Icy Conditions Keep Us Dogsledding

Spring is on its way. We finish up the last of our dogsledding season this week. Temperatures will reach up to the 40s later this week and we will shortly see our snow disappear. But we felt lucky that these last few days have stayed cold, with overnight lows even below zero. The warmer temperatures of the last few weeks caused the snow pack on the lake to compact. This week’s cold dips turned the surface to slick ice.

With slick ice, conditions for dogsledding are fast! Amanda came with her family from Florida, and here, she enjoys driving her own team next to beautiful Blueberry Cliffs.

Sled-dog Achota pulled Amanda’s sister Elizabeth on her own sled. High 20s and full sun in the afternoon caused the icy snow under Achota’s paws to soften just enough to allow her and the other dogs to get a grip on the ice.

Spring is showing itself on the lakes in another way, as well. As the water level under the ice drops, the ice sags in the center. Along the shore, cracks start to form as the lower ice pulls apart from the ice frozen to shore. Not to worry, though. The ice is still solid enough to safely hold anyone, including an entire dog team. In fact, when cutting a hole in the ice for a sauna experience later that evening, Amanda and Elizabeth found that the lake ice was still over a foot thick.

Lily the Black Bear and Her Cubs Welcoming Spring Near Ely, MN

It is a sure sign of spring when our local black bears become more and more active. This video shows some wild research bears and cubs near Ely, MN, this week. The North American Bear Center is studying them in their natural environment. This den cam gives us a great look at what is happening in the woods right now.

A Job in the Woods

Here's an opportunity to work in the outdoors with young people improving the trails in Superior National Forest.  Note the job application deadline is March 20, 2011.

 

Position: Field Specialist - Trail Maintenance

Number of Positions Available: 2

Location: Ely OR Grand Marais/Tofte Minnesota

Term: April 11 – September 15, 2011

Schedule: Full-time, Temporary, flexing schedule 10 hour days typical, some weekends required  

Benefits: Stipend $1975 per month; post-service AmeriCorps education award $2675

 

The Conservation Corps provides hands-on environmental stewardship and service-learning opportunities to youth and young adults through natural resource management projects. 

More info at:  http://conservationcorps.catsone.com/careers/index.php?m=portal&a=details&jobOrderID=384925.  This photo shows a Minnesota Conservation Corps crew we saw working on trails in the BWCAW last summer.  These crews are very well trained and, in our experience, build quality trails that will last for many, many years.

Late-ice Crappies are Biting

It's the time of year that ice fishermen are in search of late season crappies.  We found these slabs this week suspended at about 17 feet deep.  I'm looking forward to the fish fry.

New Phone Number and New Rates: Two of Several Changes in the BWCAW Reservation System

NEWS RELEASE
US Forest Service
Superior National Forest

Duluth, MN - As part of our ongoing service to the public, managers on the Superior National Forest have been working with a contractor over the past few years on several changes to increase efficiency of the wilderness permit reservation system.One of the outcomes is a reduction in the reservation fee charged by the contractor to process Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) permits.  Effective March 1, 2011, the fee to reserve a BWCAW permit will drop from $12.00 to $6.00. 

The reservation fee is separate from the user fee.  User fees are utilized by the Forest Service for improving and maintaining portages and campsites in the Wilderness as well as for educational activities.  There is no change in the BWCAW user fee.

Some of the changes that contribute to a more stream-lined service include:

        Merging the BWCAW reservation service with the National Recreation Reservation System, which is the one-stop on-line reservation service for all federal lands in the United States.

        Reduced paper work by eliminating requirements for printing, mailing and carbon copies.

        Increased efficiency in operating the annual BWCAW permit lottery.   For example: It now takes about 30 minutes to run, versus an entire day previously, and confirmation letters are emailed instantly.  

        Ability of Forest Service staff to now enter information directly into the system rather than involve contract staff.  

        Eliminated “no pays” equaling thousands of dollars each season through instant credit card processing.

