Established in 2010, the Volks Ski 400 is county-wide event which invites cross country skiers of all abilities to team up in an attempt to collectively ski all 400+ kilometers of Cook County’s groomed ski trails in a single day. Skiers are asked to sign up for their favorite section of Cook County ski trail to ski on Saturday, February 11 as part of the Volks Ski effort.  While you’re welcome to sign up as an individual, you’re encouraged to form a team.

There’s a $10 entry fee for the Volks Ski 400 and you’ll need to have a valid ski pass for the section of ski trail you’ve chosen. On the Gunflint Trail, that means you’ll either need a Central or Upper Gunflint Ski Pass, which can be purchased from participating lodges. The rest of Cook County’s ski trails require the Great Minnesota Ski Pass. For your participation in the Volks Ski, you’ll receive a long sleeved t-shirt and bragging rights.

Why attempt to ski every inch of Cook County ski trail in a day? Why not? The event is meant to showcase Cook County’s ski trail system, which just happens to be the largest groomed cross country ski trail system in North America. The event is non-competitive, giving you a chance to complete your trail section at your own rate.  The event also raises funds for the Children’s Nature Network. It’s a good time, good exercise, and a good cause all rolled into one.

If you’re participating in Winter Tracks, be sure to bring your passport. You’ll get another entry to win a Cook County getaway by taking part in the Volks Ski 400. Score!

If you lived on the Gunflint Trail in the early days, chances are you owned a dog team.

Bob Spooner, who grew up on Magnetic Lake, remembered in an interview with the Gunflint Trail Historical Society that he “took care of the dogs from when I was knee high to a grasshopper.”

For early settlers on the Gunflint Trail, such as Charlie and Petra Boostrom, who settled year-round on Clearwater Lake in 1915, dog teams were an important means of transportation during the winter months. Harriet Taus, daughter of  Charlie and Petra, recalled that her mother would hook up the dog team on beautiful winter days, load her children into the dog sled, and travel over Hungry Jack Lodge to pick up the mail.

Justine Kerfoot of Gunflint Lodge, used her dog team for chores such as hauling firewood. She would also occasionally give guests dog sled rides. As handy as the dogs were during the winter, they also required a lot of food, a fair amount of time had to be devoted to maintenance of their harnesses and sleds, and they didn’t exactly earn their keep during the summer months.

In Woman of the Boundary Waters, Kerfoot wrote: “Raising dogs and running a resort sometimes created opposing problems. In the summer the dogs were not worked and chafed for a run. Guests invariably wandered among them so it was paramount we not have a vicious dog in our string. It was essential they stay quiet at night and not disturb the guests, but when a bear came near, they created an uproar.”

Snowmobiles, which began gaining popularity in the 1950s, would eventually replace most dog sled teams on the Trail, despite Justine Kerfoot’s astute observation that, “You never walked home with a dog team.”

Although they’ve lost most of their practical application these days, dogs are still kept on the Gunflint Trail. A dog sled ride with one of the beloved dog teams at one of the Gunflint Trail’s resorts offers residents and visitors to the area a taste of what life was once like in the Minnesota wilds.

The Gunflint Trail will be hosting some sled dog action this week with the 100 mile Gunflint Trail Mail Run Sled Dog Race which takes off from Devil Track Landing on Monday, January 30 at 4 p.m.  Whether as transportation or racing, sled dogs continue to play a pivotal role in Gunflint Trail history.

The race will include 16, 12-dog teams. The approximately 100 mile course begins on Devil Track Lake and heads north to Poplar Lake then looping back to Trail Center Lodge for a layover. Mushers will retrace their route back to Devil Track to finish.  Organizers say the event will be spectator friendly.

If you go, here are some of the details:

Winter camp: Starting Sunday night, a winter camp will be set up at the Devil Track Landing. The camp will be pitched through Monday night. Throughout this time, and depending on weather conditions, snow kiting demos, Marquette ski demos, and other winter activities will be held.

