Dreams up in smoke

There are fires burning in Hollywood, Catalina Island and Florida making the national news but more immediate to me is the fire burning on the Gunflint Trail and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the place of my dreams. Wiped out is the Trails End campground at the end of the Gunflint Trail that I had hoped to try this summer. Also, one of my favorite hikes to the Magnetic Rock is burned out. On the map below where the line noting the Gunflint Trail is where I was shopping for land last year. For all I know it may be gone today. The Gunflint Lodge is on the south side of the Gunflint Lake and so far is safe on this map. That is where we want to go for a Thanksgiving dinner. It is also a famed lodge that has generated many books on Minnesota northwoods lore over 70 years that fed my dreams.

Oh my! I hadn't heard about this one! I have canoed the BW many times as a youngster and in recent years have enjoyed many trips to Grand Marais and the area along the north shore. This saddens me, I'll have to keep track of this.

I'd not heard about it either. I've never been in that area of the BWCA, always having gone in from the Ely area, but it saddens me to know what's happening there.

No doubt started by a negligent camper. Disregard and carelessness by our fellow humans burns hundreds of thousands, if not millions of acres annually in this country.

Every summer we go through this here in AZ. One of the largest was started a couple years ago by a woman who got lost and tried to make a signal fire, which combined with another fire started by a fire fighter who needed the work....sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

The walleye fishing opener is today. Over a million Minnesotans will be on the lakes today. See Saganaga Lake on the map? That's where the record Minnesota walleye was caught in 1979. Today it is closed to fishing.

The good news is the fire did not grow over night. The bad news is that winds are supposed to pick up Sunday.

Michael Hoffman, This is where we had planned to camp later this summer but thanks to you mentioning places in Ely for road food, in a weak moment, we chose Bearhead Lake SP near Ely instead. So our plans are still on.

Friends, some may disagree,thats ok, but extremism is largely at fault for the destructive fires in many parts of our country, my opinion. Timber harvesting (to build our homes, etc.)is a natural renewable resource. When this precious resource is cared for, thinned, ridded of under brush, harvested at maturity, replainted to the average tune of about 5 to 1 new trees for each harvested fires are minimal.
When extremist over use, and try to push down our throuts, terms such as protect and pristine I don't believe their comments reflect reality. Hence, we pay the longterm price of suffering and damage from ravaging fires.
Davydd.... Sure wish I could join you for a Walleye outing.
Ole Rouxdog

Having spent lots of time on Catalina or anchored just offshore, I watched with bated breath about the fire. They seem to have been very lucky. It certainly could have been a lot worse--------the city of Avalon is basically about 4 blocks by 5 blocks. If it had made it to the town there wasn't much hope. Kudos to all the fireman from around So. Cal. and the Marine firefighters from Camp Pendelton who helped save California's island city.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

The walleye fishing opener is today. Over a million Minnesotans will be on the lakes today. See Saganaga Lake on the map? That's where the record Minnesota walleye was caught in 1979. Today it is closed to fishing.

The good news is the fire did not grow over night. The bad news is that winds are supposed to pick up Sunday.

Michael Hoffman, This is where we had planned to camp later this summer but thanks to you mentioning places in Ely for road food, in a weak moment, we chose Bearhead Lake SP near Ely instead. So our plans are still on.

Boy, I sure hope Vertin's and Britton's are as good as I remember. And I wish I could get to spend some time up there this year.