Christmas Snow Storm

The winter snow storm that got most of the midwest went just a little south of us. Over the past 36 hours we did not get the predicted 12 to 16 inches but more like 4 inches. That 4 inches added to our base still makes a nice snowfall to start out the winter!

Short Days

Lynn's Musings on December 19th:

With sunrise at 7:45 am and sunset at 4:10 pm you can tell we are nearing the the shortest day of the year. Winter begins officially on December 21st but it has been here with us for a month.

We are having a gentle snow fall today here at mid-trail and are watching the weather for potentially more snow by this weekend. After temperatures well below normal, we are have now been running about 5 degrees above normal - which is very enjoyable since I know the cold that is coming after the first of the year.

I decided this winter that it was time I got a bird feeder up. So I hung up my bird feeder and bought 50lbs of bird seed. The darn feeder has been up for a week and not one bird is showing any interest in it. I think I am going to have to find another spot for it, but it is rather hard to move a move birder to another tree when there is a foot of snow on the ground. If anyone has any suggestions on how to attract the birds to the feeder, I would appreciate hearing it.

I lost several of my satellite TV channels the other day (yes, I have TV here). I was really puzzled and I did all the trouble shooting with satellite service but could not recover the channels. I decided to try one last thing before getting a service call and that was to knock some ice cycles off the lodge that were in front of the satellite. That did it, the channels came back right away. Another thing to add to my winter list of things to watch out for.

Downy Wood Pecker

We have had some unusually cold weather the past two weeks. Something like 16 days in a row of temperatures 10 degrees lower than normal. We are back into the normal range today and it was bright and sunny out. I took the opportunity to go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine and birds.

This Downy Woodpecker was kind enough to pose for me while I tromped through some deep snow to get close enough for a picture.

Lynn

The lake

I took this picture a few days ago of the lake with a coating of snow. I haven't gotten out and tested the ice but it sure looks like we have a good layer forming.

We are having more snow now with a few more inches forecast over the next 24 hours.

Christmas Bird Count

The 2007 Audubon Christmas Bird Count will be held Saturday, Decmeber 15 for the Grand Marais area, which is a 7.5 mile radius circle from a point 3 miles sought of the middle of Devel Track Lake.

This is open to birders of all skill levels. Counters are asked to reports speicies of birds seen in the count circle during the 'count week', which includes 3 days prior and 3 days after the count day of December 15th.

If this sounds like fun to you, please contact Jeremy Ridbauer at sundew@boreal.org or call 218-370.0733 to participate.

What is a rod??

What is a rod? This is a question we are frequently asked when talking about various canoe routes. If you are new to the BWCA and review the maps, you will notice that portages between lakes are marked in rods. Well, what is a rod? In short, a rod is an archaic measurement of 16.5 feet or a the length of a canoe. Well certainly now canoes come in all lengths but at one time, 16.5 was it.

In researching the actual term a little further, I found this on Wikipedia: 'The rod is a unit of length, equal to 5.5 yards, 11 cubits, 5.0292 meters, 16.5 feet, or 1/320 of a statue mile. A Rod is the same length as a perch and a pole. The lengths of the perch (one rod) and chain (four rods) were standardized in 1607 by Edmond Gunter.

The length is equal to the standardized length of the ox goad used by medieval English ploughmen.
The rod is still in use as a unit of measure in certain specialized fields. In recreational canoeing, maps measure portages in rods. This is a thought to persist due to the rod approximately the length of a typical canoe'.

The rod was still in use as a common measurement when Henry David Thoreau used it in his work Walden in the mid 1800's. More recently, Grandpa on The Simpsons referred to his cars mileage in getting "forty rods to the hogshead".

Snowshoe sickness

I was talking to my nephew and told him I had finally ordered some snowshoes to try out. He told me to be careful of 'snowshoe sickness'. I had never heard of any such thing so had to research it on the Internet. Here is what I found out.........

When some people begin hiking on snowshoes, they develop what French-Canadian trappers called mal de racquette—snowshoe sickness. This involves a cramped contraction of muscles in the leg and instep that can disable a person for days. To avoid this malady, snowshoe only an hour or so the first time out. Lengthen the sessions gradually on successive outings.

As long as your straps are cinched tightly, walking in snowshoes is, well, a cinch. It is handy for snowshoers to carry a ski pole as an aid to forward progress, balance, going up and down hills and regrouping from spills. The
use of poles also gets the upper body moving in a manner similar to cross-country skiing, thus improving the quality of a workout. Going uphill and downhill requires some energy and careful stepping.

Moose Tracks

I had to go to town pretty early the other morning during what I was hoping was prime moose sighting time. Alas I saw no moose but I did see their tracks at the intersection of Clearwater Road and the Gunflint Trail. One thing about the fresh snow is you can see what has been wondering about when you are not looking! Photo to the right is a moose track.



