It's Just What We Do Now Story and illustrations by Kimberly Boustead
A bikepacking trip to Canada along Minnesota’s North Shore The first time I rode the GitchiGami trail was on an organized ride called the Split Rock Tour. My old, neglected bike was ready to fall apart and screamed with every pull of the brake. The last nine miles I struggled with a flat, but I loved that ride and credit it to the beginning of my deep adoration of Minnesota’s North Shore.
Back in early January of 2018 I was unable to walk, recovering from a knee injury and surgery and I began daydreaming about another ride on the north shore of Lake Superior. That same afternoon, I texted a handful of friends about my dream trip, things began to take shape, and we finally set off on July 27, 2018 for three days of self-supported biking from Duluth to Canada. There were six of us, all women, drawn to each other by a strange combination of being sporty and artsy and a little bit weird, and with a healthy balance of dreamer and problem solver
in all of us. We all had biking experience, but most of us had never done a selfsupported bike camping tour.
Taking in the view of Lake Superior. Amanda Henderson photo
Day 1: Duluth to Tettegouche The forecast called for highs in the 70s, light wind and no rain, near perfect conditions. The air was cool in the morning and it felt great to finally be biking after all of the planning. Our first roadside stop was at Tom’s Logging Camp store, about 20 miles from Duluth. We could have spent days in there, marveling at fanny packs and Lake Superior mood rings, but settled on about an hour. In Two Harbors we visited another roadside attraction that’s been dubbed Pierre, the Pantsless Voyageur. This 20foot statue of a French explorer has a canoe paddle, shirt and boots, but appears to be sans pants pantalons. Back on our bikes, our route then
wove from the shoulder of Scenic Highway 61 and back to the lovely, paved Gitchi-Gami trail. My favorite part of the trail on this first day was the tiny part that hugged the side of Silver Creek Cliff and overlooked the lake, which appeared like an ocean from this angle. We rolled into camp at Tettegouche State Park with just an hour of daylight to spare. After setting up tents, we walked to the shore and waited until the moon rose while we passed around a flask of Bourbon. We dipped our faces in the lake. The water was cool and crisp. We
skipped our showers that night, but the lake water on my face felt better than any spa treatment I could imagine.
Emily Sauer, Michelle Carter, Amanda Henderson, Ann Person, Kim Boustead and Shanai Matteson pose for group selfie after conquering Mount Josephine. Emily Sauer photo
At the US-Canada border the group gets their passports stamped. Amanda Henderson photo
Welcome to Minnesota sign on the way back from Canada. Amanda Henderson photo
