Gunflint Lodge

Gunflint Lodge

Hi! It's Sue Kerfoot and I am the substitute blogger while Lee and Eva are the Cities for a few days. One of my other jobs is to walk their dog, Tucker, each day while they are gone. Sounds like a pretty quiet activity. Eva recently found out that unexpected encounters can happen on our trails.

Not too long ago Eva and Tucker were walking up to Lonely Lake in the back basin. Suddenly Tucker is alert and the fur on his back is standing up but Eva can't see or hear anything. They go around a couple curves and still nothing. When they round the third curve, a wolf appears. Off goes Tucker chasing the wolf and off goes Eva chasing Tucker! Needless to say if Tucker caught the wolf, the wolf would get the better of their encounter. This is not their first encounter with wolves while walking. Another time they were walking down the back road. Now how tame can that be? Well, the sun was just peeking over the tops of the trees when a wolf crossed the road ahead of them. Between the early morning sun and lack of wind, Tucker didn't spot this wolf but Eva sure did. Also the two of them have regularly seen wolf scat (poop to most of us) in the middle of the road. It looks like a dog's except you can see the deer hair in it. The point is that you never know what will happen on a walk at Gunflint.

Sue Kerfoot

P.S. I'm Lee's mother in case you are confused.

Gunflint Lodge on KSTP

Hi-

The Minneapolis/St. Paul tv station KSTP is up here filming today. Tomorrow (Tuesday) they will be filming live throughout the morning. If you saw us, we are interested to hear what you think. Post to the blog what your thoughts were.

Thanks

Lee

This past weekend

Hi

We had a busy weekend with the second annual Winter Tracks Fesitval. The weekend and specifically the Snow Boot Ball was a success. We had over 100 people at the Ball. The food was a hit, many awards and door prizes were won, and the band got everyone up and dancing.

If you have been to Gunflint in the summer you probably have tasted our summer BBQ buffet. We served this menu (Smoked BBQ ribs, smoked chicken, a 50# piece of beef, cheesy potatoes, string beens, chocolate fudge brownies, and home made rolls) from 5-7.

Next the band started playing and people were dancing for the next couple of hours. Between the cash bar and the band, everyone was in a good mood.

One other thing I really enjoyed about the weekend was the stars. Right now the moon is only a small sliver in the sky giving the stars a chance to shine on their own. I always love seeing a sky full of stars. The longer you stare at the sky the more stars you see.

Lee

More Fresh Snow and Winter Tracks

Hi-

Yesterday we got more fresh snow. At the end of the day we got about 3 1/2 inches. This morning the crew was out grooming the ski trails.

Winter Tracks is in full swing on the Gunflint Trail. Yesterday we had more people carving the snow blocks in front of the lodge. We now have two wonderful dancing bears, stone hedge, a huge frog, and a cube balancing on its corner.

Now we are getting ready for the Snow Boot Ball tonight. Our Chef is out preparing the food for the awards banquet tonight. He is smoking ribs, chicken, and a 75# steamship of buffalo. He is also cooking potatoes, green beans, and chocolate fudge brownies for dessert.

Tonight at the Snow Boot Ball we will also be having a contra dance and a cash bar. Everyone should have a great time at the event.

Lee

Winter Tracks has Arrived

Hi-

Winter Tracks officially started yesterday, but today it is here in full swing. People have been stopping by to start the snow carving in front of the resort. You can just barely make them out on our webcam http://www.bwca.cc/weather/gunflint/gunflint1.jpg. The webcam had been down for a couple of days and now is back up and running again.

This weekend at Gunflint we will be hosting an ice augor drilling contest, a ski relay race, snow carving, free dog sled rides, and the snow boot ball on Saturday. We are excited about hosting all of these events. If you want to learn more about Winter Tracks go to www.WinterTracks.com.

One more thing...last night we got more fresh snow and today we have been out grooming. Our trails are in perfect condition and the weather has been excellent.

Lee

Fresh Snow Today

Hi-

When we woke up today it was snowing again. So now we have another couple inches of fresh snow in the past day or two. Our base is great and the ski trails look great.

So if you are going to be coming up here this weekend for the Winter Tracks Festival our snow conditions will be great. If you don't know what Winter Tracks is all about check out the website at www.wintertracks.com

Last night our family went on a sleigh ride at Okontoe. As usually the ride was wonderful and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Gunflint Trail. The Patten family does a fantastic job. This is truely an authentic experience and if you can get signed up for a ride and we think you will love it. They are starting to take reservations a year in advance because their rides are so popular.

Lee

Cold Snap Last Night

Hi-

Yesterday and last night we had our first really cold weather of the winter. Yesterday the weather hung around -5 to 0 degrees all day. But last night it got really cold. One neighbor down the lake called to tell me it was -34 degrees at his house.

Today it is hovering around 0 degrees, but the wind chill put it around -15 degrees. Check out our online weather report at
http://bwca.cc/weather/gunflint/cable1.jpg

Besides the cool weather, it is a great day outside. Lots of sunlight, crisp clean air, and lots of snow on the ground.