Weather Note: You may have seen on the news the other day that Duluth MN got over a foot of snow due to a winter storm. That snow remained south of us but we are expecting another 4 inches today and tomorrow on top of 16 inches we already have on the ground.

Woodland Chic

During the lazy winter months I usually enjoy watching the Today show in the mornings as I am getting ready for the day and drinking my tea. Today the TV crew featured a decorating segment on the popularity of 'Woodland Chic'. Apparently it is the season's decorating craze and I realized just how stylish we were without trying. The segment featured little rustic Christmas ornaments in the shapes of bears and deer, table settings with antlers, carved deer heads for the walls, wood style fabrics and wooden 'root' furniture. I had to laugh because I could just imagine what the centerpieces and wall decorations cost and most of these things I can pick up on a walk in the woods for just the cost of lugging it home.

I am proud to say, our lodge is quite chic! I have antlers everywhere, bearskin rugs and authentic wooden furniture. My antler lights are real antlers, not resin copies. Christmas decorations we pick up from the yard in the fall and just hang in the tree. Our 'root' furniture is our dining room table, each complete with a tree trunk base. And believe me, these are real tree trunks, I have to move them around in the summer when we serve breakfast and they feel like you are lifting an entire tree.

I thought I would treat you to a photo of my very stylish, "woodland chic" living room. If the folks from the Today show had only visited here, we could have shown them the real thing.

Mid Trail Ski Conditions

New Snow Last 24 hours: 12.25 inches
New Snow Last 7 days: 20.75 in
Trail Base: 7 in average, snowmobile packed
Snow in Woods: 14in Low; 22in high
Groomed for skating: 67 km, soft base therefore not optimum skating yet
Groomed for classic: 67 km, packed only
Surface Conditions: Powder and packed powder
Snowshoe trail:
Total snowfall since Nov. 1: 26.4 inches

Comments:
The trails are all being packed. A lot of the stubble is covered up so that is a great start to the season. The lake trails are not usable yet

December 2nd Snow Fall

I felt like a kid getting up this morning jumping out of bed to see how much snow we had last night. I could see the white stuff weighing down tops of the trees from my bedroom window before I even got out of bed. From walking around outside to shovel the walkways and take some pics, I am guessing we had around 10 to 12 inches over the last 24 hours. I head from Grand Marais that there was 20 inches closer to town. It is a good day to settle in and enjoy the fireplace and a book.

Winter Storm

We are looking forward to 8 to 16 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. That will start off the winter sports with a blast!

Ice

So far, I don't see Clearwater Lake icing up but the smaller lakes in the area have a coating of ice. I am not sure how much ice is on the smaller lakes, but the DNR recommends 4 inches of solid ice before you venture out on the lake.

I heard that there was ice skating already on Sawbill Lake so I assume some of the smaller lakes have the 4 inches.

Back at the Lodge

I am back at the lodge and settling in for the winter. There was about 4 inches of snow yesterday when I arrived and now there is 12 inches on the ground. It is still snowing as I write this and more predicted for the week. As usual, it is a winter wonderland and puts me in the mood for Christmas. I went out walking in the snow this morning just to enjoy the quiet and beauty of it all. I was over at Golden Eagle Lodge and they are packing the ski trails. Soon the skiis and snow shoes will come out.

I enjoyed visiting family and friends in Indiana. When I arrived in IN, the trees still had some color. Sarah got to re-live her puppy days and roll in leaf piles and I got to rake. By the time I left winter had arrived there also with an inch of snow on the ground. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the whole family. The focus was on the 2 great nephews who are 15 months and 24 months now. Who needs TV when you have babies to play with and watch.

I am from Mishawaka IN and if you know where that is, you know most of us are Notre Dame fans. At least we got to see ND win one football game while home. If you are following the college football teams, this is the worst season they have had in 112 years.

It is always nice to return home but it takes a few days to settle in. I picked up our mail at the post office before coming up the trail and was reminded how much paper we waste by the stack of catalogs I had to carry home. Oh my, the shopping season has begun.

We re-open the lodge on December 1st so come up and see us!

November 8, 2007

First Snow

Even after growing up in the mid-west with snow every winter, I still get a thrill that first time I wake up in the morning and there is snow covering the ground. I always have to put my boots and coat on and go out and walk in it.

It may not last long, but we had our first snow this morning that actually stuck to the ground. Just a hint of what is to come!

This is my last blog update until December 1. I will be away for the Thanksgiving Holiday and visiting family and friends for the next few weeks.

