After the Great Shoe Mishap of 2020 (among other mishaps...), I finally got the sweet taste of redemption on this one - thanks Ian!
This trail has a bit of everything. Nice grindy climbs, rolling hills, techy stuff and easy fire road. This one is a logistic challenge in a sense, but once you're running, the trail bits are relatively easy to follow - my only real problem came at the VERY end, when I couldn't find and passed the final turn off the trail into town. Oops. Semi-regular water fillups - I believe around mile 11, 17-18, and again at 25. Note: At mile 25, you *can* waste time running into town and frantically search for water like I did, or you can just run down the road staying on course for about a 1/2 mile til you get to a parking lot with a portapotty and an actual spigot. The last 13 miles is a nightmare straight from hell - that final downhill is treacherous, and that fire road section actually never ends - but otherwise, this trail rules. Saw five or six buffalo, a fox, and a bunch of lil critters!
Lovely day, even better views on the boat ride from Two Harbors! My god. So nice.