Clearwater Lake

We had a nice day with sun and 50 degrees. I sat outside for a while today just to obsorb some sun. I took this photo of Clearwater Lake from the public access yesterday. It shows the ice pulling away from the edge of the lake.

How Lake Ice Melts

In the late fall, the lake loses heat to the atmosphere, and then on a day or night when the wind is not blowing, ice forms. The ice gets thicker as long as the lake can continue to lose heat.

In most Januaries and Februaries, snow both reflects sunlight and insulates the lake. With a thick snow layer, the lake neither gains nor loses heat. The bottom sediment is actually heating the lake water slightly over the winter from stored summer heat.

Around March, as the air warms and the sun gets more intense, the snow melts, allowing light to penetrate the ice. Because the ice acts like the glass in a greenhouse , the water beneath it begins to warm, and the ice begins to melt from the bottom.

When the ice thickness erodes to between 4 and 12 inches, it transforms into long vertical crystals called "candles". These conduct light even better so the ice starts to look black because it is not reflecting much sunlight.

Warming continues because the light energy is being transferred to the water below the ice. Melt water fills in between the ice crystals which begin breaking apart. The surface appears grayish as the ice reflects a bit more light than before.

The wind comes up and breaks the surface apart. The candles will often be blown to one side of the lake, making a tinkling sound as they knock against one another and piling up on the shore. In hours, a sparkling clear lake once again!

The snow is melting but when will the ice be gone?

This is the time of the year when I get a lot of calls asking when the ice will be off the lakes. Hopefully by Fishing Opener is all I can tell you right now. I do know that North and South Brule rivers, which cross the Gunflint Trail are both running. This picture is from South Brule. I'll keep you posted at the ice melts.

Lynn

The fox

I was woken up the other morning by the screech of angry birds and chattering of disturbed squirrels. I recognize that sound! I rolled out of bed and thought, what animal is outside my window and in the bird seed because it surely was not the birds! Yep, the fox was back.

Lynn

Canoe Delivery

Nothing puts you in the mood for a canoe trip more than the delivery of all the brand new canoes in the spring!

My visiting Pine Martin

The shyness is past and for food, my visiting pine martin will pose for pictures! The dog, Queenie, will walk very softly to the door and just watch the pine martin on the other side of the glass. Queenie looks at him like he wants to go out and play with him but I am thinking that is not a good idea!

On a weather note, it was warmer today and sunny in the afternoon. A lot of snow has melted.

Lynn

Yet more snow

We had another 6 inches of snow last night. It is still snowing now but it is wet and will start melting when it warms up tomorrow.

Is it really April?

It is snowing out now and it looks like we could get another 3 to 6 inches over the next 36 hours. The good news is that this keeps the chance of spring wildfires down. The time between the snow melt and the foliage coming on the trees is usually a dangerous time for potential wildfires.

Pine Martin

I am settled in cabin 7 for a couple of weeks until Peg and Mike come up and we get the heat running in the lodge and the water on. I have my office set up on the dining room table. Yesterday when I was sitting here just merrily typing away on my PC, a beautiful, golden colored, pine martin came right up to the door to look in the cabin. I wasn't swift enough with my camera to get a picture before he scampered off but I think he is holed up under the deck of the cabin for the winter. I have been putting food out for him each night and it is gone in the morning. I have my camera ready in case he comes back during the day.

The American Pine Martin is a meat eater that belongs to the weasel family. They are a small predator about 24 inches from nose to tail and golden brown fur with a yellow chest. He has a small body with rounded ears that makes him one of our 'cutest' predators. That is he is very cute until he decides to bare his teeth and then you know he is a predator!

Martins eat mice, chipmunks, squirrels and insects. In the summer months he will eat seeds and berries. Mine likes chicken bones and steak bones I found. Hopefully I can get a photo of him soon.

Bob and Marti told us the story that once they had a pine martin the basement of the lodge. They set up the live trap to catch him, but left the live trap in the kitchen and forgot to move it to the basement of the lodge. The next morning, yes you guessed it, there was a pine martin in the trap in the kitchen hissing and splitting. I prefer to enjoy mine through a solid door and not quite that up close. We also make sure that those basement doors are secure so any visitors to the old cellar don't make it into the kitchen.

Back at the Lodge

I (Lynn) am back at the lodge after a winter in Indiana. Shortly before I returned, there was a spring blizzard and 18 inches of snow. My neighbor tried to plow me out but the snow was so wet and deep he was able to plow a parking spot for me in the front of the lodge. In the week that I have been here the weather has been beautiful with temperatures in the 40's and 5o's. Last night was the first night that it did not get below freezing.

Although there is still over two feet of snow in the shade and in the woods, about a foot has melted since I have been here and I actually saw some grass around the lodge.

It is good to be back to the Northwoods!