Family Camping
TAPPING INTO BACKPACKING FREEDOM ON LAKE SUPERIOR’S NORTHERN COAST STORY AND PHOTOS BY JENNIFER JOHNSON
SUPERIOR ADVENTURE
BETWEEN SQUINTED EYES fighting to hold back the driving rain, we surveyed our landing spot. Beyond the sandy beach, there was only dense forest of jack pine and black spruce as far as the eye could see. We zipped our jackets a little higher and adjusted our packs a little tighter. With a wave goodbye to the captain of our shuttle, the aluminum catamaran was swallowed in the mist leav- ing us alone. We were walking out.
VOYAGEUR ROUTE
Hiking the Coastal Trail in Pu- kaskwa National Park on Lake Superior’s northern shore had been a family decision. My hus- band, Fraser, and I had carefully consulted with our sons, Luke, 10, and Zach, 8, as the remote and rugged route required plan- ning, training and commitment on everyone’s part. Up until then we had en- joyed multi-day canoe trips and
38 | Canoeroots
weekend hikes as a family, but 60 kilometers over seven days burdened with heavy packs was a daunting proposition. Our big- gest concern was that on this sin- gle-access-point trail, failure was not an option. Blisters and tears would not be grounds for rescue. The 1,900-square-kilometer
national park is the definition of isolation, part of the longest un- developed shoreline anywhere on the Great Lakes. The solitary
road that leads into the park terminates at Hattie Cove camp- ground where we would com- plete our hike. Truly a backpacker’s paradise,
the trail is part of the larger, and yet to be fully realized, 1,100-ki- lometer Voyageur Route, which will one day carve a continuous hiking path from the eastern shore of Lake Huron to the west- ern shore of Lake Superior. The trail hugs the shore and is
a maze of ascents and descents, fallen trees and car-sized rock slabs; at times it’s so steep hik- ing poles are set aside in favor of good old-fashioned scrambling. Boulder fields are vast and ankle twisting, shifting and slippery when wet. I took each step as if the next could result in a trip-
ending injury, while Luke and Zach made a sport of it. I cau- tioned them to be careful, but “obstacles make it more interest- ing” they assured me.
STEADY HANDS
River crossings became our fa- vorite obstacle. Spring run-off on the White Gravel River brought wide banks and a swift current. The water was ice-cold, even more so than the brisk air. At its deepest, the river cut us at the knees and sprayed us even high- er. We strategized a team effort that carried us across both figu- ratively and literally, Zach hitch- ing a ride on Fraser’s back. Walk briskly, plant feet and hiking poles firmly, and keep moving.
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