand Portage on Lake Superior became headquarters of the North West Company, owned by the Highland Scots.  It was a convenient meeting place for the voyageurs to trade. 

One group called the ‘north men,’ would winter in the northwest trading supplies of blankets, seeds, metal cookpots and other goods with the Indians.  When the ice broke up in the early summer, the north men would journey to Grand Portage laden with furs from the Indians.  Here they would meet other voyageurs from Montreal, called ‘pork-eaters.’  The north men would trade their furs for supplies from the pork-eaters to take back to trade with the Indians.  Deals were struck at this 'Great Rendezvous' and voyageurs, Europeans and Indians alike celebrated the trading with fun, food and raucous entertainment.

 

Sleeping quarters for North West Company officials

Indian accommodations
Many of the voyageurs slept underneath their canoes

 

 

The National Monument is a restoration of the North West Company’s headquarters and stockade grounds.  We explored the great hall, store rooms and the living quarters and watched demonstrations of bread making in the company kitchen.  After wandering the grounds and seeing a demonstration garden, the company warehouse and Indian birch bark shelters, we ventured off on the Grand Portage Trail.  If you walk the whole 8.5 miles, it is possible to spend the night at Fort Charlotte, the North West Company’s smaller storage depot on the Pigeon River where the canoes were loaded with trade goods and launched to the northwest.

 

Daisy lined trail to Mt. Rose above the North West Company Headquarters

 

The hardy voyageurs had a reputation for working energetically without complaint and chanting nostalgic French songs as they paddled.  When it came time for the portage, the trade goods were loaded into 90-pound bundles.  The bundles were attached to a head strap and then carried by the voyageurs.  Furs were carried to the North Company headquarters and trade goods were carried back to Ft. Charlotte for the journey to the north.   Many of the men would carry two of the bundles for a load of 180 pounds.  It is said they made the round trip in six hours!

 

View of Grand Portage Bay from the Mt. Rose Trail

 

David and I agree with the voyageur’s sentiments about traveling being a happy life but there is no way that includes carrying a 90-pound pack or two for a 17-mile round trip.  And there is no way I could even think about singing…

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  2  
Total Miles Hiked:  12.54   
Ave. Miles per Day:  6.27   
Total Elevation Gain:   1,811 
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:  906 

Sunset on Lake Superior from Marina Campground in Grand Portage

Lake Superior Overlook

 

 

 

A 'Top 100 Adventure Town'

Grand Marais Harbor and Lighthouse from the campground

The harbor and lighthouse from the breakwater

Imagine a beautiful little village delicately nestled between the shores of one of the world’s largest and most enigmatic lakes on the east and one of the nation’s finest wilderness areas to the west.  There are those who would think it heaven, but I’ve got news – it’s Minnesota, Grand Marais to be precise. Named a ‘Top 100 Adventure Town’ by National Geographic Adventure Magazine, Grand Marais is all about hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, hunting and every water and snow sport imaginable.  If you want to be doing something outside, this is the place to be.  And in the summer, I don’t believe better weather can be found.

 

 

A little morning fog on the Superior Hiking Trail near Devil's Track River

The Superior Hiking Trail is a designated National Recreation Trail 

We have been here almost a week and a typical morning means putting on a light jacket if you want to sit outside while enjoying the morning coffee.  If the coffee didn't get me moving then breathing the crisp northern air certainly did the trick.  After eating breakfast and being entertained by watching fishing boats and sailboats take off, we have been making a lunch, loading up the packs and going for a hike.  By mid-morning we usually have shed the jackets and are in short sleeve shirts.  Sometimes while we are picnicking at lunch we have to put the jackets back on if the breeze is coming off the lake.  Often though, the sun warms us just enough. 

 

We could eat lunch here, maybe?

