Submitted By: Mike Ward

Trip Completed By: Mike Ward, Kyle Severson

Trip Date: 7/28/2019

Disciplines: Canoe, Trail Run

Total Time: 5:02:00

Trip Report: Kyle and I set out early (ish) in the morning with his heavy aluminum canoe strapped to his car. We headed down Hwy 23 towards the very Western edge of Duluth, to Chamber’s Grove Park. We launched the canoe with our paddling and running gear, food and water in tow. It was a beautiful warm, sunny summer day, dead calm on the water. We made pretty good paddling down the St Louis River, and I recall getting a little sore, not in my shoulders from paddling hard but in my butt from sitting on the hard metal seat. The dreaded “runner’s butt” and sore hamstrings… We picked a seemingly OK spot to pull out, although it may have been on private land… We stashed the canoe in the weeds and set off running. We got a bit turned around heading towards the Zoo in hopes to find the Superior Hiking Trail but eventually found it. Once we got running, the high humidity started getting to us. Luckily, the sun had been overtaken by clouds and it looked pretty rainy, actually. We had maybe a few light sprinkles. Kyle was definitely more fit than I and so I had to walk a few big uphills, while Kyle was really rearing to go. We were making pretty good time, though, heading into the Mission Creek/Fond du Lac area. Due to construction, we jetted down to Hwy 23 at the Fond Du Lac neighborhood using COGGS mountain bike trails, then ran the road for a half mile, in the beautiful cooling rain, back to Kyle’s car to make a perfect loop. We both jumped in the river afterwards, which felt awesome. Then we stopped for ice cream at the gas station before picking up Kyle’s canoe in the weeds and strapping it back to his car, all in the pouring rain. It was a fun loop and fun to share with a partner.

Leg 1: Canoe 9.34 miles – 2:28:17

Transition: 0:10:00
Leg 2: Trail Run 13.26 miles – 2:23:56