The Lake is the Boss

Lake's up and we're heading north

2009-12-31T08:14:00.004-06:00

Despite dire predictions, including from me, Lake Superior continues to rise. There was talk that the dredging in the St Mary's river north of Detroit was draining the lake and that global warming and its accompanying lack of ice cover had speeded up winter evaporation, but the lake inexplicably keeps rising. It is 6" higher that it was a year ago and lost an inch less water in December than the 3" it normally loses.

I think that's a good thing. Other than higher water and its accompanying higher waves impacting fragile ecosystems this and rare and endagered that, more clean, fresh water in the largest holding reservoir on the planet is generally a positive thing. Something tells me that this cycle of rising and lowering lake levels may have happened before a time or two. The power boaters and sailors can get back into their favorite spots without feverish NPS efforts to install vertical rub rails on various docks. Marina owners and marine mechanics will see a precipitous drop in lower unit and keel replacements but I think they will survive. As a kayaker, I will welcome the additional water. No more picking my way through the Manitou reef in the dark,between the island and the stinking, cormorant infested light beacon rock, and no more slurping through 10 yards of muck to launch in the Bark Bay Slough. We won't see as much of the wreck of the Fedora, off Red Cliff Point (above image with the VOR bobbing in the background), but a changing lake is what it's all about. Part of the draw and appeal of the lake is its changing moods and environment. Heck, one of these years I hope to even round Point Detour in flat calm but I know that's probably physically impossible.

We will check out the lake in person since the VoiceOfReason and I are headed for Duluth and New Years Eve in a few short hours. From there its on to the Bayfield Peninsula and a rendezvous with RangerMark and the GreenThumbChef for some outdoor winter activity, be it snowshoeing or cross country skiing. A foot of lake effect snow is forecast for the Gogebic Range so we may need to move in the direction of Ironwood/Hurley at some point as well, where a few of the SKOAC Renegades will be also enjoying the winter experience.

Enjoy the new year! I really am not a 'resoulution' type of guy but I have vowed to swear off light beer and severely limit chlorine exposure. Before we know it the ice road to Madeline Island and the sea caves will be frozen and shortly after that Canoecopia will be popping up.

Lets all hope and work for a great 2010. Skol!

Middle east extremists and Asian carp - What to do?

2009-12-29T06:57:00.007-06:00

There seems to be some interesting parallels in the Asian carps attempts to get into the Great Lakes via the Chicago River to wreak havoc and Muslim extremists attempts to get into the US to wreak havoc. We brought the carp here to fight the threat of weed choked lakes, never for a minute thinking what would happen when they got loose. We gave the forerunners of the Taliban training and weapons, including Stinger missiles to fight the threat of the Soviet Union, never for a minute thinking what would happen when they got loose. Unfortunately, both are loose and I fear our attempts to stop both types of vermin will be futile, since in both cases the 'cat' is well out of the bag.

My guess is that the carp are right now patiently waiting to see how the US Supreme Court rules on January 8 about closing the Chicago Canal that connects Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River system. Likewise, the terrorists are patiently waiting to see what equally effective underwear based detection scheme is being implemented to stop them. Carp of course, don't wear underwear or shoes, or carry dangerous half inch pocket knives to open aggravating packages or clean the dirt from beneath their fingernails. They will simply stow away in some guys bait bucket water or some cheap ass fisherman will seine some 'free minnows' from a river and dump the unused ones in Lake Michigan. I fear that sooner or later the terrorists will also get through the patchwork hodgepodge of 'security measures' and succeed in their brutal mission. The masthead of this blog sums it up in a nutshell - "Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement".

I have to fly for work 2 or 3 times in January and I am already dreading it. Rather than producing and utilizing the explosive detection systems that are available and operational, our government has decided that I need to sit quietly in my seat, carry on luggage including magazines and Ipods stowed, and that I can't go take a piss for the last hour of the flight. If I was a prostate sufferer and my Flomax was in my stowed luggage, not being able to hit the john for an hour would be a bad experience for everyone around me on a number of levels. I think pregnant women would have the same reaction. I know first hand that explosive screening works. I'm not a guy that has sets of luggage for all occasions. My Duluth pack shell bag is a lovely little canvas and leather shoulder bag, was used for trap shooting, hunting, and as a carry on. That was until the explosive swab guys yanked me out of line at O'Hare after detecting powder residue. Since it was used to hold recently fired shotgun shells, I told them, it sure as hell should have some powder residue. They questioned why I would use such a bag and I told them that I had no idea they would be testing for that sort of thing since none of the airline security information ever mentioned that angle.

Like the French military from about 1870 on, our security apparatus seems to be looking backwards to prevent the threat that just occurred rather than forward to prevent the one that is about to occur. The Germans invade France in WWI, the French build the Maginot Line at huge expense and the Germans go right around it in WWII. Richard Reid tries to ignite his shoes and millions of us are taking our shoes off to get on the plane. Then the nut jobs come up with gel based explosives and they make us all use 3 oz containers stored in a zip lock bag. Now the exploding underwear. I guess I can see some advantages to us all taking off our underwear in the security line and putting it in the gray plastic tub but I'm sure our prudish social mores will prevent that from being implemented.

Get some sophisticated explosive screening and detection equipment in place (we apparently already have it), put up a weir and close the Chicago canal to the carp, and let me read a magazine, listen to some tunes, and take a piss on the airplane during the last hour of flight. Knee jerk and ineffective methods, designed to make the public think the government is doing something, are not the way to go. Both carp and terrorists need to be thwarted, contained, and with any luck eradicated. If we use our technology in combination with a well thought out plan and citizen involvement (in addition to burnt testicles ol' Umar took a bit of an ass kicking from his fellow passengers and I like that) I think we will be much better off. I just hope something gets in place before a disaster, on either the carp or terrorist front, occurs.

Beware - Snow snake season

2009-12-27T20:00:00.007-06:00

Our annual 'Storm of the Century' was the usual bust. We got about 10' of snow in two separate events and zero wind or drifting. Total snowfall did not even equal half of the 20 plus inches that the breathless weather alarmists in the media were predicting. Thousands of people changed their Christmas plans based upon what the media was trumpeting about this piss ant storm and nothing really happened. My VW Jetta Sportwagon has a ground clearance of about ten millimeters and I never heard the bottom scrape once on snow, other than on the snowplow berm at the end of the driveway. The fact of the matter is that the last time we had a blizzard in the Minneapolis/St Paul area was the Halloween Blizzard of 1991. Duluth had a classic blizzard that pretty much buried Park Point in 2007 and GalwayGuy and I were up there, barely escaping the rampant cannibalism mentioned in the sign below. You can read about the real blizzards of the last 100 years here. One winter threat is real and active now however, and people would do well to be alert. Snow snakes have been spotted over most of the area since the recent snowfall.

I got my first cross country ski in Sunday afternoon at a local golf course that had been trackset in the aftermath of the 'Storm of the Century'. Due to the wide open fairways and greens that we were skiing over, being attacked by snow snakes was not much of a danger. Last weekend on Reefer Creek though, was a much different story. We spotted snow snakes coiled on a number of trees, ready to strike, and it was only by care and experience that we were able to successfully avoid them. Many can reach 12' to 15' long like the ones in the images.

