Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail

Episode Transcript

[0:00:01 – 0:00:08] Erik: Hello, coming to you live from inside my car in Kalispell, Montana.
[0:00:10 – 0:00:16] Erik: This episode is going to come out early because I don’t know when I’m going to be able to find Wi-Fi again.
[0:00:17 – 0:00:21] Erik: So I’m taking advantage of the public library here in beautiful Kalispell.
[0:00:23 – 0:00:28] Erik: I’m going to just be following up this light intro with…
[0:00:31 – 0:00:40] Erik: A little hike I did on the Magnetic Rock hiking trail on the day that the Boundary Waters closed.
[0:00:41 – 0:00:45] Erik: I was hinting at how I thought, maybe they should close the park for a little bit.
[0:00:45 – 0:00:46] Erik: And I came back and sure enough…
[0:00:48 – 0:00:49] Erik: closed.
[0:00:50 – 0:01:05] Erik: As I record this, it is the Friday going into Labor Day, and the little bits of information that I’ve been receiving from the road do suggest that the vast majority of the Boundary Waters is opening back up.
[0:01:06 – 0:01:08] Erik: So maybe by the time I get back,
[0:01:09 – 0:01:12] Erik: I can get out on the water here for a little bit again.
[0:01:13 – 0:01:14] Erik: The West has been treating me well.
[0:01:15 – 0:01:21] Erik: I have been rambling into the microphone for probably much too long.
[0:01:22 – 0:01:24] Erik: I’m not sure what I’m going to do with that.
[0:01:25 – 0:01:31] Erik: If you think I should throw it up on just the regular old podcasts, maybe I’ll do that.
[0:01:31 – 0:01:38] Erik: Or maybe I’ll put it up on Patreon just as a public, not behind any paywalls, and you can go and listen to it there.
[0:01:38 – 0:01:40] Erik: Very little information.
[0:01:40 – 0:02:02] Erik: uh nothing to do with the bunch waters just the ramblings of uh somebody coming to terms with uh where they’re heading in life sound like fun sound like a blast well uh i also talk about some of the things that i saw and did out here um so here is uh my thoughts along with axles
[0:02:03 – 0:02:09] Erik: From the trail, we will be back in the studio next week.
[0:02:09 – 0:02:12] Erik: Regularly scheduled programming will return.
[0:02:13 – 0:02:17] Erik: We’re talking, what’s your other favorite parks out there?
[0:02:17 – 0:02:29] Erik: I’ve been visiting a few of them, mostly foot parks, but boy, it sure seems like people like their outdoor activities out here and their boats and all the things that make them…
[0:02:30 – 0:02:33] Erik: Go faster than the feats, which is all I have access to.
[0:02:34 – 0:02:40] Erik: But if you want to answer that question of the week, tumblehomecast.gmail.com.
[0:02:40 – 0:02:45] Erik: Otherwise, it’s up for another week on the Tumble Homecast subreddit.
[0:02:46 – 0:02:53] Erik: Um, and then going forward from there, yeah, we’re going to probably be settling into, um, Fall in the Northwoods.
[0:02:53 – 0:02:59] Erik: Um, Tumbled Tunes will be the next thing up on the Patreon, which will also be out next week.
[0:02:59 – 0:03:02] Erik: And then, uh, shortly after that, we’re talking, uh…
[0:03:03 – 0:03:06] Erik: Last of the Mohicans, I think, if I remember correctly.
[0:03:06 – 0:03:11] Erik: Yeah, so become a $5 a month patron and listen to that.
[0:03:11 – 0:03:24] Erik: Otherwise, enjoy my elocutions and ramblings from the, I believe, still currently closed hiking trail that is the Magnetic Rock.
[0:03:25 – 0:03:44] Erik: hiking trail and if you’re here strictly for information on that trail here comes that information and if you are just a follower of the show hi as well also happy paddling now that it is recommencing it seems I am slowly making my way back love you all goodbye
[0:03:48 – 0:03:55] Erik: Welcome to Tumbled Trails, an in-the-field elocution podcast.
[0:03:55 – 0:03:56] Erik: My name is Eric.
[0:03:56 – 0:03:56] Erik: Hello.
[0:03:57 – 0:04:05] Erik: I am in my car currently, and I’m going to go hike the Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail.
