In the past few days, we made our annual trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior to hike sections of the Superior Hiking Trail.
We had booked a townhouse in Tofte, Minnesota, back in the Before-Times, when Covid-19 was something that was only happening on the other side of the world. Our nephews, 11 and 13, and their dad were going to join us. This would be a bit of a dress rehearsal for a trip we would all make to Japan in June 2021. If the boys took to hiking, we’d incorporate several hikes into our Japan adventure.
After carefully considering the risks, we all decided to go ahead with our trip Up North. We were careful, but of course we risked that one of us was carrying Covid. We made our own breakfasts and lunches; dinners were carried out from the resort’s restaurant back to our unit.
Each day we did two hikes: a longer hike and a shorter hike.
We expected the second day would be a washout, as precipitation was guaranteed. Instead, we got to hike in the first real snowfall of the season as magical winter scenes developed around us. Meanwhile, at Lake Superior a few hundred feet below the trails, it was penetrating rain.
Throughout the hikes, our nephews were happy, energetic and curious: not once did we hear a complaint about the hiking. Often one or both were out front, leading the expedition. They’ll have a grand time navigating trails in Japan. We’re now planning on June 2022 for our Japan trip, as there’s almost no likelihood we can safely go in 2021. If some miracle occurs in the next few months, including effective vaccines and low chances of infections or quarantines, I’ll book flights at short notice for June 2021.
However, we’ll all be back on the Superior Hiking Trail same time next year.