July -- The Month for Visitors

July is turning out to be a busy month. The opening at Chik-Wauk was a huge success. On the 4th, there were about 350 people for the grand opening. Each day the museum has been open since then, there have been at least 100 visitors. There are also lots of people walking the hiking trails, picking blueberries and picnicking on the grounds. It makes everyone involved feel good about the project.

Our friends, Ron and Pat, from the Florida Keys are visiting us for a week. After the necessary trip to Chik-Wauk, we spent some time picking blueberries. The result is that on Friday Pat and I made 29 jars of blueberry jam. On Friday we made 16 jars of strawberry/rhubarb jam. Strawberry/rhubarb is Ron’s favorite jam. It is a great start on the summer jam season.

In fact, we now have enough blueberry jam for the winter. The rest of the blueberries will be frozen for pies and pancakes. Bruce is our pancake maker. He puts together banana, blueberry, walnut buttermilk pancakes. With real maple syrup, they are to die for. It is always a real treat when pancakes are on the breakfast menu. Of course, like everyone our age, cold cereal is a more likely breakfast entre.

Bruce and Ron drove down to Clear Lake, Iowa. This is where we meet Robert coming north with Zach to spend some time in the northwoods. In addition they picked up granddaughter Emma in Sandstone, Minnesota. Emma with be with us for two weeks learning how to bus dishes in the lodge. She will do a great job.

Today Emma and I went raspberry picking. We got enough to make one batch of jam. That’s eight jars of jam. By February they will really taste good. You may be wondering how Bruce and I eat so much jam every year. The answer is that we don’t but our friends and kids do. We raised two boys who felt they were abused if we ran out of homemade jam in April. I brought my real estate agent in Florida some raspberry jam one year. She gave me the empty jars back with a note saying, “I’m empty.”

Making jam is not hard. I just follow the recipes for cooked jam that come with Sure Gel. I have my favorite enamel coated iron pot that I always use. My one trick is sealing the jars. The first step in making jam is to put the clean jars in the dishwasher and turn it on. Then I make the jam. The warm jars from the dishwasher are filled and placed back in the machine. When all the jam is made and the jars are filled, I run them all through one full cycle of the dishwasher. Everything is totally sealed. I do the same thing when making applesauce in the fall. The only time I don’t do it is if I am making pickles which have to cook for a bit in the jars.

So now you know all my jam making secrets. It takes some time but in the winter, it tastes wonderful.

A New Museum on the Gunflint Trail

July 4th will be the grand opening of Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. Over the past few years I have written about it in this blog. Today I will try to give you the complete story.

Chik-Wauk was started in the early 1930’s by Ed and Art Nunstedt. Along with Russell Blankenburg they built a road into the property on Saganaga Lake from Seagull Lake. During the winter of 1932-33 they built their second lodge, a log structure with a rock porch. The log part of the building burned before the first guests stepped in but the porch was saved.

During the winter of 1933-34, they rebuilt the lodge with Saganaga granite rocks. This building served as the main lodge of Chik-Wauk until it was sold to the federal government about 1980 by Ralph and Bea Griffis, the last private owners of Chk-Wauk. Ralph and Bea used the lodge as a summer home until their health no longer allowed them to stay on the Gunflint Trail.

For several years the Forest Service struggled to find a use for the building. Finally they encouraged and supported a group of local people in establishing the Gunflint Trail Historical Society. The society’s goal was to turn the building into a museum and the grounds into a series of hiking and nature trails.

The museum focuses first on the land and lakes of this area. Then it talks about the major population groups of the Gunflint Trail: prehistoric peoples, Native Americans, voyageurs, miners, loggers, businessmen and residents. The nature trails explore the surrounding woods. They take you up into areas recovering from the 2007 Ham Lake fire. There is an excellent wildflower walk exploring the nearby woods. There is also an ADA trail.

The museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is an admission charge of $2 per person or $5 per family. The admission charge is waived for members of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and their guests. Parking is available on the property. There are picnic tables. A map of the hiking trails and a guide to the wildflower trail are also available.

Anyone who has spent much time on the Trail will enjoy this museum. There are many opportunities to learn more about the people who have lived here over the years. When you make your next trip to the Gunflint Trail, be sure to plan a visit to the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center.

