A Great Weekend

Last weekend was the Gunflint Green Up. What a huge success! Things didn’t seem too promising on Friday. By dinner time there was a steady rain. Luckily the huge tent set up in the outfitters parking lot was kept the dinner dry.

The tent saved us lots of problems because we could feed over 300 people at the time in it. It had heat. It had lights. And it was dry. As the rain continued during the night, we all got a little concerned for the next day.

We really didn’t know what to expect when the morning dawned with snow on the ground, but it melted by late morning and the sun came out. Even with the snow on the ground, people appeared ready to plant. Not only were they ready to work but they were going to have a good time doing it. Especially as the day got nicer, I heard many people remark how great it was to be out in the woods.

I planted over by Round Lake. Part of my planting crew was two troops of Girl Scouts from Grand Marais. Here I am talking with some of the leaders about where to plant.

Even though these were young girls, they worked very hard. If any of them were my grandchildren, I would be quite proud. Not only did they keep at it but they sang while they worked. A favorite song in the morning had to do with drinking sassafras tea. It is one of those songs with a short verse that you sing over and over until your voice gives out. Here is a picture of one of the girls planting a tree.

Another thing that kept these girls going was an abundance of food. They seemed to eat their lunches in mid-morning. Then about noon, they gathered at the Ham Lake Public Landing. The leaders spread two large tarps on the ground and everyone sat to eat all the food they had brought in addition to their lunches.

On Saturday night almost 400 people were served dinner in the tent. Everyone appeared to have had a great day. Not only did they find lots of people to share their experiences with but they also found many of their neighbors who had also been out planting. In the end there were over 50,000 trees plants by over 400 people.

On Sunday the Ham Lake Run was held. It started from Gunflint Pines and ended up at Trail’s End. There was the full length race and then a shorter race that started further up the Trail. About 140 runners participated. The weather was cool and dry for the race. Those who know more than I do felt it was perfect. Here is the start.

Both the tree planting and the half marathon race were successful because a lot of people who worked hard all winter to plan. Nancy Seaton from Hungry Jack Outfitters headed the Gunflint Green Up and Sue Prom from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters headed up the Ham Run. A great deal of support especially in the tree planting came from the U. S. Forest Service. Without their help and their willingness to think out of the box, these events could not have happened.

Lots of other spring events are going on around here. The juncos are migrating through on their way north. We will see them again next fall. The robins are everywhere as are a large assortment of song birds. Some of the smaller lakes have lost their ice but Gunflint is still hanging in there. The ice is very gray and rotten looking. I get the feeling that a strong northwest wind would take it out in a day. Sure hope so because fishing season opens on Saturday.

As is often the case with one of us, Bruce was awake and wandering around the house the other night. He heard an animal crying and went to look out the appropriate window. In the yard were three either brush wolves or coyotes. There were two adults and one smaller one. Because of the darkness, he was unable to identify them exactly but it is not something we see very often around the house. We did have one come down the drive last week but that has been it for the winter. So, a little excitement in the middle of the night.

Next time I write the ice will be off the lake and we will be fishing again.

Gunflint Green Up

It’s been so long since I wrote that I am almost embarrassed. In my defense, I have spent the last two weeks fighting a rather nasty infection. I’m finally over it and back to normal.

All around me spring has been bursting out. Well, that was after we had two snowstorms that Mother Nature surprised us with. One dropped twelve inches of snow and the other was only four inches but it blew all over. After several warm days with sunshine and wind plus a little rain last night, much of the snow in the open places is gone. We are on the winning end right now.

While Bruce and I have been out exploring with spring fever, we have seen lots of pairs of bald eagles. Mostly they have been feeding on the road kill that comes out as the snow melts. He is one of them I managed to get a picture of.

Of course, the pair of red fox is hanging around for any food that they can beg off of us. Yesterday, both Gimpy and the Mrs. were in the yard. Gimpy had a few words to say when he thought the Mrs. was taking too much food. This morning they were both back at different times to see what we had.

You can also see in this picture how much snow has melted around the house.

One day Bruce and I stopped just past the road the Moosehorn. This area had been severely effected by the Blowdown. In April of 2000 (the first spring after the Blowdown) it was just depressing to look at the bare, gray area.

