A Wolf and the Crows

Today is beautiful and sunny, though the temperatures are more winter-like than spring. According to the calendar, the Spring Equinox is on March 20. It's true that winter doesn't really end here in the Northwoods as soon as that. But we can still see the beginning signs of the seasonal change. Most noticeable is the length of day. Sunrise today was 6:12, and sunset is 6:08. The dark days of winter are but a memory.

We dipped down to five above last night, so our morning walk felt brisk. Instead of travelling on the road, we took to the frozen lake, where travel was easy. The snow on the ice is very hard, thanks to weather changes in the last week. It was easy walking as we trekked down the eastern shore to check on our neighbor's cabin. On the ice, we saw tufts of fur, evidence of a recent deer kill by the wolves. It was directly in front of the lodge, and we could see many, many wolf tracks, as well as the trail that indicated that the wolves had pulled the deer from the shore to the lake. It looked like it was probably just last night that this occurred. Our window was open all night, but we never heard a thing. I imagine that the hunt is fairly silent, but if the wolves had howled, we surely would have heard them. Further down the lake, we came across the spinal column and ribcage of a doe. The skull was still attached, as was one pelvic bone. The lower jaw lay adjacent to the other bones. It was all picked clean. Again, there were several wolf tracks, and also bird tracks, most likely from ravens. It seems that most often what we see are all the leftover pieces of the story that unfolded earlier.

But last Saturday, Greg and Paul had the opportunity to see some of the story in action. A neighbor stopped in shortly after nine a.m., to get his fishing license. He casually mentioned that he had just seen a deer run across the road in front of his car, followed by a wolf. He said that it was right out in our parking lot. Usually, I am looking out at the lake, hoping to see the wolves. In this case, I was at the computer screen, and I should have been in the kitchen looking out the back windows. Drat! I put my jacket on, and headed outside to see if I could catch a glimpse of anything interesting. I saw Greg just leaving the donkey yard, so I waited for him to come down. Then I casually asked him, "So, did you happen to see a deer and a wolf run by here recently?" Lucky guy, he had seen it, from up on top of the hill by the barn. I told him what Ron, our neighbor had seen, and we decided that we would walk the road to the point, and some of the deer trails, to see what we might find.

I noticed that the deer we saw were very tense. They were definitely on high alert, and would run at the slightest unusual sound. Greg and I paused often, hoping to see something, but we weren't able to. We headed back towards the lodge, stopping to see the latest developments at Cedar Point. We got back to the lodge about 45 minutes after I had first left. Paul greeted us at the door, and inquired about our venture. When we reported that there was nothing to report, he smiled a sad smile. He said, "I feel really bad for you guys. I saw you start to walk on the road to the Point, and just before you cleared the big woodpile, I saw the wolf come running back this way, chasing two deer right through the parking lot!" So while we were tracking him to the east, the wolf had turned the chase and headed west, the direction from which he had originally come. Paul said that it was so exciting to see the wolf. He was trotting at a fast pace, his tongue hanging from his mouth, and he turned his head long enough to look right at Paul, standing in the window.

We headed back outside, this time to the west. Again, I noticed how alert the deer were, but nothing else. I figured that the chase had continued off to who knows where, and that I had really better get myself back to the lodge and do some work for the day. Later, we heard that one of our fishermen had seen the wolf, too--first while it was chasing the deer, and then a second time when it was alone and headed to Canada.

Recently we had a conversation about predators and prey. On the one hand, it would seem to be a very hard job if you were in the prey category. Being chased up out of spot where you might be sleeping or eating, suddenly in the run, literally, for your life, seems like a pretty tough thing. But then we talked about the predator, and how difficult it must be for him. To have to work so hard for your food can't be a picnic, either. (Sorry about that!) As was probably the case on Saturday, there must be many times when the predator is very hungry, but isn't getting the food he needs when the hunt goes awry. At that hour of the morning, several people were out and about, tending to chores or recreation, and unknowingly, interrupting the nature of things for some other forest dwellers. It's an interesting thing to think about.

March and April in past years have been fairly active months for spotting wolf activity. We'll keep the window open at night, and our eyes on the woods and lake in the daytime, to see what else we can learn about the wolves.

