The leaves are holding on to their trees for a little longer this week, as we are able to enjoy another majestic fall on the Gunflint Trail. The peak of fall colors is happening right now, and leaf watchers are taking to hiking trails and overlooks before it all blows away.
Water temperatures are now dipping into the lower 50’s after this week’s plunge in temperatures. Twice we have seen frost-covered grounds and even a little snowfall during a squall that blew through last weekend. Mother Nature is reminding us how fast she can change the seasons in the Northland, and I am doing my best to stay ahead of her this year.
There has been enough sunshine to warrant a T-shirt for a few hours each day, but the ever-shortening span of daylight is slowly losing the battle to continuously cooler evenings. I even lit the outside wood boiler this week to warm up our cold tile floor, and take the bite out of the air. Radiant in-floor heat is nice on the feet, but hard to regulate with an outside boiler during the “in-between seasons.” Our back-up electric baseboard heat is too dry and artificial, not to mention expensive. Wood is cheaper but not cheap if you value the labor involved. Luckily, we get a lot of help processing the logs each year from visiting family and friends. If I leave a stack of logs in my driveway long enough, someone starts working on it.
Grouse hunters are having a little success finding birds, despite the heavy cover still present in the woods. Every day we lose a few more leaves, which exposes grouse for both humans and predators. All of the forest creatures are preparing for winter, including myself, and it feels like time is running out quickly. Seasonal preparations are important in this country and after many years of trial and error, mostly error, I have learned the intricacies of storing things outside for winter. It is an art that requires diligence, a lot of rope, and sometimes even duct tape to keep the elements out.
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.
Leave a Reply