Tuesdays have become my “stay at home day” with the kids for the winter and so far we have been having a great time inventing activities and reconnecting after a busy summer of guiding. It would be nice to get a little more snow on the ground to play in, but it is hard to complain with temperatures reaching 25 degrees and winds that are mild enough to allow some valuable outside time.
Sophia and Bo are pretty tough when it comes to playing in the cold weather (they can usually outlast me) and anything beats sitting inside watching the movie Frozen for the 100th time this week.
There is just enough snow for sledding, but not enough for skiing or snowmobiling, and I am told the trails have been cleared but not packed or groomed yet. They will need a lot more base to work with before they can groom the trails properly. I hope the snow is coming, however, if you believe in long term forecasts, we aren’t going to get any snow for awhile.
Every winter is unique and this winter has been no exception with an early deep-freeze and very little snowfall. This is usually a recipe for disaster causing water lines and septic tanks to freeze from lack of insulation from the snow, but I have not heard of too many problems yet.
If the snow continues to elude us, it could create some unique opportunities for exploring those otherwise hard to reach destinations, especially within the B-Dub.
I am consumed with fishing so I always think on the terms of angling destinations but there are many cool places to explore. Skijoring and skate skiing across the frozen lakes are two very efficient methods of winter travel that can get you further than simply hiking alone.
It is still too early to safely use the bigger lakes since many of them froze over this past week. Loon Lake has been making ice noises loud enough to spook our wiener dog on occasion which generally means that the ice is getting thick, but I have not ventured out to verify that. There are some things that I don’t like to be first at, and testing the ice is certainly one of those things.
This winter should be a little more comfortable on the ice since I have acquired a nice three-person ice shack that will be parked somewhere on Gunflint Lake. I have always been a believer in being mobile but last winter made that challenging to the extent of canceling a few days from harsh weather. An insulated shack with a heater might help to salvage those nasty days and it will be more comfortable for the kids to enjoy on our day together.
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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