January Plan -- Relaxing and Fishing

We completed our long road trip to visit family members in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska before Christmas. Now we are looking forward to January with a chance to relax, do some fishing and to enjoy living in the north country. 

The winter season for fishing Lake Trout opens on January first for lakes entirely within the BWCAW.  When I checked yesterday, hikers and skiers have already opened a trail into Duncan Lake. Getting into Duncan and Daniels Lakes should not be a problem. If the weather turns nasty around the opener I may have to wait another week to get some fresh Lake Trout. Fishing will get easier starting on January 18th when lakes outside the BWCAW like Moss, Ram and Clearwater are opened to Lake Trout fishing.   



Trails from Bearskin Landing into Duncan Lake.

The Forest Service is not going start accepting entry permit applications for next summer until January 28th this year.  I plan on getting several fishing trips in January before I need to start hanging around here at the Lodge to answer the telephone.

The day after Christmas, we had a group stay in our Lakeside Suite before heading out to start a winter camping trip. They have a winter tent and a stove to keep warm and lots of experience. (I suspect that they will have to spend a lot of time looking for firewood.)  Lin and I just turn on our gas fireplace and look out our slider door widows at Poplar Lake when it gets cold.  If it gets real cold, I have serveral weeks worth of tackle box cleaning that needs to be done!


Summer is only 4 months away!



Snow, Ice and Work

 

Winter seems to have arrived here at Rockwood Lodge. The bay in front of our house was completely covered by ice this morning and there is only a small section of open water between the islands out in front of the Lodge. Work on many of our outdoor projects is going to be put on hold until next Spring.



Insulation Going Up



We did manage to close remove a large broken window in our house, frame in the opening and cover the outside wall with siding last week during some light snow showers. This week we started working on our indoor projects -- we suspect that the new wall will help keep us warmer this winter. Until the snow depth makes it difficut to get into our cabins we'll still be doing some work inside the cabins. However, many of these projects can not be finished until temperatures warm up next Spring.

Outdoor work in the Winter is limited to projects that absolutely have to be done, can be left unfinished until conditions improve or projects were working will keep you warm. I suspect that most of our "Winter Work" will be completed before January first -- the opening day for the Lake Trout fishing season. Meanwhile I need to clear the driveway from our house down to the Lakeside Apartment so that one of our neighbors can use the apartment next weekend.

Almost Finished

Crab Lake

Yesterday was a beautiful day that was made for taking a long hike. The aroma of Fall was in the air, the sun was shinning and more importantly was I finally on top of the work needed to close Rockwood for the season. 

I decided to take a couple of hours and hike the Crab Lake spur, over a section of the Border Route Trail and up the Bridal Falls. 

It turned out to be a fantastic hike. The Crab Lake spur was an easy trail that would be great for family hikes. The cutover trail from the east end of Crab Lake had a few wet spots but I managed to keep my feet dry. The views from the Border Route Trail overlooking Gunflint and North lakes were payback for the time I invested in hiking.


Gunflint Lake Narrows



Bridal Falls is next to the overlook at the Gunflint Lake Narrows. The hike turned out to be more of a challenge than was I was expecting. The sun sets early between the high ridges along this collection of trails. I made the hike in about two and a half hours but I really had to push my pace on the way back out.

 

North Lake











White Roofs, New Trail and Draining Waterlines

A week ago we were wearing shorts and basking in sunshine. The next day we had over night temperatures below freezing and a high daytime temperature in the thirties. Yesterday we woke up to snow on the roofs and had to find an ice scraper to clear our windshield. Minnesota constantly suprises us wide daily weather variations.

The cold weather is Nature's way of reminding us that the waterlines here at the Lodge have to be drained in order to avoid having to repair broken line next Spring. Draining all the water from the cabins and blowing water out of the cabins and mainlines is a four day task. Our air compressor and the horse that hauls it around to the cabins certainly get a workout.

To keep cabins open for the last couple of weeks we had to put tarps and fiberglass insulation on all of our exposed water valves. (There are 32 metal valves that have to be covered to keep the water/valves from freezing.)  Buried waterlines, below the frost line, are not an option when you live on Ledge Rock.

After we wrap up work on the waterlines we'll start winterizing the sewer systems. Meanwhile we still find a little time to play. The new Moss Lake Trail is officially open.  Until the trail becomes "worn in" we would rate it as difficult. Be sure to check with someone locally for trail conditions before heading out on this hike.