Like all societies, suddenly this one has many plans for the future to help tell both the natural and cultural history of this wonderful area. As we work on those, it is enough to have the museum completed and open for you to visit.

A Glorious Summer Day

Summer is in full swing right now. Today’s weather is just what you want. It must be in the 70’s with sunshine and a few puffy white clouds in the sky. There is a very small breeze from the northwest. The bugs are not here. We have been teasing Don Kufahl who runs the kitchen and dining room. It is Sunday and we are scheduled for the weekly outdoor barbeque. We are asking Don where the rain is? Sundays with an outdoor meal planned always seem to be rainy days. I was down at the lodge just a short time ago. The ribs on the smoker smelled wonderful.

The cabins are filled with families. One of the interesting family groupings we had this past week is several fathers with their children. I mean 8-12 year old children who go out fishing and seem to be having a great time. Last night in the dining room we also had two groups of fathers and young children who had been out on canoe trips. It is really great to see these young kids getting out on trips with their dads.

Last week’s weather was a little cool and rainy but we still had kids of all sizes in the water. All the kayaks and inflated tubes were out with small bodies learning to propel them. There is nothing more fun that watching a youngster get into one of the kayaks for the first time. They struggle learning how to paddle and then, suddenly, they just know how to do it. After that they can go anywhere. With everyone in life jackets, a parent’s job is reduced to lounging in a chair and soaking up the sun.

I have attached one picture of the kitchen in new Cabin #27 and the living room in new Cabin #26. We opened both cabin just last week. Not too bad considering that it was late October when the old ones burned. Reviews have been good from our first two parties. They both are heavily rented for the rest of the summer.

It looks like we are going be having a good summer. Reservations are up from last year. People from all over are eating in the bistro and dining room. More and more as I talk to people, I find many groups who don’t stay with here but make a point to stop for a meal every time they are on the Trail. It all works out very well for us. It’s good for the gift shop too.

Hopefully we will be seeing many of you at some time during the summer.

Full Steam Into June

Now that the Memorial Day weekend is over, we are all catching our breath. All the cabins were filled which kept us busy. The weather was great. People took advantage of it by canoeing, boating, fishing and horseback riding. Even the bugs cooperated by not being present.

I have had a rather fun project lately. Out 2 ½ year old grandson seems to like all the “boy toys.” So I have been writing him stories about Grandpa working with his bobcat or when the horses arrived at the stables this spring. The stories and pictures are transmitted via the internet but I have not had a chance to read them to him myself. That’s about to change. I printed out the pictures and text for the latest story and put it into a 3-ring binder. So I will get to read “Grandpa Goes Minnow Trapping” to him myself when we go visit. Just so you don’t get overly impressed, writing for a little boy consists of one or two sentences per page. I think any of you could do it.

The Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center has been pulling me away from Gunflint Lodge these past couple of weeks. There were two weeks when our design firm, Split Rock Studios, was installing all the exhibits. Now we are working on a three page checklist of things we are responsible for. Every day one more project gets finished. The projects range from cleaning to installing computers to touching up paint to bringing in custom made benches. As things get totally finished I can’t help but think about the literally hundreds of people who have worked on this over the last five years. The grand opening is July 4th.

The new cabins are getting closer and closer to being finished. The list of what needs to be finished is pretty short. It is a good thing because one of them is occupied June 9th and the other June 10th. Of course, we always get excited as new cabins come on line. Since 1968, every cabin but one has been replaced and two of them (#2 and #9) have been replaced twice.

Last week we baked bread on the new wood-fired oven on Friday and Sunday. Each time we seem to get a little better at it. Learning to control the fire and bake everything at the right temperature is a project. It is also an accomplishment to avoid burning one side of the bread. Our next step is to try some pizza which will appear once a week on the lunch menu. I don’t think we are up to throwing the dough in the air yet but it should taste good.

Last weekend was the fishing opener. We did not have a lot of fishermen but the ones who were here had good luck. Both Jon Schei and Adam Treeful’s parties filled their limits of walleye and lake trout. The weather was wonderful and the lakes like glass so we really didn’t expect such good fishing results. At this time of year it seems that wet, cold, rainy days yield the best fishing results. This weekend was a very pleasant change for everyone out fishing.