The Forest Service did a great job cleaning up the downfall and replanting with red pine. A year or so after the planting they did a “release.” Young pine trees have to fight with the broad-leafed plants for their share of sunlight. Often the pines get killed because the broad-leafed plants block the sun. In this case, the Forest Service sent in crews to cut away the leafed plants and “release” the young pine to sunlight.

Now it is about 7 years since the original planting. You can see what a beautiful grove of trees is coming up behind me. There are trees 4-5 feet tall and looking very healthy. My grandchildren will see tall pines in this area.

Which brings me to the Gunflint Green Up. As we all know the Ham Lake Fire burned not only some of these replanted areas but also mature stands of trees. In 2007 there was a small spontaneous gathering of people to start the replanting of our forest. If you have been reading the Minneapolis or Duluth newspapers or listening to the radio, you know that this year there is going to be a huge tree planting party on the anniversary of the Ham Lake Fire.

Spear-headed by Nancy Seaton at Hungry Jack Outfitters, a group of people has been planning this event all winter. Their goal is to have 500 people plant 75,000 trees on Saturday, May 2nd. When they settled on these goals, everyone took a big gulp. Well, it looks like the people are coming and the trees will be waiting for them.

Right now there are almost 400 people signed up to plant. Local residents are organized to lead planting teams, distribute trees, hand out lunches, park cars, and serve dinners. Everyone expects have a very successful tree planting event. Even with this many people, we can only plant a small portion of the burned over area so next year we will do it again. And then the next year too.

If you would like more information or to sign up, go to http://www.gunflintgreenup.com/. All the necessary information is on that website. It is going to be a great event where the community of those who love the Gunflint Trail will come together to give the forest a helping hand. I hope to see you there. You will know me because I can’t plant anything without getting filthy dirty. I can’t wait!

Fire at Hungry Jack

In spite of a couple of snow falls this last week, we are starting to get spring fever. The snow has been several inches that gave a wet, sloppy road for a day but that is about all. This morning the temperature was 19 above with clear skies. By later this afternoon we will have some melting. The south-facing roof of our home is pretty well clear of snow.

Unfortunately, I have some bad news to report today. On Wednesday afternoon the main lodge building at Hungry Jack Lodge burned to the ground. Although the fire department responded quickly, the building was full engulfed in flames when they arrived. The department was there all night to make sure that nothing else caught on fire. Here is a picture of the building taken the next morning. It is not a pretty sight.

All of us here at Gunflint and along the entire Trail are feeling for Forrest Parsons, the owner of Hungry Jack. If anyone reading this has a reservation or knows people who go to Hungry Jack, pass the word along. All of the reservation records and guest files were lost in the fire. I can’t imagine the nightmare of trying to recreate that information. If you can help, be sure to call Forrest at 218-388-2265.

This is the time of year that animals seem to come out more. The other day Bruce and I were stopped at the junction of our road and the main road on our way to town. I noticed an eagle soaring above. As we watched it settled onto a branch where another eagle was perched. We seem to think that eagles mate for life so this is probably a pair waiting for spring just like us. Naturally, I didn't have the camera with me.

Our fox are back with us too. Gimpy appeared at our house this morning. So, Bruce and I are going through the freezer to see what we can give him. As with any chest freezer, ours has stuff at the way bottom that can be tossed.

Yesterday afternoon some deer appeared out my office window. Bruce could not resist the chance to feed them. Here he is. Although the picture doesn’t show it well, he is actually scratching the ears of the deer who is eating.

Of course, we are also starting to think about the garden. While we were on vacation last fall, the dozen day lilies were received for us. We kept them tightly sealed and in our cold garage all winter. A week or so ago, I got them out and potted them. Next stop was in front of our south-facing kitchen window. This picture shows you how they are doing now. It really brightens up the kitchen and they will go well in the garden in June.

Today I plan on starting some basil in the house. It is one of my favorite herbs for cooking. As in years past, four flats of basil will arrive with flowers the end of May. Most of that is used in the lodge kitchen all summer long. I wanted, however, to try growing some from seed. I’ll let you know how it works out.

Even on the Gunflint, spring is slowly coming. We are all anxiously waiting for its arrival

Maybe Spring Is Coming

This is supposed to be a quiet time of year but we are keeping pretty busy.

Last weekend was the “Run for A Cure.” It is a dog sled run to collect money for breast cancer research. The 30-mile race started on Gunflint right in front of Gunflint Pines. Everyone was encouraged to dress in pink. So here is a picture of Mark Black – all 6 foot 7 inches of him.

