Walking on Water
No! I'm not talking about that kind of "Walking on Water". I'm talking about the less than divine ability folks up north have to travel the Boundary Waters on foot for about 5 months every year. During our canoe season, a lot of guests ask if our lakes freeze over in the winter. Well in an average winter, lakes of the Boundary Waters will freeze to a thickness of between 16 and 24 inches! To put that into perspective, the Minnesota DNR considers 8-12 inches of good ice to be strong enough to support a car or small pickup truck. Now that's just a guideline and there is definitely good ice and not so good ice. Good ice is the clear stuff... like the blocks of ice you can buy for your cooler. The value of your car may also be a factor when determining "good ice".
See: The "frozen" time of the year offers a neat and different perspective of the Boundary Waters whether on foot, via cross country skis or pulled on a sled by a dog team team of dogs. The frozen lakes also open up countless new travel options for wildlife. We see many different kinds of wildlife...including timber wolves, traveling the frozen lakes. Think about this, on average our walking speed is about the same as what we canoe. When canoeing, we encourage folks to watch the shoreline for birds and animals but when walking the lakes, there are other things to watch for...fishing lures! You'd be surprised how many lures are hanging in trees along the shore, that don't get retrieved. Once in a great while, we'll have ice up with no snow. This creates a short period of time with "ice skating quality" ice. Though I've never done it, some folks have actually skated all the way from Fall Lake, up to Basswood and back down to Moose Lake! More often than not however, we'll get snow right away, when the lakes freeze. Now since we don't live in Antarctica or on a glacier, we too will tire of all that ice, which makes the sound of waves on the shore and blue water a much anticipated sight after a long winter. For Moose Lake, the average "ice out" usually happens at the end of April but it's pretty interesting the range of ice out dates we've had since dates have been recorded (over 150 years). Statewide Ice Out Dates Back to 1843 (a neat interactive map) So, this winter, if you haven't had an opportunity, get out on a safe frozen Boundary Waters lake or one in your area, for a new and different perspective on a familiar place. To all our canoeing friends...safe traveling...whether by water or on ice! Dave
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Around the Base
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Well it's that time again when we welcome the hearty soles that help keep us company through the cold winter months of our off season. There's a neat sort of connection we have with our feathered friends that makes the time in the office and at home a little more enjoyable with the constant flurry...no pun intended...of activity at the feeders. Closing Up
Our fall routine includes pulling in the floating docks, covering the doors and windows of the store and outfitting (to save some heat) shutting down and disconnecting the plumbing and to repaint the floor. Seems like a long time from now, but before we know it, the time will come to get those docks back out! Dave
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Important Links and Updates
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