        Cooperator access to issue walk-up permits (formerly “quick permits”) via computer.

        Customer ability to cancel reservations on-line, change group size, and make payments prior to permit pick-up.

Another change merged the BWCAW call center and customer service numbers into the centralized National Recreation Reservation System number.  This actually extended the hours of operation significantly.  

National Recreation Reservation Service:  877- 444-6777
March 1 to October 31, from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm, Central time
November 1 to February 28, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Central time

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!

Lake Surfaces Have Firmed Up Around Ely, MN

After a winter season with lakes of all sizes mired in deep and sometimes impassable slush, conditions have suddenly changed.  Last week's warm temps reached almost 60 degrees F and settled or melted the the fluffy lake snow that had insulated the slush.  Then, some solidly cold and windy weather froze over the slush.  I've seen the results while guiding dogsled trips this week.  The lakes are quite fast for dogsledding, skiing, and walking now.  While there are some patchy spots of bare ice that is difficult to ski or walk on, there is plenty of excellent snow-covered surface for skate skiing.  These are the conditions that one can skate ski almost effortlessly for miles and miles. 

This photo shows a family from Apply Valley, Minnesota, dogsledding with me on White Iron Lake near Ely, MN, on February 22.  Their four-year-old daughter is tucked into the sled bag with barely her pink hat showing. 

Lac La Croix First Nation Motor Use in Quetico Provincial Park

The Ojibway members of the Lac La Croix First Nation village are allowed special privileges to use motorized boats on certain lakes within Quetico Provincial Park, and to use float planes to access certain lakes in Quetico. These designated lakes may vary annually.

The 2011 season lakes the Ojibway guides may use motors on in Quetico are: Roland, Middle Roland, Beaverhouse, Poohbah, Cirrus, Minn, McAree, Quetico, Tanner, and Wolseley. The designated fly-in lakes for the Ojibway are Beaverhouse and Quetico Lakes.

It is extremely rare, but possible, to see motor usage on these lakes in Quetico Provincial Park.

Ely Winter Festival Snow Scuptures

These are just some of the examples of amazing snow sculptures exhibited by some wonderfully talented artists in the park in Ely now as part of the Ely Winter Festival.

Ely Winter Festival - February 3 - 13, 2011

We celebrate winter in Ely, Minnesota.  The Ely Winter Fest is February 3 - 13.
 
I snapped this photo in 20 below Fahrenheit temps this morning.  The massive snow cubes are set up in the park in Ely.  The next step is for the snow carvers to start there work beginning on Feb. 3.  They will be wonderful artistic creations by this weekend.  We're in suspense to see what the artists create to top all the great ones done last year.  Check back here for photos of the snow sculptures.

For full Ely Winter Festival details go to www.elywinterfestival.com.

Dog-Sled-Mobiling?

Much of the country has been getting record amounts of snowfall. While Ely itself may not be breaking records just yet, we are enjoying a real winter this season. Every few days or so, it snows another couple inches or more. Unlike with cars, extra snow while dog sledding is not too problematic, normally. More snow gives us more padding on our trails and generally freshens things up.

With all this repeated snowfall, our packed dog sledding trails get covered anew. Recently, during a day of dog sledding, it snowed about eight inches, a hefty amount for us. Here, Otok and Patches pull Nancy and Colleen through the collecting snow.

The day after this eight inches of snow, my dog sled group was out breaking open the same trails from the day before. Two Wintergreen staff also headed out that morning on snowmobiles to pack down some of the trails for us. As we were leaving our lunch spot on Saturday, we got word from one of those staff members saying he'd got the snowmobile pretty well stuck in slush and thin ice and thought he needed the help of our dogs to get it out.

We gallantly headed on over, with the "Here We Come to Save the Day!" theme in our heads. We found the snowmobile on a trail over a small creek. The weight of the snowmobile had pushed through some wet snow and down into the ice above this beaver creek, where it's not uncommon to have thinner ice because of moving water underneath. Because the snow had not been well packed down earlier in the season, the left side of the snowmobile had dropped down through thin ice. Despite attempts with logs to give it traction, our valiant staff member could not get the machine up and out.