Eighteen teams participated in the run. The day was perfect. It all started out with a pancake breakfast at the Pines which we also enjoyed. The race started about 12:00 and finished down at Trail Center in the late afternoon.

Did you know that we have a 9-hole golf course on Gunflint Lake this winter? A man who works along the North Shore loves to golf which isn’t generally possibly up here in the winter. As an alternative, he comes up to Gunflint and camps each weekend on Campers’ Island down the lake during the winter lake trout fishing season. Fishing isn’t quite as good as golfing but it is better than nothing.

Well, our friend still likes to get a little golf in. So, in the bay immediately west of where Crab Creek comes in, he smoothed the snow and built a 9-hole golf course. It’s for irons only and I am sure he uses colored balls. The lake trout season is closed now so the course is closed.

I told you that Bruce had good luck fishing on North Lake. As a result three couples of us decided to go down on Sunday for the last day of the season. As soon as the women were included, we had to plan a picnic lunch. The guys don’t get into that quite as much as we do. Sunday morning we headed out on four snowmobiles. It was a perfect day – blue skies and no wind. In fact the only thing wrong with our day was that the fish were not biting.

It took us about 30 minutes to reach North Lake. Bob had brought his power auger so drilling holes was no problem. Melissa took off to take pictures of the frost on the shoreline. Photography is her passion more than fishing. The rest of us settled down to try to attract some fish. Here is a picture of me sitting on a snowmobile chair. You can’t see my hole but it is just within an arm’s reach.

Bob quickly got three bites but couldn’t bring them in. Bruce also got a bite but nothing came of it. After a couple of hours we decided to move to another location. We all moved and got settled in. It was lunch time. I had something playing with my line. Finally it bit and I brought in a four-pound northern. Sharon also brought in a six-inch lake trout. Then everything stopped.

We moved to another spot but still not luck. Finally we went back to our original spot and still nothing was interested in our bait. By 3:00 we were ready to go home. The day had been beautiful but the fishing didn’t match.

Travel on the lake has been really easy with no slush and good solid ice. Even so, there always seems to be someone who can’t figure things out. One night last week Bob and Sharon noticed a car driving all over the ice. The next day Bob and Bruce passed the car. The driver had tried to drive through a snow drift. He got stuck so badly that the middle of the car was held up by the drift and all four wheels were off the ice. He was shoveling when they went fishing and still shoveling when they came. So time later in the day he got the car off the ice.

Finally, we had a surprise inspection of our canoes yesterday. Here is a picture of the inspector hard at work.

I know that Easter is close because some bare patches of ground are starting to appear along the side of the road. Our road is bare. The deer are trying to get a meal from any the brown grass that has appeared.

Have a good Easter weekend.

Home Sweet Home

Bruce and I have been back a few days from a great trip to the Florida Keys. We spent the first week in the Marathon area with three other couples. Here is a picture of our Keys style dinner. It seems to me that night we were having fresh shrimp.

Most of the week we did all the tourist things. We went fishing on a party boat. Our group of 8 caught about 1/3 of the fish for the 35 people on the boat. We took them home and ate every last fillet. We went out to Looe Key snorkeling one day. The weather was perfect and we saw lots of reef fish in the clear waters. Of course, we did a little shopping up and down the Keys. One night we made it to Mallory Square to watch the sunset. Here is what that looked like.

As I am sure you might suspect, we managed to get in lots of meals in the fine restaurants of the Keys. Some were tried and true places we have eaten in for years and others were new ones. Only one night we were disappointed with our meal. I was able to eat fresh fish every night.

The next week we spent with our friends, Ron and Pat, at their home on Cudjoe Key. Bruce went diving every day. Although the lobster remained generally elusive, he still got some plus spearing fish that appeared on the dinner table. The last night not only did we have fresh fish but Ron’s stone crab traps produced enough for appetizers.

Now we are home for several months. It feels good to not be running all over on trips. Of course, the computer and the office work have been calling my name rather insistently. I am feeling caught up today.

Bruce managed to get out fishing on North Lake a couple days. Here is a picture of his catch the first day.

The lake trout was on the dinner table that night as a feast for four. The next day he got 2 more trout. One fillet was smoked. One fillet is for dinner tonight and two more went into the freezer. I have a new recipe to try on the trout tonight.

