THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DULUTH HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 12 PM SATURDAY TO 12 PM CST SUNDAY. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR 8 TO 16 INCHES OF SNOW SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. AT THIS TIME…THE GREATEST SNOW AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR WHERE 12 TO 16 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE SNOW…HEAVY AT TIMES…COMBINED WITH GUSTY WINDS UP TO 25 MPH COULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE DRIFTING AND BLOWING OF THE SNOW. VISIBILITIES MAY ALSO BE REDUCED TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES IN THE HEAVIER SNOW. TRAVEL MAY BECOME DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT A LARGE AREA SO TRAVEL MAY BE DISRUPTED WELL SOUTH AND EAST OF THE NORTHLAND.

Posted by the Boundary Waters Blog Lady from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters

After returning to the lodge following a Thanksgiving break with family and friends, I expected that I might see ice on Clearwater Lake.  While there is now ice on some of the smaller lakes, I am still waiting for Clearwater to freeze over.   This photo is from the lodge looking out over Clearwater Lake. 

We had some wonderful snow yesterday and the mid-trail ski trails are being packed so get your winter gear ready for a visit. 

Clearwater Lodge

www.clearwateroutfitters.com

You just have to love it when the forecast looks like this for the day…

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE
ARROWHEAD OF MINNESOTA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON…WITH THE HEAVIEST
AMOUNTS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF LAKE AND COOK COUNTIES
ALONG THE NORTH SHORE. THE SNOW WILL DIMINISH THIS
AFTERNOON…HOWEVER ANOTHER INCH OR TWO WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE SNOW
WILL TAPER OFF TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS BY THIS EVENING.

Posted by the Boundary Waters Blog Lady from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters

Gunflint Trail- Morning, November 28 at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B . There is eight and one half inches of snow on the ground and it is still coming down.

While the Banadad Ski Trail is not tracked there is enough snow to ski. The Trail has been cleared from the east end to the Old Logging camp or 10 kilometers and from the west end in about six and one half kilometers. We are now starting to pack the trail and should have it ready to track, at least the east end, sometime within a week.

     The full moon of November has come and gone and December is right around the corner.  As with all of the months November has many different names for its moon; freezing river moon, frost moon and snow moon.  We've had the frost, the lakes are freezing and we received a couple of inches of snow on the 26th. 

     We are waiting for the lakes to become solid and for the first big dumping of snow.  Lutsen Ski Hill has opened a few runs and we're excited to get out and ski.  We're also looking forward to cross-country skiing the wonderful trails on the Gunflint Trail and across the frozen lakes.   Our snowmobiles and ice fishing equipment is calling our name and eventually we'll be able to get them out for the winter.

     We're ready for winter so let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Posted by the Boundary Waters Blog Lady from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters

New Christmas Coffee-Table Book  Christmas in America- A Photographic Celebration of the Holiday Season is a delightful book featuring stunning winter scenes from across the country by noted photographer Peter Guttman. Included in the book are photographs of Boundary Country Trekking's Little Ollie Lake Cabin and the Croft yurt, Arleigh Jorgensen's dog teams and Trail Center. The New York Times' says of Guttman's work, "Using light to its fullest, Mr Guttman creates stunning images no matter how far he travels." The book is published by Skyhorse Publishing, New York, NY.

Beginning December 1, 2007 applications will be accepted for the 2008 lottery for Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) permits. The lottery provides the first opportunity for visitors to obtain a BWCAW permit.

This deadline has been set for the manual entry of applications received by fax and mail. Applications submitted online at www.recreation.gov must be received by 5 p.m. CST on January 15, 2008.

All applications submitted by these deadlines, regardless of the method sent, will be processed by the lottery. Those who submit lottery applications online will be able to view results online following the

Beginning January 20, 2008, first-come first-served wilderness permit reservations can be made online at www.recreation.gov, faxed, or mailed.

Reservations may be made by phone beginning February 1, 2008 by calling the National Recreation Reservation Service toll free at (877) 550-6777.

Please visit www.recreation.gov for additional information and to submit BWCAW permit applications online. Faxed applications should be sent to(518) 884-9951. Applications submitted by mail should be sent to: BWCAW Reservation Center, P.O. Box 462, Ballston Spa, NY, 12020. A BWCAW Trip Planning Guide and the 2008 BWCAW Wilderness Permit Reservation Application are available on the Forest web site at www.fs.fed.us/r9/superior, from any Superior National Forest Service office, or by calling (218) 626-4300.

Boundary Country Trekking’s Gunflint Lodge to Lodge Skiing program, this month, appeared in two Magazines- the November/December issue of AAA Living and the December issue of Midwest Living. In the Midwest Living article the author, Lisa Meyers McCuntick, skied from Bearskin Lodge to the Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B and then travel on to Gunflint Lodge dinning at the Tall Pines Yurt's were she had the Mongolian Firepot Dinner, Trail Center Restaurant and Gunflint's Justines in route. Also appearing in the Midwest Living Magazine was recipes from Barbara’s Kitchen at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B and Gunflint Lodge’s Justine’s Restaurant.

It is always a thrill early in the winter season to wake up to fresh snow on the ground……November 5, 2007

Banadad Ski Trail is Going “Greener” Boundary Country Trekking, which maintains and grooms northern Minnesota’s Banadad and Adjoining Ski Trail System announce that the Banadad is going carbon neutral beginning with the 2007-08 ski season. According to Boundary Country Trekking’s Ted Young, “we intend to purchase carbon credits to off-set the carbon contributed to the atmosphere by our snowmobile grooming, our use of mechanized tools outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) and for the carbon added by the vehicles driven by the trail's maintenance volunteers to travel to the Banadad.”

The Banadad, is a thirty-five kilometer trail network centrally located along the Gunflint Nordic Trail System. Most of the Banadad is located in the BWCA Wilderness. Within the BWCA non-motorized hand tools are used for maintenance. Some mechanized tools are used for maintenance outside the wilderness. Each fall volunteers most of who travel from the Twin Cities assist in the maintenance. Snowmobiles are used for grooming.

“Operating a carbon neutral ski trail system,” Young continued. “ is consistent with our company’s sustainable business policy and commitment to the environment.”