Eagle Mountain 11-21-03

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      highpointersclub
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      [Ed: Imported from Americas Roof ‘Summit Trip Reports’ forum]
      [By: Jerry Bresnahan on March 13 2004 at 7:16 PM]

      I flew all the way to the top of Eagle Mountain, the Highpoint of Minnesota at 2,301 feet, on Friday afternoon, November 21st, 2003. It was my 19th state highpoint.

      I left the resort in Eagle River, WI, where I spent a very enjoyable week, at 6:00AM. I drove northwest to Duluth and then north on US 61, which provided superior views of the big lake they call Gitchee Gumee. There was major road construction underway on the Caribou Trail, or County Road 4, but what little traffic there was proceeded without delays. They were definitely widening the road and possibly preparing it for paving. I arrived at the trailhead parking area at 12:45PM. There was one other car parked there. It had Minnesota plates. I would have liked to check into a local motel or cabin so I could take my time and visit the Split Rock Lighthouse and other scenic and historic sites in the area that afternoon and start my hike on Saturday morning. However the weather report said it was going to start snowing on Saturday with heavy snow and possible blizzard conditions developing Saturday evening and continuing all day Sunday. I wanted to be on my way home before the snow got too heavy so I decided to take on Eagle Mountain that afternoon. Therefore I started my hike at 1:00PM. The weather was clear and a cold 27 degrees. It seemed to warm up quickly as I started moving and I soon took of a couple layers of clothing. I wanted to move quickly to try to get back to my car before dark. I had barely enough goodies in my rucksack to survive the night if I had to but it wouldn’t have been too comfortable without a sleeping bag and tent. The trail was icy so I couldn’t move quite as fast as I wanted to but managed to move along at a steady pace without falling. About ten minutes into the hike I heard what sounded to me like a moose snorting, grumbling and making whatever sounds that moose make and then I saw the bushes and trees shaking no more than 30 yards from the trail. I got the feeling he was a big male telling me that this was his turf and not to mess with him. My wife, who is not a highpointer but appreciates nature and wildlife, later asked me if I saw him and was I able to take a picture. I told her I could have but I have been told that it is not wise to confront a moose in the wild so I bid him my greetings and kept walking. After another ten minutes I heard the trumpeting sound of a big male elk in the not too far distance. I really enjoy encountering wildlife in the wilderness and was hoping to be lucky enough to see some of the local wolves. The bears were probably already in hibernation. Thankfully so were the mosquitoes. I walked another ½ hour and met the couple from the car parked at the trailhead. We talked briefly and said they did not see any wildlife other than chipmunks. I didn’t either. I told them about the Highpointers Club. The woman said that she had wondered if there were highpoints in all the other states. I told her that there were but most of them are not in such a beautiful area as the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area. I was starting to remember how much I enjoyed the week I spent camping and canoeing northwest of here, on the Canadian side, 30 years ago. They gave me some helpful advise about the turnoff to the summit of Eagle Mountain that I was not aware of. They told me that when I get to an open area, which is the scenic overlook mentioned in the Winger’s guidebook, the trail seems to continue on straight ahead but they noticed another trail to the right with some cairns off in the distance. That is the trail to the highpoint, which is only a few hundred yards away. I’m glad that they told me that or I might have been so awed by the spectacular view from this overlook that I might have missed the turnoff and continued farther along the wrong trail.

      I arrived at the summit at 2:45PM. I took my first drink of water from my canteen, took my sandwich out of my pocket and started sliding back to the trailhead, eating my sandwich along the way. Since it gets dark so early this time of year I wasn’t able to take the time I would have liked to take to relax and enjoy the scenery. I wanted to try to make it back to my car before dark. Since I didn’t have time to stop and rest, Eagle Mountain turned out to be a pretty demanding hike. It was the first highpoint that actually made my legs sore and caused me to work up a sweat since Wheeler Peak, in early September, which was my 8th state highpoint. Shortly before reaching the trailhead I heard my friend the moose doing his thing in his same spot. I said goodnight and continued on, arriving back at my car at about 4:30PM with just barely enough natural light left to see the trail without having to break out my emergency light, which was probably too small to be much help.

      I drove back to Duluth and spent the night at the Motel 6. The next day I drove south, reaching my home in Illinois before the heavy snows hit Minnesota and northern Wisconsin and Michigan. On the way I stopped at the Saint Croix National Scenic River visiting center but as my luck would have it, it too was closed, probably for the season.

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