Wildersmith on the Gunflint

Summer is flying by as we have reached the midpoint of July with the full “half-way moon,” all on this same weekend.
The past seven has been splendid along the Trail with both marvelous warm days and tolerable sleeping nights. A couple of well-deserved showers that amounted to just under an inch in the Wildersmith rain gauge extended comfort concerning wildfire danger. If we can just get the rain gods to continue the offerings, all will be peachy for forest dwellers and visitors.
The fruits of the forest are beginning to bear rewards for early searchers. One fellow has been out hitting his secret strawberry patch and has found enough to begin measuring for that initial batch of jam. Meanwhile, a couple gals have made some calls to their prime blueberry heaven and have come back saying that it is still early, but did not get blanked. From what I’ve observed along the Mile O Pine, it looks as though the wild raspberry crop might be a bit sparse, but the thimbleberries could be quite prolific based on the bloom.
Another of our senses has been tapped over the past week or so with the wild rose bloom. The running for the roses is not only special at Churchill Downs but it is perhaps even sweeter in this northern paradise. Get out and smell the roses!
Talk about moments in paradise: A couple Hungry Jack Lake residents shared another one of those goose bump sequences while kayaking last week. They soon found themselves paddling in concert with a loon on the mirror-smooth surface. Guess the handsome bird swam right between them under clear water for the most part with an occasional pop up for a look-see at its floating mates, before fading away for a little fishing action.
If that wasn’t enough of loon fraternizing for one day, at the far end of the lake, they came upon a loon pair who was going through some early training with two new family additions.
Although such experiences were over quickly, I feel certain that these instances will be frozen in their memory bank forevermore.
I can’t imagine that any Gunflint resident hasn’t had at least one red squirrel experience. Most of them are amusing, but occasionally one will happen that raises one’s ire, as well as blood pressure.
Most will remember the writing a year ago spring of a couple that returned from winter hibernation in warmer climes to find the rodents living in the walls of their cabin. A recent tale of the little varmints comes from over on Tucker Lake where the resident seamstress heard a ruckus in her kitchen.
Investigation found her startled to see one of these red guys/gals sitting on the countertop munching from a bowl of trail mix. Point of entry was found to be via a freshly crafted hole in a window screen.
I’m guessing that critter’s nose could not resist the healthy aroma from that bowl of gorp. It is interesting that after being uninvited, the fluffy-tailed scamp made a quick exit out the same hole from which it had came. Those folks are lucky that they aren’t still chasing it around the house, like has happened many times to yours truly in my wood shop.
One of those days to remember happened for the third annual Gunflint Trail Historical Society fish fry fundraiser this past Monday. Upwards of 150 people enjoyed a splendid day and shore-side meal at Chik-Wauk Museum.
The fine eats were prepared by the staff from Gunflint Lodge. Everyone enjoyed the day’s program as one of our Gunflint treasures, Harriet Taus, shared stories about her pioneer dad and mom, Charlie and Petra Boostrom. A big thanks is extended to all the Gunflint community that helped make it happen!
Next big Gunflint Trail gathering is this coming Wednesday (July 20) for the annual Gunflint Trail Canoe Races. Events open at 4 p.m., races at 6 on the waterfront at Gunflint Lodge. Come on out and have some fun in support of our Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue crews.
Keep on hangin’ on and savor the rush of summer!