Or how about here?
With the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as a backdrop

Back on the trail we will work up a bit of a sweat if we are climbing very much, but the forest shade and breezes keep us from getting too warm.  On many of our hikes the trails were lined by bushes loaded with ripe blueberries and raspberries.  It's always a toss-up between Maya and me to see who eats the most.  By the time we are back at camp and ready for dinner, it is usually cool enough that a hot dinner sounds good.  A sweatshirt or light jacket feels nice again for that sunset walk by Lake Superior.  Being the middle of summer in a northern latitude, the sun doesn’t set until after 9, so by the time that walk on the beach is done, we are ready for bed.  And then it is all to do over again…

 

Maya summits Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota
She summited the highest point in Arkansas back in April

 

Summiting is hard work and deserves a good nap - especially if you've just had lunch

 

 

Among our favorite hikes was the ‘summit’ of the highest point in Minnesota, Eagle Mountain at 2,031 feet.  We also enjoyed several hikes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Most people canoe or kayak the hundreds of lakes and rivers in this serene and remote wilderness.  Many of the lakes are either connected by streams or have easy portages.  But the trails in this area are breathtaking and wild too!  We also hiked 3 sections of the Superior Hiking Trail, a 296 mile-long trail that runs from Duluth to the Canadian border following the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior for most of its way. 

 

Maya tries the waters in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

 

When we wanted a little change from hiking, the quaint, waterfront downtown area was just blocks from the Marina & Campground where we stayed – an easy stroll.  Grand Marais has cute shops, art galleries, and it is home to the North House Folk School (for arts and crafts).  We sampled a few of the local restaurants and were pleased with the good selection of foods from pizza and burgers to fresh fish to organic salads.

Pond and wetlands near the Boundary Waters
Trail passed through areas of the 2007 Ham Lake Fire

I totally 'get' Monet's fascination with water lilies

I know that a lot of friends and family who are reading this right now are in hot places, so I almost feel guilty going on about how idyllic it is here.  But not too guilty – remember we did suffer through some pretty horrific plagues of ticks, mosquitoes, poison ivy and rain so I think we have more than paid our dues.  Regardless, we have been having a fantastic time. 

Magnetic Rock, near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The rock contains a lot of iron causing our compass to go crazy

 

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  4  
Total Miles Hiked:   22.33   
Ave. Miles per Day:   5.58  
Total Elevation Gain:     3,453
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:  863

 

It is so cool here that iris are still in bloom in late July

 

Another afternoon beach walk near the campground

 

Superiorly Celebrating Sixty

Upper Gooseberry Falls in Minnesota

This past week, July 15 to be exact, I turned 60.  Mostly a birthday is just another day and like one of my favorite song writers, Townes Van Zandt said about days, “Forget most, remember some, but don’t turn none away.”  Sixty seems like a birthday that should not be forgotten or turned away and since I’m not home to celebrate with friends and family, David and Maya have been doing their best to make this a memorable week.

 

 

On my birthday, we drove about 40 miles north from Duluth, Minnesota to Gooseberry Falls State Park on the shores of Lake Superior.  The afternoon was spent hiking around the gorgeous waterfalls in the park.  Then David took me to Betty’s Pies, a popular local restaurant with good food, but especially well-known for their excellent pies.  So it was a birthday pie and not cake, but that was just fine by me.  I tried the Great Lakes Pie, a multi-berry delight of blueberry, strawberry, blackberry and rhubarb.  David had the caramel apple with vanilla ice cream.  They were both delicious.  As the birthday girl, I got to have some of both.

 

 

David's might have been a little better than mine.
Maybe it was the ice cream!

 

 Then it was back to the park campground for a stroll by Lake Superior.  I put on my fleece jacket as the breeze off the lake felt chilly.  But I loved that it was mid-summer and I was a little cool on my birthday rather than sweltering in the Texas heat.  Actually, my last four birthdays have been spent ‘on the road’ and they have all been in cooler climates than Texas.  From the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon to the Adirondacks in New York and then last year back to Oregon at Cape Perpetua, I’ve had several birthdays to remember recently.  And this year, I’m celebrating with Lake Superior.

 

Daisies lined the trails, I've never seen so many daisies blooming

Middle and Lower Gooseberry Falls

From Gooseberry Falls we traveled another 60 miles or so north to the marina campground in Grand Marais.  We’ve been here for 4 days enjoying this cute little lakeside town and the surrounding Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  I’ll be writing more of our adventures and posting lots of photos in the days to come.  I’ve been just a little lazy about ‘blogging’ during my birthday week. 