The beasts can sense your presence from vibration. Any sort of loud noise or concussion will cause them to drop from their perch in the tree, usually on your head. Once you have been struck you need to act fast.You normally feel the concussion on the top of your head and then a cold, wet feeling at the back of your neck. Like certain species of bees, they can only get you once but that's not very comforting once you've been hit. The key to survival is to immediately remove the cold, white venom from your head, down your neck, and down the front of your jacket. If left in contact with your skin, this white substance will morph into a cold, clear liquid which can cause hypothermia if untreated.

Fortunately, this is a very treatable condition. Quick removal of affected clothing and brushing off the venom is usually all it takes. In more extreme cases where the venom has melted, a prescription of several doses of Bushmills Irish Whiskey can alleviate some of the more aggravating symptoms. The presence of these creatures is no reason to avoid enjoyment of the woods in winter though. Get out there and ski, snowshoe, hike, and have fun. Just be sure to remember to have your first aid kit with a flask of Bushmills tucked into the corner. It's cheap insurance in case you're attacked.

Winter comes to Cornie

2009-12-24T10:34:00.006-06:00

Last Sunday found me in Cornucopia, WI to drop GalwayGuy and TheLegend off at Mass at St Ann's. My normal routine would be to make a beeline for the Village Inn to do a quality check on the South Shore Nut Brown Ale tap line, but the weather was just too inviting to head to the bar. Since many of us kayak up there in the summer and don't get to the northermost point of Wisconsin in the winter, I figured a Christmas Eve photo tour of the area might be the perfect post for a lazy blogger such as myself.

My first stop was at Meyers Beach, the main jumping off point for the mainland sea caves and the scene of a couple of fatal kayaking accidents in the past few years. It sounds like the real time wave observation system will be functional next season, giving folks a look at the conditions around the caves before venturing out. There weren't many waves to worry about last weekend and parking was ample since I was the only one there. It was plowed but a bit snowy.

The sea caves looked like their annual ice sculpture show was beginning but walking to the caves may be a few weeks off.

Eagle Island looked inviting off in the distance and it has a skein of ice around its shore as well.

I stopped like I always do at the artesian well on the east end of the harbor and park area.

Water flows year round from the well into the lake from the pipe in the foreground. Squaw Point,now called Mawikwe Point, is in the background.

The breakwater at the entrance to the harbor is right in line with the ice crusted motif of the rest of the lakeshore. The commercial guys are still fishing and were off loading an impressive catch of herring when I went past the docks.

The sailboats are all out of the water for the year. Only the commercial guys are still out in boats.

The old eastern rite church, onion domes and all, looks right at home in the snow.

After this latest blizzard that we are in the middle of right now, things will be downright wintry up in Cornucopia. The ice should freeze late January or early February for the walk to the caves and the empty parking lot will be full again. Ski and snowmobile trails should be set for the winter and before we know it spring will arrive and the Meyers Beach lot will be full of paddlers and hikers again.
In the meantime, have a merry Christmas and a productive and fun filled New Year.

An enjoyable five minutes at the mall

2009-12-22T06:59:00.004-06:00

When people ask me if I'd like to go to the mall with them this time of year, I generally tell them I've scheduled outpatient surgery for a thrombosed hemorrhoid. With apologies to Frank Zappa, I'd much rather be 'buns up kneelin' than within five miles of any holiday shopping mall. Nonetheless the perfect storm of circumstances combined to drive me to the mall to replace my dead iPod at the Apple store.

The inevitable traffic snarl is the first of many aggravations. Waiting for the fat lady to carefully load 8 shopping bags into her trunk before plopping into the drivers seat and fixing her makeup so a person can park three stalls closer does not help the traffic situation, or my mental state, one bit. After parking in the very first spot I see, no matter if its 40 acres away from the door, I made a beeline for my destination like a guy in Mercedes blowing by Volkswagons and Fiats on the autobahn, trying to breathe shallowly to avoid inhaling the ever changing mall stench. Once at the store I figure my frustration and aggravation has only begun, with insolent, gum popping, high school aged clerks, checkout lines, and 'associates' who not only don't know the product they are selling but couldn't find their own ass with either hand. Imagine my surprise when that scenario didn't play out.

I went in armed and seeking battle. I had heard that Apple offered a 10% discount and recycling for dead iPods. I fully expected to hear the offer had expired at the start of the holiday season but the pleasant and knowledgeable young woman that met me at the door told me the offer was indeed still in place. She answered my 3 or 4 questions and volunteered that the new Ipods were more reliable because they did not have a spinning hard disk.I told her I was in and it took her less than a minute to walk back and grab me a new iPod Touch. As I eyed the long linesshopping she informed me that was the tech help line and that she could check me out where we stood. She pulled out a device about twice the size of a transistor radio (you now know just how old I am) and scanned my credit card. I was waiting for her to pull a receipt printer out of her pocket but she simply asked if it was OK to send the receipt to my email and automatically register me for the warranty. Hell yes! I thanked her, took a deep breath, and headed for my car as fast as I could walk, Apple bag containing new iPod clutched in my hand. I had spent right around 5 minutes in the store.

It was a good experience, maybe the only good experience I can recall having in a mall except for maybe the time my whole company was ejected from Gatlins Music Club in the Mall of America for disrupting a country line dance. Even the packaging for the iPod was well thought out and I didn't have to recreate the shower scene from Psycho trying to open some miserable clamshell. The package can also be used to store the device and cords rather than adding to the landfill. Good design all around.

The iPod worked flawlessly and TheLegend, GalwayGuy, and I listed to famous Big Top Chautauqua performer and deer camp member, Phillip Anich and other artists as we headed north. My five minutes spent in the mall this year was painless, productive, and efficient. Maybe I'll just cancel that hemorrhoid procedure for the time being.

A good weekend at camp

2009-12-21T07:05:00.004-06:00

I'm still not sure how we all managed to pull this off, but five of us disengaged from the holiday madness and spend the weekend at the deer camp. Bow season is still open and there was some hunting and deer were seen, including a small buck and the usual doe and fawn families. The main reason for the trip however, was to show the camp to TheLegend, a guy who has been a connoisseur of fine deer camps for the better part of 60 years.

The weather was perfect, 20F and a foot of nice, fluffy powder on the ground. Reefer Creek was frozen for the most part, and there was only a breeze off the open Lake Superior rather than the normal bone chilling northwest wind. GalwayGuy, TheLegend, and I rolled in late morning on Saturday and were preceded by the KingOfIronwoodIsland. We were all happy we got there Saturday morning because Podman arrived Friday night to temperatures of 20F outside and 10F inside the camp. After a few hours of serious stoking of the pot belly stove, he had managed to get the temperature inside up to 45F and enjoyed supper in his snowmobile suit. The King brought his ATV and TheLegend and I took a tour of the property. We checked out the old logging camp, the dozer trail to the creek, the select cut, and the spot where we left the deer carcasses. It would appear from the tracks in the snow and whats left that everybody from the chickadees to the fisher are feeding off the bounty. We returned to camp and TheLegend browsed the ample camp library while GG and I stoked the sauna and snowhoed down the creek. We went through the ice 3 or 4 times but if we kept to the inside of the bends the water is very shallow. The video clip is of the look and sound of water running under the frozen ice and snow. Turn up the volume. We both think we needed to create a tape loop of the frozen creek to soothe the mind during the brain numbing routine of urban life. The boys returned from their blinds and happy hour began under the Humphrey propane lights. Fresh ears for the stories that we've all told and heard countless times made for a fine evening. We even heard a number of good stories from the old deer camp north of Mora, MN. A meal of fork tender venison backstraps combined with the smell of wood smoke and damp wool was a magical elixir for holiday induced stress. I had brought a bottle of Fat Bastard merlot to complement the venison but never even got a sip as the King, with some help from GG, drained it as I put the finishing touches on supper. I did notice that he was not up at the crack of dawn to head for his blind though, so he likely saved me from an equally slow start to the morning.