Here we are, with one week of month seven behind us along the Gunflint Trail.
The past Independence Day holiday weekend was pretty much normal with a day of un-bearable humid heat and followed by two splendid cooler segments.
That really hot day led into an after dark thunder/lightning show at the upper end of the byway. Mother Nature’s booming and cracking proved to be a lot of bark, but not too much bite in terms of rainfall produced. Significant amounts of precip were spotty with only two-tenths of an inch at Wildersmith.
The electrical storm did little damage other than to separate the Trail residents from outside world telephone contact for the better part of three days. Once again, one of the contemporary conveniences that we so much take for granted caused considerable angst for those so dependent. As long as the inconvenience was, we are thankful for the technicians who spent their holiday working to get us back on line!
Folks who relish the subtropical had to be smiling with that first really hot day of the summer in these parts. The conditions were great for the growing forest flora, but for me and the moose, it was pure misery. One day is more than enough!
During my most recent stint of volunteer work at the Chik-Wauk Museum, I discovered what may be the first sampling of an autumn dream. While nosing around the grounds, I found some leaves on a small plant that have turned to fall red/orange already. And, the fruit on their stems was ripening to a bright scarlet.
It turns out, that after some research in a museum plant book, this little shrub proved to be a skunk currant. Regardless of our season being in the hot spectrum, the maturing red fruit and colorful leaves provided a cool outlook for things to come in a few short weeks.
The magnificent Gunflint is truly a sensory place. I’ve been proclaiming its beauty for several weeks through that of the human eye, but have not dwelled on the charm captured by our auditory receptors.
As I recuperate from surgery a couple weeks ago, my sedentary time has found me listening with a little more intensity. I’ve been hearing things that have always been here, but are often taken for granted.
For the most part, in this pristine place, silence is golden. Nevertheless, there is noise of Nature that can be as captivating as the visual.
For instance, how often do we pay attention to the whisper of air moving through a coniferous treetop? The rustle of quaking leaves in a zillion deciduous cousins offers a different shush through the landscape. At the other end of the air current continuum, a roaring eruption from the north/northwest can change a northern lullaby into a booming hard rock concert of waving and thrashing.
Of course there are more to audio offerings when it comes to the thousand-plus lakes in the territory. The extreme of sound bites over our sky-blue waters ranges from almost negligible at the time of a pre-dawn sunrise to deafening violence during one of the many big time blows.
From joyous ripples to crashing rollers, harmony is created in the collision between H20 and our granite shorelines. And, in echoing reverberation, gulps, burps and gurgling create a marvelous response as lake containment lines alter the tone of a symphony in northern waters.
At a time when both wind and water provide background music over the land, a listening ear can be charmed with both solo and choral episodes from forest fauna. We are treated to tweets, chirps, whistles, yodels, screeches and hoots to name but a few…all of which can entertain at any hour of the day or night.
To say that the area is a musical phenom is an understatement. The wilderness is a serine, rhythmic community unto itself and in performance mode continually.
So as more settled sections of America celebrated another birthday with various versions of “Stars and Stripes Forever,” we in unorganized territory had a concert of our own that is ongoing with new compositions ever more.
Hope you had a safe and happy Fourth of July! See you at the big Chik-Wauk shore lunch this coming Monday, 12 noon.
Keep on hangin’ on and savor some tunes of the north!

Our northern summer is in full stride now. The month of the “full buck” or “half way” moon (Aabito-Niibino Giizis) signals the beginning of the wind down of 2011.
An exciting holiday weekend is expected along the Trail as America celebrates another Independence Day.
June bade farewell after Mother Nature provided some much needed rain to the parched Gunflint Territory. Although rainfall amounts last week did not match that which was dropped in southern parts of the county, it was nevertheless a blessing in regard to temporarily stemming wildfire danger. At Wildersmith, the rain gauge measured just over eight-tenths of an inch.
With one of the warm months now under our belts, many folks are happy that we escaped some of those miserable hot days. As an example of just how wonderfully cool it has been during month six, the water temp at our Gunflint Lake dock is barely out of the 50s. If we can just get by another 60 without blistering, both the moose and I will be quite satisfied.
Floral displays along the byway are magnificent, with a drift of daisies now infiltrating the roadside buttercups, wild roses, hawkweed and lupine. It’s show time for sure, and a trip out the Trail to view such will be refreshing as a summer rainbow.
Good news comes from the Chik-Wauk loon nesting platform. At this writing, the pair has settled back in after losing their first reproduction effort to an eagle. They have been sitting on the nest for a little over a week. Many interested folks are keeping their fingers crossed for a hatching sometime in the third week of July.
I’m not sure what’s going on in the bug business. The area is experiencing a second coming of those nasty black flies. They are usually done and gone by this time so now we are getting a double whammy of blood-sucking critters.
I talked to a couple local gals recently that were in full agreement that my idea of a good freeze would be right, even if it is only month seven. The black fly resurgence can only be justified if there are more blueberries to be pollinated and I believe that that job has already been done.
The annual North Shore Health Care Foundation barbeque was held this past Sunday evening at Gunflint Lodge. Another scrumptious meal was presented by the Lodge staff. Attendees were entertained by the joyful playing of Loon Lake resident Gerald Thilmany in a splendid lakeside setting.
The Gunflint Trail Historical Society is readying for their annual shore lunch fundraiser Monday, July 11. The fish fry extravaganza, provided by Guide Dennis Todd in concert with the Gunflint Lodge, will be held at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center site beginning at noon.
The Society will be holding their regular monthly meeting following lunch, with a visit from IRRB commissioner Tony Sertich. After his presentation, there will be a time for sharing stories of the Trail. Wannabe members are welcome. Plan a day of it, visit the historical gem at the end of the Trail and get in on some great shore-side food!
Keep on hangin’ on, and savor some wilderness magic!

