"Northern Exposure" in Real Life: Moose in Ely

Many might remember television's Northern Exposure, with its wandering moose in the opening credits. Ely has its own moose, seen earlier this week walking the streets of downtown.  The yellowish sign in the background with the arched lettering is Britton's Cafe on Chapman Street in downtown.  Photo by Amy Kireta.

WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog 130 Mile Race Champion J. Ross Fraboni

I just returned from the finish line of the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog race.  This photo shows the 10 dog race winner, J. Ross Fraboni of Duluth, arriving at the finish line in Ely this morning.  Fraboni took first place in the 130 mile race, followed closely by Jennifer Freking of Finland, MN, in second place.  Congrats to all of the race participants!

Cedar Waxwings and Pin Cherries

Summer is a busy time for Cedar Waxwings here in northern Minnesota. Much of the summer, you will find these birds on their perfect perch waiting for dinner to pass by. When the 7-inch bird spies its scrumptious meal of mosquitoes or moths, it swoops down, snatches the bugs up, and returns to the same perch to await more unaware passersby. These birds typically eat the abundant bugs of summer, but come mid-July, tasty berries lure them away from their carnivorous ways.

We found these Cedar Waxwings enjoying quite a meal in the BWCAW from the relatively small (not more than 20 feet high or so), smooth-barked Pin Cherry tree. The Pin Cherries ripen in mid- to late-July, and are bright red and partially translucent with a large pit in the middle. Fortunately for the birds, who are wild about the cherries, the fruit is very sour to our human taste buds. It takes a lot of sugar to make the Pin Cherry taste decent!

While a lot of fruits fall to the ground during the tree's short lifetime of 25-30 years, you won't find this tree all over the forest. It needs plenty of sun. Often the pits of the Pin Cherries fall in the shade of the tree itself where they can't immediately germinate. Fortunately, the pit has a waterproof coating which prevents the seed from rotting, even as long as fifty years or more! When a disturbance eventually happens, like a strong windfall or forest fire, sunlight fills the ground and the seeds germinate en masse. Soon after, there will be a solid stand of even-aged Pin Cherry trees. The trees that we found were in a very sunny spot on the top of a high hill overlooking one of the many beautiful lakes of the Boundary Waters.

There was one other little guest hiding in the tree. This chipmunk was perched a few feet up in the tree enjoying his own snack of Pin Cherries!

March BWCAW Canoe Trip

It's almost never possible to do a Boundary Waters canoe trip in March. But, with our early spring, and summer-like temps, I eagerly watched the forecast in hopes of just such a March trip. Sure enough, the rivers freed up from ice quickly and even some of the lakes were going out by the end of the month.

One of the joys of life in the Northwoods is that we can take advantage of the lovely weather that arrives at unexpected times. It would seem pretty unreasonable to actually plan a March canoe trip here. But, with good weather and warm temps forecast, I charged out on March 31 for an overnight BWCAW canoe trip up the Little Indian Sioux River. The planned route took me south on the Little Indian Sioux, past Sioux Falls (shown in the photo), up the Little Pony River, through Bootleg Lake, then out the south end of Bootleg and back north on the Little Indian Sioux.

As I paddled toward Bootleg, my curiosity about whether it would be open or locked in ice yet grew. Fortunately, the typically low (and sometimes virtually impassable) Little Pony River had adequate water, and I portaged into Bootleg at about 6 PM. A stroke of luck meant the lake had opened up and was virtually ice-free except for some candle ice that collected near the portage. Lexee-dog seemed intrigued by the sound of the ice chinkling against my paddle and the canoe.

What a remarkable trip. With two days of t-shirt weather I observed a bonanza of wildlife celebrating the advent of spring. I saw all sorts of firsts for the 2010 ice-out season: beavers slapping their tails, muskrats, minnows, a leech, mosquitoes (two!), a fish jumping, mallards, a herring gull, Canada geese flying north, maybe an osprey in the distance, and some other ducks.

But the wildlife highlight of the trip occurred within about a mile of the takeout. As I rounded a bend, I spied two trumpeter swans leisurely preening themselves on the river. They let me relax and watch them swim gracefully for about twenty minutes. I used up the last of my camera battery life before they decided to fly off.