The recent snowstorms in southern Minnesota have missed us, so we still have only our original snow. We did get a slight dusting on Tuesday, but that was it. Some of the trails have been recently groomed, making use of that new snow, but the conditions still should be classified as spring skiing. A couple that skied yesterday told me that the snow was crusty in places, but then when going through areas that were both sunny and shady, one could feel the differences. This usually amounts to some good speed in the shady spots, and then a big slowdown in the sunny spots. It can get interesting on the hills, especially if you have some pretty good speed going down.

Our anticipated harbinger of spring has come along: The crows have returned! The folks in California wait for their swallows to return to Capistrano, while we wait for our crows. I've heard tell that these birds only go as far away as Grand Marais for the winter. It is rare for me to see or hear them in the winter, until they return sometime in mid-March. It was March 11 this year. So now, each morning I wake up to their noisy banter and know that the season really is a-changing!

March's entry

It's safe to say that March has come in like a lamb. Weather reports around the first were predicting a snowstorm. We waited, hopefully, for the lion of a storm to show up. Unfortunately, it went south, as most of them have this winter. Hardly a flake came down. Our temperatures have moved into the low thirties during the day, and the mid-twenties at night. Despite missing out on last week's snow, we did get nearly three fresh inches on Sunday night. Greg was out plowing bright and early yesterday. We are maintaining about twenty inches of snow on the ground. The days are getting light much sooner.

The birds have been so fun to watch. I think that we go through more sunflower seeds in late winter than any other time. The flocks of goldfinches have been large and steady. I get a kick out of watching some of the females stake a claim in, not on, the bird feeder. They happily eat seed while chasing other birds away with merely a peck or two. I can hear them singing early in the morning now, too, which is the return of a very welcome sound. Soon the crows will come back to our neighborhood, and we'll hear their rough calls signalling that spring is on its way.

The birds fill our ears in the daytime, and the wolves are still singing at night. Greg heard them at dinnertime last night, Robert heard them at 11:00 one evening, and they still wake us up in the wee hours with their choruses. This is certainly the year of the wolf! I heard a report on the radio this morning that the wolf population on Isle Royale is up to 30, from 17 last year. The fellow reporting has been doing a study of the wolves, and he told of seeing (from an airplane) one of the packs attacking the alpha male of a neighboring pack. In about ten minutes, the attackers had killed the wolf. They usually do this to steal territory from a rival pack. One of the alpha male's companions had seen it happen. He went back to the rest of his pack, and it took about thirty minutes for the them to realize that something was very wrong. Finally sensing the danger, they all took off. It was an interesting story of communication and hierarchy.

Over the weekend, one of our guests had the opportunity to see two wolves while she was skiing alone on one of the trails. Just a brief view, and the wolves ran off. We discussed what to do if one sees a wolf like that in the wild. My experience was that the wolf ran away almost instantaneously when it realized what it was looking at. Joyce looked it up online, and sent me this link for more information. It was interesting to read (especially the part about a wolf rarely attacking livestock---I guess Moses and Jethro are safe), and so I wanted to share it here. http://fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/wolf/human.html

Greg continues to work at Cedar Point. I will take some photos soon to post here, as I am beginning to see progress. It is exciting to see a remodel in process like this. Greg comes up with some great new ways to use materials, and the result is often a surprise to me from what I have pictured in my mind. I am sure that this will not be an exception.

Trout season is still open on Gunflint Lake, until March 15. This morning I saw one snowmobile headed toward the east end of the lake. Shortly after, I saw a truck go by. Now for many of you in the Twin Cities and other parts of the state, this is a fairly common thing to see. But for me, it is extremely rare, since this lake doesn't usually cooperate. I gasped when I saw it, causing poor Greg to wonder what in the heck was wrong. I can only hope that the lake and the ice cooperate, and that the truck makes it back safely. We once had a game warden get his truck stuck at our landing in early March. It wasn't easy to get him back on solid ice.

The Short Month

Not only is February the shortest month of the year, it also seems to be the one that flies by the fastest. Can the absence of those few extra days really make that big of a difference? Perhaps it travels so quickly because each day brings us a little more daylight. Hence, the nights aren't as long, and before I know it, March is nipping at my heels.

