Superior National Forest Update - January 31

Superior National Forest Update – January 30, 2020.

Hi.  This is Steve Robertsen, education and interpretation specialist with the Superior National Forest and our National Forest Update.  We are just about done with the cloudiest January on record, so let’s all hope that February has some of those clear blue skies that Minnesota is famous for.

My personal favorite winter weather is clear bright sun and a temperature of about 10 to 15 degrees.  And no wind.  10 to 15 degrees means that snow isn’t wet at all, and I can use green wax on my skis which hard enough that it doesn’t get my hands all sticky.  It also is cold enough that you don’t get overheated when you are skiing or snowshoeing, but isn’t so cold that you need spacesuit level outerwear to keep from freezing.  I’m firmly in the camp that gets annoyed at weather forecasters on the radio that sound happy and excited by winter weather when it gets into the upper twenties, or even above freezing.  It’s winter.  It’s supposed to be cold.

The dogs in the Beargrease dogsled race last weekend are mostly in that camp as well.  It was a warm race this year, great for race watchers, but a bit harder for the dogs.  For those that turned out to watch the race, it was, as it always is, a lot of fun.  And for those who were racing, thank you!  The Beargrease and the Gunflint Mail Run are always among the highlights of the winter.

The coming weekends offer some fun of a different nature.  This weekend, February 1st, the Cook County Snowmobile Club is having its annual fun run.  Snowmobile trails may be pretty busy, so be sure to watch out for snowmobiles at road crossing, and if you are on a sled, watch for cars as well as your fellow snowmobilers.  Visit the Snowmobile Club’s website at cook county snowmobile club .com for more details.

The following weekend, on February 15th, the North Superior Ski and Run Club is having the annual Pincushion Ski Festival.  The Ski and Run Club will have racing and touring in several categories from skate skiing to wooden ski events, followed by skijoring and the Y-Ski Winter Carnival.  Visit their website pincushion trails .org for more details.  And, while you are online, visit the National Forest website too and download a georeferenced map of the Pincushion Trails to your phone.  It’s always nice to know where you are. 

And, of course, one more time… if you are skiing, make sure you have a Great Minnesota Ski Pass.  If you’re snowmobiling, make sure your machine is properly licensed.  These passes and licenses pay for the trails you use, and are required on trails like Pincushion Ski Trails and the North Shore State Snowmobile Trail.  As much as we may wish otherwise, groomed trails do not spring magically up in the winter woods, and if we want to continue to enjoy them, we have to pay for them.

Roads are in good shape, but watch out as some freezing drizzle is in the forecast.  Things can get slippery in a hurry when that happens, and often the ice isn’t visible.  Be sure as well to keep your car’s windshield washer tank filled up – you can go through a lot of that with freezing drizzle.  Snowbanks on roads are restricting vision at intersections, so be cautious.  We’ve had several moose seen recently.  Moose are not dumb animals, and they realize that it is lot easier to walk on a plowed road than it is through drifts of snow.  Unfortunately, they don’t realize that puts them in danger from cars.  It’s great to see a moose, but not so great if the moose is about ten feet from your bumper and you are going forty miles per hour.

There’s a bit of timber being hauled, so you’ll have to watch for trucks as well as moose.  If you are in the Gunflint District, trucks are using the Hall Road, Cook County 14, Cook County 60, Firebox Road, Greenwood Road, and the Sunfish Lake Road.  On the Tofte District, trucks are using the Trappers Lake/Sawbill Landing Road, Perent Lake Road, The Grade, and Cook County 27.

So, although some may think it’s crazy, I’m going to hope for colder weather, at least for the next month.  I think all of us can get behind hoping for more sun, and no more freezing drizzle. 

Until next time, this has been Steve Robertsen with the National Forest Update.