We don't expect the lake to freeze over until after Thanksgiving. We still have a lot of activities to keep us busy -- Stream Trout fishing season is open until the end of October and the netting season for Whitefish is just around the corner. Meanwhile, a few guests have already book stays in our winterized suite. 

Summer Days

It finally seems like Summer has arrived here in the Northwoods. We have been putting out a lot of canoe trips and the cabins are nearly always full. The days are warm but it cools off in the evening making it easy to get to sleep after spending a day outdoors. Everything moves a little slower now that the temperatures are getting higher. Well almost everything has slowed down -- the chipmunks have gone into high gear and are starting to store food for another long winter.


There is never enough!

 We're having an unusually August, some of our guest haven't heard that the fishing slows down as the water warms up. Joe is passing out fishing tips and sharing some of his secret hotspot locations.  Two nights ago one of our cabin guest went out for an evening fishing trip recommended by Joe.  His picture shows what looks like a very successful fishing trip. (Joe and Maggie are already talking about coming back to Rockwood next year.)



Sometimes there is enough!



Under Attack by Mother Nature




South Lake Trail at Rockwood

  This past week we have been attacked along mutliple fronts!  A strong storm front came through the area about 3 am Monday morning and seriously damaged trees in both the BWCAW and at our Lodge. You can barely see the South Lake Trail sign and the path from our drive up to the Gunflint Trail
for the down trees. The force of the wind actually broke one of the picture windows in our house. Nothing but wind touched our home but there are 8 large trees on the ground within 3 to 10 feet of our house.

Paddlers are reporting that trees are also down along most of the portages. The portages are still open but Mother Nature has added a few obstacles to make things more interesting. Many of the locals believe that this was the worse storm to have hit the Gunflint Trail area since the blowdown in 1999.

On Saturday a bear showed up in camp and managed to search every garbage can for goodies. What a mess! When the bear came back again we had already emptied the cans before his arrival. Hopefully after finding empty cans he will stay away for a while. It is really hard to explain why he is even here since we are experiencing a bumper crop of blueberries this year.

The good news is that the mosquito attacks are less intense.  Lake levels are finally dropping and the mosquito breeding puddles are drying up. The evening "humming period" is starting later and ending sooner.   

Gunflint Trail Moose Are Plentiful in 2014

Moose are out in great numbers this year along the Gunflint Trail and surrounding area! And while that news is wonderful in its own right, what is even more encouraging is the number of calf sightings so far in 2014. Nearly every cow moose spotted this year has had at least one calf trotting by its side, with multiple reports and sightings of a large cow with two healthy calves at her side. Yearling moose appear to be moving away from their mothers and are exploring on their own, such as the young bull (male) in this photo. He was spotted browsing through a meadow about 1.5 miles from Rockwood Lodge.

Moose are among the most popular animals along the Gunflint Trail, and these early-summer sightings are great news for both the present and the future of the moose population in our area!

Fishing Update

The fish bite continues to be strong in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and surrounding area as summer fast approaches. The season started out with a bang via Lake Trout in shallow waters. Lake Trout appear to be moving into deeper water, but other fishing action is picking up just in time.

Smallmouth fishing has been reported as strong on Rush Lake and Banadad Lake, both of which are an easy trip from Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters.

And while the cool rains subside, walleye action is just heating up in the BWCA. Reports of excellent walleye fishing are coming in from Horseshoe Lake using a spinner and nightcrawler combo. Fishing the north end of the lake was reported as the prime area, though fish can likely be found in other locations and lakes, including Poplar, Vista, Gaskin and Allen.

Moose Sightings

A pleasant surprise greeted Joe last Thursday when he came out of the outfitting building. A moose cow and two calfs walked down the road and proceeded acoss our canoe landing. He claims that they were only twenty feet from where he was standing when they entered the water and started swimming to a nearby island. It was a typical moose sighting here at the Lodge -- there is never a camera around when you need one.

Chance finally noticed a moose. He usually sleeps in front of the fireplace when he is in the Lodge. When he looked up today he went balistic when he saw the moose mount looking down at him. After about five minutes of barking and growling he settled down and went back to sleep.



First Encounter



We have been seeing more moose this spring than we have seen for several years. There have been several sighting of a cow and a calf between our Lodge and Nor'Wester Lodge. We have also seen a solo cow at the water hole near the Laurentian Divide scenic overlook. What we are not seeing this year is very many wolves. 

