Duncan Lake, 3-19-2010

Mark, Norm and I arrived at camp about 3pm. We felt lucky to get our favorite campsite. The snow was melted on the ice and the portage and was easy walking with Yaktrax. Sadie pulled her share of the load easily, which was pleasing. It was 30 degrees but felt cool because of the breeze. We could see during our travels that the ice near shore had melted during the previous week's heat wave. These areas had refroze in the recent cool down. After setting up camp we headed out to the hot spot. We fished for 2 hours with no luck. The wind continued and as soon as supper was done we headed for our tents. I read for a couple hours listening to the sounds of the winter night, that is Mark, Norm and Sadie snoring. Also as the night got colder the lake ice groaned and popped with true spookiness if you didn't know what it was. The sound was actually fascinating and beautiful.

On Saturday morning Bill arrived with his dog Maggie. They were a nice addition to our group. We followed the GPS to a hump in the middle of the lake. We fished for a couple hours and then broke for lunch. Bill had brought in some fresh apple fritters to compliment our cheese and crackers and coffee. Later we went to a spot off a distant point, it was out of the wind and much more comfortable. I had fished near Norm for a while and then moved 100 yards away to try deeper water. Ten minutes after I moved Norm reeled in a nice Lake Trout. We fished in earnest till 4pm catching nothing more. Supper was a collaborative effort. Norm provided the fish and a pasta cheese thing that was very good. Mark cooked a potato soup thing that I donated to the cause. Warm food tasted really good because it was 25 degrees with a wind. We finished off the evening with 3 rounds of cribbage. Mark and Bill won the first two and then Norm and I saved face and won the last one. Went to bed early.

In the morning we shared breakfast, conversations and good byes with Bill as he had to get back to SE Minnesota. Norm and Mark went fishing and I did camp chores and journaling. After a coffee break I went back out on the ice with them and we fished for a few more hours. Norm hauled in another Lake Trout. We enjoyed another collaborative supper. Once again norms fish and a fried potato delight. I provided an Asian spicy soup. Coop did most of the cooking.

In the morning we had a quick breakfast but I was slow. Our travels back to the parking lot were a mixture of satisfaction, excitement and wishing we could come back next weekend. We felt that we had had the last best weekend on the ice. The ice was rotting fast and we were fortunate not to have any troubles.

Mikkel, Cody and Luke fishing Snowbank and Farm Lakes March 13-15,2010

We drove across the expanse of Snowbank Lake with me leading in my Nissan and Cody and Luke following in his 3/4 Ton Silverado. We traveled easily across the icy surface. The snow had totally melted several days earlier and refroze. Mikkel rode with me and directed us to a spot he knew friends from Kenyon would be fishing. We fished there most of the day switching locations several times with no luck. It was 44 degrees, gray overcast and slightly windy. I felt that this kind of weather shuts off Lake Trout. We headed to the island campsite and put up Cody's giant outfitter tent from Cabelas. We pitched it on the ice so it wouldn't get dirty. It fit all four of us sleeping on huge cots. After fishing and supper Luke built a fire in the firepit on the island. We all gathered around and played cards for hours. It was so late I don't remember who won.

In the morning, after bacon and eggs, we headed into the BWCA to fish. It took 20 minutes walking while pulling sleds full of our gear to get to the perfect spot. Actually perfect spot number two. Our first choice was already taken, unknown by us, by friends from Kenyon. They were so far away that we couldn't tell who they were. The water was 90 feet deep there and we fished 8-10 feet off the bottom. We caught two Lake Trout and a Walleye. The Walleye we threw back. Mikkel fished shirtless as the temp had risen to around 65 degrees. We met another shirtless fisherman on our trek out to the hump. The warm temps had us worried about the safety of the ice and we all agreed to head back. When we got to camp, several of the tent stakes had come loose and part of the tent caved in. We now definitely decided to go. We knew the lake ice was safe but the ice at the boat landing may have melted too much to cross safely if we were to stay another day. The landing was wet but solid. We were relieved. We headed for some Crappie action at Farm Lake. Once there we took my truck out on the ice. I towed the ice fishing sled behind it. Again, we were relieved to cross the ice without incident. We fished for 2 1/2 hours catching two nice Crappies. At dark we headed back to my place. Mikkel cleaned and fried the fish. They were delicious. Cribbage rounded out the evening.

