Pictures

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Sue Breskin, a dedicated North Country Trail member who I met during my Sea-to-Sea Route hike, hosted me before and after this one, and was the last person to say to me, "Be careful," before I began.

At the start of the hike, in Jay Cooke State Park, south of Duluth. The conditions were not quite what I had anticipated - the forecast included a 30 percent change of light rain showers, and the trails were snow-free but ice-covered. The abnormal conditions really complicated my gear selections: I needed to be prepared for both warm and frigid conditions, and for both no snow, ice, and snow.

The high temperature on the first day was in the upper-30's, enough for shorts and a lightweight long-sleeve shirt.

Over the last two years the Superior Hiking Trail was extended south from Two Harbors to Duluth, and the SHTA has done a great job in finding a backcountry route and building a trail that is as up-to-par as the original magnificently constructed trail.

The trails were covered in bulletproof ice, thanks to heavy rains over the holidays. Instead of snowshoes, I swapped out to my Kathoola crampons, which I wore for nearly all of the first 270 miles.

The Bong Bridge, which connects Duluth to Superior, WI, just across the St. Louis River Bay, in the southwest corner of Lake Superior.

When passing under the Twin Ports, as Duluth and Superior are known, this is the view that greats the lake boats. Lake Superior lives up to its name - it's the largest body of fresh water in the world, and many boats and lives have been lost to it.

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