As people are well aware, we’ve had our share of weather recently. Snow, rain, and winds over 50 mph have pretty much spelled the end of the fall color season and moved all the photographers out of the forest and onto the shore of Superior to take pictures of waves.
If you are one of those wave watchers, beware. A cubic yard of water weighs about 1686 pounds, making it 36 pounds heavier than the original Volkswagen Beetle. That means that big waves have no problem moving boulders, and unless you belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, washing you off your feet is really easy. Stay well clear of the surf zone, which during a storm could be yards higher on the beach than normal.
You probably know that Artist Point is a common spot for watching the waves crash in, but you may not realize that it is actually part of the national forest. At one time, a Forest Service fire tower there overlooked the town and the hills above it, protecting them from wildfire. Imagine what the view would have been from that tower in the recent high winds and waves.
With all the rain, fires are not the problem right now. In fact, in several areas, water is the problem. Our timber crews who have been working in the forest are advising visitors to use extreme caution on Forest Service roads with lower maintenance levels, and if possible, avoid them altogether. There could be flooded areas of road, and even the dry road may be too soft to drive on.
If you do drive on a soft road and leave ruts, chances are good that the ruts will freeze solid and stay there until spring, so it is good to stay off the roads so they will freeze with a better surface. The soft ground also loosens the grip tree roots have on the ground, so tree falls are common when high winds and wet soil combine. Fallen trees may remain on low maintenance roads for some time as we work on more highly traveled roadways, and until the road is solid enough to get vehicles into it.
There is still some roadwork taking place on the Grade, Forest Road 170. That work is mostly gravel placement east of the Sawbill Trail, but there is also some gravel and culvert work being done west of the Sawbill. Large side dump gravel trucks are frequently using the Sawbill Trail as part of this operation. Elsewhere in the forest, logging operations have slowed a bit with log trucks using the Caribou Trail, Evergreen, and Bigsby Road on the Tofte District, and the Lima Grade, South Brule Road, Pike Lake Road, Cook County 7, Cascade Bluffs Road, Greenwood Road, and the Blueberry Road on the Gunflint District.
All of the fee campgrounds in the Tofte and Gunflint districts are now in winter mode. During winter, you do not have to pay a fee to stay at our campgrounds, but there is no water. In winter mode, there’s no garbage service at campgrounds, so be sure to pack lightly going in and pack it all out when you leave. By the way, take it all the way home – local gas stations and other businesses with dumpsters do not appreciate receiving everyone’s camping trash.
We are also winterizing the forest by removing docks from the water. There are an awful lot of docks out there, so there is no list posted of which lakes have had their docks removed and which may still have a dock. All docks should be removed in the next two weeks, so at this point, just plan that there will be no dock for your boat.
Finally, on the night of the 31st, avoid the haunted portions of the forest, including ancient abandoned cemeteries, mysterious hilltop rock rings, mist-filled dank swamps, and dilapidated cabins with creaking shutters. Why is it that people in movies always go into those places? Have a safe and at least slightly scary Halloween!
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