Gunflint Green-up May 1 - May 4 2008

I had a little reminder that winter is really just around the corner when I woke up to just a touch of snow on the ground the other morning. But planning ahead to spring, the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway committee is planning for the Gunflint Green-Up Event scheduled for May 1 - May 4, 2008. The focus of this weekend is tree seedling planting in the areas affected by the Ham Lake Fire. This would be a great time to pack up the family and come to the Gunflint Trail. The trees to be planted are really small so any age can plant a few and we estimate that 7,500 seedlings can be planted over 4 days.

Other events to share with the family are:

• seminars about forest ecology
• hiking trips or day paddles
• Ham Lake Run (shorter run for children)
• Pig roast and party following the Run

Put these dates in your 2008 calendar and come up and enjoy a few days of nature to start off your summer and shake off the winter.

Autumn Migration Birding and Superior Ecology Festival

October 26 - 28, 2007, Grand Marais, Minnesota, hosted by North House Folk School

Openings are available for the field trip/classes with distinguished birding leaders Bob Janssen, Jerry Bonkoski, John Hockema, and Dedrick Benz. Details regarding the 2007 birding trips are available from North House Folk School at www.northhouse.org or 888-387-9762.

Two intriguing topics (Climate Change and the Ham Lake Fire) will be addressed in the evenings by the weekend’s featured speakers. Both programs are included with registration.

Friday FIRE IN THE JACKPINE: Avian Response to the Ham Lake Fire with Lissa Grover, USFS Wildlife biologist
Friday Evening, October 26, 7:00 PM at the USFS Conference Room, Grand Marais
** The return of fire to the Superior National Forest’s jack pine ecosystem has increased bird habitat diversity limited by fire suppression during the last century. Avian responses to habitat change reflect the long association between disturbance and adaptation.

Saturdaym - 10,000 YEARS AND 50 MILES: A Minnesota Odyssey
with John Tester, Department of Ecology, University of Minnesota
October 27, 7:00 PM at North House Folk School
** Tester is a biologist and ecologists with deep roots in Minnesota. His research has taken him across North America. His inspired efforts created the classic book Minnesota's Natural Heritage: An Ecological Perspective, which was published by University of Minnesota Press.
** Climate change and eco-systems are directly connected. A small change in the average annual temperature (3 to 6° F) resulted in the end of glaciation in North America about 10,000 years ago. A similar change can be observed in a 50-mile east-west transect in northwestern Minnesota today.
Details regarding the 2007 event are available from North House Folk School at www.northhouse.org or 888-387-9762.

October in the Northwoods

The thing about October is that you can never predict what the weather will be. You can still have some beautiful fall weather or winter can reach out and touch you. This October it has been rain and more rain and a little snow. I have heard we have had 6 to 7 inches so far and the month is only 1/2 over. The lake levels are nice and Clearwater Lake has come up to it's spring level. We started the summer with the lake level about 12 inches down and it has recovered nicely. That means some of the river canoe routes for next summer will good - more paddle and less portage on the Granite River and Larch Creek might even be a creek again!

American Bald Eagle

When I first moved to Clearwater Lodge 5 years ago, I had never seen an American Bald Eagle other than in picture books and in my history books. It is been wonderful to see so many of them in the Northwoods. Bald Eagles and moose I never get tired of seeing. This picture of an eagle in flight was taken by the Abbott family this summer and sent to us.

The American Bald Eagle has up to a 7 foot wingspan. Both adult male and female have pure white heads and tail contrasted with dark brown to black body and wings. They have a large curved yellow bill and feet. The female is slightly larger than the male. Juveniles are dark brown with white spots or speckles throughout the body and wings with a gray bill. Juveniles attain the white head and tail at about 4 to 5 years old.

Per my Birds of Minnesota field guide by Stan Tekiela, this bird made a comback in MN with one of the largest breeding populations in the lower 48 states. It returns to the same nest each year, adding more sticks, enlarging the nest to massive proportions up to 1,000 lbs.

Border Route Trail Clearing

The past few days a few of Minnesota Rovers were up on the Mountain Lake section of the BRT and doing some trail clearing. It was only a 3 day trip with 2 people this time but they said they made some good progress on getting the overlook cleared of downed wood and brush. In the spring they will take a longer clearing trip with more volunteers.

Since the 1970's the 75 mile BRT has been maintained by the MN Rovers Outing Club. Within the BWCA the Minnesota Wilderness Trails Alliance clears with hand tools only. If you would be interested in going on a trail maintance trip, you can find more inforamtion at the BRT website of www.borderoutetrail.org.

You can also check trail conditions on the BRT website. If you are an avid BRT hiker, the 5th addition of the Trail Guide and Map for the Border Route Trail has been published and you can order one from www.borderoutetrail.org. It is a great book to have even if your primary focus in the BWCA is canoe trips because it points out all the spurs you can hike on and the overlooks.

