The snow has been losing a daily battle against the powerful spring sunshine exposing a little more ground in its wake. During the warmest hours little streams of melting snow carve their way downhill to fill the lakes and fuel the rivers. Spring thaw is a neat time of year to be on the Gunflint Trail, this annual transformation from ice to water is exciting.
The next few weeks will be interesting since there is still so much snow up here. The latest ice report from Gunflint Lake was around 30 inches and we are forecasted to get another dumping of snow this week. The last winter storms of the season are always a nuisance since it is usually very wet snow that is hard to push. Some people dislike the sloppy spring, but it doesn’t bother me. I get excited to see open water and this is a sure sign that the seasons are finally changing.
Every so often you have to get out of town to find the warm weather, and my brother’s wedding in Iowa this weekend could not have been timed any better. Traffic was surprisingly tolerable and the holiday weekend allowed a lot of my friends and family to be there, not to mention that the sunshine was a nice reprieve. Maggie, our wiener dog, appreciated the fresh green grass to relieve herself on while the kids played in the “big city” parks. It was a great vacation.
Our kids love swings and I love water so we try to make pit-stops that accommodate all of our needs. Clear Lake, Iowa has a great city park by the lakeside with some playground equipment. The kids get very excited over jungle gyms and slides. They would play there all day if we let them. I know that most kids are the same in this manner but ours don’t get to see such big parks unless we travel. They would stop in their tracks and point to the sky every time a jet flew over. The other kids were amused by my children’s curiosity since they hear these things every day.
While the two monsters were burning off some energy from their strawberry sundaes on the playground equipment, I was able to sit in the sun along the shore of Clear Lake. I listened to the waves breaking on the sand while watching some guys fishing from a nice fiberglass boat. If I really concentrated I could drown out the background noises and relax before finishing the final leg of our drive to Des Moines where they will get to decorate Easter Eggs and reunite with their family. Making memories.
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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