Climbing at the North Shore (Shovel Pt and Palisade Head)

On August 6 and 7, my brother Paul, Gabe and I traveled to Tettegouche State Park in Minnesota to camp and do some climbing at Palisade Head and Shovel Point. We camped in the park and had some cool temps at night which we welcomed because of the hot and humid July we had in the La Crosse area. On Monday we climbed at Shovel Point. We then went back to Shovel Point on Tuesday to complete one route we did not do before driving over to Palisade Head. The biggest difference between the two climbing areas in my opinion is that Palisades give the sense of being a more serious climbing location. The climbs are longer and seem more exposed. At Shovel Point, many of the popular routes are bolted (massive bolts and hangers) to make it easy to set up your top rope. The first day we climbed we had brisk winds coming in off the lake which made it a coat day to keep warm. The second day, it was sunny and calm and the biting black flies were out in force. The views of Lake Superior were spectacular. It was quite a contrast watching the pounding surf on Monday and then the water like a sheet of glass on Tuesday. It was my mistake not to come up here sooner. We will plan another visit next summer.

(L-R) Gabe, Paul and I at Shovel Point in Tettegouche State Park, MN

Gabe and I on the North Tower at Palisades Head in Tettegouche State Park, MN

Gabe and I double checking the system before we begin climbing. (If you are interested, the orange rope is a 7/16" static line anchored to two big trees (no bolts on this route) to create our master point. One 60 m rope is used to set up a releasable rappel. As the climber rappels to the bottom on one strand he/she is backed up by a munter controlled by the belayer at the top on the other strand which is tied directly to his harness.  We use a mule hitch to lock it out and then switch to a GriGri to safely bring the climber up from the bottom of the climb.)

Gabe rappelling down to start his climb over Lake Superior at Shovel Point.

The whole trip was not spent climbing. This is the beach at Shovel Point where we spent some time relaxing. We had a contest to see who could stay in the water the longest because it was so cold... I lost.

I took this picture of the Lake Superior shoreline while standing on Shovel Point.