Winter may not officially begin until December 22nd, but overnight temperatures have been in the single digits and there is enough snow coverage for me to think it is already happening on the Gunflint Trail.
The extended fall weather was cherished by many, and now it is time to face the realities of the season ahead, like warming up the vehicles each morning, wearing multiple layers of clothing, and keeping the outside boiler full of firewood to warm our home for the next five months.
The smaller lakes went from showing little sign of freezing last week, to ice covered in a matter of one night. A few inches of snow is covering the lakes as well and it is looking very white around here. A photograph today of the woods would look no different than one taken in January. Ice fishing by the 11th of December might be realistic after all.
I hope the big lakes follow suit and begin making ice soon as well.
Water is freezing rapidly but the ground is taking a little bit longer. Digging a hole is going to become more of a challenge each day as the frost drives deeper into the soil, and soon the gravel roads will be hard enough for the plow trucks to push snow without making a mess. Cold snow is much easier to plow than wet heavy snowfalls that come before the ground freezes, so we are fortunate to have a gradual transition this season.
Thanksgiving is this Thursday and our family will be staying home for a change. I always enjoy the comfort of staying home, and the added bonus of being able to keep all of the leftover turkey.
Our relatives will be visiting from Stillwater and the kids will have memories of their grandparents enjoying this day at our house, rather than packing up the mini van for a six-hour trip to the cities, or a 10-hour trip to Des Moines. We love to visit these places, and be with relatives and friends for the holidays, but the long hours in the van make everyone involved a little edgy, that is why we traveled home in October this year to see our families before the holiday chaos and winter blizzards.
From our family to yours, “Happy Thanksgiving.”
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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