Race start: Monday, January 30, 4 p.m, at Devil Track Landing. The race with a sleeping bag start.

Midway Layover: On the evening of January 30/early morning of January 31,  mushers arrive at Trail Center Lodge on Poplar Lake, approximately 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail. A five-hour layover is required.

Expected Finish: Tuesday, January 31, Noon, at Devil Track Lake.

More information available by calling Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply in Grand Marais at 218-387-3136.

Fresh snow keeps falling on the Gunflint Trail, which should ensure great race conditions.  See you at the races!

Believe it or not, it’s time to start thinking about this summer’s camping trip on the Gunflint Trail. You can begin reserving your Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permits for the 2012 season (May 1 – September 30) starting today, January 25.

Any overnight trip into the Boundary Waters from May 1 – September 30, be it canoeing, motoring, or hiking, requires an overnight permit. Permits are issued for individual entry points into the Boundary Waters and each entry point has its own quota for how many groups (each group is limited to nine people and/or four watercraft) are allowed to enter the Boundary Waters through that entry point daily.You can reserve your entrypoint for your entry date through recreation.gov.  A $6 reservation fee applies, in addition to the user fees associated with the permit: $16 per adult and $8 for children under 18.

If all this information seems a little overwhelming, you can learn more about Boundary Waters rules and regulations here.

However, the easiest thing to do in the early planning stages of your Boundary Waters trip is to call up any Gunflint Trail outfitter. They’re  happy to assist in any step of the trip planning process, whether this is your first or one hundredth trip into the Boundary Waters. They can recommend routes for your group and will handle the permit reservation for you, if you like.

Remember, no Gunflint Trail entry points are affected by the Pagami Fire closures and all Gunflint Trail entry points are open at full capacity for the 2012 season.

Where will you go this summer in the Boundary Waters?

2011 Beargrease dog team. Photo by Ramona Abrego.

While the Gunflint Trail’s been getting healthy doses of snow all winter long (there’s a good foot+ back in our woods), much of Minnesota has been suffering a largely snow-less winter.  That lack of snow along Minnesota’s North Shore lead to the cancellation of  this year’s John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which runs from Duluth to Gunflint Trail and back annually*. This marks only the second cancellation of the race in its 29 year history. (The race was also cancelled in 2007 due to lack of snow.)

But just because there isn’t enough snow on the entire Beargrease course to host the marathon doesn’t mean there isn’t enough snow on the Gunflint Trail for a sled dog race.  So to celebrate snow and dogs, two local businesses – Trail Center Lodge and Devil Track Lodge – decided to host the Mail Run Dog Sled Race on January 30 and 31. The race will go up the Gunflint Trail from Devil Track Lodge to Trail Center where racers will turn around and head back to Devil Track Lodge to finish.  Details are just emerging about this race, but it promises to be spectator friendly. We’ll post more details as we get them.

This upcoming race is a nod to one of the Beargrease Marathon’s inspirations. Back in the late 70s,  the Gunflint Trail used to host an annual Gunflint Trail Mail Run Dog Sled Race. That race would eventually become the Beargrease Marathon, but in times of little snow elsewhere in Minnesota, the Gunflint Trail community likes to keep the annual tradition alive.

Can’t get enough puppy dog action? The ever popular Mush for a Cure sled dog “FUN”draiser will return this March 9-11 to raise money for breast cancer research.

*It should be noted that while the actual running of the Beargrease was cancelled, two associated events will go forward as planned in Duluth. The Beargrease Gala and Silent Auction will be held Friday, January 27^th, 6:00 p.m at the Greysolon Ballroom in the Moorish Room.  The “Cutest Puppy Contest” will be held Saturday, January 28th at 11 a.m. at Fitger’s Brewery Complex.

At the writing of this post, it’s currently sunny and -6 degrees F at the end of the Gunflint Trail. We’ve hit a string of subzero days – quite typical for mid-January. Cold weather often means clear skies, so we’re lucky to have these chilly days coming at a time when there’s so much to see in the night sky.

