A great day for skiing

As we move closer to spring, I thought I better get out and get some cross country skiing in with all this new fresh snow. Dave and I headed to Bloomington to Hyland Park today. The trails were nice and groomed and it was a cold but sunny day. It was 10 degrees but as long as we kept moving we were fine as we dressed in layers and no cotton.

Me at Hyland Park

Dave

Overlooking frozen Hyland Lake

Hyland Park Visitor Center

Bring on the snow

We have not had much snow since the middle of January but that is supposed to change starting tomorrow as heavy snow is in the forecast. Here is a clip of our 2005 trip up on the Gunflint Trail. We stayed at Gunflint Pines and had a chance to do some snowmobiling on the upper Gunflint Trail. The scene with the deer is at Gunflint Lodge. We were snowmobiling on frozen Gunflint Lake.

Bearskin 2003

October 2003

The annual fall trip in 2003 was the year we got out and really explored the North Shore as much as we could while still trying to enjoy the relaxing peace and quiet of Bearskin. It is hard to do both in one trip, but we made the best of it. This year Dave and I were the only 2 up there so I guess you could say this was the year the TGNMAC really took off. For as much as we love hanging out at the cabin, grilling food and drinking some Northwoods beer, we like to be out on the trails as well. The highlights of this trip were the Fall colors, Tettegouche State Park, Lake Superior, Eagle mountain trail, mountain biking at Lutsen and of course Bearskin.



We started out staying in Duluth at the South Pier Inn right next to the Aeriel Lift Bridge. It was pretty cool to see the big 1000 ft. freighters go right by our window under the bridge. Dave apparently was ready for this year's adventure as we got back from checking out the night scene in Canal Park, we walked back to the hotel, and over the bridge had stopped to check out the view from under the bridge. We would watch as it went up to let the boats go through the canal and on out to sea. So there we are just hanging out and Dave decides he would like to get a better view from higher up. So as the bridge starts to go up for the next ship he decides he would like to grab on to the bridge as it is going up. Now I was not worried as I knew he really had no intentions of actually hanging on the whole way to the top. It was just for a couple of seconds, enough to get his feet off the ground. Well the bridge operator that has a booth at the top of the bridge had different thoughts of Dave's adventurous behavior, as there were cameras so he could see our every move. From his point of view, he may have thought that it was a terrorist....a very white and pale terrorist trying to conquer the bridge. Nope, he was just drunk as was I.

So all of a sudden we hear a loud voice come over the speaker system that could be heard from the bar we were at....."Let go of the bridge, let go of the bridge. " So he did and no harm was done. We then scooted back to the room as that was enough fun for our first night.


The next morning we on our way up the North Shore headed for the Gunflint Trail. We really seemed to hit the fall colors of October just right this year. It has to be one of the most scenic drives around on a sunny day like we had.

After a day of the cabin we took our mountain bikes and headed to Lutsen ski resort for some fun on the hills. This is a great place for some real mountain biking with some serious descents. The great thing was taking the lift chairs the skiers use in the winter to get up to the top of Moose Mountain. Mystery Mountain is not as extreme as Moose but for whatever reason, Moose was the only one open that day so we took it. We load our bikes on the back of the lift chair and up we go. It is a good thing to make sure your brakes are working well if biking here as once you start going down, it is hard to stop. The views were incredible as Lake Superior was shining bright out on the horizon. After 2 or 3 hours on the trails we were ready for a lunch break. Moose mountain has a nice little cafe up at the top with outdoor seating with views that is hard to beat.

On about day 3 our friend Brad and his girlfriend drove up from Minneapolis to join us. It was his first trip to Bearskin. The following day we all felt like going for a hike so we picked the Eagle Mountain Trail that was not too far from the Gunflint Trail. It was a 7 mile round trip and it crossed into the BWCAW with a nice view of Whale lake along the way. When at the summit of the trail, it is the highest point in Minnesota at 2301 feet. It was challenging in spots as there were parts that were very rocky. It was a nice fall hike and would do it again. Once we got to the top we took a break to soak in the views before heading back.


The next day we all headed up over the border into Canada. We wanted to see the Thunder Bay area. We chose to go see the thundering waters of Kakabeka Falls. What a cool place that was. After seeing that and having lunch in Thunder Bay, Brad drove back to the cabin while Dave and I wanted to check out some nightlife in Thunder Bay. I remember the drive back to Bearskin from Thunder Bay felt like a lifetime as it was pitch black out with not much too see but the star filled sky which was lit up.


After Brad had headed home the next day, Dave and I went to see Tettegouche State Park. It is one of my favorite parks as there are trails, waterfalls and of course the Big Lake. It was a perfect fall day for exploring and we did a lot of it that day. There was a big waterfall inland and along Lake Superior were some great views of Shovel Point.

It was a great trip and before we knew it, we had to head back home to the cities. There were some great memories from this trip for sure. Of course I can't wait to get back for 2004.

Bearskin2002

October 2002

In 2002 my Brother was living with me in Minneapolis and thought that since he had never been to Grand Marais or the Gunflint Trail, this would be the time for him to go. I am so glad he did come along as he soon joined the Navy the following year and has been very busy since with work and family in Florida.

We drove up and stayed at our favorite cabin at Bearskin. Dave and Jon drove up from the cities as well so this year was just the guys.

