The New Year is upon us, and I am sure there have been a few Boundary Waters trout dinners this week considering how nice the weather has been. The few inches of snow falling every couple days have been keeping me busy with the plow and the shovel. It is a welcome sight to see the accumulation of snow and the travelers it attracts, but we need a big storm to leave 10 or 12 inches to play with.
I am amazed at how many people were in Grand Marais this past weekend. New Year’s is always a busy time, but the amount of cars roaming the streets and the lack of parking was reminiscent of a weekend in July. Winter has become a very popular season, especially when you are one of the few destinations with real winter conditions and numerous activities to enjoy it with.
The kids and I have been doing a little snowmobile riding and a lot of sledding around the property. They are having trouble ice-skating, but the windy days over winter break made it hard to learn outside. The past few days have been nicer, and I wanted to escape on the BWCA trout opener January 1, but it was the first day we had committed to opening for lunches, and I was not able to get away.
The weather was beautiful that day, and I spent a few hours in the sun while shoveling the sidewalks and decks around this place after feeding many snowmobile riders who stopped in for lunch.
After shoveling, I decided that my next investment would be a little snow blower with rubber flaps for the numerous sidewalks and decks that surround the building. Work smarter, not harder. It would not be so bad to shovel the deck, but lifting the snow over a three-foot-tall railing is enough to make a person want a snow blower. I have a big blower, but the metal auger would chew up the wood decking, and it is hard to maneuver in tight spaces.
It has been an enjoyable winter break with our kids, but I am pretty excited for them to go back to school. They get bored with us and want to see their friends, and we are also ready for a little break from them. We take them to the YMCA as much as we can to burn off any pent-up energy with a basketball and an empty court, or we take turns pulling sleds around the parking lot and old runway strip across from the lodge – but young kids have more energy than I can believe, and we are all ready for them to go back to school.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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