Lee

Weather at Gunflint

Good Morning-

The end result of the snow on Tuesday was we ended up with nearly 3 inches of fresh snow. So now the trails are in great condition and we are ready for a busy weekend. Part of getting ready for the weekend was bringing extra firewood to the cabins. Now the cabins have big piles of firewood ready for our weekend guests to use.

The weather channels keep talking about really cold weather, but we have not seen it yet. This morning it was -10 when I came to work, so this isn't anything unusually cold. But we are preparing for the cold, just in case those weather reporters actually do know what they are talking about.

Lee

Heavy Snow Fall on Gunflint Lake

Hi-

For the past 2 hours it has been snowing really hard and we could hardly see the opposite side of the lake. Currently it is a totaly white out and we definitely can not see the other side of the lake.

Tomorrow we will keep you posted about how much new snow we got...but right now we have about two inches of fresh snow today with hopefully lots more to come.

Lee

it's snowing!!!!!

It's a great morning at Gunflint Lodge. Big snowflakes are falling lightly as the day awakens. Deer are already waiting for their breakfast handout of corn, birdseed, or whatever morsel they can find hidden in the snow. The moon was full Sunday night so the staff decided to have a soccer game on the lake. Present were about 15 staff, several deer spectating along the shoreline, and a curious fox just waiting to play. It was a great way to enjoy the full moon and for the animals to see what the humans are up to at night.

Have a great day!

Any Dog Lovers Out There

Hi-

Yesterday we had a busy check out day for our four legged friends. This past weekend was one of our Dog Lover's Weekends.

One of my favorite parts to the Dog Lover's Weekends is the doggie social on the ice in front of the resort. I'm a little biased because my 9 month old yellow lab can't go to the dog park to meet other dogs, so we particularly enjoy these opportunities to spend time interacting with other dogs.

But you don't have to come to Gunflint on a Dog Lover's Weekend to bring your canine family members with you...you can bring them anytime of the year.

Hopefully we will see you and your dog with you on your next vacation to Gunflint.

Lee

The Adventure Center at Gunflint

Hi-

We are always trying to improve guests experience while they are at Gunflint. One of the things we have been experimenting with this winter is our Adventure Center.

The people working in the Adventure Center will be contacting all of our guests prior to their arrival to see if they have any special requests or would like to schedule any popular activities in advance.

Additionally this is the place you will go to if you have any questions about how to do something, or if you just need a little push in the right direction for your adventures while you are at Gunflint.

Right now we do not have this area staffed 24/7 but you can contact them on e-mail at AdventureCenter@Gunflint.com. Or you can always call the front desk and they will be able to help you with any special requests and they will be able to help you.

We look forward to welcoming you to Gunflint when you arrive but in the mean time don't be surprised if you hear from our Adventure Center staff prior to your arrival.

Lee

Rings around the Moon

Have you ever looked at the moon and seen a ring around it. Last night I noticed a huge ring around the moon.

When I talked to a couple of people I was told that the ring is formed from ice crystals in the air. After enquiring what "that meant", they told me it means it is going to snow.

I went to bed last night thinking how nice it would be if it snowed tomorrow. When I woke up this morning it was snowing!

Check out the snow on our webcam. It updates every 20 minutes automatically.

http://www.bwca.cc/weather/gunflint/gunflint1.jpg

Lee

Just a Dusting

Hi-

Yesterday we heard that today might bring a light snow fall. When we woke this morning we found that mother nature had indeed brought us snow, but it was only a dusting.

So we decided that it was enough snow (plus a busy weekend of skiiers in house) to groomed the entire upper gunflint ski trail system. So if you are coming up for the weekend or in the next couple of days our trails are in perfect condition.

Don't worry we groom regularly so no matter when you arrive our trails are in top condition. Have good weekend.

Lee

Trophy Big Rainbow Trout

Hello Fisherman,

This posting is for you-

Bonnie Schudy was out fishing on Monday and caught a 26" rainbow trout! Pretty impressive, especially since her husband who was fishing with her got skunked. Right now she is keeping a tight lip as to where she went fishing, but maybe by the time her trophy rainbow trout returns from the taxidermy she will be willing to share her secret location with us for the summer months.

Lee

Deer Feeding in front of the lodge

Hi-

We have been working on getting our webcam up and working again. Well now we have it working so I wanted to tell you about the deer feeding we do every day at the lodge. We try to feed the deer every day around 4:00 PM. So check out this site every day during the winter months to see the deer at the feeder directly in front of the lodge.

http://www.bwca.cc/weather/gunflint/gunflint1.jpg

Enjoy-

Lee

Today in the woods

Hi-

Today I was told about two guests in the woods with their two dogs. They went out and saw a tree with Pileated woodpecker holes on it. It is great to hear these holes can still be found in the woods because these huge woodpeckers are rare to see...no matter how many I see in the woods I am still always surprised at how big they are.

The couple also told me that they saw deer hair in the path. The dogs were smelling the snow all around the hair trying to get a scent of where the rest of the deer was. Finding deer hair is generally a sign of mother nature taking her toll on the deer's life, but the couple told me no hide was found so this probably was only from the deer shedding.

Right now the moon is about 50% full and growing each night. My favorite time of the moon cycle is when the moon is getting smaller because that is when the stars really come out for a show. Since we do not have any street lights up here the stars really jump out at you on clear evening nights like tonight.

Lee