[0:04:06 – 0:04:11] Erik: I have not hiked this trail in probably close to 10 years now.
[0:04:12 – 0:04:14] Erik: And I’ve got the opportunity to do it.
[0:04:15 – 0:04:30] Erik: I don’t know how much I’m going to fully enjoy it because I’m actually parked about a fifth of a mile down the road at the Kakakabic Trailhead parking lot because the Magnetic Rock Trailhead parking lot is completely full.
[0:04:31 – 0:04:36] Erik: So me and Axel are going to head out on the trail packed with a bunch of people.
[0:04:36 – 0:04:41] Erik: I might stop back in and let you know how I feel about the trail.
[0:04:42 – 0:04:49] Erik: point out anything that I see that’s interesting, and generally just see if you want to go on a hike with me.
[0:04:50 – 0:04:52] Erik: It’s August 21st, a Saturday.
[0:04:53 – 0:05:03] Erik: There is a sense of impending doom in the Bajau waters, and every time I turn around, more of it is being closed.
[0:05:04 – 0:05:09] Erik: So by the time this comes out, I am sure it will be greatly outdated with what is closed and what is not.
[0:05:10 – 0:05:19] Erik: But suffice it to say, it’s a little smoky, it’s very windy, and conditions feel ominous.
[0:05:19 – 0:05:24] Erik: But we’re going to go get out on the trail here in a second, and we’re going to go out and check out that magnetic rock.
[0:05:25 – 0:05:27] Erik: I think it’s close to like two miles one way.
[0:05:28 – 0:05:29] Erik: I’m going to measure that exactly.
[0:05:29 – 0:05:38] Erik: We’ll give you an updated exact distance from at least this Kakakabic hiking trailhead to the magnetic rock and back.
[0:05:38 – 0:05:41] Erik: And maybe some conditions along the way.
[0:05:42 – 0:05:44] Erik: We’ll check back in from the trail.
[0:05:48 – 0:05:49] Erik: Axel and Eric checking back in.
[0:05:51 – 0:05:54] Erik: We are officially on the Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail.
[0:05:56 – 0:06:01] Erik: And man, the first like eighth of a mile, it’s pretty rugged stuff right away.
[0:06:03 – 0:06:09] Erik: Roots, rocks, like a two foot step up onto a shelf.
[0:06:10 – 0:06:13] Erik: Oh, there is also a latrine, FYI.
[0:06:14 – 0:06:14] Erik: right away.
[0:06:14 – 0:06:17] Erik: You gotta hike in a little bit.
[0:06:17 – 0:06:18] Erik: There’s nothing in the parking lot.
[0:06:19 – 0:06:33] Erik: And now we’re out on a massive slab of shale and scraggly, partially dead jack pines.
[0:06:35 – 0:06:35] Erik: It’s…
[0:06:36 – 0:06:40] Erik: I mean, it rained last night a little bit.
[0:06:42 – 0:06:46] Erik: But it’s scary how dry it is.
[0:06:47 – 0:06:49] Erik: The ferns are yellow.
[0:06:50 – 0:06:58] Erik: I mean, it’s starting to get to be that time of year generally where the undergrowth does start to kind of slowly die off.
[0:06:59 – 0:07:04] Erik: But the degree of which it is happening is almost all at once.
[0:07:05 – 0:07:10] Erik: There’s a clump of birch here that is fall yellow.
[0:07:12 – 0:07:20] Erik: This is going to be really funny whenever I come across somebody also hiking because there were counted nine vehicles in the parking lot.
[0:07:23 – 0:07:24] Erik: Most people probably aren’t.
[0:07:26 – 0:07:27] Erik: Man, yeah, this is…
[0:07:29 – 0:07:34] Erik: The grade is level for the most part.
[0:07:35 – 0:07:41] Erik: But there are some sections of footing here that you’ve definitely got to take your time.
[0:07:42 – 0:07:51] Erik: There’s a nice little, probably the mallard just took off from the little pond here.
[0:07:51 – 0:07:56] Erik: A tiny little pond that does have water in it.
[0:07:57 – 0:07:58] Erik: That’s a little surprising.
