Nothing tastes better than s'mores around a campfire in the Boundary Waters. On a recent camping trip into the BWCA we brought along some different items to try making s'mores with. Andes mints, chocolate covered graham cookies and fancy chocolate. While they all tasted quite delicious nothing beats the plain old Hershey Bar between graham crackers with melted marshmallows oozing out the sides.
Do you have a favorite s'more recipe? Share it, please!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Boundary Waters Resort Turns Museum
It seems like yesterday when I stood at Chik-Wauk with Ralph and Bea Griffis who still spent their summers there and Jo Barnier, the previous Gunflint District Ranger. I remember telling Ralph and Bea how awesome it would be to preserve the beautiful lodge and asking Jo how we could get it listed on the National Historic Register. From that meeting on it has been a dream to turn Chik-Wauk into something everyone could enjoy.
When I brought up the idea of making Chik-Wauk into something more at a Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway Meeting everyone thought it was a great idea but too much for the Scenic Byway Committee to tackle. From that meeting a special meeting was planned for July 6, 2005 but I wasn’t able to attend it. It was determined to hold an open meeting to see if there would be enough interest from other people to take on a project of such magnitude. Lo and behold there were plenty of folks who were willing to commit to such an endeavor.
The group planned regular meetings and formed The Gunflint Trail Historical Society and decided to make Chik-Wauk the first project. In 2005 the year 2010 was determined to be the year Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center would open. It sounded like that year would never come but through the work of many dedicated volunteers and the contributions of generous members the time has finally come.
The tireless efforts of all of those involved can now be seen by the public. Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center isopen daily and waiting for you to discover.
See Photos on Facebook
AP PRESS ALONG THE GUNFLINT TRAIL, Minn. -- A fishing lodge that closed in 1978 when the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness expanded reopened Sunday as Minnesota's newest -- and most remote -- history museum and nature center.
The Duluth News Tribune reported that Chik-Wauk Lodge was opening to the public Sunday -- the culmination of a five-year, more than $1 million effort by local residents to create a place to tell the colorful history of the Gunflint Trail.
That 60-mile, dead-end highway meanders north from Grand Marais on Lake Superior into the heart of the state's scenic lakes and forest region. It's an area thick with a history of native peoples, fur traders, mining speculators, loggers, fishermen and sportsmen and, more recently, recreation outfitters and cabin and bed-and-breakfast owners.
"It's an area where people at first learned all these skills for survival, and then turned it into recreation," said Sue Kerfoot, past president of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and a driving force behind the new museum. "From dog sledding and fishing and hunting and canoeing in the 1800s, where you had to know how to make it ... to the people who stay at the resorts now."
The Gunflint Trail itself evolved from an Indian trail, to a tote road to supply mines that never produced any ore, to a logging road in the early 1900s. The route as it's known today developed in the early 1920s to give people access to pristine fishing lakes but wasn't paved until the 1970s.
It is on the bay of Saganaga Lake that Chik-Wauk sits, the filming site for the famous 1960s Hamm's Beer commercials featuring a canoe-riding grizzly bear.
The new museum is professionally designed, with hands-on exhibits and a trove of Gunflint Trail artifacts, memorabilia and history. There's a diorama of local wildlife and trees, an interactive exhibit about the Voyageurs fur trade and exhibits on wildfires, local residents, logging, geology and mining, and Indian history.
When I brought up the idea of making Chik-Wauk into something more at a Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway Meeting everyone thought it was a great idea but too much for the Scenic Byway Committee to tackle. From that meeting a special meeting was planned for July 6, 2005 but I wasn’t able to attend it. It was determined to hold an open meeting to see if there would be enough interest from other people to take on a project of such magnitude. Lo and behold there were plenty of folks who were willing to commit to such an endeavor.
The group planned regular meetings and formed The Gunflint Trail Historical Society and decided to make Chik-Wauk the first project. In 2005 the year 2010 was determined to be the year Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center would open. It sounded like that year would never come but through the work of many dedicated volunteers and the contributions of generous members the time has finally come.
The tireless efforts of all of those involved can now be seen by the public. Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center isopen daily and waiting for you to discover.
See Photos on Facebook
AP PRESS ALONG THE GUNFLINT TRAIL, Minn. -- A fishing lodge that closed in 1978 when the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness expanded reopened Sunday as Minnesota's newest -- and most remote -- history museum and nature center.
