Loon Lake Tales

For over 25 years there has been a sled dog race commemorating the life of John Beargrease. He and his brothers delivered mail along the North Shore of Lake Superior in the late 1800s. They used a number of different means to move the mail from Duluth to Grand Marais --walking to canoeing and then in the winter, sled dogs.

The race route has changed over the years and this year they will be coming down Loon Lake to the Lodge and travel up our road to connect to the snowmobile trail that parallels the Gunflint Trail. Last year I was a volunteer and it was a tremendous experience. I never knew the physical and emotional strength it took to run a sled dog marathon. The dogs are the most important part of the race and a great deal of effort is put into making sure no animals are hurt. There are veterinarians all along the route to make sure care is available. The mushers themselves are almost secondary.

The race will start Sunday, January 25th in Duluth and will finish sometime on the 28th back in Duluth. The exact time they will be coming through Loon Lake is a little hard to estimate. We are around the half way mark so best guess would be sometime Monday night or early Tuesday morning. If you are anywhere along the North Shore, Gunflint Trail or Loon Lake during that time be sure and take advantage and cheer the teams on.

Well this is a good time to catch up on my reading. My thermometer quit working last night so I checked out the weather station at the Seagull Guard Station. Many of you have seen the place about halfway between Loon Lake and Sag Lake. They have an online weather station and according to them it was 45 below this morning at 7:04. Burrrrrrr. It always surprises me that things work at that temp. Our house was nice and cozy so I went down to make sure the Shack was warm and everything was working just fine. The good news is just about all the slush is gone. When it is this cold everything outside freezes solid.

I tried to take a picture of the birds feeding today but every time I tried they took off. You should see them. They look about twice as big as usual with their feathers all puffed up to keep themselves warm. They were feeding all day just trying to keep moving and to keep their strength up.

Well that is all for now it time to finish that last chapter.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! So far we have had a great winter for snow enthusiast. We have been getting some snow about everyday. Some days more than others but I am shoveling the deck every morning. We have had a few snowmobilers by but that part of the season is just getting started. Terry has been out skiing everyday. Right now she heads off to Crab Lake. Larry our neighbor has been grooming and packing the trail so conditions are very good. The lake is a different story. We got a great deal of snow right after the lake froze over. This causes slush. Not very nice for anyone. You can't ski, snowmobile or snowshoe when there is slush on the lake. The good news is we are now experiencing some cold weather and it should take care of the problem in short order.

Just to remind you we do have the "Shack" open this winter. It is a great place to recharge your batteries. It is the only cabin we have open so you have to place to yourselves. Lake trout fishing is generally good on the lake if that is your thing. You can also go cross country skiing right from your door or snowshoe almost any place you would like. It is like having your own place.

Some events coming up that I will write more about later -- John Beargrease Sled Dog Race the end of January and Winter Tracks Festival coming the end of February. Keep checking back to find out more.