Summer solstice has marked a passing of the baton in our northern half of the universe. The Gunflint territory accepted its departing of spring in a rather damp way. Finally, the “spirit of wet” offered up some much needed rain. It’s amazing that the forest is so lush when the past few weeks have been so dry.
With the ascension into “Neebing” (summer in Ojibwe), the trek toward this next season is marked with clusters of seeds clinging to the alder and maples along the Trail. Meanwhile I see that mountain ash trees are suddenly heavily laden with their young fruit, and a golden glow of seasonal yellow flowers is leading the way for any venture up or down the scenic pathway.
The fruits of summer couldn’t have picked a more welcome time to receive Natures’ sprinkling too. One observer tells that the blueberry patches she’s checked are loaded with potential.
Several moose sightings have been brought to my attention of late. In nearly all cases, the observations have been of cows and calves. This is heartening when we keep hearing about the demise in their numbers throughout moose country.
Yours truly caught a glimpse of one mom and baby in the vicinity of Washout Road’s intersection with the Trail last week. And then some Ohio visitors were treated to the sighting of a yearling bull in the east bay at Chik-Wauk Museum. This young fellow was complete with brand-new velvet spikes on his forehead. Now the challenge comes for these youngsters to keep a few strides ahead of the hungry wolves and bears that would gladly do them in.
During this same trip, other members of our wild neighborhood caused another vehicle slowdown on the Trail. This time a momma fox and her four kits were lolly-gagging on the roadway not too far east from Trail Center. The little ones were having a great game of tag as they darted on and off the blacktop.
Twice I came to a complete stop to avoid a squishing incident. It was apparent that the mother had lost control of the mischievous red foursome. It would be a good idea to slow down while passing along this stretch with the hope that these babies get to grow up.
A couple folks down the road shared an interesting experience about one of our many black brunos. It seems that their waterbed had reached the end of its usefulness. Following the usual process of getting most all the water extracted, there was just enough left to make the unit difficult to get out of the house.
Human ingenuity suggested that rather than dragging it through the house, why not open the window, take out the screen and ooze it out that opening? The idea worked to perfection, case closed.
Action to get the old bed bladder away from where it lay outside the window was temporarily forgotten. Next day the lady of the house happened to look out that same window. She was startled to see papa or momma bear had taken a napping position on the discarded waterbed unit, and it must have felt juuuuust right! Thank goodness this was an out of the house experience.
This is another example of one person’s trash being another’s treasure, only with a north woods twist!
During my stint as a volunteer at the Chik-Wauk Museum last week, my neighbors tell that one of those ursine paid a visit to Wildersmith. It was a big one. And no, the bear doesn’t poop in the woods. It did in my yard!
Lastly, for those readers and listeners who don’t live in these parts, I share that some other wilderness beings that can bite are alive and well at this time. I’m talking mosquitoes. They are a part of summertime life for sure, and the Wildersmith two seem to attract them like magnets. In the midst of summer, I’m already yearning for a good freeze to get even with the ornery nippers!
Keep on hangin’ on, and savor this land of sky blue waters!