So we removed the team of six dogs from our sled, backed them up (easier said than done!... sled dogs pull forward), and attached them with a tow strap to the sled. We revved up the snowmobile and gave the dogs the "Hike!" command while another guide prepared to lead in front.

The dogs didn't hesitate to jerk forward and pulled it right out of its hole. Success!


In the next instant, though, after the snow-go had made it out by a few feet, the tow strap came loose of the dogs.

They went running like mad without any weight behind them, taking over the front guide. She heard our yells, saw that the dogs were in fact entirely loose though attached to each other, and tackled some of them. Two more of the guides ran up as fast as possible and got the lead and wheel dogs held down. We held tightly until the dogsled could be reattached to the gangline, and we got people standing on the brake again.

Our group thought it was great! That hole in the ice, now exposed to the cold air, froze promptly. To ease the minds of those yet to be dog sledding this year, the snowmobile punched through because of its weight. The dogs are individually light enough to run right over that trail, and the sled's weight would be spread across its runners evenly.

There's never a guarantee, but here's to hoping the next snowmobile run goes smoothly! This was a meeting of technologies that doesn't occur terribly often.

Severe Slush Continues on Ely Area Lakes

The ice road on Shagawa Lake has been shut down due to slush, and advanced dogsled camping trips are making major reroutes due to severe slush on Ely area lakes.  While guiding dogsled trips, I am virtually always staying on previously used trails to avoid the slush.  This photo shows an example of what happens when you're off packed trails and in slush.  The dark spots are boot prints.

Lily the Black Bear Gives Birth to Two Cubs Near Ely, MN

Lily the black bear, one of the research bears studied by the Wildlife Research Institute near Ely, MN, gave birth to two cubs on Friday.  This is the second year in a row that Lily gave birth on the Institute's live webcam.  To see what's going on in Lily's den and try to spy a glimpse or sound of the cubs, see the webcam at http://www.bear.org/livecams/lily-hope-cam.html.

"Very Nice Weather"

I'm wrapping up guiding a four-night dogsled trip and Jan, with utmost sincerity, says, "We've had very nice weather this week." 

You'd never know Jan experienced the coldest week this year - with lows dipping to 38 below zero Fahrenheit.  That's actual air temp.  Another morning hit 27 below.  While this wasn't a camping trip, we dogsledded every day and experienced high temps that never reached the zero mark.

It is a wonderful thing to be prepared and feel comfortable while enjoying the outdoors on an otherwise cold winter day when most are hunkered down, avoiding the cold.

This photo shows Jan and her husband, Gordon, dog sledding on White Iron Lake. 

Moon Halo over Ely, MN

I spied this moon halo last night as I drove home from our canoe trip outfitting shop in Ely.  Moon halos are created when millions of tiny ice crystals high in the atmosphere reflect light.  The shape of the ice crystals results in a focusing of the light into a ring around the moon.  Because the ice crystals are six-sided, they reflect light at a 22 degree angle, creating a ring that has a 22 degree diameter.

Though moon halos are certainly more common during the dogsledding season than the canoe tripping season, people are already reserving canoe trips now for the best selection of permits for their desired entry points and dates.  Please contact us and we'll happily talk you through some canoe trip options.  We make BWCAW trip planning fun and simple, and we enjoy sharing stories about our region and the natural world.

Winter Travel Routes Wind Through Labrador Tea

Our winter traveling world varies dramatically from summertime.  During summer, paddling and portaging in the wilderness, we mostly avoid wetlands - for they harbor masses of mosquitoes.  Plus, the prospect of stepping into a particularly mucky spot and going in up to your knees or (gasp!) waist is not most peoples' idea of summer fun.