My brother Travis liked to fish and spent time out fishing from the dock. He caught a walleye and a northern pike if I remember right. We stayed up late that night drinking some beer and hanging out by the fire. Travis was still fishing pretty late and would come in every now and then to warm up and back fishing he went. Later on he rushes back to the cabin to tell us "something weird is going on in the sky" So we go out and take a look and sure enough it was the Northern Lights. I had never seen them in person before but have always wanted to. It was very cool to see so we all bundled up and sat out on the dock just watching the sky dance around. They did not have the green or pink colors as it was more of a white color just dancing all over the place. We would stay out there as long as we could, then go warm up by the fire and then go back out. I could have stayed out there all night but finally went to bed after 2 or 3 in the morning.

We did some do a little sightseeing too as we drove north of Grand Marais to Judge C.R. Magney State Park to see the Devil's Kettle Falls. We also stopped at Naniboujou Lodge for some hot drinks that was nearby. That would be a great place for Dinner.

On the way back we made a stop at the overlook of Hungry Jack Lake that was close to Bearskin. That was impressive.

Me and my brother

That was pretty much it for that year as it was great to be back at Bearskin.

Isle Royale Moose-Wolves Winter Study

I find the winter study of Isle Royale on moose and wolves to be of great interest. They are in their 51st year of this annual study to get information of these 2 amazing animals and how they survive the harsh winter conditions surrounded by Lake Superior. The moose are the main prey for the wolves and this is a graphic detailed study of what they do. Isle Royale is a National Park that is closed during the winter months. It is considered the state of Michigan but is actually closer to Minnesota and Canada. They also count the number of moose and wolves from a plane. Last year there were about 650 moose and 24 wolves made up of 4 packs. There used to be a lot more moose in years past and there is a big concern of their survival as they are very heat sensitive. If you would like to read more about this study click here.

October 2001 at Bearskin

In 2001 I headed up to Bearskin as I wanted to try and make this a yearly event. I tried to make this trip near my birthday which was around the Columbus Day holiday so that was an extra day to spend up at the cabin. Dave could not go up that year so I took my girlfriend at the time.



On this trip we had a new visitor at the cabin. He was a duck we named George. He would come right up to us with his buddies when we were sitting out on the dock looking for a meal. We would feed him bread crumbs as he liked that a lot.



After that first day, every morning he would be waiting for us at the bottom of the steps just staring at us like "well let's go, I don't have all day."





This year we decided to bring some pumpkins up and carve out on the dock. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I just love the Indian Summer Days of Fall.





We decided to drive the whole length of the Gunflint Trail one day and were hoping to get a chance to see some moose. This was the rutting season for them, so there was a good chance to see at least one. I have never seen one in person before besides on tv or a magazine. On our drive to the end of the trail, we saw a red fox, but no moose. On our way back is when we had our chance. We saw a car pulled over so we slowed down and there they were right off the trail in a boggy area that we could see from the car. It was a bull and a cow right out in the open near the water. I was pretty impressed at how big they looked in person. So we stood there for about 15 minutes just watching.



Another highlight of the trip was driving up to the Canadian border in the town of Grand Portage. We were looking for a day hike and I found one in my guide book that looked like a good trail with good views of Lake Superior. We chose the Mt. Josephine Trail. The book said it was a short but steep hike. I was ready for a bit of a challenge. My girlfriend at the time.....not so much.


It was roughly a half mile up to the summit and yeah, it was a very steep climb. After about 10 minutes on the trail she was cursing me out the whole way to the top. She said she wanted to go for a hike, not climb a mountain! We had no idea there were hills like this in northern Minnesota. They are called the Sawtooth Mountains. They are nothing like out west, but I would call them big hills.


After finally reaching the top and avoiding getting beaten, the view was well worth the effort. We just sat and watched big Lake Superior for about an hour before heading back. We could also see Isle Royale from here and little did I know then, that Isle Royale would end up becoming one of my favorite places for hiking, canoeing and kayaking.

Bearskin2000....The beginning

Hello and welcome to my blog. I thought this would be a great place to share and organize my travels with family and friends and maybe even make some new friends along the way. Those who know me already are aware that I have a pretty strong passion for the northwoods and Lake Superior area.



My first trip up north was in the fall of 2000. Until then, I had never been north of Duluth. I was looking for a quiet place for a long weekend get away with friends when a co worker suggested the Gunflint Trail. He then told me that cell phones don't work up there and to me, that was the clincher.



So a couple of friends and I headed north where a whole new world opened up for me. I was used to living in the city at the time so I was looking for just the opposite and the Gunflint Trail was perfect. We stayed in a log cabin at Bearskin Lodge on East Bearskin Lake. A couple days later some more friends drove up from the cities and we had a great time with no tv. We did a little hiking around the area. We were not used to it being so quiet so we did bring our cd's. We were still fairly young so we brought a little bit of food and filled the fridge the only way we knew how.

After this trip and seeing the majestic Lake Superior I was hooked. My friend Dave has joined me on almost all of my trips and this was where it all started. After a couple of years we thought we better have a name for our adventures so that is where TGNMAC came in which stands for The Great Northwoods Mooseknuckle Adventure Club. We have been back to the Gunflint Trail many times since but then wanted to venture out and do more than stay at the same cabin. We finally worked our way up to becoming more active as I was a smoker on our first trip. These trips helped me quit and now we take canoe trips in the Boundary Waters and have even kayaked on Lake Superior.

I will add previous trips here as I go along as well as future trips as well so stay tuned......