Summer magic is taking its turn for both residents and visitors to the Gunflint.
A trip either up or down the byway is just splendid these days. As spring flowers are beginning to fade, the first splurge of summer color is taking over.
Reports from all over the territory indicate a wonderful bloom of precious moccasin flowers along with columbine that is jumping up from brilliant patches of forget-me-nots. I even heard of the first wild rose blossom. What a show!
Although many folks swear at them, those invasive lupines are nonetheless an attractive addition to the growing spectacle of early season blooms. They are about to explode with their spectrum of white to pink to purple at many places along our paradise passage. And if you want an extraordinary rainbow showing, the south Gunflint Lake Road (County Rd. 20/50) is about to become Lupine Lane.
The last trip to Grand Marais found me captured once more by the magnificence of Mother Nature’s handiwork. The spirit of the winds was unusually calm that day, and reflections were exceptional on myriad natural mirrors. Every body of water that we passed portrayed such stillness that there was a majestic personification of shoreline water color in the truest sense of the word. The brilliance of such artisanship goes un-matched.
Just when I told of the last frosty rooftop a week or so ago, Jack Frost came a-calling to Wildersmith once more. This time on June 9, and the nipping was just enough to bite one of my tomato plants, aarrrg!
Rainfall continues to be minimal in these parts with only about one-third of an inch since our last WTIP visit. The cool Gunflint Lake waters have dropped about three to four inches since topping off with the last of the snow melt. I’ve also noticed that the mini falls on Larch Creek near the Seagull Guard Station has slowed to little more that a trickle. We need help; sure wish that the rain gods could shift that jet stream of moisture up through border country.
Sad news comes from the loon nest at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. As you will recall from last week, I was boasting of the wonderful opportunity to get a view of the little gal sitting on her nest. That was short lived, because just after my story came out, the museum manager notified me that an eagle had chased the loon away and made a meal of the eggs. Guess there were a lot of mournful cries about the bay.
Since that happening, the pair has returned to hang around the nest once more. I’m told that there is a chance they might start all over again. Some cousins over on Hungry Jack Lake have just come to their nest, indicating that the season might not be too late for the Chik-Wauk pair to try for another family addition.
Momentum is growing for the annual Gunflint Trail Canoe Races. Although the lead organizers have been working for months, the sequential joining together of other hands to make it happen on July 20 is full speed ahead.
The fundraising extravaganza which benefits the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire and Rescue Crews will be held as usual along the Gunflint Lodge waterfront. Raffle and canoe drawing tickets are out at many locations. Plan to help the cause and mark your calendar for an evening of food and fun!
BREAKING NEWS, just before this scribing was sent off on cyber waves, I received word that the Chik-Wauk Loon pair is sitting on the nest once again! Wonders of the wilderness never cease.
Keep on hangin’ on, and savor Solstice time in the wilderness!

