Phillip Hass, Grand Marais, caught this beautiful 17 inch long lake trout on a lake located somewhere in the Boundary Waters. Phillip and Hanna Zakrzewski caught several more good eating trout on their threeday winter camping trip. For bait they used Gitzit/ minnows and Swedish Pimple/minnow combos. Photo courtesy of Hanna Zakrzewski
It’s no surprise spending time in wild places substantially reduces stress. Tall white pines and trout fishing do wonders, especially during a global pandemic. Take a short drive up the Gunflint Trail, where cell phone service flickers, and the layers of anxiety and worry melt away. Cook County locals Hanna Zakrzewski and Phill Hass recently embraced spring’s sunny momentum, plucked up fishing gear, and headed up the trail for three days in the Boundary Waters and a breath of fresh air.
The idea to go winter camping emerged for the local couple when businesses started to close on the Keweenaw Peninsula due to coronavirus restrictions and a hot tent appeared on the “Grand Marais Sell and Swap” Facebook page. Instead of driving to Michigan’s “UP”, Hanna and Phill decided to purchase the tent and try their luck at social distancing.
“We brought a ten-byten canvas tent, small wood stove, four sleeping bags, enough food for our trip, fishing gear, snowshoes, and a pair of Hok skis. We also brought an insulated growler filled with Voyageur’s Trail Breaker Belgian Wheat,” said Phill.
Skidding a sled loaded with gear, food, and fishing tackle, the couple set out with skis and snowshoes for a chain of lakes near Trail Center Lodge. Tin-bright sun and solid ice made for stellar spring travel. Beneath big white pines, Hanna and Phil set up their canvas tent and small wood stove, augured holes in the lake ice, dropped lines, and collected firewood.
“The first night we ate wild rice and fresh lake trout,” told Phill. “For breakfast we had oatmeal mixed with dried fruit and nuts, bacon, and coffee with half-and-half. The second night we fried up some venison and wild rice from this fall’s harvest.”
For the rest of their trip, Hanna and Phill chewed up time on punchy trails of softened snow. They day-tripped to nearby lakes through quiet cedar swamps, crooked streams, and empty portages. With only bald eagles and grey jays for company, the two pulled up fish and watched the soft pink sun paint the boreal forest each night.
“We personally seek these spaces to reconnect with nature and experience the ever-changing landscapes and life of this area we now call home. Both of us have been fishing more in the past month than we have in our entire lives! Now more than ever it’s easy to get caught up in current events that can cause daily malaise. Getting out in these spaces is, quite literally, a breath of fresh air.”
Leave a Reply