Winter is around the corner

Our Fall is over. The trees are bare and we had our first snow. The snow didn't accumulate or even stick to the ground, but I marked my calendar for the first snowfall. Looking back at my calendar last year, we had an ice storm right about this time.

I am still working on the final items to close everything down for the winter. I check something off my list every day. A lot of this is outside work and it is nice to enjoy the crisp cool weather before we got socked in the for winter months.

This picture is from Alan and Judie Johnston from their visit in September.

Snow in our forecast

When I was driving down the trail today I was enjoying the last of the fall colors but I kept thinking that winter was just around the corner. Back at the lodge I checked my trusty mid-Trail weather forecast and yup, there is snow in the future - tonight. I frequently feel that we got from summer right into winter some years. I could use a longer fall season.

We are in what I call 'winter mode'. The summer cabins are closed up and cabin 7 and the lodge are now open for winter. Peggy and Mike are back in OH for the next 6 months enjoying the grandson Isaiah. Outfitting is pretty much closed up although we do have a few intrepid paddlers out there coming back in over the next few days.

We have had rain, boy have we had rain. September broke all types of records and I heard from 12' to 20' inches in different places on the trail. It has been raining non-stop for the past 3 days and that is what may turn into snow tonight. The docks on Aspen Lake as I drove by today are underwater. Clearwater Lake is filling up nicely but our docks must be higher because there is no threat of them being under water yet. After the Ham Lake Fire this spring and the Cavity Lake Fire last August, I have told myself I will never complain about rain again - so this is NOT a complaint.

We have certainly broken our drought cycle. It makes me wonder how much snow we will have this winter if this keeps up. You will have to come and see!

Broad Wing Hawk

This picture of a broad-winged hawk was sent to us by Al and Judie Johnston following their stay at Clearwater.

Changes to BWCA Permits in 2008

Beginning in 2008, permit fees for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness will be:

Adult per trip fee: $16.00
Youth per trip fee: $8.00
Adult Seasonal Fee Card: $64.00
Youth Seasonal Fee Card: $32.00

This increase of the cost of the permit, which is still very reasonable, is based upon the Consumer Index. User fees generated through this program come directly back to the Forest and help to fund the wilderness management program, including staffing with wilderness rangers, and funding campsite and portage maintenance, permit issuance, and wilderness education programs.

Another change for 2008 is the permit lottery will begin on December 1st 2007. In the past the lottery has begun on November 1st.

Fall at Clearwater

I am back at the lodge and have been for about a week. When I left there was just a hint of fall color and upon my return the leaves were really showing their colors. I saw on the news yesterday that we are at about 80% of peak of a fall color which means the peak should be soon. Regardless, it is beautiful now. It was nice to leave for a little while and nice to return.

During September we have had 21 inches of rain so far. We are making up for a dry winter and spring. Some of the smaller lakes you can tell that the water levels are really up. The larger lakes such as Clearwater are up but will still take some time to return to nomal levels. On Aspen Lake (near us) several of the docks on private cabins are partially below lake level now.

We are working on closing the canoe outfitting and closing the summer cabins for the season. We will be keeping the lodge and Cabin 7 open again this year winter for the winter enthusiasts.

Winter Tracks Festival on the Gunflint Trail is scheduled for February 28 - March 2, 2008. You can see more information on the Festival at www.wintertracks.com.

Blog Break

I am taking a break from the blog for about a week as I travel to Indiana to visit family. It is a nice time to take a little vacation after the summer rush and before fall starts. I'll be back and updating next week.

Lynn

American Bald Eagle

This is a 2nd or 3rd year American Bald Eagle. This great photo was taken by Kris May who spent the week here fishing and helping us split wood for the winter.

Lodge Crawl Space

As many of you know from blogs, being here and newsletters, we have worked to winterize the lodge over the 5 seasons we have been here. We added heat in all the room upstairs, we put a separate heating system in the main area of the lodge with 5 zones. We redirected the original furnace to heat the basement and crawl space of the lodge. We vented the roof and added insulation to the attic and we insulated the walls of the basement. We dug up the waterline to the well and replaced it with a new one that including heat tape to keep it open. Mike made special storm windows for the entire down stairs of the lodge - that was 37 windows and not one of them the exact same size of the other. This year we put plastic down in the crawl space. Two of our summer staff, Ed and Erik, volunteered for this thankless task and spent some time under the lodge crawling around putting the sheeting down and attaching it to the walls of the lodge. This step is necessary to keep the moisture from wicking up from the ground in the winter.

Anyway, this is a long explanation for this picture of Ed in the crawl space. And he was still smiling after the photo shoot was done! Ed has headed back to school now to finish up his senior year. We hope to see him here in future years for canoe trips and visits because he is a true die hard fan of the BWCA.

Lynn

How much rain did we get?

