Day 6: Grand Marais, Cascade River, Eagle Mountain

We slept in Wednesday morning, then enjoyed "World's Best Donuts" and coffee for breakfast. I hardly ever eat donuts, but man, a couple of "World's Best" a year is a mighty fine thing!

We walked off our breakfast along Lake Superior:


Yes, Dan IS wearing a stocking cap. It's COLD on the North Shore!

Waves!

And, not a wildflower, but I do love bleeding hearts:


We spent our morning hiking at Cascade River State Park. We started hiking up the river, past the falls,


Continued along the cascades,

Turned into the woods,

Followed Cascade Creek,



Took the trail up Lookout Mountain,



Hiked back down to the creek,


Returned to the river,


And ended at shore of Lake Superior!



After a cold and windy picnic on the rocky shore, we headed back in to Grand Marais.


Dan took a nap while I walked around town and shopped. After Dan woke up and I was done shopping, we got ice cream and watched the ducks:


Dan convinced me that we needed one last wilderness experience before heading back home the next day, so we drove up the Gunflint Trail and hiked half of the trail to Eagle Mountain, into the BWCA.

Loads of wild strawberries lined the trail:

More beaver evidence:

Maybe Marsh Marigold?

Good thing we stopped and got that permit:

One helluva beaver dam:

More Star Flower:

The wetland, where we decided to turn around and head back:


After the rocky, rooted, uneven terrain of the Eagle Mountain trail, I was BEAT. (And my knees and ankles were a little sore -- I hadn't packed hiking boots this trip. Drat.) We enjoyed a good dinner in town, before heading back to the hotel for the night! Whew!