Everyone is still waiting for winter to happen this year and we are already halfway through January. I just sold a snowmobile last week, and the buyer could not even take it for a test drive. It was parked in town and there was no snow in sight. I guess I must have an honest face since he bought it anyway.
Not much riding has been going on up here, but the true “sled heads” will find snow wherever it is. There was a report on a Duluth news station that showed countless trucks pulling snowmobiles en route to upper Michigan last week after the 14 inches of snow they received. Maybe we will get lucky and get our 14 inches of snow this week. That would make a lot of people smile.
The warm days have caused the roads to get very slick. I have already pulled two vehicles out of the ditch and have been pulled out once myself. I was driving down the Mile- O-Pine road and politely gave ample room for an oncoming vehicle as the shoulder grabbed my front tire and sucked me in.
The county dredged the ditches last summer to help with springtime drainage, so there are no longer any shoulders on the road. I was almost to a complete stop when I slid over the edge.
The road itself is difficult to get traction on since we have had so much warm weather lately. The temperature gets warm enough to melt the icedover roads during the day, only to re-freeze that evening. I put the truck in gear and the tires began to spin before I even gave it any gas. Oh well, no damage was done to my truck, just my pride.
If there is such a thing as a silver lining to this season’s bizarre weather, it would have to be that the giant “speed bumps” on the Gunflint Trail have not heaved up yet. Last winter they were so bad that you would catch air if you forgot to slow down for them.
The bumps are brutal on vehicles, especially our plow truck. At 30 mph, the plow would jump up and suspend for a second or two before crashing back down with a vengeance.
The lack of snowfall this winter could have some negative effects on our wildlife as well. The grouse need that blanket of insulated snow to burrow down for the cold nights. The fox and wolves have an easier time hunting grouse without the deep snow cover.
The snowshoe hares are not as camouflaged and also become easy prey. Skunks and other animals that are used to hibernating through the coldest weeks are going to be moving around more. They need to hibernate in order to survive the cold weather and less abundant food supplies. Any critter that is used to storing food for the end of the winter could be in danger of running short.
The birds do not seem to mind the nice weather. They have been eating up the birdseed faster than we can buy it. Lately, the grosbeaks have been sharing the feeders with the little chickadees. The jays like to bully their way into the frenzy, and I suspect they are the ones eating up most of the seeds. I think we spend less money feeding Sophia, our 1-year-old daughter, than we do the birds. The entertainment is well worth the price of seed. Little Sophia loves to watch the birdies and we love anything that keeps her content.
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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