A final trip to camp for 2009 was just what the doctor ordered for all of us. I'm already thinking about the next visit when the ski trails are tracked and creek is frozen completely solid. The VoiceOfReason manged to get in 10k on Sunday and now I'm behind. I guess I can count my snowshoe hike as aerobic winter activity but it makes no difference. There is no place I would have rather been this weekend than up at camp with the crew.

Chlorine or gunpowder: An easy choice for me

2009-12-16T07:19:00.004-06:00

GalwayGuy arrived home via Amtrak late Saturday night after a rigorous semester at grad school in St Louis. The last time he had tipped over his Capella was in the brisk waters of Lake Superior off the Keweenaw peninsula in late August. This meant that I would likely be inhaling the fetid, chlorine saturated air of the Brooklyn Park community pool during Sunday's rolling session. I discovered however (perhaps a Freudian slip?) that I had double booked myself.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher had invited a number of folks to shoot with him for charity at the county indoor range. Foreclosures in Ramsey County, MN are up significantly and one of the little publicized effects of this increase is on renters. If a property owner is in foreclosure they have no legal obligation to inform their renters. This means honest folks who have been paying their rent can be thrown out of their homes with zero notice when the property is foreclosed. The sheriff, who's department 'gets to' execute these foreclosures I would imagine, decided that something needed to be done and came up with the first annual "I Shot with the Sheriff" pistol shoot. For a modest donation to one of five charities that serve people that are vicitimized by this practice, a person could shoot 50 rounds at increasingly longer distances with the sheriff's department personnel, including the sheriff himself. If you managed to beat him, you were awarded an "I Out-shot the Sheriff"certificate.

I failed to outshoot the sheriff. I learned from one of the SWAT team guys that the sheriff is a ringer, one of the top 5% of marksmen out of roughly 400 people in the department. I was a bit rusty and the first couple of rounds got away from me but it was a very nice afternoon and for a great cause. I had dropped GG off at the pool, holding my breath to avoid chlorine poisoning, and then picked him up so we could head down to Grumpys Bar to watch the end of the football game. He needed to wash the foul taste of all that St Louis Budweiser from his palate with a bit of Surly Bender and I need to help drink up the Summit Kolsch to make room in the tap lineup for the Summit Winter Ale.

It was a pretty good Sunday. All of the mornings goals for both of us,with the glaring exception of beating the sheriff , were accomplished by about 4pm that afternoon. Summit Winter Ale is still not on tap at Grumpy's so we went down there last night and continued to chip away at the Kolsch but everything is moving in the right direction. GG's stick roll came back, my tight groups returned on about the third five round series, and Catholic Charities, the Union Gospel Misson, and the other three charities have several thousand bucks that they didn't have before Sheriff Fletchers fundraiser. A great start to the holiday season.

Paddle club rendezvous

2009-12-13T08:16:00.005-06:00

Even though the paddling season is ending in this area, evidenced by the appearance of portable ice houses on Pokegema Lake yesterday, people are already mentally transporting to spring and ice out. I got an email last week from SteveM, noted Illinois paddler and fellow fine beer afficianado, letting me know about a rendezvous of midwest paddling clubs that will take place on the Saturday of Canoecopia. The plan for the evening is below.

First Annual Paddling Club Rendezvous

Mark your calendars for March 13th 2010 at Canoecopia. Rutabaga and The Illinois Paddling Council will be hosting the first annual Paddling Club Rendezvous on Saturday evening from 5:30-7:00pm in the Superior Room at the Clarion Hotel next to the Alliant Energy Center campus. Piizza and soft drinks will be served. All club members and non members are welcome! The Rendezvous is an opportunity for paddling club members from all over the Midwest to get together to network, share favorite paddling destinations, plan joint activities, recruit new members, and just get to know each other over pizza and soda.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS !

This sounds like a fine way to interact with members of other clubs in the midwest and learn about some paddle destinations other than the usual ones that everyone knows about. It does however, run directly opposite the annual Lake is the Boss Canoecopia Debriefing, held every year at the Crystal Corner Bar on Willy St in Madison. Last year high ranking members of the Missouri River Paddlers, Central Iowa Paddlers, SKOAC, Mad City Paddlers, and the Inland Sea Kayakers had a long and productive meeting at the west end of the big horseshoe bar at the CCB. This confab at the Clarion Hotel has the potential to replace the Lake is the Boss event but for one glaring omission: beer.

I'm sure an overwhelming majority of paddlers, at least the ones I know, would agree that 'pizza and beer' is much more resonant and rolls off the tongue much smoother than 'pizza and soda'. As luck would have it, I even know a few brewery folk that would probably be happy to donate a bit of beer to a fine event such as this with hopes that new paddling destinations and their beer might be introduced to what should prove to be a fine group of potential customers. I might even be able to make this happen with a minimal amount of effort, which is the amount of effort I usually like to expend. I'm sure there is a dizzying and malodorous pile of legal crap that can be trotted out to pooh pooh this plan, but most organizations hand out two drink tickets when folks walk in the door to placate the plaintiffs bar and that's all you get. Of course an immdediate black market in drink tickets springs up, but that's what our capitalist system is all about.

I like the idea of a paddling club meet and greet. This should even lure my two Madison paddling cronies, the FrugalFisherman and the Commish. One is too cheap to even attend Canoecopia and the other sticks me with parking every time we go. I do feel that crowd size, ambiance, and social interaction can all be enhanced by the presence of a little barley pop. Just let me know. I can git er done.

PS I also heard that, like This is the Sea 3, Justine Curgenven will debut This is Canoeing at this years event. I'm looking forward to that almost as much as the beer!

Back from Portland

2009-12-08T07:03:00.004-06:00

This weekend the VOR and I, accompanied by my sister and her hubby, visited No1 son and lady friend out in Portland, OR. A car rental snafu had us (me) accusing my sister of renting the car in Portland, ME but it was sorted out and we were on our way. On our last trip we hit the ocean by driving about an hour and a half west of the city. This year it would be the Columbia Gorge and Mt Hood about the same distance east of Portland.

