Braving Thunderstorms & Backcountry Wilderness by Lake Superior

On Minnesota's North Shore, the days move slow. But the memories last forever. We're taking a week to truly get away from it all. Living out of our tiny cabin on wheels and roaming the backcountry. Taking in every little moment along the way. So join us for this special time as a family as we immerse ourselves in the crown jewel of our state. This is Tiny Cabin Life. We're in the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota gearing up for about a week-long adventure up here. We're set up in our tiny cabin on wheels here next to this remote lake and this trip is a pretty big deal. It's my first time ever camping out with my daughter Olivia by myself. The plan is to spend a couple of days together here before Riley joins us for the second two-thirds of this trip. Now if any of this looks familiar to you it's because this is an extended cut of an adventure that we took a little over a year ago. I'm taking a much-needed vacation with my family to Florida and so putting together this feature-length episode is allowing me to take a week off. So I really appreciate your understanding and don't worry I've added some extra footage and breathed a ton of new life into this adventure so it's definitely worth the watch. Look at this kid go. She's really becoming a little hiker that's for sure. Believe it or not there are about 2,000 lakes in the Superior National Forest. Nearly all of them were carved out by the last glaciers. They have exceptional water quality and a wilderness character which makes them very appealing to explore. Now before we really get out there I'm going to whip us up a little bit of breakfast here in the cabin. Whipping up some sausage and eggs for us this morning. I'll probably just give it to Olivia as is but I might have to roll mine into a breakfast burrito. Thank you for this time together Lord. Protect us and help us to have a great time. It's in your name we pray. Amen. Good job. Nothing like a breakfast burrito at the cabin. Just an amazing view too. What I really love about this place is that the cabin generally stays the same but the view out this window is always changing. After breakfast we headed down to the lake to do some swimming. Like our dog Ellie, Olivia seems to be very drawn to the water and it's a lot of fun to see her out there. Does it feel good? by letting her play in the water by herself. It's only up to her shins you know I'm able to watch her but it really gives her confidence you know to like explore and try new things and I think that's really cool. Good job. Before heading out to do some hiking I thought we could take a little nap inside the cabin but Olivia has other plans. Well I've been trying to get someone to take a nap for the last two hours and as you can see it's not happening. So we're gonna go for a hike. I know she's gonna fall asleep in the car. We're gonna go hike up to a cool overlook and then possibly check out this old chapel up here. You ready to go? Yeah? All right let's go. Well as I assumed she conked right out. So once we get to this trailhead I think I'm gonna have to wake her up if she doesn't wake up by then but we'll see. Thankfully the drive was a little over a half hour so she got a good nap in and now we were ready to hit the trail. All right let's give this a shot. We're headed up to White Sky Rock which is a short but sweet hike to a beautiful overlook of Caribou Lake. While it's only about a quarter of a mile up to the overlook you still gain almost 300 feet of elevation and with little Olivia on my back I gotta say it feels a little steep at times. So far so good with the bugs but I have to imagine if we stop they're gonna be bad. Ellie, Olivia's calling you. You ready for the view kid? I know I am. Pretty cool huh? Caribou Lake is a beautiful body of water here in the Superior National Forest. It's a relatively accessible lake here which makes it great for recreation. Well that was pretty awesome. It's funny I'm used to being able to pop up the drone and you know do all different types of shots and whatever and this has been very humbling maybe? I don't know you know having this kiddo on my back it kind of limits me to this camera I'm holding here and the one on the tripod. So hopefully you guys got a taste for that view and and got to sink into it like normal. Now with the hike out of the way we're gonna head to one of my favorite places here on the Caribou Trail. It's called Cathedral of the Pines and it's just a beautiful church on the shore of a lake. All right so here is the church we're gonna get out and just take a look. We'll leave Ellie in here with the air going because we won't be very long. It's pretty cool huh? I just love checking out these churches that are up in the mountains or in the woods. Again I just I really feel a strong connection to God when I'm out in these places and so the fact there are churches here just you know it's just so fitting and they're always extremely beautiful. Well guys we had a nice little nap when we got back which is good and bad. It's good in the sense that it felt good to get some rest but I'm hoping that she goes to bed at her usual time because she slept a little bit more than usual so. But it's time for dinner now and so I'm gonna whip up some chicken fried rice and it's been a while since I've done this it's gonna be good. Oh yeah. So in my opinion the secret to good fried rice is garlic, butter, and soy sauce. If you have those in there it's gonna be good. I'm starting Olivia off with something else because the rice is too hot. Guy's gotta do what he's gotta do you know. Before we knew it the sun had set and it was about time for bed. 