Feliz Aniversario!

Since the COVID-19 pandemic squashed any hopes of getting on an airplane this winter, we love birds decided to make alternative plans for our 10th anniversary. In contrast to our hot, sunny, sandy beach side wedding in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, we decided to book a "Winter Sampler" weekend at a remote cabin in January in Northern Minnesota. 

Why? Well besides Cook County having the lowest COVID-19 rates in the country, it is very remote with probably more moose than people per capita and no cell service. It is a 3 hour drive from Duluth and it is on the end of the Gunflint Trail in the northeast tip of Minnesota. Overall, we felt it was pretty safe. 

We arrived just after dusk on Friday. Sadly, we didn't see any moose on the road. We unpacked our gear: snowshoes, xc skiis, a laundry basket of outdoor gear and boots, heated vests, Steger mukluks, overnight bags and our wedding attire. We bundled up and walked to the lodge. It was brighter than I imaged; the snow reflecting up to the foggy night sky. We both ordered the special from Justine's Restaurant: walleye. As we waited for our take out dinner, across the lake on the other shore was a faint light from a cabin. We discovered that cabin was actually in Ontarios, Canada and is 70 miles from the nearest town: Thunder Bay. Gunflint Lake, and a series of other border lakes, made up the Voyageurs' Highway. It was used primarily for fur trade (and later then miners, then loggers) and became the US-Canada border in 1842 to allow both countries to continue to use the important trade route. The border is currently closed due to COVID-19 and apparently large drones monitor the border so we were told not to cross the ice. The 60 mile automobile road to Gunflint Lake was completed in 1917 and became known as the Gunflint Trail. This road provides inland access to what is now the vast Boundary Waters Canoe Area, designated in 1978.

Our wedding weekend "sampler" included a zip line and hot springs near Arenal Volcano, catamaran sunset cruise, Seth's birthday dinner and live band, and of course, the wedding and late night swimming. Our winter "sampler" was a little different. 

On Saturday, we bundled up and embarked on a 3-hour snowmobile tour. Both of us are virgins when it comes to snowmobiles so we were a tad nervous. Seth had to complete a mandatory 4-hour safety training prior to arriving, including learning the proper hand signals and how to lean into turns. He drove and I thought I would go for a casual ride in the back. However, we haven't had much snow since Christmas, so it was an incredibly bumpy ride. We planned to go 16 miles to the Trail Center and turn around after having hot cocoa. At mile 6, I seriously contemplated getting off and just walking/running back to the lodge. Seth slowed down a bit and I learned how to lean and anticipate the bumps a bit. By the end, my thighs were burning and my knees ached. I'd rate the experience about a 1.5 out of 5. Snowmobiles are super loud and obnoxious, there is like zero opportunity to see wildlife, the face shield on my helmet iced over so I could hardly see, and we nearly tipped at least 3 times. Maybe, if there is a next time, I'm definitely take the snowmobile driver's ed and driving my own machine. 

After lunch, we enjoyed a quiet, peaceful hike up the icy trail to High Cliffs. Part of the Sawtooth Mountains, we had lovely views of Canada and Gunflint Lake. The best part was sliding down the trail on our butts.  Overall, a 4 out of 5 star experience. 

On Sunday, I joined the naturalist for a photography hike. I snapped a few photos of the snow and frost on the trees and then sat and watched the blue jay, grosbeak, woodpeckers and chickadees and red squirrels compete for seeds at the feeders by the nature center. After breakfast, we enjoyed a short dog sled ride. We were also virgin dogsledders but unlike snowmobiling, this was very fun and enjoyable ride. As is the case for first timers, I only wish it lasted a little longer. I'd rate it a 4.5 out of 5. 

The lodge had snowshoes, cross country skis and ice skates to use, and electric fat tire bike to rent as well. After lunch, I laced up my xc skis and skied a couple loops. The trees were covered in white frost. I paused for a minute and heard a knocking. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the red head of a pileated woodpecker pecking at a dead tree. I stopped and watched him toss pieces of bark and wood chips from the sky. The trails were perfectly groomed and the hills we challenging. I was afraid of crashing so after an hour I headed back to the cabin. Seth was getting a massage at the spa and so I made some hot cocoa and picked up my new book, "Woman of the Boundary Waters" by Justine Kerfoot, owner-operator of Gunflint Lodge for over 50 years and wilderness expert. 

On Sunday evening, we got dressed up in our wedding attire and had one of the lodge staff snap a few photos. The sun peaked out and the gray skies opened up. We were almost blinded by the light! 

For dinner, we had special reservations at Justine's restaurant in a private corner. The chef surprised us with a "Northwoods" 8 course tasting menu and wine pairing. It was the first time we had eaten in a restaurant since March 2020 and it was delicious! Rich potato soup with a thick crispy slice of bacon, colorful garden salad, shrimp skewers, steak, maple glazed salmon, baked walleye, and then juicy duck breast followed by corn pudding dessert with ice cream and a bottle of champagne to enjoy back at the cabin. We laced up some skates and went ice skating and then promptly passed out back at the cabin.

On Monday, we did a short hike to lost lake before breakfast and were rewarded with a panoramic view. The snow flakes from overnight were balancing perfectly on the thin birch branches. As we approached the lake the sky opened up and were surrounded beautiful trees: a mosaic of frost covered birch, cedar, pine and aspen. 

Back at the cabin, I enjoyed a wild rice and veggie omelet and then we packed up and headed back to Duluth. Additional activities that we didn't have time to do included guided ice fishing and naturalist hikes to the BWCA and educational programs, like wolf howling. I'd love to go back and maybe bring the kids, too. It was a wonderful weekend! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Pastorius for watching the kids! XOXO

Dressing up for our 10 year anniversary - the pants were tight and my dress barely zipped shut but we were pretty happy they still fit!

In my book, I learned that Justine Kerfoot was a junior at Northwestern University and hoping to apply to medical school when her family bought the Gunflint Lodge in 1927. She grew up in Illinois and the Gunflint Lodge was to be a high-class summer resort. When the stock market crashed and the Great Depression hit, they sold their homes near Chicago and moved to the remote summer lodge on the Ontario border. Justine, rather than going to medical school, fell in love with the wilderness and moved north to help her parents with the new lodge. Their only neighbors were a few Native American families and other small resort owners in the area. She became a "Woman of the Wilderness" before the BWCA was a designated place. She respected the wilderness but she also helped exploit it. It was through canoe trips trapping beaver and hunting moose that she learned wilderness survival skills. She raised and trained dog sled teams to move goods in the winter. She advocated for telephone lines and to be connected to those in the city who were trying to escape and stay at her lodge. She helped lead canoe and hunting trips and show others this special place. She helped me appreciate the amazing resource we have and how delicate it is to balance maintaining it as a special place vs. allowing people to use it and extract it's resources.