Work on Cabins #26 and #27 is coming along nicely. The plumbing is done, the fireplaces are in, the new beds have arrived and furniture comes Friday. Bruce is outside working on the landscaping and building rock walls. It is one of his favorite jobs. In fact I think there is a genetic tendency toward building. Our 2 ½ year old grandson loves to hear about Grandpa and his bobcat.

Both Bruce and I have been somewhat distracted by the new Museum going in at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. As many of you know, we have been part of a group who has worked for five years to get this museum open. It is going to tell the story of the people of the Gunflint Trail. On Monday a 53-foot truck arrived jam packed with all the exhibits. It had taken nine hours to load the truck and it took 6 men four hours to unload it. The project has been designed and built by Split Rock Studios. They sent up a crew to assemble everything. On July 4th we will be having the grand opening. I think visitors will be pleased with the museum.

The week before Memorial Day is our annual flower delivery. In addition to flowers that we plant around the outfitters and lodge, flowers for many of the neighbors come in. It is one of my favorite days. We receive over $6000 of flowers, shrubs and trees. Once they are here, the real work begins. Ronnie Smith supervises the landscaping. At this time of year she recruits everyone she can to weed and help plant. By the time you come for vacation, the grounds will be alive with colorful flowers.

Reservations seem to be coming in earlier than last year. For every month we have more nights reserved than we did last year at this time. It is one of those things that I count so we really know what is going on. With the quick response time of the internet, Bruce bases his internet advertising on how our reservations are doing. After a difficult economic climate last year, it is good to see things improving this year.

We are all looking forward to welcoming many of you this summer.

As we get closer to the opening of the fishing season, the days get busier. On Sunday the horses arrived for the season. Mandy and Justin had everything ready and it took only a few minutes to unload them. Most of the horses had been here last year so they were very much at home from the beginning. For at least half of them the first activity was a quick roll in the dirt.

Last weekend was the Ham Lake Half Marathon. There are two lengths to the race – the full run and a shorter run. All together there were almost 200 runners. The weather was cool with a nice breeze. After the race, a huge meal was given at Way of the Wilderness. It is a great race with the proceeds going to cancer research.

We have finally gotten a little rain. Over the weekend it was just spitting off and one. Last night, however, we got several good soakers. It is still very dry in the woods but better than before the weekend. We just have to all be very careful with fire outside. The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department had two small grass fires to put out. One was caused by a tree knocked into a live electric line. The other was caused by animals chewing on an electric line to a heat tape. Both fires were quickly put out.

This weekend is the Gunflint Green Up. For the past two years hundreds of volunteers have come to help plant trees in the burned areas of the Trail. Most of the trees have been white pine and red pine. While trees will still be planted, this year’s focus is on “releasing” the trees. Pine trees can quickly be shaded from the sun by deciduous plants with large leaves. The volunteers will be cutting down plants around the small trees. This one cutting will give the pines enough sunlight for a head start to grow taller than the other plants around them. I think it might be a back-breaking job.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to take reservations for the coming summer. As is often the case, our multi-bedroom cabins book up first for all the families. The one-bedroom cabins are a bit slower to be reserved in the summer (except for honeymooners). This is just the reverse of the winter when the one-bedroom cabins are reserved first. With kids in school we do not get as many large families in the winter.

I am starting to get excited about the opening of the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. The grand opening will be July 4th after five years of preparations. Although small, the museum is jam-packed with exhibits. Outside there are a whole series of hiking trails to explore the area around the museum. If you are coming up the Trail this summer, be sure to put the museum on your must-do list.

Ice Out!

Shortly after I posted my blog, Neighbor Fred called me. He could see all the way down to the sand beach and there was no ice. So now we can officially say that winter is over and spring is here. It is right on time. We checked out our last winter group (Books in the Woods) this morning. The next package will be the beginning of May.

The guys are already tearing apart the kitchen as they clean everything. I am making some soup at my house for managers' lunch tomorrow since Don is turning off all the gas in the kitchen. It will take about a week to clean all the exhaust hoods, ovens (5) and burners (10). Meanwhile all the walls and ceiling tiles are being washed. Once the walls are clean, Don has 3 gallons of white paint waiting in his office.