Northern lights: An earth-directed solar flare was reported by NASA around 9 a.m. on the morning of January 19 which could mean great Aurora Borealis activity on the night of January 21. It’s worth a peek outside on Saturday night to see if there’s any northern light activity.

Moon stage: After the full moon on January 9, currently the moon is waning. If you look out just before sunrise these days, you might glimpse a sliver of moon.  According to Deane Morrison of the University of Minnesota: “January’s full moon was known to many Algonquin tribes as the wolf moon, for the hungry howling of wolves outside their villages as winter tightened its grip.”  If you head out for stargazing on Gunflint Trail soon, listen carefully to see if you hear some howling yourself.  The new moon will come on January 23.

Planets: Mars can be seen in the east beginning around 10 p.m. these days. The red planet is gaining brightness and is also rising earlier and earlier each evening.  Venus and Jupiter, who are moving closer and closer, are also visible in the west.

Stars:  In the dark Gunflint Trail skies, you’ll be able to get a good view of all of the winter constellations: Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, Auriga, and Taurus.   You may want to pay Auriga, the charioteer, special attention. Capella, the bright star in Auriga, is quite bright these days. Because Capella is not one star, but actually a multi-star system, this star is especially colorful.  You can find Auriga hanging out in the sky over Orion

Enjoy the night’s spectacles: just make sure you’re bundled up before you venture out and maybe throw in a Thermos of hot cocoa to keep yourself warm during your stargazing!

Wolf sighting have been common on the Gunflint Trail this winter.  Even if you don’t spy a wolf during your time on the Trail, you might spy their tracks or hear them howling at night. Wolves who are excellent communicators who use yelps, barks, snarls, even urine in addition to howling to let wolves around them know what’s going on.

Currently, it’s mating season for gray wolves. After a 62-75 day gestation, the female will give birth to a litter of approximately 5-6 pups who will each weigh a single pound at birth. A pack is usually made up of a male and female and their young.  Wolves, who have a 6-8 year lifespan, are generally, monogamous. The mates will stick together until death separates them.

There’s always a bit of controversy surrounding any conversation about wolves. On December 21, 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife approved the delisting of wolves from the endangered species list in the western Great Lakes region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan).  Management of the Minnesota wolf herd of 3000 – the largest wolf herd in the contiguous United States – will be returned to the Minnesota Department of Nature Resources on January 27, 2012. You can learn more about the DNR’s wolf management plan here.

Have you ever seen a wolf on the Gunflint Trail?

Since opening in July 2010, Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center has striven not only to be a quality history museum, but also to provide both Gunflint Trail residents and visitors with interesting, in-depth, and timely presentations, talks, and demonstrations centered on the Gunflint Trail’s nature world.  Chik-Wauk began hosting the U.S. Forest Service ranger presentations of the “Becoming A Boundary Waters Family” program in summer 2010. Last year, Chik-Wauk developed its own naturalist series, the well-attended Sunday Nature Walks and Talks presented by local naturalists. These programs are offered at no additional cost to Chik-Wauk visitors.

In 2012, we’d love to further expand programming to include more kids activities, history talks, and more.  But to ensure that a sustainable program is developed,  we need to make sure we’re meeting our visitors’ needs. We’d so appreciate it if you’d take this short 10 question survey regarding further developments of Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center public programming. Your feedback will directly help shape the future of Chik-Wauk’s naturalist and history programming offerings. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

On a related note:

Are you a naturalist? Are you a history buff with extensive knowledge of  a topic pertinent to northeastern Minnesota? If you’d be interested in presenting at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center during the 2012 season  please drop us a line at info at chikwauk dot com for more details. We’d also love to hear from you if you’re interested in assisting with or coordinating kids activities during the summer months.
Thank you all for your feedback!