The swans' final act delighted me. I've never seen other birds do this, but I've seen it with trumpeter swans here before. They took flight going away from me, flew for a distance, then u-turned and flew back toward my canoe. They then did a fly-by directly overhead, not far above, with the sound of rushing air crossing their six feet wingspan. As I watched, they seemed to tilt their wings in a "welcome to our woods, happy to share" sort of message. The experience felt like the true launch of the paddling season.

I basked in the good feelings of watching such remarkable birds - creatures so pure and clean and white and ornate it seems they belong in my grandmother's china hutch. The experience will be a highlight of my year.

So pleased with the encounter, I decided against replacing my camera battery for the rest of the short paddle to the take-out. Then I rounded another bend and spied a moose grazing along the shore. That image will just remain in my head.

World Event Missed While On Trail - Boundary Waters Renamed

On the paddle to the takeout after a camping trip, the question often arises: "What major news did we miss while in the wilderness?" I returned from a two-day BWCAW trip late tonight and hardly considered what might have happened during such a brief jaunt out. However, I was shocked when I found this major international news in a press release in my email.

MINN. BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS RENAMED

Ely, Minn. Signs Deal with Private Funding Source

ELY, MINNESOTA — April 1, 2010 — Ely, Minn announces today it has, signed a multi-year deal for naming rights to the legendary Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The new corporate sponsor will be Minnesota-based International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ).

The Boundary Waters region, on the US-Canada border between Ontario and Minnesota, is a popular destination for campers, as well as canoe and fishing enthusiasts, and those looking for natural scenery and relaxation.

As of today, the region will be officially known as the International Dairy Queen Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, or IDQBWCAW.

“We have been fielding offers for years, turning down everyone from AARP to the ASPCA. But this year, we had to make a difficult decision,” says Roger Skraba, Ely Mayor. “Beautiful unspoiled wilderness doesn’t pay for itself. And who doesn’t have fond memories of a Dilly Bar? It’s a win-win. This will usher in an era of great corporate, tourism and environmental partnerships.”

“We were looking for a way to promote the 25h birthday of our signature Blizzard Treat, as well as a unique tribute to International Dairy Queen in this, our 70th year,” says Michael Keller, Chief Brand Officer for IDQ. “When we thought about it, this made perfect sense. Ely has blizzards, we have Blizzards. They’re international, we’re international. They have a guy named Buster who hangs out at one of the local bars. We have a treat called the Buster Bar. It’s sort of serendipitous, actually.”

I know this is shocking news. Can you complain or stop this? Well, first check the date of the press release, and then you can go to the Ely Chamber of Commerce website (ely.org) for more info. We're happy to outfit your Boundary Waters canoe trip no matter what it's called.

Snow Sculptures in Ely at the Winter Festival

The Ely Winter Festival wrapped up this past weekend, just as I wrapped up a dogsled trip. I made it to see the snow sculptures in Whiteside Park in the afternoon. Come late January every year, large blocks of snow get set up in the park, which professionals and amateurs then sculpt into unique, creative formations. This year was no exception with many artful and original ideas. Some pieces are cold-weather themed, some are not. The snow sculptures will start to melt soon, so if you're in the Ely area, you will want to make the trip to Whiteside Park soon to see the art before it's gone. Above is a clever sculpture entitled "A Study in Repitition." The below photo, from an autobiographically-inspired carver, a piece entitled "Snow Carver Carving."

By Guest Blogger: Dogsled and Canoe Guide Kate Ford

Last Boat Ride of 2009

Most folks had their motorboats winterized by the end of October. Virtually all other boats were tucked away by mid-November. But, this photo shows how one motorboater can lay claim to the title of last boater on Shagawa Lake in 2009.

To say the least, it's unusual to be boating on an ice-covered lake. But that's what happened here. Someone used the Shagawa Lake landing for its intended summertime purpose near Grand Ely Lodge on the edge of Ely today.

Shagawa Lake was open water yesterday, and froze over night. This morning the sound of a boat crashing through ice resonated all the way to the Grand Ely, and people peaked out the window at the sight of a motorboat breaking its way through an apparently fully iced-over Shagawa Lake.

I don't know why the boat was out there, but some have speculated that the boat may have been retrieving nets from netting whitefish, or maybe he just wanted the title of last boat on Shagawa 2009.

Winter and the 4th of July

Some people say there are two seasons up here: Winter and the 4th of July. That's not quite true. But, once Independence Day rolls around, it is time to think seriously about keeping warm when the snow flies.

Today Kate and I split wood. This photo is her with a rented log splitter. It felt good, like we were the smart squirrel holing away nuts for the upcoming long winter.