Atmospheric conditions have been fairly pleasant over the past seven. The only exception being about 36 hours of gnashing winds, followed by one more night of frost on the rooftops.
Gusts were so violent at times that waves on the Gunflint Gal did a job on our recently installed dock. No major breakage, just a need to de-assemble and re-align. So into the wet suit once more, but the water is now up to the low 50s and a bit more tolerable.
I suppose one thing positive about such a blow is that its nature’s way of culling the treetops of unwanted appendages. The Mile O Pine, like most of our back country roads, was a mass of scraggly branches and limbs. It took about two hours to clear the path.
The wilderness continues to be updated with sequential seasonal events. The latest item of notice is maple tree leaves. Sure seems late but that’s the way Mother Nature has things planned. About all that is left to unfold are leaflets on the black ash.
In regard to the maple leaf unfolding, I marvel at the growing season for their foliage. Here we are entering the second week of June and if one gives it a little thought, in two months the emerald will be turning to orange. Sure seems like a short life for shade from the maple part of the forest.
The many shades of green on our granite hillsides have pretty much blended into one matching tone. The contrast now is emerald green leaves among dark green coniferous spires. The stark thing about the beautiful virescent phenomena is that the skeletal remains of a forest blown down and scarred by fire are now camouflaged through photosynthesis.
This is a time for babies, fox kits, wolf pups, fawns, moose calves, ducklings of all kinds and many others. I’ve heard reports of both fawn and fox kit sightings in addition to mergansers following mom down an area lake. How challenging survival must be for all those parents of the wild neighborhood.
Also among the recent newborns are those notorious terrorists of the north woods.
I’m talking about black flies and, suddenly, a first round onslaught of mosquitoes.
A couple mornings of stacking firewood found me seriously wounded in a black fly attack, talk about nips and welts!
I was fully covered with clothing, gloves and bug netting, yet they still found a way to let some of my blood. Guess they might be worse than mice at squeezing in the tiniest of openings.
The first monarch butterflies have returned to the Gunflint Territory as have those mini-helicopters, dragonflies. I’m told that dragonflies eat hordes of mosquitoes. Hope they get at it soon; some of them could weigh 200 pounds in no time at all with all those buzzers around northern yards. And those black flies, well, it should be another bumper blueberry season if those trillions of pollinators get busy doing that instead of chasing we humans.
Excitement is building on the Sag Bay up at Chik Wauk Museum & Nature Center as the nesting platform has a loon pair incubating an egg or two. The egg-sitting time commenced May 26th. It is hoped that the spirit of Chik Wauk will have an announcement about a hatching in about 30 days.
Come on up and view the new development, it’s a great photo op, but shhhhh… mother is nervous enough about an eagle that often soars and swoops overhead.
The Gunflint Trail Historical Society will be holding its next monthly meeting this coming Monday, June 13. It will again be held in the Gunflint Lodge Conference Center, beginning at 1:30 pm. A short business meeting will be followed by a program featuring Lee Johnson of the USFS Heritage Resources Division. Treats will be served. All GTHS members and wannabes are welcome.
Keep on hanging on, and savor the Gunflint woods!

June, the month of our full “strawberry moon” (Ode’imini Giizis”) is at hand. Chapter six of the year 2011 is steaming full speed ahead, no stopping it now.

Old Sol is arching through the universe to give the Gunflint Territory its longest daylight of the year in little over two weeks. With it, “Zigwan” (spring) turns the warm season over to “Neebing” (summer), and the light of day begins a slow trickle in the other direction once more.

Memorial Day weekend along the Trail was a cheery, busy place as the unofficial first day of summer saw throngs of snowbirds back at wilderness places, and vacationing warriors added to the mix as caravans of vehicles with canoes and fishing boats hummed through the forest to hundreds of destinations.

Except for a gray somewhat rainy Saturday (only three-tenths of an inch at Wildersmith), the weather was perfect for the kick-off of vacation season. The territory did experience a few frosty mornings in the days prior to the holiday segment. Frost/freeze advisories proved to be right on this time. Once again, these late May cold snaps confirmed what longtime residents have continually preached, “that June is the time for serious garden planting,” and there is no point in trying to out-guess Mother Nature with an early start.

I have to announce that the last chunk of ice hiding in the shadows of a white cedar canopy along the Mile O Pine has melted into history. The final observation of the winter artifact was May 26. How appropriate that we celebrate the beginning of the summer season the same week that the last remnant of cold succumbed.

The Wildersmith dock is in the lake thanks to the able assistance of a wonderful spouse and some swell neighbors. They did the grunt work of carrying the cumbersome moorage parts while I guided them from the cold Gunflint waters.

With water temps still hovering in the high 40s, the initial shock was tempered with one of those high-tech wetsuits. Only my hands experienced a sense of what spring water at 48 degrees north latitude is really like, still icy cold.