The Duluth News Tribune reported that Chik-Wauk Lodge was opening to the public Sunday -- the culmination of a five-year, more than $1 million effort by local residents to create a place to tell the colorful history of the Gunflint Trail.
That 60-mile, dead-end highway meanders north from Grand Marais on Lake Superior into the heart of the state's scenic lakes and forest region. It's an area thick with a history of native peoples, fur traders, mining speculators, loggers, fishermen and sportsmen and, more recently, recreation outfitters and cabin and bed-and-breakfast owners.
"It's an area where people at first learned all these skills for survival, and then turned it into recreation," said Sue Kerfoot, past president of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and a driving force behind the new museum. "From dog sledding and fishing and hunting and canoeing in the 1800s, where you had to know how to make it ... to the people who stay at the resorts now."
The Gunflint Trail itself evolved from an Indian trail, to a tote road to supply mines that never produced any ore, to a logging road in the early 1900s. The route as it's known today developed in the early 1920s to give people access to pristine fishing lakes but wasn't paved until the 1970s.
It is on the bay of Saganaga Lake that Chik-Wauk sits, the filming site for the famous 1960s Hamm's Beer commercials featuring a canoe-riding grizzly bear.
The new museum is professionally designed, with hands-on exhibits and a trove of Gunflint Trail artifacts, memorabilia and history. There's a diorama of local wildlife and trees, an interactive exhibit about the Voyageurs fur trade and exhibits on wildfires, local residents, logging, geology and mining, and Indian history.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Don't Get Lost in the Boundary Waters
There are a number of things a person can do to stay safe in the woods. Unfortunately there are just as many things that can get you into trouble.
No Fish Tale: Lost in the Ontario Wilderness Published: Saturday, July 03, 2010, 9:19 AM Updated: Saturday, July 03, 2010, 9:23 AM
D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer
Chip Tighe of Highland Heights and two fishing friends made the journey to Ontario’s Tornados Lodge to fish on Lake Arthure a couple of weeks ago with two goals in mind. Catch big northern pike and don’t get lost.
Again.
"When we arrived, lodge manager Nancy Wice said she hoped there wouldn't be 'an incident' this year," said Tighe, 49, a physician. "She's a loving, sweet lady with big blue eyes and blond hair, and truly cares about the fishermen."
The Tornados Lodge and its many cabins are in Port Loring, south of Sudbury and east of Georgian Bay along the Pickerel River. Not exactly northern bush country, but still a wild place, as Tighe and his buddies discovered on their 2009 adventure.
"After we settled in last year, we headed to Lake Arthur," said Tighe. "Dan DePalma and Chris Sullivan, both good fishermen, are from the Stoneboro, Pa. area. Dan has been a friend for more than 20 years, but I'd just met his friend, Chris.
After a short boat ride across Toad Lake, the trio hiked a scruffy trail through wild fields and forest to Lake Arthur. Another boat, motor and fuel were waiting, launching a week of northern pike and bass fishing.
Waiting on the shoreline of Lake Arthur for his friends to catch up, Tighe made a few casts. More importantly, he put the landing net down.
Once on the water and trolling for trophy pike, they discovered the net had been left behind.
After a good day of fishing on Friday, they returned to their portage point at about 7 p.m. While DePalma and Sullivan headed down the trail, Tighe wandered about in search of the landing net.
"Soon, all of the trees and bushes looked the same," said Tighe. He figured if he headed east, while his friends hiked north, he'd walk right to the trail and connect with them.
"That was a big mistake," said Tighe. Two hours later he was mired in a boggy swap with water up to his knees - and way over his boots. At 10 p.m. it was getting darker, and he'd already stumbled and fallen a few times.
When his friends told Wice that Tighe had not returned, she shifted into overdrive Friday night and began the rescue operation. Helicopters and search crews went into action at first light on Saturday morning.
At midnight, Tighe tugged on his head net. He was wearing a Mayfield soccer team jacket, long pants torn during a fall and wet boots. He slathered on Vicks VapoRub and used dryer sheets to thwart the bugs. Mosquitoes tormented him as he fitfully tried to rest.
Just after 4 a.m. on Saturday, Tighe was back on his feet. Walking as fast as he could, Tighe again yelled for DePalma and Sullivan.
"It was getting to be a spiritual experience," said Tighe. Until he bumped into a black bear.
"All I saw was a black, rubbery nose just a few feet away," said Tighe. "I looked down, and there was bear poop everywhere. It was the scaredest I'd ever been in my life."