The front rooms are also getting torn apart. Mandy and Kacy cleaned most of the main room but the dining room still has to be done. Also the floors of both have to be finished. In Don's office is some extra hard wax. After it goes on, we will let it harden for a couple days before walking on it.

I don't know if I want to wish you can still see some wax or not when you come up this summer. If you can see the wax, that means it held up really well. If you can't see the wax, that means we have been really, really busy.

At any rate, I have to get my own house clean today. When Bruce and I get back, it is nice to come into a clean house. The spring cleaning bug has really bit hard.

Who Cares About The Ice?

It’s hard to believe that we are deep in the heart of April. The weather feels more like May. The northwest wind has come up today and the ice is moving to the east. This is the way it normally goes out. I talked with Fred Smith who lives closer to the east end of Gunflint. He still has ice but it is moving. We will see what happens during the rest of the day. If it finishes going out today, that would make it only one day past when Don Brazell would have had it going out.

Sometimes I think that you must get tired of reading about the ice going off the lake. Why does it hold such a fascination for me? Perhaps because it is such a sharp division between winter and summer. All winter the ice is on the lake. It is hard to imagine what open water is like. The reverse is true during the summer. Most of our guests have never seen the lake with ice on it, ice that is thick enough to drive a truck on. When the ice is off, it is truly time to get geared up for summer business and activities. So we are all ready for fishing, families and canoe trips.

Meanwhile, with this nice weather everyone is getting the urge to go out hiking. Bruce and I hiked the Centennial Trail off the Kekekabic Trail. We started on the Round Lake Road and hiked up the trail. There are several nice viewing areas as you climb up. At one point you could see the ponds on the Round Lake Road below and the stable and hay barn at Gunflint in the distance. Once we reached the Kek it was pretty much downhill back to the road.

The Forest Service has also marked and cleared the trail up to the old Gunflint Fire Tower. It is about ¾’s of a mile off the Kekekabic Trail. One day Bruce and I will take off to walk that.

These various trails in the woods are great to get out on during the spring. Our two best walkers are Bonnie and Sheryl. They like to go in the late afternoon. I heard that their next hike will be on the Canadian side of the lake.

We used to have a cross country ski trail called the East End Trail that ran on the old railroad grade of the Duluth, Port Arthur and Western Railroad. That’s the one that came from Port Arthur (now part of Thunder Bay) along the north shore of Gunflint, across a bridge over the narrows and into the Paulson Mine. Walking on the Kek you can still see several of the test pits that were dug searching for iron ore. All they ever found was taconite which could not be refined at that time (1893).

This railroad was also used for logging on the U. S. side. It crossed over to the U. S. side near Bridal Falls. On the east side of the falls you can still see the railroad trestle. It was made by piling up logs on top of each other until the road bed was high enough to get over the hills on the south shore of Gunflint. It is not what you expect to find while exploring the woods. Actually there are several roads and hiking trails around that were originally railroad grades. Another one is the Gunflint Narrows Road. When the museum up at Chik-Wauk opens, we will have them marked on a large map of the area.

Bruce and I are taking off for 10 days. It’s time to see grandchildren and other parts of the country. We won’t be home until the 22nd so don’t expect to hear from me.

Who Cares About The Ice?

It's a Really Really Early Spring

If we thought that spring was coming early, now we have proof. All you need to do is look at our picture. Today there is no snow around the outfitting building.. The picture with all the snow was taken April 1st of 2009 looking at the outfitting building.. There is just a bit more snow than we have now.

Of course, the other sure sign of spring is the ice going off the lakes. We have a system for deciding when the lice will leave the lakes. It all goes back to our first mailman, Don Brazell. Don delivered mail and freight up here fir 30-40 years. In the spring he took note of when the North Brule River started flowing free of ice. He then observed that one week later the smaller lakes went out. A week after that the larger lakes were clear of ice.

On Friday, March 26th, Sheryl went to town. There was ice on the North Brule. When she came home later that day, the ice was done and the river was running freely. She took a picture of the event. It’s my third picture. If Don’s predictions run true, the ice should be off Gunflint Lake on Friday, April 9th. That is the earliest any of us can remember it.