[0:08:01 – 0:08:09] Erik: This massive flat rock boulder field that we’re kind of traversing right now as we make our way up into the
[0:08:11 – 0:08:19] Erik: Kind of the gradual ascent into where there used to be really good blueberry picking.
[0:08:19 – 0:08:24] Erik: I’m going to be interested to see what that looks like these days.
[0:08:24 – 0:08:26] Erik: They’re just straight up like brown.
[0:08:30 – 0:08:31] Erik: That’s just a straight up dead bush.
[0:08:33 – 0:08:35] Erik: Um, man.
[0:08:36 – 0:08:36] Erik: Yeah.
[0:08:37 – 0:08:40] Erik: So, so far, no real elocutions.
[0:08:40 – 0:08:47] Erik: Just wanted to give you an update on the fact that we did make our way onto the trail.
[0:08:48 – 0:08:49] Erik: Moving water.
[0:08:49 – 0:08:50] Erik: Look at this.
[0:08:57 – 0:08:58] Erik: That’s surprising.
[0:09:00 – 0:09:09] Erik: I mean, you could go on and on and talk about how dry it is, but this section of… We are roughly 50 miles up the Gunflint Trail.
[0:09:10 – 0:09:12] Erik: Probably less than a quarter mile in.
[0:09:13 – 0:09:18] Erik: I mean, just past the first group of four people hiking out.
[0:09:19 – 0:09:20] Erik: Had to stop it there.
[0:09:20 – 0:09:21] Erik: I don’t have the…
[0:09:23 – 0:09:44] Erik: the guts to just continue walking by somebody alone with a dog talking into a microphone but what I was saying is I mean this area is so first of all burned over by the Ham Lake fire and also just such exposed bare rock
[0:09:45 – 0:09:51] Erik: that it’s going to be the first to be extremely noticeable when things get dry.
[0:09:52 – 0:09:53] Erik: It dries up fast up here.
[0:09:54 – 0:10:05] Erik: So, but yeah, almost at the end of the Gunflint Trail, just after the Keck hiking trailhead.
[0:10:08 – 0:10:08] Erik: So far, so good.
[0:10:10 – 0:10:12] Erik: Good boy, Axel.
[0:10:19 – 0:10:24] Erik: Currently sitting, I would say, about one o’clock in the afternoon.
[0:10:28 – 0:10:33] Erik: Last time I checked, car read about 70 degrees.
[0:10:35 – 0:10:39] Erik: Under mixed skies.
[0:10:41 – 0:10:43] Erik: Big, dark, low zipping clouds.
[0:10:47 – 0:10:47] Erik: And when they
[0:10:49 – 0:10:53] Erik: obscure the sun, it feels quite like fall out here.
[0:10:55 – 0:10:59] Erik: But when the sun’s out, this is a very exposed trail.
[0:11:01 – 0:11:02] Erik: Not much shade.
[0:11:03 – 0:11:14] Erik: Little patches here and there where you’re going to go through kind of like a little tunnel of like 20-year-old jack pine.
[0:11:16 – 0:11:18] Erik: Generally scrubby underbrush.
[0:11:20 – 0:11:34] Erik: But for the most part, you’re just out on these long angled slabs of, and today’s not too bad, but I can imagine mercilessly open to the sun.
[0:11:37 – 0:11:42] Erik: I mean, it smells like fall already.
[0:11:45 – 0:11:49] Erik: And speaking of large open slabs.
[0:11:50 – 0:12:09] Erik: We are currently out on top of one, making for a nice little breeze, as you can hear, and a little overlook of a little bit of a pond.
[0:12:12 – 0:12:14] Erik: Nice to see some water out there still.
[0:12:19 – 0:12:27] Erik: Yeah, I would be prepared on this hike to be exposed to the sun.
[0:12:29 – 0:12:30] Erik: Get that screen on.
[0:12:31 – 0:12:32] Erik: Hydrate.
[0:12:34 – 0:12:43] Erik: And surprisingly enough, one of the first things I’m already noticing is, especially right away, how much of a gradual climb it is.
[0:12:44 – 0:12:47] Erik: I always remember talking to people
[0:12:49 – 0:13:08] Erik: When I used to talk to people about what trails to take, the magnetic rock always kind of struck me as an easier hike because I was not ever really picturing much of a climb at any point.
