Gunflint Trail Association

Becca, Denali and I trekked around Round Lake this week. Initially we were looking for some big cat tracks (lynx or cougar?) reported by last weeks' cabin guests—we didn't find them, but we had a pleasant foggy walk—mostly on crusted snow, sometimes on slush.

We tried to uncover the mystery of a bloody animal kill, but we weren't very successful with even an educated guess.

Then we hiked the shorline.

There is actually pink flagging tape that says Killer Tree Killer Tree Killer Tree Killer Tree on it –a couple of big dangerous trees were flagged with the Killer Tree tape this summer. My kids love that—they are only allowed take their friends out to see the Killer Tree that has fallen in the woods…that one that still has the tape, but has lost its killer potential.

Becca and I braved 10 minutes with the Standing Killer where the critters clearly use the hollowed out root tunnels.

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The happy woodpeckers have turned it into a cribbage board

The fire burned out the core (this photo was angled up the trunk. I didn't put my head in the Killer Tree, just the camera.)

This is one cool white pine.

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