September 24th

Can't believe I'm actually doing it! Today marks the start of my journey through the North Shore of Minnesota. I've dreamt of thru hiking the superior hiking trail for as long as I could remember and now I finally doing it. I am jumping on the trail in Jay Cooke State Park today and I will track my journey through this journal. I am hoping to complete this trip in 3-4 weeks. Joining me on this trip is my lovely Fiancé Natalie.

September 25th

First day of hiking was magical. We had a solid day of hiking, covering 14 miles. The leaves are just starting to change and is just a taste of what we will see in the coming weeks. First night was pretty good, Natalie struggles with sleeping in a tent sometimes, she is hoping this journey will help her overcome her fear a bit. I only had to check for bears outside of the tent once for her last night. Thankfully she brought her earplugs.

September 30th

We have made it through Duluth! The views leading down into Duluth were amazing. Pretty incredible to see the views of lake superior. Especially in the morning with the sun rising up over the lake and the city. We stopped to see Natalies family in Duluth and restock on supplies. Now we are off to continue the journey.

October 3rd

We saw a bear! And Natalie didnt freak out (too much haha). As we were hiking along the roaring rivers and waterfalls a black bear came across the trail in front of us. Didn't have any interest in us and once we made some noise it immediately ran away. I think this interaction defiantly lowered Natalie's anxiety a little bit towards the wildlife.

October 5th

We came across some abandoned bags on the trail today. They looked completely stocked up for a thru hike. There was a scratch mark on one of the bags. There was no blood or anything else around but we couldnt find the owner of the bags. Just when Natalie was starting to feel more comfortable this has made her wary again. Told her they probably just snuck off to skinny dip in a swimming hole somewhere and that maybe we should do the same. :)

October 7th

We have found some hiking partners! One night we camped with a lovely couple from Toronto who are here thru hiking as well. Jack and his wife (her name is also natalie!), were super welcoming when we arrived at the campsite. We had a wonderful night sharing the campfire with them. We had lots in common I thought and was fun to talk. Natalie (my natalie) was kind of quiet and told me she got weird vibes from the couple later when we were in the tent but I thought they were a lovely couple.

October 9th

Decided to take a touristy day today we we reached lutsen mountain. After weeks of hiking we are tired and decided a relaxing day riding the gondola and enjoying some wine at the local winery would help reset us for the last chunk of our journey. Jack and Natalie decided to take the day with us. I think my Nat (going to call her this for now on as not to get confused with the other natalie) is starting to warm up to them. Natalie is a super cool girl and we actually have a lot in common. We grew up in the same town!

October 11th

Nat has been in a weird mood recently. Not sure if she is getting burnt out adn ready to be done. But she has been short with me and doesnt seem to be enjoying herself. We got into an argument because I did mushrooms with natalie and jack, she doesn't want me doing that with strangers in the woods. But it was a magical night and nothing bad happened! Nat is weary of drugs. She was also mad because there were lots of strange noises outside the tent tonight and I didnt hear them (I was still out of it). Nat said it was coming from their tent (chanting, gurgling noises) but I said she was just hearing things.

October 12th

Jack and Natalie are gone. We woke up the next morning and all of their stuff was gone. Nat seems happy to see them go but I am confused it was very abrupt and we had a great night before. Nat is starting to get on my nerves a bit, she keeps harping on the couple instead of just enjoying the journey.

October 13th

Weird day today. We only have a few days left, but natalie and I had another big argument last night. Maybe doing this wasnt such a good idea, a little too much out of her comfort zone. Trying to enjoy the last bit of our journey though and take in the beauty.

October 14th

Another abandoned bag. Not just any bag, but Jacks bag. The same scratch mark on it. But this time we see blood drips leading away from the bag. I sprinted after the blood, as Nat yelled at me to stop. But I had to see if Natalie was hurt. Couldnt find Natalie or her bag. We need to contact the authorities but it is getting dark and we ahve no coverage. Hoping it was nothing we set camp for the night adn we will call the police in the morning.

October 14th, Night

Nat is gone! I woke up in the middle of the night and she is nowwhere to be found. I have been calling her name for hours and am running around the trails looking for her.

October 15th

I was able to contact the police this morning and they are on there way to me. We are in the most remote part of the trail so they will be here in a couple hours. Why would Nat leave like that? What is going on?

I found Nats bag....same mark on it. I know I should wait for the police but I am going to find her.

I've stumbled upon something. It looks like natalie in a cave. I was walking and heard voices I hid behind a rock and now I can see into a cave. Trying to remain calm. I see natalie and four other people. She is the only one standing. I recognize Nat and Jack, but dont recognize the other couple (they must be the other bags that were left). They are all bounded and gagged on the ground. Natalie is chanting and appears to be holding a large knife. I have to be careful with this. I am going to attempt to save them from whatever this is. I leave this journal here in case I dont make it back. Weird scent of flowers in the air.

October 16th

Can't wait for the final day of our journey! I woke up with a pounding headache this morning, must have been a bit too much wine last night. Also, came across some park rangers on the trail looking for some missing hikers, we told them we hadn't seen anything. Hope they are okay! Unfortunly my journal was lost last night as were hiking through. Nat (sorry Natalie, dont know why I wrote Nat) said i must have dropped it. Either way I remember this journey well enough I can recount it all later! Natalie is in a great mood today, not sure why I was ever annoyed with her. As we reach the end of our journey, I cant believe we did it, what a magical journey. This trip was everything I wanted. My one regret is that we didn't find any trail buddies along the way. Sharing the trail for a few days with a another couple would have been amazing but oh well. Here to the next adventure.

Happy trails from me and Natalie!