Today the entire ice is black and the wind is blowing. The ice is off where the Cross River enters the lake by Moosehorn. That is always the starting point. Slowly the flowing river waters will eat into the ice creating a larger portion of open water. Meanwhile the main sheet of ice on the lake is floating free from shore. Winds buffet it back and form eating away at the edges. On just the proper day, a northwest wind will start the entire flow moving out from the Cross River and down to the east end of the lake. Depending on the wind, this can be done in one or two days. We will see if the lake is out by next Friday.

We are all enjoying the warm weather but there is a little down side to this. I am anxious to get into my garden but I still don’t think I can plant anything until lake in May. If I try basil, it will be black the first morning that the temperature gets anywhere near freezing. So for two months I will try to be patient.

This has been a very busy week at the lodge. Most of our cabins are full with families up for the Easter week. There are probably more kids in camp than adults. We are all getting ready for the summer season with kids all over.

The new cabins are coming along right on schedule. The interior paneling is finished and both of them have been varnished. Jordy and his crew are starting the exterior siding next week. Meanwhile Bruce and Dave Kleusch are gathering rocks to landscape around each cabin. The other day they filled the big red dump truck five times. Both of them stood grinning from ear to ear as they looked at the size of their rock pile.

It's Almost Spring!

Before I write anything else, I need to assure everyone from Harlingen, Texas, to Cloquet, Minnesota, and parts in between that Bruce and Sue are fine. It has just been really busy around here. Thankfully, the lodge has been overflowing with guests and meals. Then it is tax time – one of my favorite projects of each year. But the real change has been the Chik-Wauk Museum. As many of you know, Bruce and I have been working with a huge group of people to get this museum open. Everything is coming together but there are lots of last minute details. One big one is making sure that all the names of people are spelled correctly. Another project is the little pieces of text that have to be added here and there. That means I have to write many of them. So be patient with me and eventually I will get blogs out.

The news around here has been the weather. It is unseasonably warm. In fact our snow and ice conditions are where they normally are in the middle of April. None of the ski or snowmobile trails have good snow on them. We have had rain in addition to the warm temperatures and those two have reduced the snow to almost nothing. Here is a picture of my garden. There is just no snow.

On the lake the ice depth has been reduced from about three feet to two feet. Last weekend fishermen were still driving vehicle on the ice but I don’t expect that to happen this coming weekend. Spring ice is very unstable and unreliable. You can be standing on solid ice but a foot to one side is rotten ice and you will go right through. This is because the ice melts by honeycombing with vertical shafts of air. How much honeycombing is in a particular area depends on the currents in the water. All in all, this is a good time to stop going on the lakes.

In spite of the lack of snow, we still have lots of guests coming in. In fact we are practically full this week. On Monday and Thursday we don’t have a cabin open. The dining room has been particularly busy with guests and people just visiting the area.

Last weekend the Mush For The Cure, a fund raiser for breast cancer research, was schedule. The snow and ice were such that no race could be help. Instead the organizers set up an obstacle course. Everyone had a great time. The group raised $28,000 for research which is a huge accomplishment. We were very proud of the fact that Adam Treeful, our fishing guide/cook, was number four on the list of top money raisers. Our dog musher, Don Decker, had his own method of providing dog sled rides. See the picture up above.

Finally I have a picture Sheryl took the other morning. The fog makes it look like we are on the edge of the world. You can just barely see the ice house further out.

Another Week

Bruce and I ran off to Missouri this last weekend. It was Grandson Zach’s 10th birthday. He is growing too fast. The top of his head is over my shoulder now. Don’t anyone write and ask me where Zach’s picture is. You know how terrible I am about taking pictures. Right now he looks pretty funny because there is a green cast on his right hand from his arm pit to his knuckles. He fell into someone while running backwards. Zach is now learning how to eat with his left hand. Because of the bend in his cast, any food he tries to get into his mouth with the right hand ends up on his left shoulder. The best news is that it was a clean break and he is healing well.

We missed a very busy weekend at the lodge. Don Decker had three dog teams up giving guests rides. Here is a picture of one of the runs on the lake. They also had runs in the woods. By the end of the weekend the dogs were pooped. It is truly amazing how those dogs love to run. When you start to hook them up to the sled, every one of them is barking, “Don’t forget me! I’m over here.”

