Sights of Centennial Trail

 The historic sites of the Centennial Trail, are not the only sites worth checking out along this section of the Kekekabic Trail. I couldn't find anything definite on the name of the lake. From what I read it may be either a large pond or drainage from the old mines reshaping the area.

 

Either way, the purple and green hues contrasting to the lightly iced, perfectly reflective glass lake  surface made for some unforgettable sights.

 From high up on the hills, you get a broad view of  both the valley, and the results of the Ham Lake fire.

 I enjoyed being able to see the layers of hills for miles, skewed by the atmosphere.

 It looks like we stumbled upon the old railroad area. My camera didn't like adjusting to the lighting in there, but it made for an amazing, paint-like photo. This could be spooky with the right editing.

 From certain areas you can see several frozen lakes.

I just loved how this tree is still standing, despite the way the fire weakened it.

     The trail ends a little weird. It does not take you back to the parking lot, or the main trail. Instead, it takes you to the road, where you have to walk back for a quarter mile or so. Despite the strange ending, the trail was very enjoyable and I think if you check out this trail, then you won't regret it. 

Historic Sites of Centennial Trail

 Recently I went on a hike on the Centennial Trail. The Centennial Trail is a 3.3 mile loop found on the Kekekabic Trail, the same trail I hiked to get to the Old Gunflint Tower. At the beginning of the hike, you can sign in to hike the full Kekekabic trail, 41 miles, or you can grab a map for the Centennial Trail.

 The map is an excellent resource, as it will tell you what each landmark you pass stands for.

 The landmarks are labeled along the trail, so you can read about them as you go. These photos are of the test pits dug from the Gunflint Iron Company in the early 1890s.

 They were used to evaluate the purity of the iron deposits in the area as well as exploration looking for gold, silver and nickel, but only one car load of ore was removed from these explorations.

 It was pretty neat to read about these pits and the water they were filled with was such neat color, contrasts.

Hiking Interpretative Trail

So the other day I happened to notice this little trail on my way up to high cliffs. The sign read Interpretative Trail. It was very nicely laid out. It was well marked and had nice little signs identifying certain trees along the way.

Such as this Paper Birch

Or Spruce

Or White Cedar

Or this leaning tree... ok maybe not this leaning tree but it was quite comfortable, and on the trail.

Will you look at these reds!

This is such a lush plant! Well maybe the end of the trail was up to interpretation because it kind of ended in the dog sled trail without a clear sign, but it was a nice walk after all.

Autumn Views

I may not be the biggest fan of fall because of the whole no snow/no swimming thing, but even I had to appreciate this beauty is something you just have to appreciate.I even had to embrace the small plants.

I don't know what type of fern this I

 is, but it makes for a beautiful contrast to the fall colors.

Panorama from high cliffs near Gunflint Lodge

Back to ( Herbalism ) School

Back to the beauty of Grand Marais, the town I "technically" live in but I still get excited to "visit". I am seriously addicted to getting certifications. As much as I love my job, I don't like to throw all my eggs in one basket, and if there's two things I am always happy to spend my money on, it's travel and education. I tried both breweries in town and certainly enjoyed eating at The Tavern alot! I also enjoyed my lunchtime walks around the area.

I mean, this town is like a storeybook with it's views. 

As for the class itself, it was amazing. I think alot of people go to North House Folk School because they just want to try something new, or for entertainment by taking classes such as basket weaving, or traditional drum making. This was not the case for this course. This was a serious, life-changing class that taught me so much about nurturing ourselves from nature. Our instructer, Gigi, was very knowledgeable, relatable, and balanced in her views of using food as the best prevention to sickness and to aide your body in getting to it's optimal function. I went home excited to continue learning and with a great bag of goodies for personal use. I hope to find additional ways to make use of this education as my knowledge continues to grow.