Wolf Tracks on Seagull Lake 1/4/2012

All winter long, you’re bound to run across a crisscross of animal tracks in the snow on the Gunflint Trail. Maybe it’s little squirrel and bird tracks near a feeder area. Or moose tracks meandering alongside the Gunflint Trail.  Or fox or wolf tracks headed down a frozen lake. Tracks offer us glimpses into the happenings of the winter world and every winter, you’re invited to leave your own set of tracks – boot, snowshoe, ski, sled, etc – in the Gunflint Trail wilderness.

The annual Winter Tracks festival started out as a Gunflint Trail event years ago. Last year, the festival went county-wide and this year, the festival will again features activities and events all throughout Cook County. This year’s festival begins Friday, February 3rd and runs through Sunday, February 12th.

One thing you’ll want to grab before participating in Winter Tracks (other than boots, long underwear, skates, skis, etc.) is your Winter Tracks passport. Whenever you participate in a Winter Tracks activity, you qualify for a passport stamp.  At the end of your Winter Tracks experience, turn in your passport with your host resort or the area visitor centers in Grand Marais and Tofte to be entered into a drawing for a free Cook County vacation.  Each stamp = an entry into the drawing, so the more stamps you have, the more chance you have to win!

Every day during Winter Tracks, you can take part in all sorts of winter activities, all of which will earn you a stamp in your Winter Tracks passport:

• Viewing ice sculptures at various locations along the Gunflint Trail (Get passport stamp at Bearskin Lodge and Gunflint Lodge front desks.)
• Ice skating at Bearskin Lodge and Golden Eagle Lodge. (Get passport stamp at Bearskin or Golden Eagle front desk.)
• Cross country skiing (Passport stamp available at Grand Marais Visitor Center)
• Snowmobiling (Passport stamp available at Grand Marais Visitor Center)
• Ice Fishing (Passport stamp available at Grand Marais Visitor Center)

Along with the daily activities, several special events are planned as part of the festival as well.

Special events during Winter Tracks 2012:

Friday, February 3 – Sunday, February 12, Winter Plein Air Art Exhibit Starting January 30, artists will be out creating plein air paintings of Gunflint Trail and other Cook County landscapes. You can view an exhibit of the artists’ work at the Grand Marais Art Colony all through Winter Tracks.

Saturday, February 4, Ridge Riders Snowmobile Fun Run Snowmobilers will leave Devil Track Resort for a fun ride up the Gunflint Trail with stops at Trail Center, Windigo, and Gunflint Lodge.

Saturday, February 11, Volks Ski 400 Cross country skiers team up in an attempt to ski all of Cook County’s 400+ km of groomed cross country ski trails  in one single day.

Come celebrate winter and leave your own snowy tracks in style!

Ice fishing shelters are popping up on Gunflint Trail lakes. With the new year comes a new fishing season in Minnesota: the winter lake trout season.  The season opened for lakes completely inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on New Year’s Eve.

Ice fishing is a favorite Minnesota pastime and the early lake trout season in the BWCAW offers a wonderful opportunity to ski, hike, or snowshoe back into a secluded lake that you’ll likely have all to yourself. Before you head off, you’ll want to don a bit of patience and plenty of warm layers and pack a sled with fishing rods, tip-ups, some minnows, an auger, and maybe a bite for you to eat during a slow time when the fish aren’t biting. Remember, you’ll need to have purchased a trout stamp for your MN fishing license and you’ll also need to fill out a free day use permit for the BWCAW – available at the landing where you park your car.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll catch a fish. But whether you’re landing your limit or just “catching” nibbles, chances are you’ll discover something spectacular during your ice fishing adventure: maybe a perfect wolf track, an encounter with a fox, or a beautiful sunset as you pack up your sleds for the night.

Prefer to snowmobile to your fishing hole? Lake trout season for lakes outside the BWCAW opens on Saturday, January 14.

While you’re thinking fish, here’s a date to get on your calendar: 2/15 – 2/17 is Take-a-Kid ice fishing weekend in Minnesota. What a great excuse to get out in the woods and teach a kid the ropes of ice fishing!