Mid-August. Thanks to back-to-school sales and calendars and schedules, a lot of us are already mentally into September and beyond. In some stores, Halloween decorations have even begun to creep onto the shelves. For a little while though, bring yourself back from October, back through September, and take the time to be where we are, in mid-August. The forest right... READ MORE >
Warm summer August days: perfect for swimming, gathering berries, or just lying around. Eat something, sleep a while, eat some more. This may be your summer schedule too, but we are actually talking about bears. Bears are one of the most interesting residents of the Forest. People look for bears, but when it comes to actually finding one, it can... READ MORE >
The Fourth of July is over, and we are in the heart of summer. Hot days, pop-up thunderstorms, and then that lovely drop in humidity and temperature after the rain. Inland lakes are warming up to where you can swim in them for longer than two minutes, and to where the walleye are driven into the cool dark depths in... READ MORE >
We continue to have a dry summer; great for outdoor activities but with moderate or higher fire danger. Currently, due to worsening fire danger conditions, the Superior National Forest has banned campfires across the Forest, EXCEPT in approved fire rings in the open fee campgrounds. Camp stoves may still be used across the Forest. The Forest has seen several small... READ MORE >
Summer is upon us in the Forest. There’s still some clinging snow I’ve spotted at Lutsen and in a couple of places where plows made enormous mounds, but it is safe to say that the natural snow cover is gone. Given that it is June, it is about time. Our woods are fully leafed out, and the springtime blossoms of... READ MORE >
The State Fair is canceled. Fisherman’s Picnic is canceled. Bay Days is canceled. Bayfront Blues Festival is canceled. But, spring 2020 is still on, and it is noisy outside right now. Authors who write books about the “silent woods” or “hushed stillness” have never been in the north woods in spring. In the morning, a dawn chorus of birds –... READ MORE >
Slowly, warmth is creeping up into the north. Sure, it may backslide for a day and there may be snow flurries, but overall, the trend is relentless and spring pushes forward. Fishing opener and Mother’s Day were earlier this year, and while many lakes were open, there were definitely still some which were ice bound. With the bright sun and... READ MORE >
With all the snow melting, cloudy weather, and occasional spring rains, it may seem crazy to be talking about forest fires, but it isn’t. While National Fire Prevention Week is in the fall, we have a spring fire season which can be just as important as the fall season. None of us can forget the Ham Lake Fire which started... READ MORE >
Spring! From the name, you’d think that spring would, well, spring into being. Up here though, spring is less a spring and more of a 1969 Buick. It starts, coughs, stops, rolls backward down the hill before the gears engage, puts on a burst of speed, and then slows to a crawl. It is an exciting time; you never know... READ MORE >
In some parts of the world, April showers bring May flowers, but up here, it brings mud. As our snow melts and spring rains appear, more and more of the forest turns to mud. This isn’t entirely a bad thing after a long frozen winter, but there is little doubt that spring is the worst season for our forest roads.... READ MORE >