I was asked this question about 20 times this morning but am not positive about the answer. I heard anywhere from 5 inches to 11 inches depending upon who you ask. Personally I think it was closer to 11. This is a photo of Ben bailing the boats this morning. It was a work out as the water was up over the seats and they were inches from being swamped.

Fire Ban Lifted

We had around 5 inches of rain last night and the fire ban has been lifted, the boats bailed and the sun is shining. Temperatures will be in the 60's during the days and 40's in the nights the next few day.

With 5 inches of rain, the water level of the lakes increased dramatically last night.

Lynn

Heavy Rain

Heavy rain forecast for Northeastern Minnesota

Duluth News Tribune Published Thursday, September 06, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/359nx6

It’s a term we haven’t heard around these parts in a long time. The National Weather Service in Duluth is forecasting heavy rain across a wide area of Northeastern Minnesota early Friday. Many areas could see more than an inch, and some areas upwards of two inches, by the time rain moves out later Friday, said Mike Bettwy, forecaster at the Duluth weather service office. Northwestern Wisconsin will see some rain, but not as much.

Some areas of the Arrowhead already were seeing heavy rain Thursday morning. A line of thunderstorms looked to drop more than inch of rain today from Bemidji, across the northern Iron Range and into the Boundary Waters. The Cook area was seeing heavy rain before noon. The rain will be welcome for trees, yards, plants, rivers and lakes that have suffered through 16 months of drought. Heading into the upcoming rainstorm, Duluth is some 13 inches below normal since June, 2006. The rain also will reduce fire danger for several days, and fire restrictions may be further relaxed by next week. Another round of rain will hit early Sunday, and the region will see much cooler temperatures – with highs only in the 50’s early next week.
Weather at Gunflint Lake:
http://bwca.cc/weather/gunflint/gunflintweather.htm
Boundary Waters Weather:
http://bwca.cc/weather/wximages/bwca.htm
Northern Minnesota Weather Resources:
http://bwca.cc/weather/weatherresources.htm
Gunflint Lightning Detector:
http://bwca.cc/weather/gunflint/gstorm.jpg

Dawn on Clearwater Lake

Photo taken by John Amen. John's family has a cabin on the lake.

Weather Note: It was 40 degrees when I got up this morning and is turning out to be a beautiful day. I noticed we are starting to get a few fall colors in the understory of the forest already. Due to the dry weather, fall colors might be coming a bit early this year.

swimming away....

This is my second picture from Monday morning of the moose and baby. They passed by the lodge and headed toward the water and swam away. That morning Sarah, my dog, knew they were coming up the road before I saw them and she was barking. Either mother or baby was startled by this and Sarah got a good kick from one of them. She has been laying low for the past few days and is pretty stiff. She has a moose print on her side. Never come between a mother and her baby!

Weather note: After two days of rain we are enjoying a sunny and mild day. We haven't heard yet if we got enough rain to lift the fire ban, at least partially, for the holiday weekend.

Canoe Trip

Dear Clearwater Lodge:

We just got home after a canoe trip that was partially outfitted through your facility. Though I've been to the BWCA numerous times, it was a first for my brother-in-law, Charlie Luke. He was absolutely blown away with how great an experience it was and I view it as one of the best trips I've ever had as well. Without a doubt, THE best fish I've caught were on this trip--thanks to your man, Ed, for some great fishing advice. I'm forwarding a picture of a smallmouth bass we measured at 20" (and it wasn't the only one we caught that size) and a picture of Charlie admiring the scenery as we entered Rat Lake. Thanks again, we had a great time!

Jim Gruenke
St. Cloud, MN

Weather Note: We started having rain about 7:00 PM last night and then had a nice night of steady rain. Not sure at this point how this rain will impact the fire restrictions.

Moose Morning

While I was in the lodge kitchen ths morning about 7:00 AM two moose walked up from South Clearwater Road went next to the lodge and walked down to our waterfront and swam off. I was able to get a couple of good pictures.

Weather Note: We are hoping for some rain today and tonight. Along with this weather change will be some cooler weather with highs in upper 60's and lows in the 40's.

Fire Ban: We continue to be under a complete fire ban. No open fires (wood or charcoal) outside in the county including the BWCA.

Owl

I am not sure what type of owl this is but another great picture from the Abbott family.

Weater Note: Tuesday we had a wonderful day of rain all day but not enough to lift our fire ban so that continues. The days are sunny and in the 70's and the nights in the 50's. Perfect paddling and cabin weather.

American Goldfinch Carduelis Tristis

The Abbott family came from HI to take a canoe trip in the BWCA in June 2007. They took some wonderful pictures of their family, birds, bugs and wildlife that they sent along.

This one is of the American Goldfinch. From the Birds of MN field guide, these are both males. Females are dull olive without the black forehead and brown wings and white rump. In the winter the males change from this bright yellow to the dull olive.