Our end of the Mile O Pine has been taunted by a nosey bear over the past few nights. It is a yearling that is either none too bright or is going to be a big obstinate nuisance in the not-too-distant future. Shots into the night darkness don’t seem to faze the young bruno as it just gives you a ‘ha-rumphh’ look before it waddles off.

Recently some new neighbors got firsthand experience with life in the woods. Two days in a row found the black fur ball initiating them. First, they found out that leaving birdseed out can offer a hungry critter an invitation back for another visit. On night two, the marauding adolescent came part way through a doggie door. Somehow, it got the inside door open and snatched the remaining bag of seeds.

So now brother bear is checking all of us out. Hope it gets the message soon that the welcome mat is not intended for grumpy north woods creatures. It’s getting nothing at this stop-off during nightly rounds.

The Smiths welcomed more cordial critters a few days ago. My wintertime gray jay friends have returned. After a several week hiatus to bring a new generation into the world, they came back, this time with two young’uns.

It didn’t take long for mom and pop to come to the hand for a cube of bread. Meanwhile, the young, that I would call juveniles at this stage, kept a safe distance. So far they haven’t learned the ropes in getting an easy snack at Wildersmith.

Keep on hangin’ on, and savor the sum, sum, summer time!

April snow and rain showers that the northland experienced a few weeks ago are beginning to bear results. The upper Gunflint is alive and well with blooming of all kinds.

A mosaic of color is exploding in spite of sparse moisture over the past couple weeks. However, it’s been raining lightly since I commenced this keyboard exercise and this is good!

Awesome is the kaleidoscope of emerald that blankets the wilderness landscape. With tones of dark forest green in the coniferous stand, at one end of the continuum, to almost shocking hot green chartreuse sprouts of aspen, Mother Nature has about covered the gamut of things containing chlorophyll.

Leaf out is entering the final stages and will be pretty much complete as we turn the last pages of May heading into chapter six. Full deciduous leaflets will soon be quaking with every breath of air, as their needle cousins are shooting candles of new growth at what seems like an earlier than normal frequency. Then again, it’s almost June and the forest will be all decked out once again!

At ground level, those dandelions are out in force while the swamp areas are popping with the buttery faces of marsh marigolds. I spied one exceptionally large patch of the marshy golden blooms along the Trail near the Tuscarora Lodge turn-off. Ferns are also adding to the low level panorama as the fiddleheads are uncoiling along many back country paths.

Tints of blue are debuting as well. The forget-me-nots have forgotten us not, and wild violets, plus a few unnamed tiny azure posies, are gracing the yard at Wildersmith, as we head into the Memorial Day weekend.

Familiar faces are starting to return to their warm season retreats. Amidst the birthing of wilderness babies and a barrage of ornery black flies, their homecoming can be somewhat daunting with the chores of re-opening cabins after a long winter respite.

Among things that can always be a bit unnerving is the reactivation of water systems. It’s amazing how forgetting to drain even the tiniest bit of water in a pipe can cause such frustration come spring.

Probably the next greatest concerns are functioning septic systems and a wildfire sprinkler system pump that starts for a test run with a minimum of pulls. Then it’s on to things like ridding the place of unwanted varmints that might have made a winter home for themselves in a wall, and many other fix-it/ housekeeping tasks.

The list of “honey-do” things can seem endless, as the desire to get outside and onto a favorite lake for paddling, fishing or maybe just some shoreline R & R, looms large ass the critical reason for being here in the first place. Even reaching this point in the re-upping process involves putting docks in the water and the hoping that all is OK with the marine equipment and fishing tackle.

One can readily see that getting back into the north woods groove is not easy. So it’s welcome home neighbors, glad to have you back, hope all is in good working order at your place in the woods.

For yours truly life is not quite as complicated. At this point, everything that has been working through the winter is still working. The dock is soon to go into the lake and the boat will be out of storage for its annual trip down the road to be dipped in Gunflint waters for 2011.