In addition to all the dog team activities the local snowmobile club had a fun run up the Trail with stops at several places. I understand we had some riders also stay for lunch. The dining room and kitchen staff were kept fairly busy for part of the afternoon.
This weekend looks like it is going to be really busy. The cabins are full. I can already hear fishermen going out on the lake. In addition to our guests there will be lots of visitors in for lunch. The entire staff gets into it when we are this busy. The lodge just hums. We are very lucky to have a group of people working for us who get as excited as Bruce and I do when there are guests all over the place. It is just more fun when it’s busy.

While the lodge is serving meals, our construction crew is busy on Cabins #26 and #27. I took a picture today of Jordy Kirk in #27. Jordy is heading up the construction crew and doing a wonderful job. Those of you who stayed in old #27 need to take a look at the windows in new #27. The view of the lake is stupendous. Also the living room and kitchen are so bright and cheery.

On Wednesday Bonnie and Sheryl are going to Duluth to order furniture. They have their list and they will be checking it twice. Some salesperson is going to be very happy to see them. There will be a lot of furniture in those two units. We have also been talking with Jeff Boutin who does our carpet for us. This time the cabins will be getting 18” squares of carpet. It will be a different look but you will really like it.

So life moves along here at Gunflint.

What Shall I Write Today?

A new piece of furniture arrived on Sunday for the main lodge. It is a new buffet for our coffee service. This picture does not do it justice. The wood is white pine, red pine, birch bark and black spruce. It was hand made by a small company in Two Harbors. They delivered it and put it together for us. Heaven help anyone who spills anything on it!

If you are not up here now, you are missing some of the most beautiful days and nights this winter. The last storm has left lots of snow hanging on the branches of our trees. The full moon is just reflecting off of all this snow. People are just out walking and soaking in all the beauty. Even looking out my office window, I can’t get over how wonderful everything looks.

Wolves are still coming around regularly. Yesterday Bruce and I looked out our kitchen window only see some scat left by a wolf during the night. I can’t say that I am out to get wolves because they kill deer. It is all part of the pecking order in nature. This year (both summer and winter) we have suddenly had a great increase in wolf sightings. You know they will not hurt you. There is, however, something deep within us that shudders when we see a wolf.

As you might guess, sometimes I run out of things to say. Today is one of those days. I’m wondering what Justine might have done today. It just so happens that I have a diary that Justine kept during the winter of 1936-37. I don’t know why she kept it as we have no other diary of hers. The guess is that she kept it because people were always asking what she did all winter. So here is what she wrote:

Wed, 2/3/37 Parade in evening & went with Bub & Ed & Wanda to hear Rudy Valee & see the queen picked & crowned. Met Steven & went to their house to see their movies of the north
Thurs, 2/4/37 The day of the Hook En Cow shindig – we did not go down, aired the dogs & did some errands. Out to Ed’s folks for supper.
Fri, 2/5/37 Parade in evening
Sat, 2/6/37 Contacted Bradley & aired the dogs – Final parade in evening. Went to St. Paul Hotel to meet Paul
Sun, 2/7/37 Drove back from St. Paul with all the puppies & sled in a small blizzard – Only had to air the dogs once – Had lunch in Duluth

The background is the Bill and Justine were invited down to bring their dog team to march in the parades for the St. Paul Winter Carnival. They were paid a modest amount but really needed the money. The only way they could transport the dogs was in their small car. I seem to remember that the dogs wanted to fight quite a bit in the car. It must have been like bringing three teenagers..

Of course, the dogs were not used to being in the city. They wanted to go lots faster than the parade was going. Luckily Mom had thought this might happen. She had run the team the previous day to try to tire them out. The only place she could find to run them was in one of the St. Paul cemeteries – no traffic in there and lots of roads. They left on Sunday to go home. I think all were glad to get back in the woods.