Weather Note: Much of southern MN has gotten too much rain over the past week. We continue to be dry but it did rain this morning and we are hoping for more tonight. The days are mild in the 70's and the evenings in the 40's or 50's so if visiting, bring cloths to layer for the wide temperature changes.

News

Everyone has been sending us great pictures for the blog and I have to apologize for not putting them on yet. This time of the year is always busy and it is also when our college staff start leaving to head back to school, which makes it even busier for us.

Yesterday was Vince's last day. He was the cook this summer for our breakfasts and then helped out a lot with other areas. Erik leaves on Sunday. This was Erik's second summer here. He is starting EMT school next week and we wish him the best of luck. We will miss them both but hope to see them in the years to come.

Fire restrictions continue and have broadened to include the entry county and surrounding counties. No camfires, wood burning or charcoal in or out of the boundary waters.

Weather Report: Surprisingly we are having a week of cool weather. The lows at night have been into the 40's and the days in the upper 60's or low 70's. Personally I love this weather!

Paddling Fun

Tallmadge Church of God Youth Group, Tallmadge OH.

Shooting the Rapids

This photo is from Boy Scout Troup 72 of Mitchell SD showing two of the troup leaders paddling the rapids between Vista and Horseshoe Lakes.

Weather note: Our days have been warm with the highs in the low 8o's and nights in the 50's. We have a chance of rain Monday and Tuesday. The total fire ban will continue until we get a good amount of rain.

Annual Canoe Trip

Paul and Cole Cool were here last week for their annual father and son canoe trip. Cole is 10 years old now and really enjoying the wilderness experience. It will just get better every year!

Weather Note: We had our cold front come through last night and today it is sunny, cool and you just wanna be outside to enjoy it!

Lake Trout

Clearwater Lake is a good place to fish for Lake Trout. Since Lake Trout like the cooler water, they usually go pretty deep in the summer and the best trout fishing is in the winter. Joe Gilbertson has been trying to catch a Lake Trout during the summer on Clearwater for a number of years. This year he succeeded!

Weather Note: It is hot with highs in the 90's and lows in the 60's. According to my weather forecast, it will start cooling down and be back into the 70's during the days by the weekend. The DNR has enacted a full fire ban starting midnight on Thursday August 2nd. All cooking must be done by propane or gas stoves. No wood or charcoal can be used.

Tallmadge Church of God

The Tallmadge Church of God from Tallmadge, Ohio, recently brought a youth group to the BWCA for a canoe trip. They spent two nights camping at the Okontoe campground and then started a BWCA canoe trip from Clearwater Lake. This picture is from one of their day trip hikes to Magnetic Rock. As you can see, the Magnetic Rock was effected by the Ham Lake Fire. They took advantage of every minute of their time here and visited Honeymoon Bluff, Eagle Mountain and Johnson Falls. The group was lead by Doug and Susan Walters.

While on vacation at Clearwater Lodge several years ago, Susan wrote this poem about a hike to Rove Lake for fishing. This was Susan's first experience with a portage.

There once were two girls with a wish.

On Rove Lake they wanted to fish.

'It's only a mile!" he said with a smile.

And so, off they went with a skip.

Each had a pole in hand,

As they traipsed up & down on the land.

How long will it be? The lake I can't see.

They exclaimed with a very loud pant.

It seemed they would never arrive.

Should they quit or should they just strive.

Push on to the goal, over just one more knoll.

Their faith they had to revive.

They learned a good lesson that day.

Whethr in hardship or just in play,

You must persevere in the face of retreat.

And remember to pray all the way.

The girls did not get their wish.

Alas there were no fish.

For the prize that they sought,

Could not be caught.

There would be no tasty dish.

But the gem they did find,

A most unusual kind,

Was the growing of strength.

When at the end of their length,

They perservered to the end of the line.

This tale has a fine ending.

Good news these girls are sending.

When your faith is sincere

You can pray, persevere!

Though your journey, it seems never ending.

Large Northern

Erik Danielson and Ed Zlonis were fishing on their days off when Erik caught this northern on a mid-Trail Lake. It is 41 inches long and 21 lbs. Erik is holding the fish and Ed is looking on. This is the second summer for these two young men to work at Clearwater and enjoyed the activities the BWCA has to offer.

Weather Note: We are looking at warmer weather in the next few days with highs in the 80's or low 90's during the days and 50's at night. We will have bright sunny skies and warm days so be sure to bring your sun block, hat and sunglasses if you are going to be out on the lakes.

Another Buddy Sighting

Since we first met our Clearwater Road Moose 'Buddy' in the spring and posted his picture licking the road, all our friends have been watching out for him. Sometimes he is elusive and other times he is right out there on the road to stop traffic. The LaVell's, who stayed in a cabin the week of July 8th, sent us this great picture of him walking down to the edge of the water. They said seeing him was the best ending to a great vacation.