However, the onset of winter means the mucky bogs and wetlands freeze, and the bugs have vanished.  Now these wetlands make for excellent travel by dogsled, ski, and snowshoe because they are flat, protected from biting winds, and not subject to slush. The fallen snow makes for lovely enchanted forests of black spruce, weighed down with white, in the wetlands.

Although not as eye catching as the trees, a look under the black spruce or tamarack trees in the frozen bogs will likely discover a common wetland shrub called Labrador tea.  While guiding, I pause and point it out along the dogsled trail, encouraging dogsledding guests to pocket a couple handfuls for later back at the lodge.

The shrub often carpets the ground and grows one to three feet tall, with leaves one or two inches in length. Fragrant, elongated leaves have a leathery green top (or, often a brownish top in winter), with edges that roll downward.  The special part of these leaves is the underside.  Flip them over to see the densely hairy copper-colored bottom.  Naturalist and author Mark "Sparky" Stensaas calls them the "hairy armpit" leaves.  I know of no other north woods plant with such a similar characteristic, and it is an excellent identity clue.

The most commonly confused similar plant may be leatherleaf, another common wetland shrub - but one that lacks the hairy underside.  Also, leatherleaf leaves typically angle upward, whereas the Labrador tea leaves often droop downward or point out horizontally.

 In late May through June, once the mosquitoes have returned and the dogsleds are stored, Labrador tea blooms with dime-sized white flowers - each with five petals.  If you are not in the wetlands at that time of year, you may see the flowers while paddling along boggy shorelines.

With such a name, it is no surprise that people steep the leaves in hot water for five minutes or so to make a hot beverage.  I've found that placing a large handful of leaves into a coffee filter, and dunking them in a hot mug of water for five minutes is a simple way to prepare the herbal  drink with easy cleanup.  The concoction can taste quite woodsy and few people claim it to be particularly pleasing straight up.  However, a healthy dose of cream and sugar, perhaps not surprisingly, makes for a delightful occasional beverage.  

Labrador tea is sometimes called medicine tea, Indian tea, swamp leaf, muskeg tea, or Hudson's Bay tea.  The reference to medicine probably relates to the fact that Native Americans, such as the Chippewa, used the tea to treat a range of maladies including colds, digestion issues, asthma, kidney problems and fever.

Although the beverage may provide some health benefits and is commonly referred to as a desirable tea drink, it is important to know that the leaves contain a potentially poisonous compound.  That's probably why you won't find this tea on supermarket shelves.  Thus, the tea should only be consumed infrequently and not in large quantities.  To limit your intake, maybe only drink Labrador tea while you're on a dogsled trip, unless, of course, you're a dogsled guide.

Slush alert for Ely area lakes!

After almost a foot of snow in the last several days, many lakes are mired in slush. This pic shows the bottom of my skis slushed/iced up after trying to ski across White Iron Lake today.

Winter's Arrival in Ely

Last week's spring-like weather has given way to winter. Yesterday it started snowing and today, we woke up to about four inches of the fluffy white stuff. We have buttoned up all of our summer gear and are getting ready for another Northwoods winter. Bring on the dog sleds!

Final Canoe Repairs of 2010

Above average temps in the fifties today allowed me to do some maintenance on "Lilly," a cedar strip canoe I built several years back.  She took the 2010 season off while I worked on some fiberglass and epoxy repairs to the turn of the bilge.  I put the first coat of varnish on the hull exterior today, and hope to complete the second coat tomorrow.  She'll be ready for the 2011 season!

Moose Brains

Today's Halloween, so here's a moose brain.  It's about the size of a grapefruit. 

While this post is a lighthearted holiday entry, the brain shown here is undergoing important scientific research that may help people better understand the moose population in Minnesota.  I helped extract this brain from a bull moose harvested up the Echo Trail near Ely, MN, earlier this month.  At the time, I was assisting the MDNR with the moose check-in and sampling station in Ely. 

Scientists know that a brain parasite fatal to moose is causing moose mortality, and that the parasite is carried by white tailed deer.  The full extent and effect of the brain parasite issue is still being researched.