An Unusual Phone Call

Last week we received about nine inches of snow. It was truly welcome as our trails were starting to get a little bare. This was a wet heavy snow that is packing into some beautiful ski trails. Unlike most snows, however, we have not been able to just go out and pack the trails. The snow was so heavy that trees and shrubs were over laden and came down on all the trails. Since then we have had crews out with nippers and chainsaws clearing. At times it has been 4 guys for a day. Once a trail is cleared, it is groomed and tracked into a beautiful ski route. But we are not finished yet. The last two trails are Ham Lake and Lonely Lake. The guys hope to get them finished during the early part of the week. The ones that are now open are worth all the work that went into clearing.

You can imagine how many times we answer the telephone here at the lodge. So last Sunday night I picked up the phone and gave my line, “Gunflint Lodge, this is Sue.” Someone on the other end gave his name and then said, “Do you know Ben Gallagher?” Well of course I do. He is the man who bought an island in Magnetic Bay in the early 1920’s (before the road to Gunflint) and turned it into a lovely summer home. Bruce and I have lots of stories about Ben and his wife during the almost 50 years they summered here.

Imagine my surprise as I listened to this man tell me that he was working on a book about Ernest Hemingway (The Ernest Hemingway) and guns that he had owned. Investigating letters in the Hemingway collection at the JFK Library at Harvard, he came across some letters from Ben Gallagher to Hemingway. Apparently the two of them had known each other in Paris during the late 1930’s. Ben was working for a U. S. Bank in Paris and would hunt with his friend “Hem.”

One letter written in July of 1938 reads like Hemingway was planning to visit the island. Unfortunately a lightening fire destroyed the main cabin. Ben, his wife, Mama (with the accent on the last syllable), and the servants were leaving to go see what had happened and to start rebuilding. They hoped to have things in shape for Hemingway’s visit in September.

What brought the researchers to us was the ending of the letter. There Ben gives the address of where to write to him – Gunflint Lodge, Grand Marais, Minn. Roger Sanger, the caller, found us on the internet and decided to make a call. Probably only Bruce or I would have been able to help him.

We have all heard about everyone being three degrees of separation for anyone else. Well, I am TWO degrees of separation from Ernest Hemingway. So there!

January Flies By

Another week has flown by us. I am getting used to writing 2010 on letters and checks.
The lodge is quite busy with guests. Last night we got a new snowfall which was welcomed by everyone. We have sunshine today and the lake is just glistening with the new snow. As I sit writing, I can hear an occasional snowmobile going by on the lake. Ski trails are in good condition. With the warmer temperatures, people are out and about each day.

This weekend the lake trout fishing season opens on the U. S. side of Gunflint. It all sounds pretty good to me. Bruce and I are ready for some fresh fish for dinner. Living here we are really snobs about fresh fish. If we can’t eat it immediately, the fish is wrapped in saran wrap and frozen in one of those sealer bags that takes out all the air. As nicely as this treats the fish, there is still nothing to compare to eating fish that was swimming in the water just hours ago.
Adam Treeful works for us as a fishing guide in the summer and a cook in the winter. Especially during the winter, he just has to get outside. This fall he built a dog sled. The idea was that his dog, Mick, could be trained to pull the lead. Now he has corralled the house pets of other employees to help pull the sled. So Monster (Jason’s dog), Rudy (John’s dog) and Moose (Mandy’s dog) are now sled dogs. The picture is of Adam with the new team. The next step in this process is to add four dogs owned by Mark Darling on Saganaga Lake. With a team of eight dogs, Adam plans to enter into the Race for The Cure later this winter.

The deer are coming in steadily for corn at the lodge. Today there were even two of them lying on top of the berm next to Cabin #7. All these deer have brought in the wolves. There was a kill about 300 feet on the lake just in front of the lodge. All day long there was a parade of wolves and a flight of crows about the remains. In just one day the deer was totally gone.

Of course, wolves have also been seen as we go about our daily chores. I was driving down to the lodge the other day and one came out of the drive to the stable. It ran along the road to just before Cabin #27 and disappeared into the woods leading to the lake. It was a beautiful animal and I wish I could have taken a picture of it.

There is also a scrawny wolf that is hanging around for the second year. One day last year it was chasing Shadow, one of the dogs at Gunflint Pines. Shadow just made it into the porch a step ahead of the wolf. The wolf is back and everyone is watching their dogs to keep them out of this wolf’s way.

Hope I will be able to tell you about a fresh fish dinner next week.