Meanwhile, the Smiths have already started another ‘getting ready for winter’ job. The wood shed has empty rows and there’s a stack of wood to be split and stacked for 2012.

That job is being sandwiched between finishing the pruning efforts of the winter deer browse, taking a whack at some early season weeds and transplanting a few baby trees. Oh, I almost forgot, all this home work is added to many days of working with the Chik Wauk Museum/Nature center for its coming season.

So to the query from people to the south, “What do you do up there all the time?” My answer is quite simple, it’s busy, busy, busy, and the days sure fly by.

Guess I’ll keep on hangin’ on, and savor this wonderful time in border country. Hope you do too!

Airdate: May 27, 2011

Photo courtesy of Gael Martin via Flickr.

Regardless of summer still being a month away according to the calendar, I believe we can declare the season pretty much upon us. One of those summer-like days hit us last week, with temps reaching from the high 60s to near 80 depending upon where one’s thermometer is located.

Although we have slipped back into cooler times since that one-day thermal occurrence, the fact that the walleye opener hit this past weekend, and then the return of hummingbirds to local sweetness stations, surely has to count as summer up north.

To take things one step further, there’s a tint of green in the treetops over the granite landscape. Aspen buds are about to spring forth with the first deciduous foliage of the season, while their birch kin are not far behind. In all likelihood we’ll have green leaves of summer by the time this news exercise reaches your eyes and ears. Believe it or not, the first wild strawberry blooms have been spotted, and all of this natural wonder is being bathed in nighttime brilliance of the full “budding flower” moon (Zaagibagaa Giizis).

On the fishing opener, the day was pleasant and cool with a good walleye chop on the sky blue waters. Anglers from whom I’ve heard had good luck in getting their prizes. Remembering that the fishing is always good, one can only hope that the kick-off catching matched the joy of being on the water.

Ice out is complete on area lakes with the smaller bodies becoming liquid only by last Tuesday the tenth. Few examples remain of the past season’s character, with a couple man-made piles of snow and one ice dam all that’s visible along the Mile O Pine. Bet they’ll be gone by first of June for sure!

A couple from over on Hungry Jack Lake celebrated the May 10 demise of ice on their lake with an afternoon paddle to see how winter has bid adieu to our newly found warmth. Stirred with the smell of spring in the forest, their search was on for that last patch of white. Sure enough, a spit of winter was found still clinging to the rocks and moss beneath the shadows of a great white pine and a couple white cedars.

Listening to the calls of two loon pairs, winter wrens and white-throated sparrows, under bright blue skies, they watched a gathering of male mergansers while an eagle towered high above. What a day it must have been, sorrow in the passing of Old Man Winter but joy in the renewal.

The beauty of their day was tainted slightly by the shoreline litter reminding us that much of mankind doesn’t give a hoot about how they treat their environment. Wild inhabitants of the territory surely don’t leave styrofoam, plastic bait containers, fishing bobbers, minnow buckets and floating fish spot markers… so sad. Thank goodness there are folks like these who do care, and who proceeded to pick up.

A wonderful hike on the Chik Wauk Trail system last weekend saw our end of the Trail gem working more of its magic. A pair of loons have moved into the bay and taken up residence. A recently placed nesting platform is floating just across from the museum’s north windows.

It was just by chance that the Smiths got to see the apparent mom-to-be scramble up onto the new natural dwelling, wiggle around a little bit and settle down on what appeared to be her nesting site. Field glasses didn’t reveal if there’s an egg yet.

Thanks to the persistent and diligent work of Gunflint Trail Historical Society member/supporter Phyllis Sherman and Chik Wauk Nature Center guru Kathy Lande, the potential nesting site looks to be a wonderful attraction for Chik Wauk visitors as the new museum season is rapidly approaching. Hopefully the attention from on lookers across the bay will not be disturbing to the handsome pair. We’ll all be hoping for a new addition.