[0:13:09 – 0:13:16] Erik: But we’ve been gradually climbing here, probably close to the first half mile, almost the whole way.
[0:13:20 – 0:13:28] Erik: And yeah, we are just out on a baking slab of Canadian Shield here.
[0:13:28 – 0:13:37] Erik: It’s surprising that there’s even green on some of these trees at all.
[0:13:37 – 0:13:47] Erik: Has to be the driest conditions in the Northland here since well before my time.
[0:13:49 – 0:13:53] Erik: I overheard a conversation in Grand Marais a few weeks back.
[0:13:55 – 0:14:02] Erik: Guy was talking about how he hasn’t seen it this dry since back in 77.
[0:14:03 – 0:14:07] Erik: Got so dry that they closed the Gunflint Trail.
[0:14:09 – 0:14:11] Erik: I don’t even know if that’s like a thing you can do.
[0:14:12 – 0:14:12] Erik: Maybe.
[0:14:12 – 0:14:14] Erik: I mean, it is.
[0:14:14 – 0:14:17] Erik: I think it’s reaching a breaking point here.
[0:14:19 – 0:14:22] Erik: Every time you turn around, something else is being closed.
[0:14:26 – 0:14:46] Erik: Might be time to consider just kind of maybe shutting her down for the rest of the season, unless we get some significant rain, which the only kind of rain we seem to be getting is the worst kind, which is not enough and associated with
[0:14:48 – 0:14:49] Erik: lightning strikes.
[0:14:53 – 0:14:56] Erik: Sort of maybe take back the footing.
[0:14:56 – 0:15:01] Erik: If you can get through that first like eighth of a mile start.
[0:15:03 – 0:15:05] Erik: We have some more hikers.
[0:15:05 – 0:15:06] Erik: We’ll see you on the other side.
[0:15:08 – 0:15:09] Erik: Just past five people.
[0:15:09 – 0:15:13] Erik: Maybe I’ll have the rock to myself.
[0:15:14 – 0:15:22] Erik: Up on this, I was saying that if you can get past that first early bit, the footing actually does become kind of like a sidewalk.
[0:15:23 – 0:15:32] Erik: Up on another open ridge here overlooking a bit of a valley to the south with a cliff where you can clearly see all of the mosses.
[0:15:34 – 0:15:37] Erik: and ferns distinctly like burnt orange.
[0:15:38 – 0:15:40] Erik: It’s actually quite beautiful.
[0:15:41 – 0:15:52] Erik: Dropping back down into a pretty shabby jack pine forest.
[0:15:53 – 0:15:57] Erik: Not sure how I feel about the jack pines.
[0:15:58 – 0:16:03] Erik: I never really did that tree rankers episode, but I think jack pines might be down there for me.
[0:16:03 – 0:16:05] Erik: I don’t know what it is.
[0:16:05 – 0:16:14] Erik: I think it’s just their general scrappiness.
[0:16:14 – 0:16:15] Erik: I don’t know what the word is.
[0:16:15 – 0:16:18] Erik: They’re just kind of all over the place, especially when they get older.
[0:16:18 – 0:16:21] Erik: They get old and big, and they’re just like…
[0:16:22 – 0:16:37] Erik: bunched branches lots of kind of gnarly lower dead ones you know when i used to run dogs the jack pines of over in the west um
[0:16:39 – 0:16:51] Erik: Those were always the best for getting lunch fires going, because those things burn quick and hot, and all you need is about 20 minutes to get a brat nice and hot.
[0:16:52 – 0:16:53] Erik: Get those brats hot.
[0:16:54 – 0:17:00] Erik: Not too many jack pines over on our side here, but there’s definitely mostly any of the…
[0:17:02 – 0:17:26] Erik: pines on this hike seem to be uh firmly of the jack pine variety not even any really i don’t even see balsams which is bamboo of the north woods still maintaining our sidewalk-esque trail here kind of in a forest right now
[0:17:28 – 0:17:38] Erik: If you weren’t fully aware walking through here and weren’t really paying attention, you might not be able to tell that there was an old fire here.
[0:17:40 – 0:17:46] Erik: But if you look close enough, you can still see charred logs in the underbrush.
[0:17:50 – 0:17:53] Erik: Clearly, trees that came down because of it that are cut out.