The normal angst of air travel seems to be minimal in the Portland airport. We remarked on this years ago when the Dr Jekyll Northwest employees surprised us after being herded and barked at by their Mr. Hyde counterparts at Minneapolis/St Paul. The presence of a Powell books outlet and a Rogue Brewery brewpub, both featuring non airport prices by the way, makes the normal airport stress much more manageable. The city itself is also pretty stress free due to its compact size. Both Denver and Portland were at roughly the same point in the early '70's. Portland chose planned growth, defined city boundaries, and mass transit. Denver sprawled out like a fat guy watching the Viking/Cardinals defeat in his Lazy Boy, belly protruding from his Favre jersey, a trail of chips and beer bottles between the kitchen and his chair, and crumbs and empties strewn haphazardly around him. I've spent a bit of time in both cities and I'll take Portland, thanks. We stayed at a brewpub, one of the many McMenimans properties, which is convenient on any number of levels. Portland has 42 operating breweries, making it the national leader. Non beer drinking outdoor activities began with a hike up a waterfall laden creek that flowed down to the Columbia Gorge. The temperate rain forest climate has everything covered with moss and lichens,a pretty radical change from our woods around here, even thought the temps did hover around freezing,which made it feel like home. From there the plan was to hit Mt Hood and the historic Timberline Lodge, one of the more successful uses of 'stimulus money' from the WPA program of the 1930's. We had wanted to do a bit of snowshoeing but temps of 6F combined with wind gusting to 50mph forced us into the bar. We had planned to visit the famous Japanese Garden and Rose Garden in Portland for some hiking as well but the winds and cold followed us down the hill. We opted for some indoor touring at the historic Pittock mansion, one of the founders of the Oregonian newspaper and investor in many of the popular extractive industries of the early 20th century.
Thus concludes the Portland travelogue. We did pass a few kayak shops in Hood River but they were far outstripped by the windsurfing shops. Kayaking and beer drinking overlapped at the Full Sail brewery in Hood River, where a lovely handmade wood strip sea kayak was on display. At 17' x 22" wide with a retractable skeg and flush hatches, it looked like a fine sea kayak and could be yours for a mere $6,500. It was probably good marketing because the more beers I had the better it looked, but in the end we decided to pass. Next year I have a plan formulating in my brain to ski Mt Hood one day and paddle the Pacific the next. The VOR wants to climb Mt. St Helens after hearing No1 son talk about his ascent. Plus, we barely scratched the 42breweries. Looks like we're heading back.

Gitchee Gumee's getting windier

2009-12-03T07:03:00.004-06:00

I suppose I better kick out a kayaking post. I'm sure some readers are indifferent or even slightly offended by my two month long deer hunting obsession. I will however, have nearly 50 pounds of ring bologna, all meat weiners, bacon, Ukranian sausage, and brats, not to mention the steaks, chops, and backstraps. Its a good start to the winter larder. One of the crucial elements of successful deer hunting is an acute awareness of the wind. If one looks at the gigantic whitetail snout, it becomes apparent that they can smell any faint unnatural smell in the woods from a long ways away. In a way, the wind is the deers friend and the hunters as well if you take it into account when you enter the woods. As a kayaker on the other hand, I can't think of a time when I thought the wind was my 'friend' and apparently its getting windier all the time on my favorite lake.

Chad Dally wrote an article in the Ashland Daily Press entitled, "Research Showing a Warmer, Windier Lake Superior". The theory is that greater differences between the air and water temp make for more stable weather. A convergence of the two causes windier conditions. It's an interesting read and made me think about wind conditions on the lake over the past dozen years or so. In my unscientific, anecdotal, and completely subjective opinion, I will hereby confirm the observations of the scientists at UW-Madison and UM-Duluth. I'm sure they will be ecstatic when they get the news.

In the first five years of the past decade, I don't remember being windbound at all. Maybe we should have been but were too dumb and inexperienced to realize it. In the past five years though, not only have we been windbound, but on at least a half dozen occasions we've been forced to turn around. The usual scenario involves coming around a point, paddling for a half mile or so, and turning to look your paddling companions in the eye and wait for the first one to say, "Screw this shit, lets head back and have a beer". On the other hand, last season the VOR and I slogged for an endless nine miles from Devil's to York Island into the teeth of a gusting 20 knot northwest wind. We didn't feel nearly so old or so tired when we found a group of college students from UW-Stout setting up camp on York after deciding they were 'windbound'. One of the leaders told me that it had taken them nearly two and a half hours to paddle the three miles from Raspberry to York and they felt it prudent to bag it for the day with the group of rookies.

Surfing when windbound can be tons of fun, the most fun you can have sitting down as they say. When its as windy as the image at the top of the post however, with the only reason the tent isn't blown away being the carcass of the FrugalFisherman holding it down, even surfing becomes problematic. It was that very same day that RangerMark took the flattering photo of me doing my pitcher plant imitation at the top of this blog after a wine and cheese party in a sheltered bog on Rocky Island.

Nope, I can't say that I enjoy wind much at all when on the lake. Providing a bit of chop or a few waves to make paddling a bit more interesting or maybe to give an assist in drift fishing is OK but I'd have to call those breezes. When it comes to a real wind on the water, you can keep it, thanks.

The GurneyGranny's organic venison tenderloin recipe

2009-12-01T07:50:00.005-06:00

Prep time: 14 hours

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
-Fresh venison tenderloins
-Sea salt
-Freshly ground pepper
-peanut oil
-Browning A-bolt, .257 Roberts caliber
-Sharp knife
-Stout rope

Prep: Put bad Maxwell House coffee in percolator at 5am. Trudge off to blind at 6:15am. Identify 9 point buck at 8:30am. Shoot. Field dress. Drag. Register with DNR in Iron River. Graciously accept their, "nice buck! comment. Hang on buck pole to cool. Return to blind for afternoon hunt. Identify 8 point buck at 4pm. Repeat above procedure. Variation: holler for the BearWhisperer since you no longer have a valid buck tag. Note that 'party hunting' within shouting distance is perfectly legal in Wisconsin.

Cooking: Filet tenderloins from deer. Heat oven in Detroit Jewel to Very Hot (check out dial settings in image). Insert heirloom cast iron skillet. Rub the tenderloins with peanut oil and salt and pepper liberally. Put hot skillet on wide open burner and sear for one minute on each side. Return to oven to finish, 2 minutes per side. Tenderloins will be perfectly medium rare and can be cut with a butter knife. Be sure to ask camp members how they want their steaks done, even though you plan to make them all medium rare. It tends to empower them and build their self esteem. Sides include fresh frozen sweet corn, garlic mashed potatoes, and fresh bakery bread. Oh, and maybe a few bottles of wine.

This years efforts of the menly buck hunters at camp were eclipsed by the GurneyGranny's two buck performance. She richly deserved it however, after all the 'butt hours' she put in over the last few seasons. Since she is a moderate woman in her alcohol consumption (unlike the KingOfIronwoodIsland), I was forced to jump in and pick up the slack to help her celebrate her two bucks vicariously by sipping a Bushmill's or three.

This year Wisconsin sold 626,000 deer licenses. Of that, roughly 8% were women. Among young hunters however, girls made up 20% of the licensees. When we were kids, a woman in the woods was very rare. GG's dad, ButcherBlockBob, drove up for a couple days to deliver his exquisite handmade butcher block table for the cut up shack. I think he was pretty proud that his eldest daughter was the leader in the clubhouse, so to speak.

Deer camp 2009 - the photo review

2009-11-30T07:38:00.008-06:00

I'm back in the 21st century after spending 9 glorious days in the 19th, sans electricity, plumbing, and electronic noises of any kind, except for the oldies station during happy hour. I'm tired, my back is killing me, and I'm far too lazy to write. Frankly, the computer and its passwords, reminder windows, and other BS aggravates me after being away from it. I'm sure I'll get over it but for now I'll violate my personal policy of a maximum of three images per post and do a deer camp photo essay of sorts. The top image is from a stand known as Twin Towers as the sun sets. Red sky at night, sailors delight.

Opening night has twelve of us in the 20 x 24 camp. Cozy but perfectly manageable.

This image is of the frozen beaver pond, dead spruce trees and all, near Buckskin's Field. My primary stand, the Virgin Turkey, is about 100 yards away.