Speaking of the museum and nature center, 2011 opening day is set for Saturday, May 28. To learn more about the storied Gunflint past, schedule a day trip and come out for a step back in time. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through mid-October. Currently the vehicle admittance gate is closed until opener, but hiking trails are open to walk-in traffic, so folks wanting a splendid day outdoors are welcome to explore at their leisure.

Keep on hangin’ on, and savor some wonders of the wilderness!

Airdate: May 20, 2011

Photo courtesy of NYCArthur via Flickr.

I’m back in the woods once more! Great to be home at Wildersmith after a fine trip to Iowa for my annual stint as an official at the 102nd Drake Relays in Des Moines.

Once again, my thanks go out to the nosey pup from over on Hungry Jack Lake. Rosey, you’re the top dog at scooping the upper Gunflint News when I’m out of the wilderness.

My return finds that winter has finally succumbed in border country. At this writing, only a few swatches of snow remain in roadside ditches. The mercury is having trouble getting down to the freezing mark anymore and lake ice is dwindling rapidly.

Speaking of ice out, after 147 consecutive days, the frozen cover on Gunflint Lake is now history. Last Sunday, May 8, marked the official disappearing act for 2011.

Although winter is my favorite season, I must say that the sound of water lapping at our shore is music to my ears. Another pleasant occurrence, with the open water, is that the Gunflint Gal is up a good two feet from its record low level at freeze up last December. Now, as snow melt run-off begins to dwindle, if Mother Nature will just break loose with some timely rains over the next few months, the liquid bodies throughout the territory can do a little catching up after several years of being shortchanged.

Residents and early season visitors are being treated to all the good things about spring on the Gunflint Trail. It’s captivating to watch as the thousands of coniferous saplings uncurl from being buried in white for months. With each passing day you can almost mark the gain in strength of their bent-over trunks while their fragile limbs begin reaching skyward.

Green is the word of the month along our wilderness byway. Shoots of ground level flora are piercing the cool earth, enjoying a bit of sunshine before the late month leaf out casts them back into shadows for the short growing season ahead.

Thinking green was also on the minds of nearly 200 friends of the Gunflint environment this last weekend at the fourth annual Gunflint Green-up. Some 10,000 white and jack pine seedlings were planted in several of the burned out areas of the Ham Lake wildfire.

The hard work of starting a new forest where there is very little dirt was celebrated with a kick-off and closing festival of musical entertainment and food under the big top on the grounds of Gunflint Lodge. The weekend was just splendid! Congratulations and thanks to organizers, volunteers and seedling planters for another job well done.

Along with all our flora trends, several critters that have been snoozing over the past six or seven months are making their debut for 2011. Bears, mommas and cubs, have been observed roaming the Gunflint Lake south shore. And, although the ebony bruins can be annoying at times, they are nothing compared to the bloodthirsty mosquitoes, black flies and ticks that premiered almost overnight this past weekend.

Ticks were reported as thick as fleas on a dog’s back by tree planters on Green-up sites. Meanwhile those skeeters made life quite interesting under the big top last Saturday evening and I found some pesky black flies ravenous as ever during outside chores over the past several days. So it’s the dreaded time for bitin’ bugs, get out the Deet and bug nets, drat!

While dodging deer with my vehicle all winter, the warmer season has changed the dodg-ees. It’s been like running a hairy gauntlet trying to miss the snowshoe hares on south Gunflint Lake Road. One day last week, the Smiths counted 11 of the darting northern bunnies around their usual hangout, as we headed out of the woods toward the Trail.

I don’t know where they hung out during the snowy time, but they seem to have returned in numbers larger than last summer. Their warm season camouflage is a bit disconcerting, too, as they blend in quite well with the dirty roadside remnants from winter plowing.

Except for their skills in multiplication, they have poor insight into the hazards of jaywalking, so it’s just matter of time until there’ll be some sad fuzzy fatalities.

Keep on hangin’ on, and savor the explosion of seasonal happenings!

Airdate: March 13, 2011

Photo courtesy of mmwm via Flickr.