In the morning we headed back to Farm Lake and fished till about noon. We caught 8 Crappies while watching the morning sun rise higher in the sky. After towing the big sled off the lake with my truck we said our good byes.

Snowbank Lake, 2-17-2010

We drove the truck about 2 miles on Snowbank to a pullout about a half mile from our secret island. We loaded the tobaggan and headed across. Sadie was harnessed but she was being pulled by me while I did 100 % of the sled pulling. Sadie looks like a sled dog but Chloe pulled Ruth on skis much more effectively and she's just a 20 pound American Cocker Spaniel. We checked out a campsite for a future winter camping trip and were happy with what we found. Onward we pressed to our desired location. After a quick snack we shoveled out a little area to make our nest for the afternoon. I set up everything and drilled a couple holes, one for a tip-up and one to jig a minnow. Within minutes I was reeling in a 4 1/2 pound Lake Trout. Ruth was impressed with my ability. I told her she was good luck. I fished for the remainder of the afternoon while Ruth read "Edgar Sawtell." We brewed a pot of coffee and enjoyed it greatly. I caught not another fish but the fabulous weather made it all o.k. We packed up and headed back making it to the Fernberg Road just as the sun set. I baked the Trout for supper, it was superb.

Dog Sledding 2010

Jason picked me up at 6:30 in front of my cabin. We made our way down narrow, twisty roads to his employer, Wintergreen Dog Sledding. It took two hours for us to get the gear, load up the dogs and make our way to the Fall Lake landing. Kate, Steve and I helped harness the dogs and load the sleds. Rob and Ted met us at the landing. It was a fascinating experience to harness the dogs and load up. Jason skied ahead and Steve and I followed in the first sled. Ted and Rob followed us in the second sled. We traveled for 2 hours to a secret spot on Basswood. I had been near this area a couple times winter camping with Baly. We drilled holes and set out tip-ups and gathered firewood for Rob to cook lunch on. I stayed with the tip-ups and the others went a quarter mile away to fish for crappies. They had no luck but the tip-ups produced 4 northerns. One was too big, two were too small and one was a keeper. Lunch was Brats, beer and cokes. At 3:15 we headed back. It was a beautiful sunset ride through the wilderness. Jason skied ahead easily keeping ahead of the dogs in the perfect snow conditions. He stopped and took photos of us travelling, many of which are in this entry. The weather was mid-twenties with a very gentle breeze. We arrived at the Fall Lake landing just before dark. Once again it was fun loading all the gear and dogs in the trailer. Back at Wintergreen Steve and I got to help put the dogs away and feed them. It was a complete and genuine northwoods experience.

Buryanek 2010 Deer Hunt

We arrived at the State Park Camper's Cabin at about 3pm. By 3:45 we were headed out on a scouting mission to plan our strategy for tommorrow. Dan brought his gun, the rest of us didn't. We drove the pick-up as far as we could in the snow and set out on foot. In a field at the top of the hill Dan was able to get his sights on a mule deer. He got it. Through the next 2 hours the deer was drug out and gutted. I went back to camp and started supper which consisted of steaks, potatoes and salad. We celebrated New Years Eve next to a camp fire under a full moon. The guys enjoyed several libations of a certified #7 blue Schnapps, not to mention a couple beers. We were all looking forward to 2 more great days in the woods.

In the morning we were out and in place before first light. I sat for a couple hours and then wandered around a little. Nobody had a shot on anything. We returned to camp for omlets made in a zip-lock bag. They took a long time to cook in boiling water but were very good when finally done. We took a rest break and headed out again at 1:30. This time I didn't take my chair and walked a lot. Towards the end of the afternoon we found a group of Mule Deer in a valley below us at the same place Dan got his deer the previous afternoon. Luke and I got a shot off each but missed and then the deer ran. It was a thrill but because of the excitement I couldn't hold the gun steady enough to make a good shot. Back at camp we had chicken noodle casserole and spent the evening playing cards.

