Here upon the southern shore of the Great Lake we call Superior, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow set the tale of Hiawatha, the legendary warrior of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) tribe, and his Dakota wife, Minnehaha.

The wind at the shore of violent Lake Superior had been harsh and cold, but as the trail re-entered the woods, the protective trees wrapped me in calm. Each step got quieter. About a half-mile in, all was tranquil.

As I trudged along the trail through the woods, the sound of the creek kept me company, its happy chatter following every twist and turn. In brief snatches, I could see the water through the trees and undergrowth, but had no clear opportunity to catch a portrait. Then a bend in the creek and curve in the trail nearly touched at a point where the trees thinned just a little and left a gap.