 

Lake Superior and beach at Gooseberry Falls

 

 

David’s Stats from Gooseberry Falls State Park:

Days Hiked:  2  
Total Miles Hiked:  8.24   
Ave. Miles per Day:   4.12  
Total Elevation Gain:  936  
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:   468 

 

 

Middle Gooseberry Falls

 

The beaches in this part of  Lake Superior are rocky or lined with agate pebbles 

 

 

Washburn, Bayfield and Madeline Island

Houghton Point near Washburn, Wisconsin

Wandering around as we do, we meet and talk to a lot of people from all over the place.  Usually it is a one-time encounter and we enjoy talking to them about where they are from, where they have been and what they have seen.  But a few times, chance and perhaps luck have given us a second encounter.  As we were leaving the city campground in Ashland after finding there were no spaces available, a man at one of the campsites was waving us down.  We stopped and the man asked if we were in Lassen Volcanic National Park in California last summer and we said yes and immediately recognized Robert and Diana, who are incidentally from Texas.

 

Raspberries are ripe in the forest!

 

We spent a little time catching up with each other and our travels and found we had been in some of the same spots this summer as they had been.  In fact, we had just missed each other in Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore in Michigan a few weeks ago.  It was nice to catch up with them and so good to see that they are still ‘on the road’ full time.  Robert has a cool website documenting their travels called Postcards from the Road. 

 

Echo Dells on the Houghton Falls Trail

Pool in the 'dell'

 

Since we were concerned about getting a campsite for the weekend, we didn’t visit as long as we would have liked.  So next summer we may have to arrange to run into each other for a longer visit.  We wished each other ‘safe travels’ and luck finding campsites and David and I took off hoping to be lucky.  Fortunately, the city campground in Washburn had a few vacant spots and we grabbed one right by Lake Superior.  We settled in to enjoy a lazy afternoon of lake breezes and evening strolls.

 



Ferns along the Houghton Falls trail

 

Washburn was a cute little town with a ‘free’ library and a great bakery called Coco’s.  There was a good city trail that traversed Washburn following the shoreline of Lake Superior.  The Houghton Falls Trail, a short distance from town, was a lovely trail preserved by several conservation groups.  Passing next to an ancient riverbed called the Echo Dells with beautiful pools and rock formations; we followed the trail through the dells then passed through a huge old-growth stand of pines and hemlocks finally reaching the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior.  A beautiful ‘walk on the wild side.’

 

Maya and David rest while I make some photos

Looking down behind David and Maya

The next day we drove 12 miles north to picturesque Bayfield, known as the ‘Gateway to the Apostle Islands.’  This enchanting little village is full of restored Victorian homes; many have been turned into B&B’s.  It is also known for some of the best sailing in the world.  We spent a little time wandering the town and since we didn’t bring our sailboat, we hopped the ferry to Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands.

 

Riding the Madeline Island Ferry

The Apostle Islands are an archipelago or island chain consisting of 22 islands produced by millions of years of geological processes.  Ice, wind and waves have built and then battered layers of sand, gravel and stone to form these islands.  And the islands’ story continues to be written.

 

A sailboat off the starboard side

At 14 miles long and 3 miles wide, Madeline Island is the only island in the Apostles not overseen by the National Park Service and the only island on which there is a small town and some commercial development.  The town of La Pointe was established in 1834 just a year after the railroad reached Bayfield bringing tourists to this area.  Summer boat tours of the Great Lakes were very popular and La Pointe and Madeline Island became favorite destinations.  Artists also flocked to Madeline and making things by hand has become an island tradition.

 

The flower 'boxes' in the town of La Pointe were so creative
It was very much an 'artsy' little village

After our ferry docked at La Pointe, we drove off to explore Madeline Island.  We hiked the Casper Trail, went to Big Bay State Park, walked the town, checked out the art and had a late lunch.  The ferry was jammed with the Sunday crowds going back to the mainland but we managed to time it right and only had a short wait in the ferry line. We returned to our campground in Washburn for another mellow evening on the lake.

 



Wildflowers along the Casper Trail on Madeline Island

We have been enjoying our time on Lake Superior and we were already in the far northwestern corner of Wisconsin, so it made sense for us to continue our circling of the lake and move on to Minnesota.  Monday morning we drove to Duluth to clean up (you don’t want to know how long it has been since we’ve done laundry) and stock up on groceries and then we plan to continue along Lake Superior for another week or so.  The cool weather and absence of insects is just too good to pass up.  We will be back in Wisconsin a little bit later to see some of the rest of the state.

 

City Campground in Washburn

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  2    
Total Miles Hiked:   5.09
Ave. Miles per Day:   2.55  
Total Elevation Gain:   260 
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:  130