Eagle Mountain Pizza!

There are some who say that the priority of this past weekend's trip was to venture to the summit of Eagle Mountain - Minnesota's highest peak. There are others who claim that Sven and Olie's pizza, and Bridgeman's ice cream was the secret priority. A few others might even say that looking for Superior Agates or Thompsonite was the real objective in this expedition. What do I say?! I say - the whole trip was the objective, and this objective was most definitely completed!
This exciting but strenuous trip was composed of some of the world's most accomplished backpackers! Five members in all: Charles and Lydia Schaller (most feared for their ability to laugh in the face of danger. Also one of the most skilled couples in the area of climbing mountains (Lydia practically ran through the mountain!)! Next up is the greatly honored and respected Nigel Bennett from South Africa! His skills in the back woods are never to be questioned, as he has accomplished some of the most difficult trails in the world. His camping skills and knowledge of the Great Outdoors surpasses even the most knowledgeable man (Survival Man stands no chance again Nigel's mad skills). Finally we have Lauren Elise Johnson. Her wisdom, bravery, and wit is like none any as seen. She is known for her ability to conquer anything set in her way! If she had a different name it would be "Incredible Unbelievable Johnson"! Yes, the Johnson must be part of her name, for without it, it would be hard to look her up on Google.
So our excursion began shortly after work (and after looking at Charles and Lydia's network)! We piled into the Saturn, picked up Lauren and Nigel, and began our trek to the Great North! Many of the riders had not supped yet, so we drove through Arby's off Lexington and 35W. Because some of the travellers were also tired, we stopped in North Branch for Moo Lattes at DQ! Lydia and Charles most graciously footed the bill! (Wherever did that idiom come from?!)
The next stop was the North Shore! As night began to fall upon us we reached Duluth. We stopped at an outlook to stretch our legs and take a couple pictures (included at the end of this post of course)! We were then trying to decide where to camp for the night. We threw out the idea of Cascade Lodge's House, since the price was a little steep to split five ways. We decided since it was already too late to purchase a Boundary Water's permit (because Eagle Mountain is part of that organization), and because the permit was almost $100, that we would just camp in the parking lot when we arrived. The parking lot would be about 30 minutes northwest of Grand Marais, and would most likely be away from any civilization for the night. As we approached Grand Marais around 11pm, we turned into the dirt/gravel road to lead to the Mountain trail. We encountered a very rigid and therefore bumpy road. The car shook and vibrated the entire time we were on this road. As we neared our destination, we happened upon an actual camp site near Two Island Lake! It was only $15 per night, so we quietly drove to an empty slot (there were many cars and tents there to my surprise, and only a couple spots were vacant). It was now quite late and we began to pitch tents as quickly and as quietly as we could. The most beautiful noise was that of a Minnesota Loon far off in the distance. Lauren slept in her pup tent, Lydia and Charles in the 3 person tent, Nigel in his mosquito net (tied to a couple trees), and the car was also used for sleeping in :) It isn't as uncomfortable as one might think! Early the next morning (6ish) we awoke, packed up, and drove to the parking lot. It was a lot closer than we thought! We immediately geared up, said a prayer, then began our trek to the peak of the mountain. The first mile or so of trail (I will guess almost two miles) lead to the mountain base. The trail was narrow, but the weather was beautiful and still slightly cool. We saw a chipmunk and a brown squirrel holding a pine cone in it's mouth. It was quite a sight, but the sight vanished as quickly as it appeared, so only our minds were able to retain the images that time!
The hike was a bit strenuous. There were plenty of rocks, roots, and bridges to cross before the base of the mountain was reached. The potential to sprain an ankle or two presented itself many a time before the hike was finished. Thank the Lord this never became an issue.
Just before our vertical assent, we reached a gap in the foliage. This view outlooked a beautiful lake and a few mountains in the distance. We took a breather and gathered our strength, then ventured forth into the height of the Mountain. The first mile was quite steep, but leveled out after a while. The final mile was breathtaking. There were many openings in the trees and we were able to view miles upon miles, with streams flowing, birds flying, and mountains reaching far into the distance. If you read the series, it reminded me of Narnia. We followed some standing stones which led us to the plaque, and therefore the summit of Eagle Mountain. Some pictures were taken, laughs were shared, and a few minutes later we were joined by the presence of other hikers. I believe we were the first up the mountain this beautiful morning, but as we descended the mountain (which took most of the reserve energy out of our team), we ran into several other hikers heading the opposite direction. An entire Army unit, dressed in full fledged uniforms, and some carrying enormous backpacks met us while we were heading down. The weather was now getting warm and I felt bad for the unit heading up the hill ("mountain", excuse me!). We began our trek at 8am, and arrived at 12pm. A four hour and 7 mile hike!! We cleaned up a little bit (if one can truly use that word) and drove a different road to Grand Marais. This one was a lot less rigid and more dirt-like! My shocks were happy! We came to Grand Marais and went to Sven and Olie's for lunch. We were all famished. Lydia and Charles again spotted the bill (thank you again!) and ordered two large pizzas for the five of us! They were downed in no time! We took a rest at the beach of Superior while some of us looked for agates in the rocks near the shoreline. After some time we went back to Sven and Olie's for two La La Palooza Sundaes! If you don't know what these are, each one has eight scoops of ice cream, topped with caramel, walnuts, whipped cream, and more! We also ate these as well!! By then everyone was exhausted and ready to go home. We made it home in record time, and before 9:30pm (I think we left around 5pm)! We all wanted to do even more that day, but some of the bodies just couldn't handle any more fun for that weekend! We will definitely be back though! And soon!
Enjoy the pictures! Video links below as well!
Trek to Eagle Mountain
Eagle Mountain Nearing Summit
Dragonfly Blair Witch Project
Nigel doing a handstand on the Summit of Eagle Mountain