[0:18:00 – 0:18:05] Erik: Is this hike that you are all on with me, if anybody is out there, it’s enjoyable in any way?
[0:18:07 – 0:18:08] Erik: I’m kind of enjoying it.
[0:18:11 – 0:18:12] Erik: Back out under the sun.
[0:18:17 – 0:18:22] Erik: The rocks here are really kind of something else to be able to just walk on.
[0:18:24 – 0:18:46] Erik: just a few too many cracks and divots away from being like kind of those amorphous rounded like skate and BMX bike parks that you’d see like no hard edges smooth
[0:18:48 – 0:18:54] Erik: But every once in a while, just take a large square crevice, probably still pretty decent.
[0:18:54 – 0:18:56] Erik: I know they’re not allowed, but to bike.
[0:18:57 – 0:18:59] Erik: Yeah, we’ve got another group coming in here.
[0:19:00 – 0:19:01] Erik: I’m gonna go ahead and put money down.
[0:19:02 – 0:19:03] Erik: I think I’m gonna have the rock to myself.
[0:19:04 – 0:19:06] Erik: I’m gonna get real contemplative.
[0:19:08 – 0:19:11] Erik: All right, six more down.
[0:19:14 – 0:19:17] Erik: That was a large group of hikers.
[0:19:19 – 0:19:21] Erik: I don’t think I’ve ever hiked with six people before.
[0:19:23 – 0:19:26] Erik: I feel like you’d run into a bit of telephone.
[0:19:26 – 0:19:27] Erik: They were all in line.
[0:19:29 – 0:19:34] Erik: That’s like the scene from Seinfeld where they’re all at the booth.
[0:19:35 – 0:19:37] Erik: Kramer thinks that Newman died.
[0:19:37 – 0:19:42] Erik: That person in the back is probably getting some bad information.
[0:19:44 – 0:19:48] Erik: Or maybe they’re all just having individual conversations.
[0:19:50 – 0:19:52] Erik: Kind of in a, you know, two by two.
[0:19:52 – 0:19:54] Erik: Three different conversations.
[0:19:54 – 0:19:55] Erik: Or one big one.
[0:19:56 – 0:19:58] Erik: They were definitely talking as I came up on them.
[0:20:03 – 0:20:04] Erik: I think the most I’ve ever hiked with is four.
[0:20:06 – 0:20:10] Erik: And then… You usually break off into…
[0:20:12 – 0:20:17] Erik: different factions, cliques, pitting each other against one another.
[0:20:17 – 0:20:20] Erik: I mean, that’s how I hike.
[0:20:20 – 0:20:28] Erik: I don’t know how anybody else does it, but if you’re not taking sides by the end of a hike, I just don’t think you’re doing it right.
[0:20:32 – 0:20:37] Erik: Your waist, waist high, bright yellow.
[0:20:39 – 0:20:45] Erik: dead and dying ferns as we traverse a bit of a boulder field here.
[0:20:46 – 0:20:50] Erik: Got to keep your eyes down and on the trail a little bit more here.
[0:20:51 – 0:20:54] Erik: Not currently in a skate park.
[0:20:58 – 0:21:02] Erik: The breezes that originally woke me and the low whizzing
[0:21:03 – 0:21:11] Erik: kind of dark, bottomed, yet hold no rain clouds have slowly been making their way out.
[0:21:13 – 0:21:20] Erik: And unfortunately, along with that, I think what’s coming in behind them is more clear skies.
[0:21:21 – 0:21:26] Erik: And generally, it’s starting to feel a little bit more humid.
[0:21:27 – 0:21:32] Erik: And that could just be as a result of last night’s rain.
[0:21:33 – 0:21:36] Erik: Kind of drying out of the woods.
[0:21:39 – 0:21:57] Erik: But generally, I’m going to need a significant change in the weather pattern for any hopes of, at this point,
[0:21:59 – 0:22:02] Erik: No way is a fire ban being lifted.
[0:22:02 – 0:22:07] Erik: And only more closures, I imagine.
[0:22:09 – 0:22:24] Erik: Of course, I mean, there’s a number of silver linings to the situation that I’m sure you’re all aware of.
[0:22:26 – 0:22:41] Erik: One of them that I saw as being a silver lining leading up to it was, I’m going to have all this summertime to get out on the water, explore areas that I typically wouldn’t get to.