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After some much-needed rest we were up and at it to start another day of adventure. Good morning guys. We've got a pretty fun day ahead of us. Going on another short hike up to a peak. Very short. But afterwards we're headed to the Lützen Mountains to ride the gondola which is going to be so awesome. I've never done it before and I think she'll really enjoy it. I'm also planning to hopefully get to Lake Superior. We're going to go to a beach and let Olivia just run around. Same with Ellie. So should be pretty sweet. Before heading out we decided to go for a little walk around the camp here. You are fast. Look at her bug bite. Got her good. But you know what's funny about Olivia? She could care less about mosquitoes. Like we have to protect her obviously. But like when she gets bit she doesn't even care. She's a wild woman. No sweetie we can't go in the water right now. Just Ellie can. Ellie knows what she's doing. Well guys I think it's about time we pack up for the day and and get to this hike. All right so we are off. We're headed to Britton Peak Trailhead. Very short hike to the top of the peak. But there are also mountain biking trails there so if you're into that you should definitely check that out. So as you can see we got a lot of mountain bikers here. I have to imagine that's the main draw. Yeah look all the mountain bikes. The hike up to Britton Peak is very short. Only about a quarter of a mile from the trailhead here. However once again it is very steep. Much more in fact than the hike we did yesterday. She loves this so much. So great. Wow. Beautiful. You get stunning views from the top of Britton Peak here. Directly in front of us is Carlton Peak which you can reach from the same trailhead. And then of course way off yonder is Lake Superior. The largest freshwater lake in the world. All right so we are on our way up to the Lutzen Mountains Ski Area. Which is where I'm hoping we're gonna hop on the gondola. I've never done this before but it takes you up into the Sawtooths. Minnesota's only mountain range. But no this is gonna be really great. I'm really excited for this and this is one of those special things that I was really looking forward to on this trip is you know taking the little one up on the gondola. All right guys here we go. This is gonna be great. All right we made it. So cool. Well guys we're on our way back down sooner than I was expecting and it's because a big storm is supposedly on its way. The weather has been saying that it was going to be clear this entire time we were up here. Now we're expected to have thunderstorms from about now until 9 or 10 p.m. rain every now and then but for the most part it has passed. And it's good timing because this little one's awake and we got to make some dinner. I'm making a classic for dinner tonight. Just some good old-fashioned burritos. With the thunderstorms behind us and Olivia asleep in her crib, up here. I had no doubt that we'd have a good time but who would be this special and this meaningful. For the longest time I used to do stuff like this by myself and so having my daughter along it's just awesome. The next morning we woke up and said goodbye to our beautiful campsite. We spent the next part of the day in town gathering supplies and packing our bags for the next leg of this adventure. Riley drove up from the cities and met us there as well and so headed to the Poplar River campground to get one last night of sleep in this cabin before heading to the Superior Hiking Trail first thing in the morning. We're heading out on Riley and Olivia's first backpacking trip. Our destination is Boreal Backcountry Cabins, a unique backcountry camp located right off the Superior Hiking Trail. And so while we have to haul in our food and some gear, thankfully we've got a nice cozy cabin waiting for us. We are headed out on Baby's first backcountry trip as well as Riley's so this is kind of a big deal. Super excited. I've always wanted to do one of these and I feel like a three mile hike in is a good start for somebody who's never done this before. Olivia what do you think of the trees? So our destination right now, they're the only hiking cabins that I'm aware of really in this area. They've got a ton of these hiking cabins and backcountry cabins out west but not so much here and so this is a special experience and we're really looking forward to it. The trail itself is marked by these blue streaks on the trees as well as other signs. That's what lets you know you're still going the right way. How's it feel with your pack? Yeah, it's not too heavy. That's great. After going about halfway, we decided to stop for a little bit of lunch on the trail. All right, so we have some nice meat and cheese. Check this out, maple blueberry meat sticks. Really good. Check out the blueberry in there. That's incredible. Yeah, we got