Written by Zach Osmek
Some places are simply destinations. Others seem bigger than life. Lake Superior is one of those places. Known by the Ojibwe as Gichi-gami, the "Great Sea," Lake Superior has a way of humbling everyone who ventures onto it. Its cold, dark waters have shaped the history of North America for centuries, from Native American trade routes and French Voyageurs to commercial shipping, shipwrecks, and modern-day adventurers. It can be calm enough to reflect the sky like glass one moment, then unleash waves that rival the ocean the next.
For us, Lake Superior wasn't just a destination. It was the thread connecting every mile of the Trans Superior Traverse. By canoe, on foot, and eventually by bicycle, our goal was simple: travel under our own power to, around, and ultimately back from the greatest freshwater lake on Earth and experience everything this remarkable landscape had to offer. With our gravel bikes fully loaded with all the gear we would need for the next month, we headed east from Duluth after spending a couple “rest” days following our thru hike on the Superior Hiking Trail, as we spent time celebrating the 4th of July with family. Our plan was to circumnavigate the largest of the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, Lake Superior, over the next 28 days. We would follow as closely as we could to the shoreline, riding mostly paved roads with some gravel mixed in, across 3 states, two countries, and 1,700 miles.
I am not going to lie, this was daunting. Looking out across the inland sea, thinking that we were about to bike around every mile of it, was unsettling to say the least. But pedal by pedal, mile by mile, and day by day, we began stacking miles and making some serious progress. Touring by bike is a great way to travel, as you are able to get intimate with the landscape and the cities that you pass through. We travelled roughly 80 miles a day, with some built in rest days to explore towns or cool provincial parks, and for bike repair and cleaning. We also had a few days where we were kept up in a hotel in Paradise, Michigan, where we were unsure if we were going to be able to finish the trip due to the air quality from the raging wildfires taking place in Northern Minnesota and Ontario.
On most large expeditions, you need to factor in a few weather delay days. Up to this point, we hadn't needed any. Our paddling and hiking legs had gone surprisingly smoothly, and we were starting to feel bulletproof. We joked that the only thing that could slow us down was a natural disaster. Unfortunately, that joke became reality. After weeks of warm, dry weather, wildfires had broken out across northern Minnesota, with more than 60,000 acres burning in and around the Boundary Waters. With the prevailing westerly winds, smoke drifted across Lake Superior, creating unhealthy air quality, especially in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We had no choice but to slow down. Ironically, we found ourselves stranded in Paradise, Michigan. Paradise, it was not. As we watched the smoke forecasts each day, our thoughts kept drifting back to the Boundary Waters. Some of our favorite places were threatened by the fires, and communities throughout the region were dealing with evacuations, closures, and uncertainty. At the same time, we weren't sure if we'd be able to finish the Trans Superior Traverse. We spent two days waiting in a hotel, hoping for a change in the weather. Fortunately, cooler temperatures arrived, the winds shifted, and rain moved into the forecast. Before long, we were back on our bikes and headed north once again.
On the south shore of Lake Superior, through northern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan, the lake presented miles and miles of pristine beaches: fine white-grained sand mixing with crystal clear, blue water, cold as an ice bath. In the middle of July with a nationwide heat wave, I couldn't think of a better place to be. Every 15 miles, drenched in sweat, we would dismount from our bikes and take a dip in some of the clearest fresh water in the world. As we turned North and crossed the border into Sault St. Marie, Canada, the landscape shifted dramatically. We began climbing through the ancient hills of the Canadian Shield and the transition from mixed forest to boreal forest was dramatic, as we moved on from maples and oaks into fir and spruce forest. This continued on for some 600 miles as we traveled along the Trans-Canadian Highway, officially turning west and heading back towards where we started. The ride was beautiful, besides the fact we were biking along the only highway that connects Northern Ontario's western and eastern ends, and semi trucks and trailers flew by at 70+ mph. Once you got over that fact, the views were marvelous looking over the great lake.
One of the best parts of this leg of the trip, one that I was not totally expecting and what really set it apart from the first two legs, was the people we met. As mentioned, traveling by bike is a great way to get to know the communities and residents of the cities you are passing by. We would stop at public libraries, coffee shops, museums, and restaurants, and locals would also be interested in where we were coming from and how far we were going. We told them of our adventures, and many times they would share their stories as well. We ended up meeting so many cool people along the way, hearing what brought them to living near Lake Superior and why it holds a special place in their hearts. Not only that, but many of them ended up letting us stay in their houses or throw a tent up in their backyard, or cook us dinner.
To embark on an expedition of this scale takes months of planning, training, and logistics. But it's the unknown, the road around the next bend, the people you'll meet, and the place you'll call home each night, that transforms a trip into an adventure. Leg 3 of the Trans Superior Traverse was all of that, and more.
Written by Zach Osmek