[0:22:43 – 0:22:48] Erik: And then cut to two weeks later.
[0:22:50 – 0:23:05] Erik: The vast majority of the bunch of waters is closed, and there’s a fire ban, which we’ll get into at some point, whether that episode has come out or not.
[0:23:07 – 0:23:08] Erik: I’m not going to spoil my thoughts on it.
[0:23:10 – 0:23:12] Erik: But, of course, the one summer…
[0:23:14 – 0:23:16] Erik: I get a chance.
[0:23:17 – 0:23:21] Erik: It’s not an option, but that’s not what the hike is about.
[0:23:23 – 0:23:24] Erik: I’m still getting some day trips in.
[0:23:26 – 0:23:28] Erik: Did a nice five mile stretch of the SHT.
[0:23:29 – 0:23:32] Erik: That’s the Superior Hiking Trail down on the shore.
[0:23:34 – 0:23:41] Erik: Man, if I was still at Clearwater, I think I would have to completely reassess my evaluation on this trail.
[0:23:42 – 0:23:43] Erik: being a nice easy one for beginners.
[0:23:45 – 0:23:56] Erik: It’s by no means a mountain climb but we’re still gradually moving up and you might even be able to hear it in my voice.
[0:23:57 – 0:24:01] Erik: I got a little bit of a little bit of the trail pant.
[0:24:02 – 0:24:10] Erik: Also trying to talk and hike at the same time takes a little bit away from your ability to
[0:24:11 – 0:24:37] Erik: gather oxygen well i’m gonna maybe take a break and enjoy the silence or at least axel will enjoy the silence i will immediately be trapped in my own head with my own thoughts where i don’t particularly like to be but i’m gonna go there and uh
[0:24:39 – 0:24:56] Erik: We’ll see if the almighty magnetic rock reveals itself to me in a new way on this trip.
[0:24:56 – 0:24:59] Erik: 1.3 miles one way.
[0:25:01 – 0:25:01] Erik: About 30 minutes.
[0:25:03 – 0:25:09] Erik: Unfortunately, did not have the rock to myself.
[0:25:11 – 0:25:20] Erik: So, me and Axel stopped from a distance, turned and we are now heading back in the opposite direction.
[0:25:23 – 0:25:37] Erik: I have to say, the last time I was on this hike, the rock seemed much more significant
[0:25:39 – 0:25:48] Erik: it seems that the forest has grown up significantly around it, making it seem quite a bit smaller.
[0:25:50 – 0:26:03] Erik: And maybe that’s just one of those things in your memory of imagining things to be much larger, but usually that goes along with, like, memories of
[0:26:05 – 0:26:08] Erik: childhood where you were physically smaller.
[0:26:09 – 0:26:16] Erik: It’s only been eight or nine years since I’ve been out here, but I guess that’s eight or nine years that trees have had a chance to grow up more.
[0:26:20 – 0:26:29] Erik: And I also do remember one of my favorite parts of the hike, at least when I used to do it a
[0:26:34 – 0:26:40] Erik: is there was always this one moment where you would come up over a hill and you could see it like a half a mile away.
[0:26:42 – 0:26:48] Erik: And it was always so impressive from the distance.
[0:26:52 – 0:27:00] Erik: But at this point, I mean, I think it’s worth coming out to see.
[0:27:01 – 0:27:02] Erik: Oh, just one second.
[0:27:02 – 0:27:04] Erik: I have to clean up.
[0:27:07 – 0:27:08] Erik: I got to clean up some dog poop.
[0:27:10 – 0:27:10] Erik: All right.
[0:27:12 – 0:27:14] Erik: Being a good hiker out here.
[0:27:19 – 0:27:20] Erik: Got my doggy bags.
[0:27:23 – 0:27:24] Erik: Nothing like that.
[0:27:26 – 0:27:33] Erik: feeling of warmth that you get through those little doggie bags.
[0:27:36 – 0:27:41] Erik: But anyway, I’m not to say that I’m disappointed.
[0:27:43 – 0:27:53] Erik: It also didn’t help that there was a family of five that was like fully engaged in a pretty
[0:27:55 – 0:28:20] Erik: established picnic so i’m not really gonna get i’m not gonna muscle my way into that scene so unfortunately the rock was unable to speak to me but i saw it from a distance and it is still something to behold
[0:28:24 – 0:28:26] Erik: But I don’t know if I’ll ever do this hike again.