Tighe found signs of civilization, including an abandoned maple syrup operation and an old truck plow, but no trails.
"At 10:30 a.m., I heard a helicopter," he said. Tighe scrambled to a clearing near a lake, the sound of the helicopter firing his adrenalin. He spotted a blue-and-white Ontario Provincial Police helicopter, and wildly waved his boat paddle.
In minutes, Tighe was aboard and gulping a bottle of water.
"The OPP guys were great," said Tighe. "One told me that I was really lucky. He said he doesn't mind rescue missions that turn out like this. He minds recovery missions that don't turn out as well."
Tighe did a lot of hiking, but didn't go very far. He estimates he covered about 15 miles of Canadian wilderness, often wandering in circles. He was found about four miles from where he was last seen by his friends.
Tighe wasn't afraid to head back to Lake Arthur in June.
"All three of us were back. We made sure we didn't split up when hiking the trails," said Tighe. "I also wore a visible orange jacket, not black, and made sure I had a safety kit and compass on me, not in my tackle box. I also carried a Bic lighter. They can see smoke from miles away up there."
No Fish Tale: Lost in the Ontario Wilderness Published: Saturday, July 03, 2010, 9:19 AM Updated: Saturday, July 03, 2010, 9:23 AM
D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer
Chip Tighe of Highland Heights and two fishing friends made the journey to Ontario’s Tornados Lodge to fish on Lake Arthure a couple of weeks ago with two goals in mind. Catch big northern pike and don’t get lost.
Again.
"When we arrived, lodge manager Nancy Wice said she hoped there wouldn't be 'an incident' this year," said Tighe, 49, a physician. "She's a loving, sweet lady with big blue eyes and blond hair, and truly cares about the fishermen."
The Tornados Lodge and its many cabins are in Port Loring, south of Sudbury and east of Georgian Bay along the Pickerel River. Not exactly northern bush country, but still a wild place, as Tighe and his buddies discovered on their 2009 adventure.
"After we settled in last year, we headed to Lake Arthur," said Tighe. "Dan DePalma and Chris Sullivan, both good fishermen, are from the Stoneboro, Pa. area. Dan has been a friend for more than 20 years, but I'd just met his friend, Chris.
After a short boat ride across Toad Lake, the trio hiked a scruffy trail through wild fields and forest to Lake Arthur. Another boat, motor and fuel were waiting, launching a week of northern pike and bass fishing.
Waiting on the shoreline of Lake Arthur for his friends to catch up, Tighe made a few casts. More importantly, he put the landing net down.
Once on the water and trolling for trophy pike, they discovered the net had been left behind.
After a good day of fishing on Friday, they returned to their portage point at about 7 p.m. While DePalma and Sullivan headed down the trail, Tighe wandered about in search of the landing net.
"Soon, all of the trees and bushes looked the same," said Tighe. He figured if he headed east, while his friends hiked north, he'd walk right to the trail and connect with them.
"That was a big mistake," said Tighe. Two hours later he was mired in a boggy swap with water up to his knees - and way over his boots. At 10 p.m. it was getting darker, and he'd already stumbled and fallen a few times.
When his friends told Wice that Tighe had not returned, she shifted into overdrive Friday night and began the rescue operation. Helicopters and search crews went into action at first light on Saturday morning.
At midnight, Tighe tugged on his head net. He was wearing a Mayfield soccer team jacket, long pants torn during a fall and wet boots. He slathered on Vicks VapoRub and used dryer sheets to thwart the bugs. Mosquitoes tormented him as he fitfully tried to rest.
Just after 4 a.m. on Saturday, Tighe was back on his feet. Walking as fast as he could, Tighe again yelled for DePalma and Sullivan.
"It was getting to be a spiritual experience," said Tighe. Until he bumped into a black bear.
"All I saw was a black, rubbery nose just a few feet away," said Tighe. "I looked down, and there was bear poop everywhere. It was the scaredest I'd ever been in my life."
Tighe found signs of civilization, including an abandoned maple syrup operation and an old truck plow, but no trails.
"At 10:30 a.m., I heard a helicopter," he said. Tighe scrambled to a clearing near a lake, the sound of the helicopter firing his adrenalin. He spotted a blue-and-white Ontario Provincial Police helicopter, and wildly waved his boat paddle.
In minutes, Tighe was aboard and gulping a bottle of water.
"The OPP guys were great," said Tighe. "One told me that I was really lucky. He said he doesn't mind rescue missions that turn out like this. He minds recovery missions that don't turn out as well."