Patriotic Portagers in the Ely Parade

Small town Independence Day parades across the country reflect the communities that host them. Ely is no different. In the "canoe capitol" of the world at the edge of the BWCA, there must be canoes.

Today the Girl Scout Canoe Base guides portaged canoes in our parade. They even demonstrated, in formation, how to do solo lifts: picking up the canoes and putting them on their shoulders. The crowds responded with raucous applause.

Bubba - Pulling Harder Than Any Other Dog

GUEST BLOGGER: Wilderness Guide Kate Ford.

The second annual Ely Wolftrack Classic sled dog race is happening this weekend, so Ely is buzzing with visitors. Tomorrow our friend Eva Kolodji will take her dogs out for the 30-mile race from Ely to Tower, which she estimates will take about 3.5 hours. That’s much less than the Beargrease she competed in a month ago, so we hope it will feel like a walk in the park! Good luck to her!

In addition to the speed race, this year the organizers have a new competition included as part of the Wolftrack Classic: a weight-pull. One dog must pull a 390-lb wheeled cart about 20 feet, with 2 cinder blocks added every round. Wintergreen decided to enter one dog into the amateur division (there is, in fact, a professional circuit of weight-pulling dogs). Bubba, as his name might suggest, is one of our strongest and most hard-working dogs in the kennel. Toby and Max, from the Wintergreen crew, took on the task of being Bubba’s handlers. The above photo shows them with Bubba. And, yes, Bubba is wearing a red cape, like any self respecting super-dog.

The first round, Bubba couldn’t quite get past the new smells and odd sites around him. He stepped off the special pulling carpet several times (each time resulting in a 10 second penalty), and marked his territory on the wheel (another 10 second penalty - though it did get a good laugh from those watching). One of the unusual elements of this for Bubba was to get the sled moving by himself. We always ask our dog sled participants to give the sled a little shove, as the dogs feel the slack and will then pull forward. Bubba jumped in his harness, but when the sled hadn’t moved right away, he stopped pulling. After a few false starts, he got the hang of it and pulled the cart to the end of the carpet without appearing even to try.

We watched as 2, 4, 6 and more cinder blocks continued to be added to the cart. Each handler can provide any kind of encouragement without touching the dog. Handlers had different methods to encourage their dogs, including running next to their dogs, throwing a toy in front, having their kids pull in front. Toby just said “hike!” while standing in front of Bubba, and moving forward.

The competition topped out at 14 cinder blocks totalling over one thousand pounds. Bubba made it to the last round. He put his whole body into it by the last two rounds, with his back hunched and nose down.

Bubba pulled hard today, harder than any other dog as it turns out. Even with his first-round time penalties, he took first place! Our participants occasionally inquire if the dogs are strong enough to pull all their weight, and the answer from Bubba is a clear yes: his last round, he pulled 1,006 lbs.

Snow Sculptures

Artists recently completed another display of incredible snow sculptures in Whiteside Park in Ely. The Snow Sculpting Symposium is part of the Ely Winter Festival.

This snow sculpture is "They Called the Wind Mariah," by Sherry Rovig, Nick Lee, and Dianne Goodwin.

Three days of warm weather and drizzle after the carving means that photos like this one are about all that's left of the most ornate sculptures.

Note: Jason is on trail guiding a dogsled camping trip this week. This is a previously scheduled post.

Social Event of the Winter

Everyone knows the social event of the Ely winter is the annual Mukluk Ball! Kate and I donned our mukluks last night and joined some friends to tear up the dance floor. Hundreds of people danced to the tunes of the Lamont Cranston band. If you ever wanted to be a part of small town winter Americana, you should make plans to attend the Mukluk Ball next year.

Don't know what mukluks are? Steger mukluks are made right here in Ely. All you ever wanted to know is at their website: http://www.mukluks.com/. The Arctic Mukluks are my daily winter footwear.

Polar explorer Will Steger made a guest appearance and the proceeds went to Steger's Global Warming 101 initiative, and the Ely Winter Festival.

No luck convincing the 8 guests I've been guiding this week to join us dancing (wore 'em out dogsledding, possibly!). But they enjoyed another part of the Winter Festival: the snow sculptures. More on the snow sculptures later.

Tomorrow I start a North Pole shakedown trip. People who are interested in going to the North Pole by ski or dogsled arrive for a preparatory winter camping trip.