Wrong Way!

Today I left my house at nine determined to finish the trail between Rossini Road and the Lake County Demonstration Forest trail head. I stopped to water my community garden and headed up to Two Harbors by 9:30. I thought I would be walking by 10:30 or so. I wrote the directions to the trail head on a piece of paper. The trail head is on Drummond Grade Road. I found my way to Drummond Grade Road where I was expecting a parking lot, a picnic table and log outhouses. Instead I found a dusty sign on the road that said Lake County Demonstration Forest and Superior Hiking Trail. Except there was no trail. I drove two miles past it and before it and could find no trail. So here I am with long pants on during a hot day, my wool socks pulled over my pant legs all set to hike and I can't find it. I don't give up though. I drive to Two Harbors and find the Superior Hiking Trail Headquarters. They are not open. I drive to McDonalds for the free WiFi. I get new directions on my phone and use those instructions instead of the ones I wrote down. I go past the very same place with the misleading sign advertising the Lake Country Demonstration Forest and the  Superior Hiking trail. I drive three more miles and I find the trail head with the parking lot, the picnic table and the log outhouse. Now it is noon and I am just getting started. I find the spur to the trail head. This spur is 1.2 miles. I come to the intersection. One way goes east toward Reeves Road. The other way goes west toward Rossini Road. I want to go toward Rossini Road until the McCarthy creek campground and then head back. I make my choice. I walk for another hour and something doesn't seem right. I look at my phone. Sure enough, I have gone the wrong way. I sincerely wished I had walked for five minutes at that decision point and then looked at my phone again to confirm my choice but oh, well, I may as well trudge onward. Before I go on my hikes I prepare.  I look at the guidebook and take a picture of my trail on my phone.  I also take pictures of the written description on the trail. These have come in handy in the past. This time I don't have a map or a description because I wasn't planning to go this way. Not having a map makes me a little uneasy. The trail is well marked though so I don't think I could get lost. I hike to the Stewart River Campsite and head back.  After hiking 5.1 more miles on the trail I was so happy to catch a glimpse of my yellow car in the distance. My new total on the trail is 59.8 miles. I have 273.2 left to go.