American Bald Eagle

The Harvey family took this picture of an American Bald Eagle in a tree on a recent canoe trip.

Weather Note: Forecasted for the next few days are temperatures in the mid-80's for the highs and lows in the lower 60's at night. Starting Thursday, temperatures will drop back into the upper 70's during the days.

The DNR is implementing a Leve I fire restrictions starting Friday July 27th at 7:00 PM. This means that wood and charcoal fires (campfires) are not allowed in the BWCA until 7:00 PM and must be out by mid-night. From midnight until 7:00 PM you can cook with a gas or propane stove only.

Birthday Celebration on a Canoe Trip

Two of the guys from Boy Scout Troup 72 from Mitchell, SD celebrated their birthdays while on a recent canoe trip with monsters bars candles and butterfingers. This photo is from John Heemstra who organized the canoe trip for the scouts. This is their second time to take a canoe trip from Clearwater Lodge.

An alternative use for portage pads

After a long day of riding in the canoe, hiking the portages and chasing critters in the woods, these two little guys just had to take a nap in the canoe. One of them found the perfect alternative use for portage pads as a pillow.

Weather Note: Our cool and mild weather is going to take a change over the next few days and we will have a little more heat. Temperatures will climb into the 80's for the next 4 or 5 days. Good swimming weather!

Stories about growing up in the Lodge.

Harriet Taus, one of Charlie and Petra's children, came over last night and told what it was like to grow up living on the Gunflint Trail in the lodge. Her parents built the lodge finishing it in 1926 and raised 10 children here. Harriet is one of the younger children.

Home Town Boys

You may know that Mike, Peggy and I are all originally from the Elkhart and Mishawaka area of northern Indiana. For those of you who do not know IN well, these cities are next to South Bend and Notre Dame. Yesterday the 'Doseman Boys' came up for a canoe trip. The two brothers, Fred and Andy, brought their boys and Andy's father in law. When I was growing up our brother was close friends of the Doseman's and still is. Because the family has at least 4 boys and they all went to our high school around the time we did, we always called them the 'Doseman Boys'. It is always nice to see folks we know from home enjoying the BWCA with us. Here they are on the porch of the outfitting building the day of their canoe trip.

Weather note: A cool front brought quite a bit of rain this morning and cooler weather. The highs in the next few days will be in the low 70's and the nights will be in the high 40's. It will be great campfire weather in the evenings for those campers out in the BWCA.

A little paddle

This picture is another great one sent by the Simonson family. Lyric and her Dad were taking a canoe trip and getting some fishing time when here.

Weather Note: clear and sunny skies with day temps in the high 70's low 80's and night time in the 50's to 60's. It is nice and green out and no fire restrictions in the BWCA (or out of the BWCA).

Fox Kits

The Simonson family, who stayed with us in June, emailed some wonderful pictures of their visit. I was really excited to see the one of the fox kits since I had heard all about them but had not seen them. They played quite a bit on Clearwater Road and I heard that they were not at all shy.

Forest Service Q and A

It is the 4th of July and I can't beleive we are 1/2 way through the summer already. I was talking to one of our staff yesterday, Erik, and he will be leaving in 6 weeks to go back to school. It seems like they just got here. Anyway, this means fall is just around the corner and the forest service put out this Q and A regarding the Ham Lake Fire and fall hiking and camping.

Q. Will any trails and/or entry points remain closed past August for the fall hiking season?
A. At this time, the only closures include Iron Lake Campground and Iron Lake Boat Access.

Q. Which trails, entry points, and campsites are closed now?
A. None. There are a few campsites posted closed in the BWCAW.

Q. Are there any limits to canoeing because of the fire? Waterways, portages, etc
A. are all open (except Iron Lake) .

Q. Was there any damage to the Border Route Trail?
A. Yes, approximately 1 mile was burned over.

Q. Was there any damage to the Kekekabic Trail?
A. Yes, approximately 2 miles were burned over.

Q. Was there any damage to the Border Lakes Area Trails? (including
Magnetic Rock, Bridal Falls, Devil's Cascade, Highlands, and Eagle
Mountain) T
A. The Ham Lake Fire permiter map on MINCS website (via link
on SUF web site) shows fire area. No trails remain closed due to
fire effects.

Q. Was there any damage to the Sioux-Hustler Trail?
A. No, the Ham Lake Fire was not near the Sioux Hustler Trail

Q. Was there any damage to the Pow Wow Trail?
A. No, the Ham Lake Fire was not near the PowWow Hiking Trail

Clearwater Team 2007

As in years past, we are lucky and have a great summer staff. This year we had 4 returning staff members (Stephanie, Travis, Erik and Ed) and two new ones (Lynnette and Vince). We were determined to get the staff picture by the end of June and we just made it! With days off, transports, cleaning and other resort chores, it is really hard to get the 6 of them together at one time.

