Nosey Rosey May 6

Rrruff! RRRRuff! RRRRRRrrrruuff! This is Nosey Rosey for WTIP radio. I’m rrruf-fing today because the ice is ruff and getting ruffer every day. There is still ice on many of the lakes around the Gunflint Trail and the panic is starting.

“When will the ice go out?” is the first thing every person you meet in town asks. “Will the ice be gone for fishing opener?” is the subject of about every other phone call.

Last year the ice went out waaaaay early and NOBODY did anything different. No early spring trips, no fishing for northerns and bass on border lakes, no celebratory jumping off the dock. Ooh BrrRRRR! So who really cares when the ice goes out? Hmmmm? It’s about the gossip and the chase, not the reality. (whisper) Humans are so strange.

The ice will be gone by fishing opener from all the lakes anybody cares about, and the few nuts cases…I mean “Enthusiasts”… (ahem) who just have to be the first ones across the portages can find a bit of open water now if they look hard enough. So what’s the big deal? Bark! Bark!

So here’s the dealy-o. Pay Attention. Sit! Staaaay.

Seagull Lake is going out. Saganaga channel is out but the main lake still has some ice. Gunflint Lake is about half out as of today and a few of the little lakes at the end of the road are out. Round Lake is going out today and Cross River up through Ham and Cross Bay Lake is open.

Mid-trail lakes are a bit behind but they’ll be open by 4 p.m. on May 10, 2011. Trust me – I know.

That’s a good boy – now you can get up. Sorry, no treats.

OK! Enough about ice!

We had an unusual animal sighting this week. There is a raven with light brown feathers hanging around our place. It seems to be a normal raven in every other respect and is with another all black one so it is definitely a raven – not something else. I’d like to say it’s albino but it doesn’t have a pink eye or totally white feathers. Its coloring looks more like a large sparrow or female finch than a raven. It’ll be interesting to see if it stays in the ‘hood.

In the human news from the Trail…Meeting season has started! Grrrrrrrr. Better get your license so you can go catch a meeting or three. But don’t go over your limit…we want to leave a few meetings for the next guy…(snicker, snicker)

Some meetings got away already…The Boundary Waters Cooperator meeting and the Gunflint Trail Association meeting are history. Nice trophy meetings for sure. I hear you can get a copy of the minutes and mount them on your wall but it’s not the same thing.

The Gunflint Trail Historical Society is having its first meeting of the year, Monday, May 9th, at 1:30 p.m. in the Gunflint Lodge Conference Center. Treats will be provided and Don Germain will be the program speaker. Don is an interesting guy and has been a Trail resident for several dog lifetimes. I’m sure he will have some great stories. I’ll just come for the treats.

The really big news on the Gunflint Trail is that WTIP has a new station on the Trail! WKEK is the new station broadcasting at 89.1 on your FM dial. So if you can’t hear me right now you’re tuned to the old station. Yeah… Trail residents and folks out in the BWCA should get better reception and access to emergency information if they need it. AND you can hear me better too!

And I’d pup-sonally like to welcome the Van Tassel family to the Gunflint Trail. They are the new owners at Clearwater Lodge and Outfitters. I’m sure they will enjoy life on the Trail. Their manager Erik has a dog named Marla and I am looking forward to meeting Marla.

Right now though, I’m gonna go watch my dad raking leaves and moving canoes and unpacking boxes and finding broken pipes and swearing and doing all that spring stuff. But I think I’m gonna lay down in my favorite spot right by the paddle rack and soak up a little sun and have a little … (Snoooorre)

SQUIRREL!

OOOOOhhh! Gotta run! This is Nosey Rosey for WTIP comyoonitee radio. Bark Bark!

Airdate: May 6, 2011

Photo courtesy of PXLated via Flickr.