[0:28:28 – 0:28:29] Erik: To be honest.
[0:28:29 – 0:28:32] Erik: I mean, it’s nice to get out and walk the dog.
[0:28:33 – 0:28:34] Erik: I’m sure he’s loving it.
[0:28:39 – 0:28:40] Erik: I’m glad it exists for other people.
[0:28:44 – 0:28:44] Erik: But I don’t…
[0:28:46 – 0:28:46] Erik: I don’t know.
[0:28:48 – 0:28:53] Erik: I think the forest has grown up too much in the vast majority of the hikes.
[0:28:54 – 0:29:18] Erik: particularly with the aforementioned, not my favorite, jack pines, which I guess doesn’t really particularly bode well for the future of the boundary waters and sections of it that burn.
[0:29:20 – 0:29:22] Erik: It’s very clearly changing.
[0:29:23 – 0:29:33] Erik: And I guess it seems like not in a way that I like as much, which is my opinion.
[0:29:34 – 0:29:34] Erik: And who knows?
[0:29:35 – 0:29:36] Erik: That could change as well.
[0:29:39 – 0:29:49] Erik: But if that was my last trip down the Magnetic Rock hiking trail, then so be it.
[0:29:51 – 0:29:57] Erik: This necessarily wasn’t a podcast for me to lament the changes to the trail.
[0:29:59 – 0:30:09] Erik: For somebody listening to this to take the hike out to the rock for the first time, I think it’s entirely worth it.
[0:30:13 – 0:30:14] Erik: I think it’s worth it more for the thought…
[0:30:19 – 0:30:29] Erik: Because I’m standing next to another rock in that same kind of shape.
[0:30:31 – 0:30:32] Erik: Big as a house.
[0:30:32 – 0:30:34] Erik: Well, big as a tiny house.
[0:30:35 – 0:30:35] Erik: And square.
[0:30:36 – 0:30:37] Erik: Not nearly as tall.
[0:30:38 – 0:30:39] Erik: But next to it…
[0:30:40 – 0:30:44] Erik: There is another one that is roughly the same size.
[0:30:45 – 0:30:49] Erik: And then next to that is another one that is about the third.
[0:30:50 – 0:31:02] Erik: And it almost looks like it is the namesake of the trail tipped over and having been broken apart.
[0:31:04 – 0:31:10] Erik: And what I mean by all that is, you know, at Clearwater, we get people, and the name suggests…
[0:31:11 – 0:31:18] Erik: That the point of going and seeing the rock is because it’s magnetic.
[0:31:20 – 0:31:21] Erik: And, like, bring the compass and watch it turn.
[0:31:23 – 0:31:26] Erik: And I don’t know if that’s necessarily anything that’s ever been too interesting to me.
[0:31:26 – 0:31:32] Erik: I’m sure it’s cool for the kids and, you know, trying to teach them a lesson, you know, about magnets and how compasses work.
[0:31:35 – 0:31:40] Erik: I like the thought of how did this seemingly…
[0:31:42 – 0:31:46] Erik: standalone feature in the woods get here?
[0:31:48 – 0:32:02] Erik: And with the one that’s relatively similar in shape and size in generally the same vicinity only tipped over, what does any of that suggest?
[0:32:04 – 0:32:31] Erik: You know, we’ve talked about dolmens and menhirs and these ancient techniques of, you know, showing somebody else who’s moving on the same path that you once were, you know, what direction you should be heading in as a map marker or a way marker, or even something that’s even more esoteric to us that we don’t understand.
[0:32:33 – 0:32:44] Erik: So the suggestion that it could potentially be something manmade, I think in my mind sounds cool.
[0:32:46 – 0:33:02] Erik: And when I picture what the magnetic rock looks like based on previous trips, I almost get to a point where I can convince myself that that it is in fact something that was tipped up and is on display.
[0:33:05 – 0:33:10] Erik: But upon revisiting it, I think it’s just chance.
[0:33:11 – 0:33:26] Erik: I think it just got left at just the right time, just the right moment, as the last of the glaciers moved through and melted.