On Tuesday night as I sat in The Stand Formerly Known As Mary's, I saw a small buck come in late, just as darkness and the fog were conspiring to end my day of hunting. As I shot the image, I noticed the larger six pointer staring at me from behind the five pointer. Our hunting philosophy is to take the larger bucks, eight or better, and the antlerless deer. This method is called Quality Deer Management and has been proven to produce a more healthy deer herd.

We did have rain for a couple days. I just wore my wool and the outer layer was wet but I was toasty dry inside. Wool still retains it insulating propertieswhen wet but it just does not dry real fast.

I stumbled across this insect art on a deadfall maple tree. No idea what type of bug would provide this level of artistic work.

The moon over the camp.

The moon over the outhouse door.

We always make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, complete with squash, garlic mashed potatoes, cranberries, bread, and of course, the turkey. We did a free range turkey this year and brined it. It was excellent.

The traditional bonfire, ignited on Friday night rather than the usual second Saturday.

Oh yeah, we did harvest some deer. We heard wolves howling at least a half dozen times but there seems to be plenty of deer to feed everyone, contrary to some peoples beliefs.

And used the plush new cut up shack to turn them into tasty steaks and chops.

And finally the traditional 'cable beer' as we break camp for the 27th year in a row. The stalwarts in this photo have been at camp the whole nine days. I'm looking foward to next year already.

Signs of Winter

2009-11-20T14:07:00.002-06:00

The Coast Guard buoy tender Alder is in the process of picking up the navigation buoys in the Apostles before the ice begins to form, shortly if past history is any indicator. Even more importantly, Wisconsin Deer Firearms season opens at 6:30am tomorrow morning. I will be in my blind in an area that has no cell phone towers and electricity is roughly 5 miles away. This is therefore, the last post for over a week. Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday, and anything else you so choose. I'll be back the very, very end of November. Enjoy!

Heirloom design

2009-11-18T06:20:00.005-06:00

Last week as I feverishly prepared for my 4 day weekend of bowhunting bliss at camp, our electric range 'took the dirt nap' as they say. Repair costs were prohibitive and it was getting a bit cold for the Coleman stove on the patio while repairs were scheduled and completed, so we headed to the appliance store and purchased a new range. About the same time I read Sharon Bloyd Peshkin's article,"Built to Trash", and the very next morning the enamel coffee pot was simmering on the 1924 Detroit Jewel stove at deer camp as we prepared to head out to the blind. It really drove home the point of her article.

Many of you might know Sharon as an accomplished sea kayaker from the Chicago area. Others may know her as SecuriteSharon from her timely radio call that kept the Raspberry Island tour at this years Inland Sea Kayak Symposium from being run over by the Island Queen. The events of the prior week really made her article resonate with me, especially when I was cooking supper on the Jewel up at camp.

That stove has been in operation since my dad was born in 1924. Some repairs have been needed but they have been simple things like welding or cleaning out a gas jet rather than replacing an overpriced computer clock/timer/temperature module. Propane flows in, goes through the gas jets, and burns. Very simple and it still looks pretty damn elegant. The cookware at Reefer Creek has a pedigree as well. I have a couple pieces of my grandmothers Griswold cast iron cookware that has been used pretty regularly since the depression. The GurneyGranny donated her grandmothers cast aluminum pots, which grandma received a wedding gift in 1934, items that also have been in regular use for decades. There is nothing hanging from the ceiling storage area that ends in the suffix -lon. No Calphalon, Teflon, or any other trendy -lon is present. I don't think anyone that has dined up there would say that the quality of food has suffered much from using this 'antique' apparatus. We make soup with no crock pot, bread with no bread maker, salad without a salad shooter, and deep fry stuff with no Presto Fry Daddy.

Sharon's article pretty much has it covered and President Obama's comment to the Chinese that we can't continue to be the worlds consumer dumping ground of last resort is a great riff on the theme that she explains so well. If our economy continues to be dependent on the holiday shopping season with its Calphalon pans, salad shooters, Tickle Me Elmo dolls, and (my favorite) the singing fish mount, we are in some deep shit. Not everyone can afford to buy the good stuff, but my Filson hat, Pendleton shirts, and Irish Setter boots have lasted me literally for decades and are a huge bargain in the long run. Some of my friendly fashionista friends say that it all should be sent to the Goodwill or burned, but its all functional, in excellent repair, and still very stylish after some fairly abusive usage. Kind of like our beloved Detroit Jewel stove. Do what you need to do over the holiday season but keep the idea of heirloom design in the back of your mind. Everyone will be better off for it in the long run. No1 son heisted the Venn diagram, below, from CETMA in Portland and I heisted it from him. Heirloom design in a simple and elegant nutshell.

The Culture of Deer Camp 101

2009-11-15T20:54:00.007-06:00

Last Thursday was a bit out of the ordinary at the Reefer Creek deer camp. The day started out the same, with people in their stands early and heading back to camp for the customary 9am breakfast, but at about 9:30 or so, 19 visitors showed up for a tour. Sixteen students and three profs from Northland College in Ashland, WI came out to learn, question, and soak up the unique deer camp ambiance.

The group and the course were unique as well. The course was part the Superior Connections curriculum and deals with a wide range of issues in the Lake Superior watershed. Thursdays field trip was to designed to give students an idea of life at a typical northern Wisconsin/Minnesota/Michigan deer camp and the issues involved, including logging, the forest and deer habitat, DNR policies, and predators like the timber wolf. The students were from all over the place, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, and many from Wisconsin. Some had never even thought much about hunting and others had been hunting since they were little kids. There were a couple of vegetarians and some definite urbanites. In other words, an excellent mix. One of the more interesting parts was trying to see the camp through the eyes of people who hadn't been going there for 27 years.

The event began with a tour of the camp and its unique decor. I would guess its rare to find a Somoza for Presidente' election poster, a lithograph of Abraham Lincoln, former Chicago mayor Harold Washington's anti rat flyer, and a 'young Republican's in Lust' poster in the same camp but we're eclectic if nothing else. There are also mounts and horns all over the place which is as is should be at a proper camp. We then hiked around the property and examined some deer sign like scrapes and rubs, plentiful bear crap (it's bed time boys and girls, you can hibernate now!), a select timber cut, some other flora and fauna, and Reefer Creek itself. There were a few wet feet crossing the Reefer and a couple of folks decided against that particular form of Russian Roulette for the feet and headed back to camp with the GurneyGranny. We have a couple of abandoned cars from the 1940's and a few students found those to be more interesting than some of the tree fungus and understory plants, but that's to be expected. One of the cars belonged to the Tichener brothers, who logged the area when they returned from WW II. One of our neighbors was a boy in the area and told us the story. We found a horse corral and a cooking area but no camp. When we asked where they lived, our neighbor looked surprised. "Why, they lived in the car". I guess folks were a bit tougher back then.

It seemed like the group had a good time and maybe learned a thing or two. There was some (justified) trepidation about using the outhouse and the pump handle was tried a few times. I forgot about mentioning the Pumping World Record. Usually that gets us a few buckets of water pumped by strong youth trying to beat it but I felt I should be kind. The best question was asked of the GurneyGranny. " As the only woman here, do you have to do all the cooking?" Since I do most of the cooking she could truthfully answer no. The best statement heard was in reference to the Tichener's logging camp, "Its really cool how you guys preserved this spot so people could check it out". That's sloth son, the trait that 'preserves' lots of what eventually becomes historical sites.