a lot of rocks don't we? So we got a little stream here. In the springtime, this thing is roaring. We've been really climbing here towards the end of this thing. Going straight up this hill. 0.4 miles ahead. All right, let's close it out. Let's do it. So after a very short little jaunt off the trail, we finally reached Boreal Backcountry Cabins. We made it. There's one of the cabins that is not the one we're staying at. Screened-in porch. That is beautiful. It's so cool how you could just be hiking this trail and just pull off like we did and you're at this like really cool backcountry camp. I think it's awesome. Totally off-grid too. Here's our cabin. Beautiful. Wow. Oh my goodness. This is great. Wow. Oh my gosh and they have a bed for Ellie. That's amazing. Wow. This is perfect. Isn't this great? Yes. The camp here has everything that you need for a comfortable stay. You've got a fire ring outside as well as a solar shower which I have to imagine is very appreciated by thru-hikers. There is a dedicated well for drinking water and a really nice outhouse for all of your bathroom needs. All right, so here's a little overview of the cabin we just kind of got unpacked. You've got a queen-size bed down here and then a twin up there. You've got a nice little like desk over here and there's some pots and pans and other things that you need down below but then I've just got all my camera gear set up up here and then on this side of the cabin you've got a nice little table for eating. We've got a little cook stove similar to what we use in our cabin and then this is all the food and stuff that we brought. So tonight we're going to be having some pasta with some meat and bell pepper in there. You can turn on the light and then there is even an outlet in here for charging your phone all of which is completely off-grid. They have all this power via solar and we've got our own dedicated panel out behind the cabin and then they do have heat. We've got some propane heat coming in and then you've got this amazing screened-in porch. This is where I'm going to be hanging out very very soon. Here, I have more for you. Ready? Go! You guys, we have wild raspberries right outside the cabin. Look at that. Isn't that amazing? Nice little snack right outside the front door. Oh, it's good and there's tons over here. Let's get some more. You want more? Can you say please? Can you say more please? Okay, all right. Let's go check out these other cabins. Come on. Oh wow, I love all the natural light inside this one. You still have two bunks. You've got, you know, queen size and twin up there and some pots and pans. Pretty great. Oh, you guys take a look. They have raspberries here too. You want one more raspberry? No. No? Okay. With nothing else really to do but relax, I figured it was time to get a So nice. Yeah, it is so nice having, you know, mosquitoes be at bay for once. Yeah, definitely. So Rye's whipping up one of my old backpacking go-to's. We're doing some pasta with summer sausage. Now, the summer sausage is key because you get a little meat in there and it's okay if it's not like refrigerated and you don't have to like cook it. Olivia. Olivia. Olivia, come here. She doesn't know who to go to. You just pulled her in. Olivia straight up fell asleep, so Rye's gonna be putting her to bed right now and I'm gonna finish up cooking. We're gonna eat on the porch. Lord, thank you for this time together. I pray that you just protect us. This looks really good. It is really good. Yeah, it is. Especially after our hike today. Good morning. No, that's Ellie's water. Good morning. Let's get some coffee. After a great day at the cabin and some much-needed rest, it was finally time to pack out and head back down the trail. Rylee and Olivia successfully completed their first backpacking trips, and I know at least Rylee felt very accomplished by that. And so with the second leg of our adventure completed, we headed back to the Poplar River campground for one last day and night here on the North Shore. I'm starting off the day doing a little bit of fishing down at the river. The Poplar here is a class one trout stream, meaning it's a great habitat for trout, and therefore we should have a decent chance at least of catching one. So far I'm having just terrible luck here. I've been trying for about an hour and have had no hits. Nothing. You would think this would be a gold mine. You know, you've got a nice big hole it seems coming around this bend in the river. Nothing's happening right now, so I think we're gonna move downstream a bit. We'll see if something's hanging out in there maybe. I just had a first bite, so this is definitely a spot. We're gonna try this a little more. Nothing yet. I've only had one bite and it was in this pool. Yeah, I'm gonna try a little bit more and then I'm gonna come up for breakfast. Okay, sounds good. Man, nothing's happening. I think I gotta call it for now. Later tonight, I definitely want to try the Temperance River and see if maybe we have some better luck there. Back at the cabin, I heated up some old leftovers and added some egg to make a perfect little breakfast burrito. I like to think that the leftovers from tacos and burritos are almost better than when they're fresh, especially when you add eggs. To start things off today, we're