Judge C.R. Magney State Park: 175 What?!?

We had hiked Grand Portage State Park earlier in the day but were still feeling relatively fresh and ready for another.

Judge C.R. Magney State Park was so crowded that there were park staff at the entrance directing traffic. Once parked, we hoisted our camping chairs out of the car and had lunch before setting out on the 2.5 mile hike. It was still early afternoon when we got all our gear on and began. As we were starting, we passed a guy coming back, carrying his dog. “Too much for the puppy, eh?” I called out cheerfully. He laughed and admitted that it was. This should have been an ominous sign for me, but I went on in blissful ignorance. I was happy to be able to use the ponytail feature of my new sunhat for the first time.

The trail was, as usual, well groomed and started out easy. We crossed a bridge over the Brule River early on. It was shallow and rocky, but we could imagine it looking quite a bit more rowdy in the spring.

We hiked along the river upstream and the trail became decidedly more uphill. The trekking poles were starting to earn their keep. We knew we were headed to the Upper Falls, past which we would be going to Devil’s Kettle Falls.

I had glanced over the map and guide before the hike and remembered the number 175 coming up. Was it 175 feet up to the falls? Yes, that’s probably what it was. I had to dismiss the disturbing idea of a stairway with 175 steps – that can’t be right. In any case, the way up was steep and rocky, so most of my concentration was on where to place the poles as I went along. This should sufficiently explain why there are not a lot of photos in this post.

We were huffing and puffing as we went, Kris musing about how this was reminiscent of some brutal portages that he took on canoe trips in his youth. Eventually, we came to a place where to the left we saw a wooden platform and a sign indicating the way to the falls. It turns out the wooden platform was the top of a very long wooden stairway. Yes, it looked like it was, indeed going to be 175 stairs, all downhill.

We passed people coming up that were looking pretty rough with the exertion. And many of these were YOUNG people. I tried not to panic about what it was going to be like on our way back up.

When we reached the bottom of the stairway, we found out that this was not the end of our efforts, although there was a side path that led to Upper Falls. No, my friends, there was another stairway ahead of us to Devil’s Kettle Falls, this one going back UP. Well, in for a penny, as they say.

This set of steps wasn’t nearly as long as the ones we’d just come down, so it wasn’t long before we were waiting to see Devil’s Kettle Falls. There were several parties of hikers and the viewing platform was small, so we all took turns waiting for our moment. The thing that makes this falls interesting is that it splits the river in two. One section plunges 50 feet and continues downstream, while the other section vanishes into the huge pothole they call “Devil’s Kettle.” Ooh – mysterious!

I had hoped to be able to place my next painted rock on the viewing platform, but didn’t want anyone to see, so I had to be somewhat cagey, leaving it at knee level where I hoped some child would come upon it with delight. I took a hasty photo (hence the slight blurriness) and we left the owl rock behind.

Back down the steps, we stopped briefly at the Upper Falls to gird our loins for the grueling trip back up the 175 Steps of Doom. It was another nice falls, perfect for a selfie.

Also, I decided to use the slo-mo feature of my phone camera. Cool beans.

On the way back up the stairs, we bonded with another couple a little younger than us. Shared misery will do that.

We joked that perhaps it would be most merciful to be pushed over the side, so we would fall into the river, float downstream, and meet up with everybody at Lake Superior. Ha ha – kind of like gallows humor, I guess. A young couple went by us, each carrying a full, heavy pack of camping gear and hardly looking winded. Show-offs!

The last half of the trip upstairs we took in one fell swoop, having gotten our second wind somewhere along the way. Kris said he thought the words “I feel my second wind coming on,” would make a good epitaph on a gravestone. I love that! What a marvelous description of what it will be like when we finish this journey and meet our Lord face to face.

Near the end of the hike, we came across a plaque telling us about the old Judge himself, something we’d been curious about. Clarence R. Magney lived from 1883-1962 and was a lawyer, mayor of Duluth, and a district judge, as well as serving as a justice on Minnesota’s Supreme Court. He was instrumental in adding a dozen parks along the north shore, so it seems fitting to name one after him, although for my money they should have just left it at Magney State Park. Oh well, nobody asked me. Kris’s astute comment was, “Anybody who loves nature can’t be too much of a shyster. But anyone who’s a politician can’t be too little of one either.”

There you have it – another hike in the books!

Knee score: a solid 9-10 without the trekking poles, but I’d give it a good 6-7 with them. It was fairly hard work, but on beautiful terrain. My phone says we climbed the equivalent of 36 flights of stairs that day, which included the first park, but I’m guessing most of them were at JCRM. Phew!

I’ll probably delete this in the morning. I bet you’re all exhausted just reading this post.

Next Hike: Cascade River State Park