It was a fine event and we hope that it becomes an annual. I hope everyone learned just a little bit, a near certaintly given the breadth of topics covered. For any of the students with more anthropomorphic tendencies, no deer were harmed for the rest of the weekend. We're looking forward to next years event!

Commemorations

2009-11-11T06:57:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the 5th Annual Gales of November paddle for me and a group of cronies. It was the normal mix of 'the usual suspects' with a couple new folks, and we paddled to a spot that we had visited briefly once before, Big Island on Lake Minnetonka. We were greeted by a small sign that said, "No camping, no campfires, no alcohol, no glass". We didn't have a tent but we had the wherewithal to violate three of the four rules. In the end we only violated two (had to bring the firewood home) and, since were the only humans in the area, we felt responsible enough to handle living on the edge in that manner. It was the perfect afternoon. The weather was unseasonably warm, the sun was out, and none of us were at work. In past years the weather has not been quite so nice, horizontal snowflakes a couple years back, but we go anyway on November 10th because this event, in addition to being a great time and the last 'official' paddle before the surface of the lakes turn solid, is a commemoration of sorts.

On November 10, 1975, thirty four years ago, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank with all hands in a legendary Lake Superior nor'easter. Our little paddle on the anniversary is a way of remembering that the lake is indeed the boss and can be a deadly place if a person doesn't respect it. That was brought home again in the past couple weeks with the loss of kayaker Doug Winter in yet another deadly nor'easter on the big lake. Today, November 11, is another commemoration, the 91st anniversary of the end of World War I, the optimistically named 'war to end all wars', and the start of the tradition of Veteran's Day. I hold very little hope that humanity will ever figure out how to settle disputes without stupid wars, but Veteran's Day is a time to remember those who served, honor their service, and maybe attempt to figure out how we can get to a time where we actually run out of war veterans due to lack of wars. In Minnesota we have one World War I veteran left, a fellow born in 1901, but plenty of new Iraq and Afghanistan veterans being created to take their place. The cycle must end at some point.

In another minute and insignificant commemoration, this is my 400th post. I didn't realize it until I hit 'new post' this morning but I guess it must be true. The world is full of commemoration, as we saw yesterday at Fort Hood, some much more important and universal than others, but all significant to those close to the event. Have a good Veteran's Day and never forget. As an old history major, I can tell with absolute certainty that those who ignore history are indeed condemned to repeat it. Read a little bit about the First Afghan War in 1842 and see if anything sounds familiar.

Scavenging Gitchee Gumee

2009-11-09T07:09:00.005-06:00

One of the stereotypes of the male/female role is that of men being the hunters and women being the gatherers. I know from personal experience that isn't case since the GurneyGranny is a noted killer of bucks and our friend Brian is the berry gathering master of northern Minnesota. When it comes to collecting beach glass from the shores of Gitchee Gumee though, the Voice of Reason is an undisputed master. The only guy I know that can spot the elusive beach glass as well as the VOR is the KingOfIronwood, and I suspect its because he's closer to the ground than most of us.

Lunch stops on obscure beaches and islands seem to be the best time for collecting. Areas where there has been human habitation for centuries, like the Apostles (one of the reasons why the 'wilderness' designation kind of irritates me) seem to have more beach glass that areas that have been true wilderness. Its kind of funny how garbage can transform into a collectible with the passage of time but I guess that's how it works. I will admit that my normal behavior on a lunch stop is to find a comfortable place to sit, break out venison beer sticks, cheese, crackers, a beer, and actually have a lunch break. The VOR, GurneyGranny, and others often graze on their pita bread, hummus, and celery sticks as they scavenge the beach, multitasking with excellent results. I did manage to find one of the more interesting pieces however, mainly because I nearly stepped on it while strolling up to the vegetation line to increase the salinity of a small area of real estate. It was a large brown piece which was part a gallon bottle. We could just make out the 'Clorox' on it (click to enlarge). You can read the rest of the story on the VOR (and sisters) blog.

The VOR and her sisters all do creative stuff with natural materials like rocks, gems, beach glass, wool, wood, leather,and yes, even deer antlers. You can check out all the stuff and the comments on the SistersHandmade blog site and their various etsy sites. I personally own a pebbled leather planner, complete with cherry wood spine and a deer antler closure. Its the envy of my deer hunting buddies. Note the Rook viewing/sniffing said planner. Shed antler hunting is another gathering activity that we all participate in but that season is in March when the snow is just about melted and the bears are coming out of their dens. It always amazes me to see what can be created with stuff that's found laying around on the beach or in the woods. I'm not creative enough to pull it off but am happy to support the folks that are.

Body found near Flood Bay; may be missing kayaker

2009-11-06T15:11:00.002-06:00

The Duluth paper reported this morning that a body found near the Flood Bay wayside could be that of missing kayaker Doug Winter from Milwaukee. The location of the body would be consistent with the wind and waves over the past couple weeks based on his departure from Cove Point and also on the locations where much of his gear was found.

We won't know for sure until the coroner completes their investigation. In the interim, condolences and best wishes to Dougs family and his paddle companions down in Milwaukee

Keeping folks safe from themselves

2009-11-04T21:11:00.007-06:00

Having lived in Minnesota since that cold weekend in 1978 when the Happy Warrior, Hubert H. Humphrey, was laid to rest, I am more than familiar with the tendencies of the state to zealously protect me from myself. In the latest head scratcher, the State of Minnesota is going to protect folks who visit food shelves from the lurking danger of invisible lead fragments in donated venison. When a deer is shot apparently very small, too small to be seen, particles of lead are sometimes found in the meat. Even though there is no evidence or research that indicates that this small amount of lead would be a problem, Minnesota government has leapt into action to keep this non problem at bay.

Chris Niskanen wrote about the issue in the St Paul paper today. I can't put it any more succinctly so here's Chris's take on the situation: "One state will account for more than 300,000 pounds of donated venison to food shelves, with no reported illnesses in a decade of operation. In the other state, only about 18,000 pounds will go to food shelves; no one has reported becoming ill there either. One state's donation program manager says, "People have been eating venison for hundreds of years, and we haven't had anybody with any lead issues." The other state's manager says, "We consider this a potentially serious problem."

Can you guess which state is which".

I'll bet you can. Wisconsin hunters donate 300,000 pound of some of the finest meat available to folks who need it. As many of you know, the culling of deer on Sand and York Islands in the Apostles is going on, quite successfully given the recent weather, and virtually all of those deer have been donated to area food shelves. That would not be the case here in the State Where Nothing is Allowed (thanks to J. Soucheray for that phrase). Venison is super lean, healthy, and environmentally sound. Its 'grass fed' (with a bit of corn and soybeans from time to time), the animals aren't fed antibiotics or growth hormones, and have virtually no fat. They are also not raised in a feedlot with serious groundwater runoff and even more serious odor and solid waste issues.

We hunters at Reefer Creek butcher our own deer and I've mentioned the construction of the new 'cut up shack' which some say is resembling a honeymoon cottage due to extravagant upgrades. We feel that doing it ourselves insures that hair, fat, and damaged meat are removed from the venison before it goes into the freezer or to the butcher to produce the savory sausage that the young man in the image above is devouring. I hesitate to mention more careful processing here in Minnesota because it easily could result in the Safe Venison Processing Act, passed by both bloated houses in the state legislature and signed by the governor using the tried and true 'what about the children?' justification. The State would then form the Venison Inspection Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services to monitor butchers and folks like us. The Venison Tax would be instituted to pay for it and x ray inspection stations would be set up which would sell us a 'passed stamp' if our venison was lead free. We could then expand the program to ducks and small game that might have a pellet present in the meat. Or we could examine the ridiculous, "We consider this to be a potentially serious problem" mind set, ask that research and evidence be produced, or just be like Wisconsin and let the venison flow to the food shelves.