Our neighbor reports that there have been serveral sighting of a Lynx out on Voyaguer Point. The Lynx always move on after they reduce the local hare population. Maybe the wolves have moved on and the moose population will get a year to start a bounce back.

Lake Trout Fishing

For most of last week I had some help getting our cabins ready for the holiday weekend. We were doing great when Joe and Mike#2 decided to go fishing. Instead of finishing up on Cabin #5 the guys spent Thursday afternoon over on Moss Lake catching Lake Trout. They were so successful and had such a good time that they decided to repeat their fishing adventure again on Friday.

They never finished getting Cabin #5 ready for this weekend but Mike#2 took a limit of trout home with him when he left on Saturday. Joe's folks brought Maggie up for the weekend and his Dad is taking his limit of Lake Trout back to Iowa.  Joe did the wise move of giving Lin and I a fish for our dinner on Thursday. Cabin #5 should be ready by next weekend!

Lake Trout are really easy to catch in the early Spring for about 3 to 4 weeks after the ice go out. The boys reported that there were small patches of ice on Moss Lake when they went out last Thursday. Mike#1 (me) plans to do some serious Lake Trout fishing later this week.

Ice Moves, Cracking Up and Summer Staff

Finally! The past week have seen big changes taking place here at Rockwood Lodge. Most of the snow in gone as is over half of the ice that has been covering Poplar Lake. The Forest Service reports that many of the lakes to the west of us, like Seagull Lake, are ice free.

Two days ago the ice started to move off Poplar Lake. We were out making our lists of work that needed to be done here at the Lodge when we heard a loud cracking noise coming from down by the lake.  A strong west wind pushed a large section of ice up against the docks in front of the Lodge. The cracking sound that we heard was the when the boards used to brace the legs of the dock started breaking. Repairing the docks was added to our list of needed repair work.
 

Open Water and Docks To Repair   5/15/2014

Our summer staff spend opener weekend with us and gave us a good start on our spring cleaning. Joe plans to return full time next week.  Maggie will be here for the Memorial Day weekend and will be back with us full time in early June. Maggie is a school teacher and Joe has as a story about the Pagami Fire that will be coming out this summer in the Boundary Waters Journal. Lin and I are really looking forward to turning over the Lodge to them and getting a few hours of "personal leave" later this summer.    

Cleaning Cabin 9

Almost Done

Cracks on Winter's Hold

It has been a long winter. Our lakes are still ice covered and plans for the fishing opener this weekend have been cancelled. The "Opener" is a serious event for anglers and there is a small group who are pushing to have it recognized as an official State Holiday. The only thing that we will have going for "Opener" this year is that you can fish through the ice with two lines.


We are starting to get phone calls from people who want to know if they should cancel their canoe trips scheduled for the Memorial Day weekend. Our wholesaler called and jokingly asked if we needed to place an order for bait. One of our local groups is even planning an ice boat regatta for this June.    

Actually, we are starting to see some signs that winter is over. The ice along the north shore of Poplar Lake is no longer tight to the shore. The bark on the younger aspens is starting to turn green. The Robins are back and we have even had a Red-Winged Blackbird at our feeder.  We'll have the water on to the bunkhouse next Thursday when the Border Route Trail crew will be staying with us.

                              

May 7th -- Open water on Poplar Lake

May 9th. -- Ice and Fog on Poplar Lake

I have gone to bed thinking that the lake will not open of another week only to have awakened to the sound of waves. Lake ice conditions can change fast once it starts to turn black and warmer water starts to drain into the lake. Our best advice for people who are planning an early May canoe trip is to call before you start heading north.  

Fishing Opener and Ice Out



August 24, 2013



In a normal year the ice is off Poplar Lake by May 10th. Last year the ice wasn't gone from Poplar Lake until May 18th. This was the latest ice off date that Lin and I have experienced since we moved up to Rockwood Lodge. We certainly had to cancel a lot of canoe trips and field numerious phone calls from people who wanted to know if the ice would be gone by the Memorial Day Weekend.   

The winter this year has been unusually harsh and long for many of our guests.  TV news stations down in the cities are already talking about lakes being iced over for fishing opener and some of the locals living along the Gunflint Trail are even wondering if our lakes will be open by June!

It always amazes us as to how quick people forget what constitutes a normal winter or how this years winter compares to what we experienced last year. The photos of our Lodge show how far this year's winter has retreated compared to last year at this time.  