Saturday morning it was 20 below and we headed for new spots. We sat in the snow for an hour and a half watching our favorite valley. We saw a couple deer but they were too far away to make a shot. We returned to camp and packed up. We were on the road by 10:30. All in all it was a grand learning experience and I'd like to return next year. Photography by Luke.

Friday the 13th of November, 2009...Ely MN

On Friday the 13th we moved into a cabin outside of Ely. The United Van Lines semi arrived at noon and was unloaded and headed down the road by 3. We felt very happy and lucky to find this place. The previous 2 months had been a flurry of activity. We had lived in Red Wing for 37 years and had quite the collection of memorabilia. In those 2 months we had a garage sale, filled a 10 yard dumpster, made 6 trips to the Salvation Army, and 6 more trips to the dump. Salvation Army showed up after the garage sale and hauled away another 1/2 a truckload. When buying a house 300 miles away there are many emails, faxes, UPS overnight air packages and letters to send off. We succeeded largely due to the hard work of Wendy, Lee, Jeremy and many others. We hope to be totally settled in by mid-January and available to enjoy the arrival of old friends from the south. We've also made several new friends in Ely and after the holidays hope to go ice fishing, skiing, hiking and general partying with them.

October 15, 09... Little Sioux Indian River

Paddling through the river channel was enchanting with the beautiful autumn colors. There were misty clouds, brief rains, occasional patches of blue sky and gray clouds. The Birch trees were in full autumn splendor. There were groves of orange scattered among the quiet and patient evergreens. The breeze was light which made for very comfortable paddling. The portages were warm because of our heavy clothing nessessary for insulation while out in the open lakes. It took us less than 3 hours to get to camp. It was sprinkling and did so for the whole evening. Coop started a fire and we had supper, all of which was very warming in the cool autumn weather. I finished camp chores and sat by the fire. It warmed my spirit.

After sleeping late we had pancakes with pepper bacon. Bremer took a solo hiking/fishing trip around the bay to the south. Coop and I fished and canoed around the bay and found Bremer on the far point, we gave him a hitch back to camp. We continued fishing the shoreline and bays on the way to Devil's Cascade Portage. We walked the portage and sat above the cascade watching and listening to the rushing water below. We were experiencing alternating periods of rain, mist, or just cool and dry. It never got above 40 degrees all day. When we returned to camp it was still misting occasionally. When it was dry out we wandered around camp and fished. The rain let up for the evening and Mark and I cooked steaks for supper. Gary and Bremer brought a pile of firewood from a distant camp thereby making a warm fire for the evening possible. At about mid-evening the clouds disappeared and the stars shone brightly. I didn't do my camp chores that night and went to bed to sleep soundly.

In the morning the bright sun lit the autumn foliage across the lake. Gary made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. A hot breakfast is wonderfull on a cold October morning in the North. I helped Gary wash dishes and later we all sat on the rock telling stories about our lives. Around noon it got cool, cloudy and breezy. We bundled up. After a late lunch we fished from shore and then played cribbage. Bremer and I won 2-1. Fishing proved futile all weekend. We think it was the cold weather and maybe a little too late in the season. Bremer made excellent Chili and shared it with all of us. We sat around the fire talking late into the evening.

It was a great 3 days, the good food warmed our bodies and spirits. The weather was cool but refreshing. Bremer was the only guy to catch a fish and he threw it back because it was too small. Cooper and I enjoyed the time on the water trying to catch them anyway. Bremer kept us supplied with monster cookies, snickers and jiffy pop. Gary was excellent camp member with good cooking and conversation. Some of the highlights were sunshine mornings, starry nights, misty fiord landscape scenes, warm campfires, good food and enlightened conversations.