Mother Goose / Lost & Found Do the Kek

campsite on the Kekekabic Trail (photo by Lost & Found)

excerpts from the journal of Lost & Found

Mother Goose and Lost & Found left Ely for the Kekekabic Trail on the morning of June 30. After walking part of the road from Ely to the trailhead they got a ride, and spent the night at Smitty's resort. They started hiking off-road trail the next morning.

Lost & Found reports that the terrain is primary basalt rocks and wet tree roots across the trail. They took a wrong turn and both of them postholed up to the knees in muddy muck. Then they missed a turn to where they planned to camp - Drumstick Lake, so spent the night without water, and had to hike early to reach water for breakfast.

When then reached the Thomas River they found it only knee deep, which was good. It was thigh deep in May when other hikers passed through. But on the spruce lowlands, the trail was overrun with bracken ferns, berry bushes and other plants. The gals had to concentrate on pulling the vegetation off the trail so they would know where to step. There were a lot of steep ups and downs and they also crossed some swampy areas where their shoes sucked muck.

morning mist on a lake on the Kekekabic Trail (photo by Mother Goose)

When they reached the Gunflint Lodge, they ordered 8 oz cheeseburgers and fries, and a dark, local brew, then walked on to Heston's Lodge to spend the night.

Mother Goose and Lost & Found eventually decided to skip the Boundary Trail for now. Mother Goose thinks she'll do like Nimblewill and maybe come back to it when it isn't so grown up like spring.

See Mother Goose's journal
See Lost & Found's journal