heading over to the Caribou River to hike into a pretty impressive waterfall. It's a fairly short hike that should be perfect for the whole family and we're really looking forward to it. Hi sweetie. Wow, take a look at the river. So this is a short little hike up to Caribou Falls. It starts off by the river and then you make your way up to the top of the canyon and then back down. Yeah, let's check it out. Oh yeah. Look at that, Olivia. That is stunning. Holy cow. So this is the Caribou River and it's actually flowing pretty decent right now, especially for it being autumn. I think it's maybe because of all the rain that we've had this season, but seeing this view is giving me hope that maybe the falls are going to be a little more impressive than I was expecting. Oh yeah, look at that. So we're definitely on top of the canyon now. Yeah, whoa, I agree. From up top, the trail then works its way down to the river again where you eventually meet the falls. Caribou Falls drops almost 40 feet down from the canyon into this little basin here. The gorge surrounding the falls is made up of basalt rock, which is dark volcanic rock, giving the falls a very dramatic contrast. The pool here is actually fairly deep, making it a pretty good spot to jump in and take a dip. Unreal. Hi guys. Olivia, hi. All right, let's get a little closer to this thing. Oh my gosh. I've said it many times before, the power of water is just so fascinating to me. How it carves out canyons like this, works its way through solid rock. This current's pushing me away, so I'm gonna head back to shore. After drying off and enjoying the falls a little bit longer, we headed back to the car to go to our next destination of the day. Well, that was pretty sweet, but we have one more stop before heading back to the cabin. We're gonna go to Sugarloaf Cove, which is supposed to be a real beautiful spot right on Lake Superior. So we're just gonna hike down there and see what it's like. There's supposed to be some like cool rock formations, and yeah, it should be really, really pretty. This is Sugarloaf Cove, a 34-acre preserve here on the shore of Lake Superior. It's made up of cobblestone beaches, and like Caribou Falls, it features ancient lava flows. Very, very old rock. So this is the open lake shore right here. You can definitely see that it gets a little bit more turbulent on this side. I just love the colors of the rocks down here. They are gorgeous. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes, and it's absolutely one of a kind. To have a body of water and scenery like this in northern Minnesota, it's just, it's wild. After arriving back at the cabin, I gathered my fishing gear to head out for one last chance to catch a trout. This time, however, I'll be going to the Temperance River, another class one trout stream in the area. All right, now that the family is all home and relaxing, we're gonna head over to Temperance River to see if we can snag a couple of trout. The Temperance River is almost 40 miles long. The mouth of the river features no sandbar, which is unusual for other rivers flowing into Lake Superior. Many sections of the river feature trout, like brook trout, brown trout, and of course rainbows as well. Got one. Little baby guy, but hey, it's a start. Got one. Oh, he got away. Dang it. Man, these are minnows, basically. See that guy? Very, very small. Well, we caught a couple of tiny little guys, but honestly, it's a little disappointing. I was hoping we'd catch something a little bit bigger over here, but it's all part of fishing, you know. The plan now is to head back to the cabin and light a fire. It's our last night on the North Shore. It is such a beautiful night. The temperature dropped a bit and so the mosquitoes actually went away, so I'm able to just sit here and relax, which is so needed. What? Making coffee. Sure. Coffee. Coffee. Morning, guys. It's been a great trip, but we are ready to get home. As much as we love being out in the travel cabin, we definitely get a little homesick, so looking forward to getting back home, too. Well, this was definitely a trip of firsts. I got to take Olivia out by myself for the very first time, and it was such a special experience. And then, of course, Riley and Olivia got their first backpacking trip in, and we got to spend some meaningful time as a family relaxing around that cabin and, of course, getting out on the trail and enjoying the shoreline of Lake Superior. And so with that, I think we're going to wrap things up. I want to thank all of you for watching this longer, reimagined cut of a previous adventure. Editing together this extended cut will allow me to take a week off from filming and go on a very needed vacation with my family to Florida. But don't worry. Next week, we've got a brand new adventure for you. The fall colors are absolutely popping here in northern Minnesota, and we're heading up into the Sawtooth Mountains to check them out. I want to give a special shout out to our patrons who generously donate to this channel, but to all of you who watch these videos, thank you so much. You're all the reason that we get to go out on these adventures and share them with you, and we're extremely grateful for that. And so with that, I'm signing off. We'll see you guys next week. God bless.