The winter is almost over once we start seeing bare ground. We'll be surprised if the lake ice is gone by the Fishing Opener but we know that as the ground warms up any new snowfall will not stick around for very long.  That a good thing to remember as we look outside this morning to 9 inches of new snow.


April 25,2014
















The First Signs of Spring

The first sign of Spring for most people is when the daffodils and crocuses poke up through the snow along south facing walls. Lin and I get excited about Spring when our aluminum canoes are first seen after being buried by snow for nearly five months.

A less welcome sign of Spring showed up last Monday. Two feet of snow on the roof of the summer staff apartment decided to part ways with the north facing roof. The snow fell off the roof and piled up against the back wall of the building. The "long" building was covered nearly to the top of the window openings with melting snow. After two days of digging we managed to clear the snow off the wall. The trench is needed to keep the melting snow from seeping into the building.

Last year we didn't have "ice off" on Poplar Lake until May 18th. Lin and I are already starting to get phone calls from people asking if the ice will be gone earlier this year. The warm up that started this week should really be encouraging for paddlers and guests planning to visit us this May. Over the last four days we have seen our snow depth dropping by over a foot. This picture of Lin was taken last year in late April and can be compared to today's snow depth in this same area of less than twenty inches. Call me an optimist but the likelyhood of a more normal opening date is improving hourly.

  

English Springer, Minnows and a Lone Wolf

Last month we went to Wisconsin and brought home a rescued English Springer Spaniel named Chance. We have quickly adjusted to having a dog once again in our lives and Chance is happy to be free of pens and crates. He is quickly working on learning his obedience commands and should be ready to welcome visitors to our lodge this summer. However, we suspect that we may have a problem with keeping him out of Poplar Lake once the ice comes off.

Lat week we had a visit from another type of canine. We had a bucket of frozen minnows outside the shop that one of our guest gave us. When Chance and I when out to play fetch with a tennis ball the minnows and the bucket were gone! Lots of wolf tracks and a wild Chance. We followed the tracks out to the Gunflint Trail and saw here the wolf had decided to visit our neighbor.

Based on Facebook postings, there is a wolf that is actively looking for food at homes all along Poplar Lake. This photo has him eating from a bird feeder -- the date and time on the camera are not correct. Once our snow starts to melt the "wildlife" will retreat back into the wilderness. This winter's deep snow has everyone looking for easier places to walk like: plowed roads, snowmobile tracks and shoveled walkways. Meanwhile, everyone up here is advised to keep their pets close.  

Snow Removal Blues

We had over 14 inches of snow over the last weekend. This was after being hit by eight inches of snow earlier in the preceeding week. Clearing the snow from our driveway from the second enterance off the Gunlflint Trail down to the lakeside apartment is no easy job. I try to blow everything before the snow depth exceeds four to five inches. With my small 5.5 Hp. snowblower it takes a little under two hours to clear the driveway. If the snow depth is over five inches it can take twice as long to clear the driveway. 

When the temperature is around zero and the wind is gusting to 30 mph spending time outdoors following a showblower is not a winter sport that has anything over say ice fishing,cross country skiing or making snow angels.  Over a one week period I cleared the driveway 6 times. If you add in the time spent getting dressed to work outside I have lately spend way too much time blowing snow! It has been a long winter and I was really starting to feel sorry for myself.

Just when I was getting down on Winter and having to face another 6 weeks of "snow season" our neighbor came around and told me about his snow removal problem. He has a big diesel pickup with an expensive V plow. With all of this year's snow his driveways are down to a single lane lined by snowpiles from earlier plow passes. The cast off snow is higher than his V plow and he can no longer use the plow to clear the driveway. He had start clearing his driveway with a snowblower. His expensive truck and snowplow will be useless until the snow melts!

Meanwhile, our driveway looks great. The snow from the snowblower is cast over a large area and I don't have deep piles of snow along the driveway. This keeps wind blown snow from building up along the edges which makes it easier to clear the driveway the next time it snows. Best of all, I have been getting lots of exersise.  



Driveway between our home and our garage.

Forget the exersise, we're ready for Spring!



Living With A Polar Vortex Winter



Ferns



Feathers

  








There are two ways to get through Winter up here in the Northland. You can stay inside and look for feathers or ferns in the frost patterns that cover your windows each morning or you can go outside and enjoy Winter.





We froze all of the waterlines and pumps in our water treatment room last month and have spend way too much time getting the system running again. Now it is time to get out and enjoy some time in the sun. Someone should warn the Lake Trout over in Moss Lake that I will be there soon!