Front row is Erik, Ed, Lynnette and the back row is Vince Travis and Stephanie. Sarah, the pup, had to horn in the picture also.

Weather Note: We continue to have the best weather with sunny warm days and cool nights.

Native Wild Roses

From 'What's Doin' the Bloomin' by Clayton and Michelle Oslund:

Several speicies of native wild roses, in a variety of habitats, are abundant in this region. Species differences are subtle, such as the size and shape of the pointed, dried sepals on the hips (fruits). Most have flowers that are vaiations of pink but white or yellow also occur. Flowers range in size less than 1 inch to over 3 inches across. All hav ecompund leaves, but leaflet number varies from 3 to 11.

My thought is that they are just very pretty along side all the roads.

Weather Note: A cool front has brought us back to normal northwoods temperatures. Days are sunny and in the low 70's and the nights are in 40's to 50's. Great camping/cabin weather.

Canoe Trip

Recently Allyn Orlando took a canoe trip with her two grown children. They took a 4 day trip and explored the area starting at Gunflint Lake and ending the trip at West Bearskin Lake. This route is on the border lakes separating Canada from the US and passes by Rose Falls on Rose Lake. Allyn sent us a some great pictures they took on the canoe trip.

Wildflowers

This is the time when all the wildflowers seem to be blooming along side the roads. There is a mix of purple, white, orange and yellow blooming around the lodge and up and down the Gunflint Trail.

Douglass Canoe Trip

The Douglass Family returned from a 7 day canoe trip today. They left from our waterfront and did the Clearwater Loop through West Pike, East Pike, John, McFarland, Pine, Caribou and back into our waterfront. This picture was taken upon their return.

Fishing

Dining room lights

We are adding another set of lights in the dining room of the lodge. On dark days it is a little hard to see in the dining room and even harder to play games at the tables. This summer we are adding another set of lights for those rainy days. This photo is of Gary and Todd moving around and hanging some new lights.

Weather Note: We had a cool front come through that brought some rain and cooler weather yesterday and today. Today it is about 60 degrees out and breezy. Personally I love the cooler weather. For the rest of the week we are supposed to have sunny skis are mild temperatures.

Bird's Nest in Antlers

Right under the main door of the lodge on the outside but protected by the porch are antlers. These antlers are well weathered and worn and look as if they have been hanging there since the 1920's when the lodge was finished.

Every spring a new birds nest appears in the antlers. We never see the bird or chicks but even with all the times the door opens and closes during the day it must be a secure place to build a nest because have a new one every year.

A note on the weather: We continue to have a nice amount or rain. Enough to ensure that we can still have campfires in the BWCA but not enough to ruin any canoe trips!

Smallmouth Bass Fishing

We are hearing great reports of the smallmouth bass fishing in Clearwater and surrounding lakes. As a resort owner, it is not often that Mike gets to actually go out and fish but he took the time the other day. While often we catch and release, this time he caught a meal.

Ice in the woods

On a recent camping trip, some paddlers found ice in the woods. Even though the tempertures have been in the 70's, there is still enough shade and cover to preserve a bit of winter for a little while longer. I remember a neighbor of mine, who grew up on the lake, telling us that when they were kids that they had a snowball fight in July in 80 degree temperatures.

Watching the Rain

Here is a picture of two of our summer staff folks (Vince and Lynnette) watching the rain while camping. Before it gets really busy we try to give our staff college students days off together to enjoy BWCA trips. After all, this is why they come to work for us for the summer. It is not for the work, it for the adventures in the BWCA.

Old School House

A forest fire changes the landscape in which we live for many years to come. Each year following the fire, it will look totally different from the year before. In the case of the Ham Lake fire, a supposedly lost building was found far enough back from the Gunflint Trail that most don't remember knowing it was there. The speculation is that this is an old school house that has been abandoned for quite a while. Credit for this picture belongs to Sue Prom of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters.

Moose on the Gunflint

We never get tired of seeing the moose around the roads and in the woods. This photo was taken on the Gunflint Trail of a young moose (not our Clearwater Moose Buddy) last night at about 8:00 PM. She posed nicely for her photo shoot.

Sunning on the log

After the cabin guests check out and the staff clean the cabin, either Peggy or I go check the cabin and make sure everything is in order for the next guest to visit. Yesterday I was at cabin 6 and it was just beautiful outside. It was sunny and a little cool. I took a few minutes to sit on the deck of the cabin and enjoy the view down the lake (I really wanted to stay there all day). I noticed down at the water in front of cabin, a turtle had the same idea and was sunning was on a tree down in the water.