August 15, 2004: I had just completed my partial completion and reconnaissance of Kanabec County's two high areas. It was late in the day, again due to my lengthy approach to Pine County's high point. I therefore only attempted the easy high point, and reconned an approach to the remote one.
I find it interesting that the highest ground in the county is so near the large lake, Mille Lacs.
September 4, 2004: I finished up Mille Lacs, after having completed Benton County, earlier that morning.
From Kanabec County's second point, I returned to Minnesota State Highway 27, and followed that west to U.S. Highway 169, which was a sea of slow-moving vehicles returning south to the Twin Cities at the end of a nice weekend. I, however, went north (right), and stayed on 169 for 5.9 miles and turned left onto Mille Lacs County Road 26, and followed that south for 0.6 miles, where I turned right on Kathio State Park Road into the Park Entrance. I paid the $7 daily fee (good until 10 PM) and continued on the curvy road, glancing at the GPS for the point on the road where it is closest to the hill. I determined that it was at this sign, which is 0.17 miles from the top:
I parked at the trail center, since the road here was narrow, and returned to the accidental trail head sign.
I then entered the woods to the right, keeping between the depression on my left and the small swamp on my right.
After a short bushwhack, I encountered an old jeep trail, which, for a while, paralleled the park road, and then turned to the right, uphill, where I joined it. It then veers off to the left as it nears the high point. I arrived at the summit in 6 minutes.
There is no Geological marker nor Registration book, but there is a three-rock cairn marking the highest ground. At first, I did not see it, thinking that the ground farther on to the right was higher, but with visual inspection at both points, I agreed with the cairn-placer that it was correctly marked.
I stayed in the vicinity of the top for about 4 minutes.
I was curious about the jeep trail, and stayed on it until it started drifting away from the trail head, so my return trip was almost the same as my approach. I got back in my truck ready to look for the second high point.
I retraced my route to the park entrance, which, at this time (7:30) was closed--the building that is--the road itself was still open. I turned right onto C.R. 26 aka Shakopee Lake Road, which I followed for 2.9 miles and turned right onto Stark Road, a minimum maintenance road. It was actually in pretty good shape, but ends at a huge turn around and a locked gate for use by snowmobiles. The road itself probably continues, but, as an approach road would not be useful since it is still 1.95 miles from the second summit.
For my next attempt, I plan to approach from the south, and park off the road where it's nearest the swamp-surrounded summit.
From my parking spot in the gravel pit near the Benton County
high point:
00.0
00.2 Turned right onto Morrison-Benton County line road (175th Street NE)
00.8 Turned left at T-intersection (Morrison C.R. 244 (gravel)
01.8 Turned Right onto C.R. 26 (paved)
02.8 Turned Left onto C.R. 33
03.8 Turned left (west) onto C.R. 39
05.8 Turned right (north) onto C.R. 8
12.3 Turned right onto S.H. 27
16.9 Turned left onto Mille Lacs C.R. 25 (aka Timber Trail Road)
Turned around past SS Eelpout
18.9 Parked in approach road directly west of H.P. about 0.42 miles
I stopped just off the road, half in and half next to a vehicle trail that went into the woods, next to a pile of logs.
From where I parked, it was only a couple of minutes through the woods to the edge of the swamp. I picked up a faint trail in the woods that continued into the swamp.
The swamp was shallow and spongy. As I stepped through, each step sank slowly into about 6 inches of water. The trail was under water, but the rest of it was marsh grasses. I reached the high ground after 12 minutes in the swamp.
I climbed up to the top of the ridge and found a vehicle trail, which may not have been recently used as such, since at one point, there was a 4" diameter tree in the middle of it. I followed the road as it wound through the forest until it curved significantly away from a straight-line route to the HP.
It took me 30 minutes to reach the summit. I identified three boulders capping three hills that appeared to be on or near the highest ground.
The first one was the farthest east, and, at about 100 feet away from the middle, appeared to be the lowest of the three. The middle one looked to be the highest, and the smaller one--about 10 feet away from it, just a little shorter.
I didn't see any cairns or other markings, like I did at the first candidate high point, so I took a moss-covered rock out of the ground, and turned it upside down on top of the highest boulder.
I spent about five minutes surveying the top, and, satisfied that I had identified the highest point, headed back down. This was my third county completion of the day, and it was not yet noon.
I attempted to follow my approach track, but like the return trip in Chisago County, I lost the route, going, in fact, quite far afield. I eventually regained the vehicle road, and followed it out all the way to C.R. 25, staying on dry ground the whole time. I emerged from the woods just about 100 feet south of the SS Eelpout, aka Snuffy Smif Cabn Croozr, by this blank sign.
From there, it was only 200 feet back south to my truck.
I wish I had seen this approach, clearly marked on the topographic map (but without the trail), when I planned this trip. I could have stayed a lot drier.
The total time out of my truck was 59 minutes, including some unnecessary swamp slogging and trail losing.
I returned south on C.R. 25, then left onto S.H. 27 on my way to completing Kanabec County.
| Family Member | Count |
|---|---|
| Mark | 27 |
No other Trip Reports have been posted, though Erik Friel claims Mille Lacs in his home glob.
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http://www.topozone.com
Minnesota Atlas & Gazeteer by Delorme, 3rd Edition, 2001.
| File Name: | |
| Written by: | Mark Ness |
| Last Revised by: | Mark Ness |
| on: |