[0:33:27 – 0:33:32] Erik: Specifically because there is the other one right next to it that seems like it was maybe part of it.
[0:33:34 – 0:33:37] Erik: as it got scraped up and then redeposited somewhere.
[0:33:40 – 0:33:47] Erik: But I think at the end of the day, that’s actually the most interesting part about it.
[0:33:49 – 0:33:50] Erik: Not the magnetism.
[0:33:50 – 0:33:51] Erik: You can explain that.
[0:33:54 – 0:33:55] Erik: But it’s the mystery.
[0:33:57 – 0:33:59] Erik: It’s almost always the most interesting part of any story.
[0:34:02 – 0:34:32] Erik: and thinking about the different ways that it could have found itself as a close to two-story high 10 by 10 foot around tower of rock standing up on end it’s almost
[0:34:34 – 0:34:41] Erik: It’s almost too easy to say it just happened naturally, but I don’t think that there’s anybody that can for sure say.
[0:34:43 – 0:35:03] Erik: So, while it might be my last trip down the magnetic rock hiking trail, it most certainly will not be my last time thinking about it and thinking about things in nature and how they came to be that way.
[0:35:04 – 0:35:08] Erik: has always been one that has been satisfying to me.
[0:35:11 – 0:35:23] Erik: And as we head back down, which is clearly all downhill, for anybody that’s interested in doing this trail, it’s pretty much slightly uphill one way, slightly downhill the other.
[0:35:24 – 0:35:28] Erik: It’s not as flat as it was in my mind originally.
[0:35:31 – 0:35:31] Erik: Who knows?
[0:35:33 – 0:35:45] Erik: Maybe I’ll start doing some more of these trails and realizing that the picture of the trail in my mind as I have described them over the years doesn’t match with the trail at all.
[0:35:46 – 0:35:51] Erik: And I am not as much of an expert as I originally thought I was on some of the area.
[0:35:52 – 0:36:02] Erik: But for anybody out there thinking about doing the Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail, I think there are a number of features along the way.
[0:36:04 – 0:36:10] Erik: that are fun and worthwhile out and back.
[0:36:12 – 0:36:18] Erik: And then, yeah, the bit of thought experiment that can be had at the rock itself.
[0:36:20 – 0:36:21] Erik: Fully worth it.
[0:36:22 – 0:36:25] Erik: I don’t know if I’m necessarily going to give it a grade.
[0:36:26 – 0:36:27] Erik: Sure, let’s give it a grade.
[0:36:27 – 0:36:31] Erik: Let’s give it… We’ll give it 15…
[0:36:36 – 0:36:39] Erik: Dolman’s out of 20.
[0:36:42 – 0:36:43] Erik: How did it get here’s?
[0:36:44 – 0:36:47] Erik: Would recommend just might be
[0:36:49 – 0:36:50] Erik: my last trip down this trail.
[0:36:51 – 0:37:01] Erik: But I am looking forward to rediscovering and actually getting out onto a couple trails on the Gunflint that I have not hiked, ever.
[0:37:04 – 0:37:07] Erik: So, I don’t know, this is probably not gonna be a numbered episode.
[0:37:07 – 0:37:17] Erik: This is just some ramblings, some trail ramblings from Eric and Axel, and gotta get him to some water.
[0:37:19 – 0:37:20] Erik: Probably got to get me to some water.
[0:37:21 – 0:37:26] Erik: And God forbid we could get some water to these woods as well.
[0:37:28 – 0:37:32] Erik: I can address those first two things, but it’s one thing about a drought.
[0:37:34 – 0:37:35] Erik: Really can’t control it.
[0:37:36 – 0:37:39] Erik: So thanks for being on the trail with me.
[0:37:40 – 0:37:41] Erik: Happy trails.
[0:37:41 – 0:37:42] Erik: Happy hiking.
[0:37:44 – 0:37:45] Erik: Thanks for listening.
[0:37:45 – 0:37:46] Erik: It’s been fun.
[0:37:49 – 0:38:02] Erik: Oh, and PS, all of those blueberry bushes that I remember being able to just brush a rake across with a sheet underneath of them and pick up five to 10 gallons of berries in 10 minutes.
[0:38:03 – 0:38:04] Erik: They’re all dead.