Winter returned to these parts a week or so ago, sending us temperatures in the "teens below zero" range. We all dressed a little warmer, so were prepared in that respect. But we weren't ready (as we never are) for the frozen pipes that soon followed. One frozen septic pipe and one frozen waterline kept Greg and the boys quite busy one weekend. They got the water line thawed, but the septic line still waits. Fortunately, it is in Cedar Point cabin, which isn't habitable right now anyways.

A week ago today, Greg began to dismantle the living room at Cedar Point. He and Robert emptied it of furniture, and proceeded to tear up the carpeting, which we unceremniously tossed into our garbage canister. Greg always loves to get rid of old carpeting. He is definitely a wood guy, through and through. He went to Duluth to pick up his birch flooring later in the week, and will be very happy when he is installing it later this coming month. But I am getting ahead of myself. He also took out the tile covered "hump", for lack of a better word, that was next to the wood stove in the cabin. That really made him happy. Not only will it increase living space a bit, but he also will be installing a new slate floor for the woodstove. Another good thing happening there is that he is finding locations where mice have been able to enter the cabin. Some hardware cloth and expandable spray foam should go a long way towards deterring the little critters. This is the first stage of the remodel. Once the living room is complete, he will tackle the kitchen to give it a facelift.

This past weekend, the Gunflint Trail hosted the second annual Winter Tracks Festival. The schedule was very full, with all sorts of winter activities to try, and some competitions, too. Our guests participated in skiing, the childrens' passport program, and the poker run to name a few. On Saturday night, we joined other Trail folks at Gunflint Lodge for an excellent barbecue, and then dancing to the local band called Critter du Jour. Great music! The musicians got us all organized to do some line dances, round dances, and even a waltz. It looked like everyone was having a lot of fun. Plans are already underway for next year's festival, so keep an eye on the website for further information. http://www.wintertracks.com

In addition to longer days, we also have had a bit more wind than earlier in the winter. Over President's Weekend, Greg and I took a snowmobile ride to our friends' cabin on the Canadian side of the lake. Thanks to strong winds for the two days prior, there were several moguls and dunes on the lake. Makes for a bumpy ride on our old sled. The wolves have been heard, but not seen. The last couple of nights we have been delighted to be awoken by them. They are singing at all odd hours, it seems, and it sounds as though they are very near by. Sometimes if the moon is bright enough, we will get up to look out the window, hoping to see them on the lake. No luck so far in catching glimpses of them. Both Greg and Robert reported seeing huge numbers of tracks when they were out recently---Greg in his plow truck, and Robert on the Piston-Bully while grooming the ski trails. Robert said that it looked like they had a real party running all over the trail through the fresh snow.

Thanks to several inches of snow last week, the trails are in excellent condition. Skiers are having a marvelous time out there.

Sort of Nature Related

For anyone who has been in our kitchen, I wanted to post this photo. Greg has been working to get the new birch table and cooktop finished and installed. We bought the cooktop a few years ago, and he started to build a table for it. Time in the summer is at a premium, so he was able to get only as far as building the top, and cutting pieces for the base. A week or so ago, he brought all those parts into the kitchen, to begin the final assembly.

The kitchen was abuzz with activity for several days, as he attached, glued and sanded the table together. Then he applied a finish coat to the wood, and dropped in the cooktop. Robert and Greg moved it to the center of the kitchen. Yesterday, Greg connected the gas and electric to it, so that by the time our dinner guests arrived, we were cooking on it. Wow! My dad retired from the Duluth Water and Gas company, and one of his favorite expressions was "We're cooking with gas!" And we truly are now, for this stovetop has so much more power than our old one. There'll be some good cooking coming out of this kitchen for many years ahead now.

The table is made primarily of birch, from a tree that went down behind Tamarack cabin a few years ago. I actually heard it go that day---a loud crack and then a crash. Greg cut the tree into lumber himself. The trim on the ends and legs of the table is mesquite wood, brought back from his aunt's ranch in Arizona. Greg also cut that wood. It is a beautful piece of furniture.

On another note, I just got a fishing report. We had a group of folks in for the weekend, who fished mainly right off of our point, out from Cedar Point and Diamond Willow cabins. They are bringing five lake trout home with them, and they caught and released a few lakers. The largest released were around 8-10 pounds. This is good news to hear, as the fishing out front in recent weeks has been quiet. Glad to hear that there is now some action. Maybe we'll get a line in there yet. Then I could cook fresh lake trout on the new cooktop.