Tighe did a lot of hiking, but didn't go very far. He estimates he covered about 15 miles of Canadian wilderness, often wandering in circles. He was found about four miles from where he was last seen by his friends.
Tighe wasn't afraid to head back to Lake Arthur in June.
"All three of us were back. We made sure we didn't split up when hiking the trails," said Tighe. "I also wore a visible orange jacket, not black, and made sure I had a safety kit and compass on me, not in my tackle box. I also carried a Bic lighter. They can see smoke from miles away up there."
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Say No To Hitchhikers
I usually stop to pick up people who are hitchhiking on the Gunflint Trail but I urge you to not do the same with those aquatic hitchhikers. Keep them off of the Gunflint Trail and out of our lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
“Pick it or Ticket.” That’s what will happen if people don’t do their part to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
DNR conservation officers and watercraft inspectors will step-up enforcement of invasive species law over the Fourth of July weekend. They will also be out educating boaters about a new law that goes into effect July 1 requiring boaters to now remove the plug and drain water before leaving any lake and river in Minnesota.
“Our lakes and rivers are too important to take for granted,” explained Larry Kramka, DNR assistant commissioner. “Boaters need to be accountable and personally responsible to prevent the further spread of aquatic invasives.”
The water draining law is intended to help prevent the spread of fish diseases such as VHS, and invasive species such as zebra mussels and spiny waterfleas that cannot be seen when free floating in the water in early life stages.
Boaters are required by law to:
Remove aquatic plants and zebra mussels from boats and trailers.
Drain all water, including pulling the drain plug, open water draining devises, and draining bilges and live wells.
Drain bait buckets when exiting lakes that have been designated as infested with spiny water flea or zebra mussels. Anglers can keep unused bait when leaving infested waters if they replace the water with tap or spring.
The increased enforcement efforts over the holiday weekend will include an increased presence at public water accesses at infested waters where officers will look closely for violators of existing laws who could face fines from $50 up to $1,000.
Minnesota’s water resources are threatened by numerous aquatic invasive species such as the zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil and spiny waterfleas. These species could be easily spread within the state if citizens, businesses and visitors don’t take the necessary steps to contain them.
The zebra mussel populations currently in Lake Mille Lacs, Alexandria chain of lakes
(Le Homme Dieu, Carlos, and Geneva), Pelican Lake in Otter Tail County, Prior Lake in Scott County and Rice Lake near Brainerd are a particular concern as they can be key sources for zebra mussel spread.
For more information about aquatic invasive species, visit http://www.mndnr.gov/.
“Pick it or Ticket.” That’s what will happen if people don’t do their part to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
DNR conservation officers and watercraft inspectors will step-up enforcement of invasive species law over the Fourth of July weekend. They will also be out educating boaters about a new law that goes into effect July 1 requiring boaters to now remove the plug and drain water before leaving any lake and river in Minnesota.
“Our lakes and rivers are too important to take for granted,” explained Larry Kramka, DNR assistant commissioner. “Boaters need to be accountable and personally responsible to prevent the further spread of aquatic invasives.”
The water draining law is intended to help prevent the spread of fish diseases such as VHS, and invasive species such as zebra mussels and spiny waterfleas that cannot be seen when free floating in the water in early life stages.
Boaters are required by law to:
Remove aquatic plants and zebra mussels from boats and trailers.
Drain all water, including pulling the drain plug, open water draining devises, and draining bilges and live wells.
Drain bait buckets when exiting lakes that have been designated as infested with spiny water flea or zebra mussels. Anglers can keep unused bait when leaving infested waters if they replace the water with tap or spring.
The increased enforcement efforts over the holiday weekend will include an increased presence at public water accesses at infested waters where officers will look closely for violators of existing laws who could face fines from $50 up to $1,000.
Minnesota’s water resources are threatened by numerous aquatic invasive species such as the zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil and spiny waterfleas. These species could be easily spread within the state if citizens, businesses and visitors don’t take the necessary steps to contain them.
The zebra mussel populations currently in Lake Mille Lacs, Alexandria chain of lakes
(Le Homme Dieu, Carlos, and Geneva), Pelican Lake in Otter Tail County, Prior Lake in Scott County and Rice Lake near Brainerd are a particular concern as they can be key sources for zebra mussel spread.
For more information about aquatic invasive species, visit http://www.mndnr.gov/.
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