Hump Day Highpoint - Week 1

Introducing the Hump Day Highpoint, a weekly feature where we examine some of the highpoints yet to be climbed:

This week we are featuring the highest point of Minnesota; 2,301 foot Eagle Mountain.

Eagle Mountain is located in the very northeast tip of Minnesota (that pointy part) not far from the border with Canada. It is located within the Superior National Forest and is thus administered by the National Forest Service. This area is full of beautiful lakes as Minnesota is the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." Simple math shows that on average Minnesota has a lake approximately every 8.6 miles. Given these figures, the 3.5 mile hike required to climb Eagle Mountain is notable because were you to set out that distance in a straight line without following a trail, you'd stand a 41% chance of drowning in a lake. Eagle Mountain is only 15 miles from the shore of Lake Superior which is the lowest point in Minnesota. The mountain is part of the Canadian Shield; a geologic formation that has a whole lot of things written about it on Wikipedia that are not very interesting (Highlight: The Canadian Shield forms the nucleus of North America, it also has something to do with all those lakes). There are many other Eagle Mountains in the US but this is the only one that is the highest point of Minnesota. The trail to the summit is rocky, considered "moderately-strenuous," and gains 500 ft of elevation in its 3.5 miles. As you hike, you will pass Whale Lake. After that you will only have 9,999 more lakes to see in Minnesota.