Epic Phone Fail

Last week, G and I decided to take a last-minute trip up the Shore to get a relaxing weekend in.  The family was busy, so we opted to stay in a lodge/resort a little north of Two Harbors and really treat ourselves for once. With the forecast calling for highs in the 50s-60s, I figured it would be a good weekend to get a few miles in on the Superior Hiking Trail.

Despite warnings of ice and deep snow over the ridge, I figured I'd be all right with some screws in my shoes. I always had been before. So Saturday morning, I packed up my water, phone, and a couple snacks in my UD AK Race Vest, drove the mile or so up the road to Gooseberry (start of the Superior 100), and took off up the trail.

I realized early on that this was not going to be a fast run, and that there was no avoiding picking my way around the ice patches that covered the trail. But it was a gorgeous blue-bird day in March in Minnesota, I was getting warm in my long sleeves and capris, and there was no way I was going to turn around even if my pace was hovering around the 12 minute mile area.

A mile or so in, I reached an area where the meltwater had completely covered the trail, which was cambered sideways towards the river, and had frozen the night before.

I grabbed on to a small tree on the uphill side of the trail, planning to pick my way from tree to tree across the short stretch of ice. But the second tree was just inches out of my reach. I decided to go for it, only to have the second tree move, landing my flat on my back.

That second "tree" was actually a tree branch that had improbably fallen at a straight vertical angle, flush to the ice. When I grabbed for it, it swung out of the way, leaving me sliding down the ice on my back before I knew what was happening. It was one of those "wait, the sky's not supposed to be there" moments of utter confusion.

Picking myself up, and checking my elbow to be sure there wasn't any significant injury, I continued up the trail to the Upper Falls.

The Falls were beautiful, but the light wasn't right for a picture.

Which, as it turns out, I would not have been able to take any way. Another mile up the road, I opened my pack to take out my phone, planning to take a picture of the Lake, and it crunched, audibly.

The screen on my 3-week-old phone was, in a word, powdered.

That sucked the joy and the wind out of my run. I opted to head back down to the main falls area and finish the run, which ended up being about 3 miles.

The rest of the day was fantastic: we walked the breakwater in Two Harbors, got a massage, toured Castle Danger Brewery, and ended out with a fire, which we somehow managed to light in the middle of a two-inch deep puddle.

The phone itself was a complete loss, but Apple replaced it for 40% of the cost of a new phone, which is better than it could be.

Still, it set the record for my most expensive run ever.