SHT: Crosby-Manitou State Park to Lake County 7
Finland, MN
Well we did it again, back to back SHT weekends for the second year in a row! We’ve had this section planned for about a year and we were excited to finally do it. On June 1st the remainder of the SHT campsites opened and we were able to camp at Egge Lake, making this section of trail possible for an overnight trip. For this trip, we decided to try hiking a little bit farther on day one with a quick hike out on day two, since the weather on Sunday looked less than favorable. It was a fun way to celebrate our fur baby turning one! We like to think she had a great time too.
Day 1: Crosby-Manitou State Park to North Egge Lake Campsite
We made good use of the shuttle system again, and hitched a ride from our car at Lake County 7 up to Crosby-Manitou State Park to start our hike. Last year we finished a hike here, and it was fun to pick up where we left off. We hiked south along the road for about half a mile, then jumped on the SHT. The trail climbed up onto a ridge with a pretty overlook of the Baptism River valley, then weaved through the forest mixed with birch and cedar trees. The forest floor was alive with green, covered with ferns, wildflowers, and moss. This section of trail was more rugged than the previous weekend, with roots and rocks making up our footpath. It was also a muddier section, and we were grateful to have waterproof boots! Crimson, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind the mud.
The trail followed the East Branch Baptism River for a little while, passed several campsites, then crossed over Sonju Creek. Eventually the trail brought us to Sonju Lake, and we took a spur trail on a boardwalk over to Lilly Island, which according to the guidebook was named after a dog! Sonju Lake was beautiful, and the island was an awesome place to take in the views of the lake and relax for a while. We had it all to ourselves, and it seemed like the perfect spot to take a rest and refuel. It was a serene, calm lake, and we enjoyed the peace and sounds of nature while Crimson explored around the rocks and the lakeshore.
We put our packs back on and continued our hike, and after a few more miles we made it to Egge Lake. There are two campsites on this lake - North and South. The South campsite was occupied by a large (and boisterous) group already, so we went back to North Egge and joined a group of 3 friends from St. Cloud. We set up our tent on one of the tent pads away from the other occupants, and started unpacking the rest of our things. We brought a tarp along with us on this trip since the weather looked rainy for Sunday, and although the tarp was pretty big, it was actually really nice because it covered our whole tent with extra room on the sides. We made some lunch, gave Crimmy her birthday treat, and relaxed for a bit. We were joined by another couple and a group of 5 friends from the Twin Cities. Everyone pitched in to build a fire which kept us toasty warm while we sat back, relaxed, and got to know our campmates for the night. Our campsite didn’t have as much shoreline as the South side, but there was a nice little opening where we could filter water and watch the sunset over the lake.
Day 2: North Egge Lake Campsite to Lake County 7
We woke up to overcast skies Sunday morning, and the rain began to fall just as we started packing up camp. We were grateful to have our tarp pitched above our tent because it allowed us to pack everything else up without getting wet at all - for once we actually planned ahead, haha! We got on our rain gear, put on Crimmy’s jacket, and set off on the trail. It wasn’t a terribly strong rain, but enough to make us keep moving. The trail followed Egge Lake for a short while, we got lost and had to backtrack a little, then got back on the trail and made great time through the woods. We hiked along the road for a bit, then the trail at last brought us back to the parking lot. It was a quick three miles, but we were already a little cold from the rain and happy to be in the warm, dry car! We treated ourselves to coffee and breakfast pastries on our ride home, and reflected on our nice weekend.
We were glad we didn’t let a little rain deter us from heading up north again, because it was a great weekend of hiking and we got to see some beautiful lakes! Crimson did great with the mileage - we did nine miles on our first day, and three on our second day, and she pulled us along the whole time. The weather was considerably warmer than the previous weekend as well, and all three of us slept a lot better in our cozy tent! There’s nothing quite like spending the weekend in the woods, and we are having a great time checking the miles of the SHT - 56.3 miles down, 254(ish) miles to go!
This was a little shorter than our normal post, but it was a quick trip! Thanks for reading. Head on over to the gallery for the rest of our pictures!