Reading the last few paragraphs, you would think all we worry about is eating. Well, when you are trying to take off the winter pound gains, everything you eat had better taste extra special good. Plus, I enjoy trying new recipes.

On Bruce’s fishing days one of the guys had a camera that you can submerge in the water to watch the fish approach your hook. Even at 40 feet, the picture was as clear as a bell. Bruce found it just fascinating to watch the fish come up to the baits. He said it was amazing how many fish came up without biting. I suppose that will be the next toy to enter our house.

The deer have been coming in on a regular basis even though we don’t have feed out. Now is the time that we can really see how pregnant the does are. There was one in the other day who must be carrying twins. Last year’s offspring was still hanging close to her.

Tomorrow there is a dog sled race starting at Gunflint Pines. They are going to have a sourdough start. It means that the mushers have their dogs tethered as they would for the night. The mushers are in their sleeping bags with their boots off. When the race starts, everyone jumps out, puts their boots on, attaches the dogs to the sled and takes off. It should be fun to watch. If you are in the area, the race starts at noon. Parking will be tight so get here early. For those who can’t be here, I will take some of my prize-winning photos (?) for the next blog.

That’s all for today.

Gunflint Excitement

It has been a busy few days on Gunflint Lake.

My favorite part of the busyness has been centered on the grandchildren. They kept us all moving. I played lots of games of Old Maid, Fish, Crazy Eights and Dominoes. The boys went snowmobiling with their father and grandfather. Their dad took them ice fishing. They visited the dog yard. The deer were very cooperative and came in regularly. Here is a picture of Max trying to feed the deer out of his hand. His sister Amy is watching.

He was able to get them to smell his hand but not actually eat out of it. I guess that will happen next winter. Generally I would say that they did all the things we hope kids come to Gunflint to do.

Yesterday we all got a treat. J. T. McMillion who worked for us when Robert and Lee were 2 and 4 came to visit. Only J. T. likes to come to visit in a novel way. He flew his Piper Cub airplane on to the ice in front of Gunflint Pines. The three grandkids, ourselves and the entire Baker clan were there to welcome him in. Here is the plane on the apron of the “landing strip.”

I can remember earlier time when J. T. flew a plane to Gunflint Lake in the winter. He took one of our employees up for a ride in another Piper Cub. They decided to land on North Lake. Unfortunately they landed in a slush spot and had to push the plane out quickly before ice stuck to the skiis.

We are all very proud of J. T. He worked hard and got his commercial pilot's license. Now he is a full captain for Southwest Airlines. It took a lot of work and a lot of peanut butter sandwiches for dinner as he accumulated hours. Too bad Southwest doesn’t fly into Duluth or Minneapolis.

There was a bit of excitement at the east end of the lake these past three days. One of the casualties of the Ham Lake Fire was the Preus family homes on the Canadian side of Gunflint Lake. All their homes were burned to the ground. The first of these homes had been here since the 1920’s when J. A. O. Preus (one time governor of Minnesota) bought land and built his first cabin on the lake.

Everyone in the family decided to rebuild. They contacted a Canadian contractor who took on the project. Getting materials in for the six log cabins was a project. One step of this project was accomplished these last few days. Greg Gecas from Heston’s plowed an ice road from their dock to the Preus land across the lake.

Starting on Tuesday, the contractor and Greg hauled several trailer loads of dimension lumber over. I was there to see the load leave this morning. Here is a picture of what it looked like.

As the first truck and trailer started moving across the ice, you could hear the ice cracking and groaning. Even though the ice was plenty thick and safe, it still sounded ominous. We could see fresh cracks in the ice. But the guys knew what they were doing and everything made it across with no problems.

Years ago they used to haul logs from logging operations across the lakes. The driver always rode with his door open in case he had to jump. He also never drove out of his lowest gear. The weight of the log load pushed the ice down beneath the back end of the truck. This meant that the truck was always going up hill. It sounds a little scary to me.

On Gunflint Lake we have great ice conditions this winter. As a result many fishermen are driving down the lake to their favorite spots. Before trying this, be sure to check with someone on the lake to be sure that conditions have not changed and it is still safe. We all look at the ice as something solid but it can change very easily. So don’t take a chance and be sure to ask for local information on any lake you decide to drive on.