It seems to me that the benefit far outweighs the advantage. I fear that argument does not carry much weight with the bureaucrats that are protecting us from ourselves. Things like Olestra with its 'minor' side effect of 'anal leakage' (!!??) can slide.... sorry, couldn't resist... on to the market but a food that we've been harvesting and eating for centuries is questioned? I worry about the next hazard I'll be protected from.

Kayak Review

2009-11-02T07:10:00.004-06:00

The Docksha IV Double by CampO Kayaks

Length: about 8 feet long
Width: about 5 feet wide
Weight: seems like a ton

Reviewers:

MFSL: 6'1" 170# extremely white male.

POD: 6'2" 185# (plus Leinenkugels) very hirsute male

The Review: The Docksha IV is made of untreated wood and large 30 gallon drums wired underneath. Initial stability is phenomenal. Cockpit is amazingly roomy and laybacks, laydowns, and even the occasional nap works perfectly fine. Unfortunately, it doesn't track worth a damn and even those whitewater boats that closely resemble a clown shoe go straighter than this thing. Acceleration is sluggish at best. Paddle float and bilge pump are not needed to reenter this craft. Gear capacity is absolutely unlimited. No rolls were attempted although the comment was made that even Dubside couldn't roll this thing. Due to the similar size of the initial reviewers, the KingOfIronwoodIsland, 4'11", 155#, also paddled the craft. He commented that he couldn't afford it anyway due to catastrophic losses at the poker table much, much earlier that same morning. He also liked the wooden grab lines and felt they were a classy touch. The downside of this boat is that it takes 8 guys and a tractor to land. Weather was also a factor in this review, with 2" of new snow and 32F (oC) temps making the trials a bit uncomfortable.

Manufacturers Response: "I was just happy to get the reviewers out of the bar and down to the lake for the trial. Since this particular craft only moves about 50 yards, two times a year, we are more than happy with this less than stellar review. Although there was some cold water rolling of those skinny British boats by three idiots amid the snow flurries, most of us were very content watching from the top of the hill with an adult beverage in hand".

Idiot's Response: "Water temp was 42F (5C) which caused an instant ice cream headache. Lake Superior was actually 6F degrees warmer. The sauna however, was 175F (80C), a crucial element of the cold water rolling experience".

Tree sitting time is here

2009-10-28T06:56:00.003-05:00

Few things are more puzzling to non hunters than how a person can sit up in a tree for hours on end. I don't know if its because of the cold, the lack of entertainment, potential danger, or the perceived boredom. It can be brisk up there, I generally don't bring a hand held video game or battery operated TV, and old guys climbing in and out of little platforms 15' above the ground might be perceived as tempting fate. I find it anything but boring however.

There is constant drama in the woods. Our camp happens to be situated on the western end of Lake Superior and many birds migrating down the north shore find the dozen or so miles of open water to be just the spot from them to 'cut the corner' on the lake. Its amazing how many different birds a person can see if they are sitting quietly up in a tree. Mammals are constantly on the move as well. Porkies, fisher, squirrels, ermine, bear, otter, wolves, deer, and even a wolverine a few years back, have been seen from the many tree stands at the Reefer Creek camp. A person can even get some woodland drama from time to time. I watched a industrious red squirrel moving corn from a small pile to one of his many burrows. When he would run back to the burrow, a couple of blue jays would swoop down and eat a couple kernels and then fly back up to a small bush when Mr. Squirrel came racing back to the pile, chastising them in squirrel language. The jays would squawk back and this went on for several minutes. Unfortunately for the squirrel, I was not the only witness to the scenario. All of a sudden the woods erupted and before I knew it, a hawk was climbing past my stand, within 6' of me, with poor Mr Squirrel in his talons. If I'd just pulled up my camera and shot, I would have had one of the coolest hawk shots of all time but I was simply mesmerized by the event.

Like kayaking, safety is an issue and todays Mpls paper had a great article on how not to fall out of your tree. I may need to get one of those sophisticated vests since I have a tendency to doze from time to time in the tree. I am securely buckled in with a seat belt but this apparatus looks like it might be just the thing for more comfortable snoozing.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this weekend will be a multitaking event with some kayaking, grouse chasing, and perhaps some quality tree time. For me and a number of my cronies, it marks the official end of the Gitchee Gumee padding season for 2009. Our Gales of November event remains (Tuesday, Nov 10th folks??) but that is on an inland lake.

Doug Winter update: It appears that Dougs paddle and gps have been found. We hope for the best but fear the worst.

Doug Winter update

2009-10-25T07:59:00.002-05:00

Searchers found Doug's life jacket yesterday near Split Rock. This would make sense, according to the article, which said that the winds were strong out of the northeaset, classic 'Gales of November' contitions in October. They said the zipper and straps were not fastened. The Milwaukee paper also is covering the accident, with some insight from our buddy Silbs.

MIssing kayakers

2009-10-24T06:17:00.004-05:00

Back in September a kayaker was lost off door county in Lake Michigan. He left Newport State Park and planned to paddle north toward Washington Island on a day trip. He never returned to his car and his kayak was found the next morning along the east shore of Rowley's Bay. He was reportedly wearing a white cotton T-shirt and blue jeans. I had not heard about the accident until the GurneyGranny sent me a link and told me that the fellow, John Kariger, lived in my hometown of Eau Claire and had lived in her neighborhood when she was growing up down the road in Osseo, WI. Last week in an eerily similar incident, a kayker went missing on the north shore of Lake Superior near Cove Point on Monday. His car with an empty kayak rack was found in the parking lot of the Cove Point Lodge and his kayak was found near Twin Points, a few miles southwest of there. His name is Doug Winter and he is from Milwaukee. The authorities traced him using the serial number on his Impex kayak through an outfitter in Milwaukee. The Lake County sheriff said that Winter called his girlfriend about 9pm on Monday night and told her he was on the lake, could not see shore, and figured he was 2-3 miles out.

The scenario raises a lot of quetions for experienced kayakers. Was he wearing a pfd, wetsuit, drysuit, could he roll, and most importantly, what was he doing out alone after dark on one of the most treacherous bodies of water on the planet? Lots of questions according to another article on the accident published this morning in the Duluth Tribune, and it also said that his family is looking for answers. I know that for a fact. I got an email from his sister in San Diego yesterday afternoon.

Here is the email:

Dave:

My name is Karla Winter-Schulz. My brother Douglas Winter, a seasoned kayaker, went missing off the shores of Beaver Bay on 20 October. His kayak came ashore in rough seas, he did not. His vehicle was found at the Cove Point Lodge. A U.S. Coast Guard SAR was suspended due to bad weather, and water temps being what they are this time of year, the search for him was cancelled.

I am located in San Diego California, but grew up in Shawano, WI. I am the wife of Navy P-3 pilot, Captain Dennis Schulz, and work as the Director of Marketing and Development for USO San Diego www.usosandiego.org

Is there any way you might assist in getting a local blog going among kayakers to see if anyone in the area may have some information?

I will be truly indebted to you for any assistance you may lend in my effort to find him.

