September 2019

“I wonder how far it is from Canada to Duluth?” –“160 miles, you think we could bike that?”

And that’s how this trip was born. We’ve spent years adventuring all around the North Shore of Lake Superior. We’ve kayaked a section of the Water Trail, rock climbed the cliffs of Palisade, hiked along the Superior Hiking Trail and paddled the inland lakes-but we’d never bike-packed…..ever.

Before this trip, I’d biked a few miles at a time and never with any equipment. After we decided to bike-pack from Canada to Duluth, a distance we estimated at about ~160 miles on Hwy 61, we loaded our bikes for a ride about 25 miles around a local park.

Enjoying the water near Split Rock State Park

And then we were off! A great friend was willing to drop us at the border so once we started rolling, we had no choice but to make it back to our vehicle in Duluth. We had a few days to get it done and the weather looked great.

Our first day was about 40 miles to make it to Grand Marais and all of it along Hwy 61. We saw almost no cars, climbed more hills than I thought possible and enjoyed the North Shore at the speed of a bike!

When you watch the video, you’ll see the first day had some hiccups…..but as we rolled into Duluth, we couldn’t help but ask ourselves if we’d ever had so much fun on a trip. * stay tuned for footage of the ambitious decisions made post trip*

The weather didn’t hold, and we spent most of the final day in rain gear, hats and gloves. By the time we peddled into Canal Park in Duluth, we were soggy and cold and so excited that we had biked nearly 160 miles from the Canadian Border!

Outside looking in you might not see it. But this is still easily one of our favorite trips and bikepacking has become a favorite way to explore. Every time we drive along the shore we remember what it was like to see the sights at a different pace, I get chills during certain sections of narrow shoulders, and my quads burn as we make our way up hills-even just sitting in the car. We had a wonderful time trouble shooting, succeeding and enjoying the world at the speed of a bike-just like a kid.

Hope you enjoyed reading and watching, stay tuned for more…hopefully you can get out on your own and enjoy some Days Off too!