Bruce and I are off for a couple weeks again. This is the last fling before summer. I will try to write from our sunny destination in the Florida Keys but don’t be surprised if I am having too much fun to write.

Winter Days and Nights

Bruce and I are back in town after a quick trip to Jamaica to interview students who want to work in the U. S. this summer.

I am having a grandmother’s perfect week. Last weekend we spent with Grandson Zach in Missouri, on the way home we stopped to see Grandson Tanner and Granddaughter Emma, Grandson Grant was home, and today Grandson Sam, Grandson Max, and Granddaughter Amy arrive from California. How could I ask for anything better?

It sure is good to be back on the Trail. The last few days have been cold but it has warmer up considerably today. With a busy weekend upon us, it’s nice to get some warmer weather. Also the full and partial moon has lit up the forest each night.

Bruce and I have enjoyed a fire in the living room fireplace every night. We take turns bringing in the wood during the afternoon. It is all stored on the north porch so this is not a difficult job. Each summer we gather wood from dead trees around the house. There are still some standing trees from the 1999 Blowdown. By this time the wood does not have a lot of BTU’s in it but it burns cheerily in the fireplace. Next spring you will see us out again replenishing our supply of wood.

Sheryl at the lodge shared the enclosed pictures with me.

I always feel a little odd standing on the ice and looking at the lodge. The feeling you get from the lake changes dramatically as the ice goes on and off with the seasons. Right now when we are in the middle of winter and can probably drive a car on the ice, it is hard to image open water. In the summer it is hard to imagine being able to walk across the lake.

To some extent I also get interesting feelings from the high cliffs behind the lodge. It usually happens when I am up on top of them. You can really see a long distance across Magnetic Lake and down towards Saganaga Lake. My most frequent thought is that I can understand how the pioneers in this country wanted to see what was on the other side of the next hill.

The view this pictures shows of the high cliffs is also due to the 1999 Blowdown.

However, this view is changing each year. During the summer of 2000 you could see all the way across the patch of trees that were flattened in the back basin by the Blowdown. That year we planted 5000 conifers of various species. Today those trees plus the natural growth of poplar, birch, and brush is big enough that you can’t see across the new growth any more. This is especially true during the summer when the leaves are out.

I walked back to Lonely Lake not too long ago. Throughout the walk there were clumps of birch trees that had come up around the stump of a dead birch. Straight young poplars were all over. Spruce trees are now 3-4 feet high and balsam are right there with them. White pine and red pine are a little slower to grow but you can see them too. There are enough trees that the wild raspberry bushes are getting squeezed out. Once the trees really take hold, they grow amazingly fast. It is very reassuring to see the forest coming back.

Today was Bruce’s day to smoke a ham. He has done this for years and has developed several secrets to the process. One is to spend the money to buy a good whole ham with a bone in it. Then there is his secret sauce which even I am not allowed to know all the ingredients. The final secret is Missouri hickory wood for the fire. Fishing guide Dennis Todd supplied with a huge load of it last year. Our home smells like smoked ham ever since he brought the finished product in.

The smoking smell must have attracted the deer. We have not started feeding them again but they come in anyway. Today two of the deer were eating right out of Bruce’s hand. Of course, I didn’t know he was doing it so there is no picture. You will just have to take Bruce’s word for it.

Bruce and I were recently talking about the morel mushrooms. We plan on looking for some this summer in early June. People who are more knowledgeable than I say that the best time to hunt them is when the lilacs are blooming. With a little luck from the weather (a mix of rain followed by warm sun) there should be a good crop in the Ham Lake Fire areas. It amazes me when I see these morels dried and selling for $10-20.00 an ounce in the grocery stores. Apparently no one has perfected a way to cultivate this particular type of mushroom. When they are freshly picked and cooked that night, they improve any meal.

Another thing we have been doing during these winter nights is planning our canoe trip Tom and Melissa. The four of us pour over maps and look at portages. Melissa and I are trying to avoid a repeat of last year’s long portage. Wouldn’t you know that Melissa likes a route that has one portage that is 1 ¼ miles long. I’m going to have to train for it. Taking off a few pounds wouldn’t hurt either. We also wonder how the fishing will be. I can almost taste the fresh fish. Certainly they are better than the ones we ate from the freezer the other night (which weren’t that bad).

These are the great, momentous tasks and plans that take up our winter days and nights.