Many, many thanks,

Karla L. Winter-Schulz

The Duluth paper stated that the search will begin again today, weather permitting. The lake is indeed the boss as we know. The Coasties are good, as I know from personal experience, but the more eyes the better. If kayakers and hikers along the north shore can keep their eyes open that would help a lot. I noticed in the photo of Doug's' boat that his bilge pump was still tucked in beside the seat. It looks like a well traveled kayak. There could be a paddle float, water bottle, deck bag, or other gear washed up along the shore that might help indicate where he is. I sent a note and a link to this blog to the North Shore Steelhead Association as well as the Superior Hiking Trail Association. The hikers get down to the lake and the steelhead guys are out of the lake chasing steelhead, browns, lakers, and salmon this time of year. Two of the most popular Harbors of Refuge are directly north and south of the area Doug disappeared in and the fishermen will be on the water this weekend for sure if the lake cooperates.

I know this area well and there are not a lot of places to get close to the water due to the rugged terrain. Once again if anyone is up there this weekend, spread the word and keep your eyes open. Depending on the wind and waves those along the south shore should be alert as well. When the kayak was found one of the first scenarios the authorities came up with was that the boat blew across from the Apostles. The family is looking for closure and anything that folks can do will be appreciated. Silbs has a piece on Doug in his post today as well, and it appears that the boat in the picture is indeed Dougs.

Anyone up for a race?

2009-10-23T07:31:00.004-05:00

I received word from the GurneyGranny that a mutual friend is pondering organizing a kayak race on the south shore. CleanGene lives in the area and is active in a number of conservation organizations. To commemorate the addition of the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness Area to the Apostle Islands Nat Lakeshore, he did a little fund raiser which involved paddling around the entire archipelago from Meyers Beach to Bayfield. The one interesting twist was that he did it in a day. I believe he left Meyers Beach sometime around 4pm and paddled into Bayfield around 3pm the next afternoon in his meticulously constructed Chesapeake 17 LT. We both built the same boat; his would look good in a wooden boat competition. Mine looks great cruising past at about 30mph on the roof of my car. I also don't think that it or its primary paddler could go 75 miles in one stretch.

I'm intrigued by this idea and think it could be loads of fun. If you look at the map, the race would run from Herbster to Cornucopia. The course would take paddlers up the west shore of Bark Point and then cross the mouth of Bark Bay to Roman Point and into Cornie. Depending on wind and waves, it could be a very interesting race. Both Bark and Roman Points can be rockin' and rollin' if the wind is anywhere from dead west to dead east. I'm sure the logistics involving the safety boaters, Coast Guard, volunteers, etc would be formidable but also very doable. I've paddled the route before and it is scenic, fun, and challenging at times. A couple years back RonO and I set out into Bark Bay and reached a shoulder in the bay just south of Roman Point. The northeast wind hit us and the waves jumped up to all of 4'-6'. I remember thinking that it was May, the water was colder than hell, and we were on our way to CampO, where rolling and then jumping into a 190F sauna would be much more amenable than an involuntary roll in frigid Bark Bay. I slid over by Ron and had not gotten my mouth open when he yelled, "How about we turn around?". Great minds think alike I guess.

One of the things the potential organizers need to do it gauge possible interest since this is indeed a fund raiser. The Two Harbors Kayak festival has jumped up and down in size, usually because of weather and conflicting weekend events but its still a pretty good and well attended race. I guess if folks out in cyberspace would send me an email or comment on this post, I could pass it on to CleanGene. Between the Twin Cities clubs, the Madison folks, the two Chicago area groups, and the band of renegades in Milwaukee, I think they would draw a pretty good field. I could even see a tooth and nail relay competition between the clubs. My guess is that competition between ISK, SKOAC, MadCity Paddlers, CASKA, the Prairie Coast Paddlers, and the Beer City crew could be ferocious. I also know a few folks in Thunder Bay as well as the crew at Naturally Superior Adventures might be lured south as well. Plus, unlike Two Harbors, there is Woody's Bar in Herbster and Fish Lipps and the Village Inn in Cornie. Post race refreshment at its finest. It is Wisconsin, you know.

Feedback is needed. Let me know your thoughts on this thing and I'll get the info to the potential organizers. I may even have to lure RonO and the ManFromSnowyLegs into paddling the route a week from today on our way to the Annual Grouse Kill at Camp O. An adventure like this might even lure the Commish north from his chicken farm in Verona. Look for a report to follow.

Pesky grouse

2009-10-19T07:10:00.003-05:00

This weekends trip to camp was the usual multitasking event with deer stand relocation, scouting, and putting a steel roof on the new 'cut up shack'. That thing is rapidly morphing from a place to process venison without freezing one's behind to a luxury suite but that's another post. The main goal this weekend was to put a couple grouse in the cooler and we failed miserably.

There is nothing better than grouse hunting in the northern Wisconsin fall. The air is crisp, the leaves are multicolored, humidity and biting insects are just an unpleasant memory, and the woods smell wonderful. The Ruffed Grouse, or partridge, is a unique bird as well. Unlike the Ringneck Pheasant it's not raised in captivity and hunted on 'game farms' and the native population seems to be pretty much unaffected by outside forces like predators, hunters, weather, etc. The grouse cycle is a 10 year high-low cycle that seems to happen as regularly as clockwork. Some years there are lots of grouse and other years they are impossible to find. In any event they are damn near impossible to hit with a shotgun this time of year.

I started grouse hunting, or more precisely was exposed to grouse hunting, at about age 8. My grandfather, a guy born in 1900, never had the frustration of missing a flying grouse because he always shot them on the ground, 'ground swatting' as its known in these parts. No sense wasting a precious shell on an iffy proposition like hitting a grouse in the air. He would stroll the dirt and gravel roads and fire lanes and shoot the dumb ones where they stood with his cheap single shot 20 gauge. Since I'm really not hunting them to put meat on the table, I like the alternating frustration and exhilaration of wing shooting. In that particular sport the grouse 'wins' about twice as often as the hunter, a ratio I'm pretty much fine with.

A couple years back I had an encounter in the woods with another grouse hunter. I was trudging up the ravine from Reefer Creek at the end of the day and had just about reached the trail that runs along the ridge. I felt something looking at me and when I glanced up I saw a Great Gray Owl staring at me from a balsam about 20 yards away. We watched each other for quite awhile and then I turned down the trail to head back to camp. I had only gone about a dozen steps when I saw the classic 'dumb' grouse, sitting right in the middle of the trail. I could almost hear my grandpa urging me to 'shoot...SHOOT!". Instead I figured that this guy belonged to Mr G.G. Owl and continued back to camp. About a forty down the trail I was rewarded for my selfless act when another grouse sitting on the trail took off and flew right down it. He wound up in my famous bacon wrapped stuffed grouse breasts with white sauce, a culinary delight that I have not enjoyed yet this season.

Halloween weekend is the Annual Grouse Kill at Camp Olympia. This year I actually plan on bringing a gun and grouse hunting, a concept absolutely foreign to most of the attendees of this fine event. There may even be a couple hunting dogs in camp (unlike the thick headed beast pictured above), which makes the experience even more enjoyable. There is nothing quite like watching a good grouse dog, whether it be a pointer or a flushing dog, work. The kayaks will be on the roof for the traditional late season cold weather rolling close to the hot sauna, but my mind is pretty much switching from paddling to the hunting season. Even though I have not yet began to paw the ground or rub my head against trees, I think I may be officially in the rut for the 2009 hunting season.