Cold weather is coming soon and it is time to get the cabins ready for winter. Draining water systems and removing docks are some of the last projects of the season on the Gunflint Trail for me. As sad as it may be to see all of the summer residents head south, I do enjoy this peaceful time of year, especially if we are blessed with a few more sunny days.
The utility company has been working outside our house this week burying cable for the upcoming broadband service and I am sure they are not enjoying the endless bedrock that the road is built over. The Loon Lake area where we live is very rocky and it just gets worse as you head up the Trail. I am interested to see how it goes in the Seagull area where it is hard to get good radio reception around the cliffs and granite boulders, let alone having to bury a line in a trench.
The rumor is that they will continue to work this year until December 1 unless the weather shuts them down sooner. I was worried that the traffic would be an issue but the road crews have done a good job keeping everyone moving. If it were not for my phone line getting chopped up twice, I would not even know they were here.
The weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse with highs in the 40s by the end of the week, but I feel like we still have some nice days ahead of us. There are many trees that have some green leaves on them yet and the tamaracks, which are typically the last to turn, are just starting to show a little yellow. Tamaracks are some of my favorite trees and there is a beautiful stand of them on the long stretch of Gunflint Trail near the Kekekabic parking lot. If you feel like sight-seeing, this area is well worth the drive and you might even see a moose in one of the many roadside swamps along the way. Grouse hunters have been cruising around the gravel roads this week but it does not sound like there are as many birds around. The population was strong the past two seasons so maybe the cyclical predictions are actually going to apply up here. Or it could just be that the extra foliage on the trees is making good camouflage for the grouse to blend in. The cold evenings have not been cold enough yet to kill my tomatoes but they will have to be covered every night if I want to see any red ones. We tried some green tomato recipes and I have yet to taste a good one. If they do not ripen soon they will end up in the compost for next year. Wish me luck.
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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