Last Photos from the North Woods

Monday: Tried a spur trail and part of the Superior Hiking trail, but the snow was deep and not very packed. We’d opted to go without snowshoes and used ski-poles as walking sticks. But every third or fourth step, we’d sink in to our thighs. It wasn’t long before we decided a sauna at the lodge was a better idea.

I’ve decided there is some kind of genetic coding that makes me feel at home along the Northwoods lakeshore. My dad and his ancestors were from the Baltic Sea coast. I’m not surprised so many Scandinavians settled here in Minnesota – or in my family’s case – Latvian/Russian/Germans. Forests of birch and pine, snow, wide dark waters, sunlight in a searing blue sky, woodsmoke rising from the fireplace . . . and yes, even the pickled herring for breakfast made me feel a sense of belonging.

Tuesday: Hiked a section of the Superior Hiking trail. Snowpacked footpaths through birches led us into complete solitude. We spotted a bald eagle (see second photo - the eagle is peeking out) and watched it take to its nest. Near a half-frozen waterfall, we found a box where other hikers signed in with brief messages in a notebook. We read a few entries and discovered one signed by Becky Miller! That’s right, my dear character had hiked this same trail only a few weeks earlier. And people wonder why my characters feel so real to me. :-)



Blessings!
Sharon Hinck