Finally--Some Photos

When I try to put photos together with text, inevitably I get sidetracked. So for now, here are some photos.

The two images above were taken by Paul, on Wednesday, May 9th. The Ham Lake Fire had been burning since Saturday, May 4. It had started west of us, had moved up the Trail to Seagull and Sag, and on this day, as part of the fire-fighting operations, a burn-out procedure was planned. This was to burn out fuels on the north and west side of Gunflint and Magnetic Lakes. By doing so, the fire team hoped to keep the fire from roaring down to the populated areas of these two lakes. These photos were taken at about seven p.m., after the burn had begun.

The next two photos were taken on the afternoon of Thursday, May 10--our very rough day. Greg was working with Mark Darling, running propane tanks from the fill station to the sprinkler systems. Mark Dexter and his son Nathan were working with Paul to put up some sprinkler heads on some of our buildings. Addie was making lunch for the guys, and I was trying to pack stuff, in case we were evacuated, as well as answer the phone, and get a cabin ready in anticipation of more fire guys coming that night. When we saw the flames on the Canadian side, we had to pause to take pictures and watch the unimaginable scene unfolding in front of us.

The sky was dark with all of the thick black smoke. The lake was wild with the northwest wind that was blowing. We could see and hear airplanes, which were scooping water to drop on the fire. Then the deputy sheriff came by, shortly before two, and we learned that there was a mandatory evacuation order for Gunflint and Loon Lakes. Greg heard about it while he was on the Trail, and so he came home as quickly as he could.

Here is a picture of him checking on our fire pump, before we left.

The smoke was very thick on the north side, but it was still clear on the south side.

Addie left a with Tim and Maureen, and Greg, Paul and I finished packing. I snapped some pictures, to remember what it was all like at that moment. The picture below is a shot of the sauna, as the smoke settled in on our side.

The next photo was taken Wednesday, May 16, when we returned to the lodge in the early evening. What a difference one week can make.

And finally, here is a view from the dock, also taken on Wednesday evening. The lake and the sky look a whole lot better. Unfortunately, the view of Canada has changed. The hills are blackened. But down near shore, there are pockets of green. Robert tells me that it is a mix of cedar and red pines trees .

Home Again to Gunflint Lake

We're home, and it's beautiful.

It was about five o'clock that I pulled in. The drive up the trail was a quiet one. The roadblocks were lifted at noon, so I think that most people had already arrived at their homes and cabins. I noticed that the trees had really leafed out in my absence, and everything was looking pretty much like I remembered when I left almost a week ago.

Then I neared Iron Lake, and saw the area where the fire crossed the Gunflint Trail. Yes, it was black, and yes, I did see trees standing that were totally burned. It reminded me of burned out areas that I have seen on trips out west, where many more forest fires occur each year. It was my first chance to see the remains of the Ham Lake Fire, and it was up close.

When I got home, and looked across the lake, that was personal. I can see that a forest fire went through. But I can also see pockets of trees. This must be what they mean when they say that the fire burned in a mosaic pattern. I imagine from the sky that it is a lot more evident. Since it was late afternoon, the sun wasn't shining directly on the north shore. So tomorrow will bring another view of it.

As I mentioned before, I have lots to say about all of this. Now that we are back home, I will have better access to the computer, and I hope to begin to tell the story of what happened, and also to share the changes that I know we will be seeing in the days to come. I'll do my best to describe just what is happening, and when I can, I will share photos.

Once again, I cannot even begin to say thank you in an adequate way to each and everyone of you for all of your support throughout this time. I will begin to answer emails tomorrow, as well as tell the stories.

Suposed to Be the Monday Update

Good Morning!

This was supposed to post last night, but I couldn't get it to work. Here I am trying again....

For a few minutes there, I was afraid that I wouldn't get to post! My fingers are very at home with a needle, be it sewing, knitting, whatever. But put me on a laptop and I am all thumbs!

I apologize for posting so late, but it ended up to be a very busy day. We moved to the campground in town, late this afternoon. Our new home away from home, and soon to be office, too. The cell phone is charging, and I hope that tomorrow we will once again be accessible by phone. I will be having our phone calls forwarded to the cell phone, and you may not get me right away, but please leave me a message. My two teenagers will help me retrieve the messages and I will call you back. As soon as I am comfortable enough with the phone, I will be better at answering it! I know all this sounds quite lame for these modern times, but you all know me--I'd much rather be baking pizza and bread in the wood fired oven then learning these new skills! At any rate, it seems that someone found a way for me to come up to speed and join the real world, so here I am. And I'm not even kicking and screaming.

The fire guys had a good day today. They were able to work some more on containment lines, though I didn't hear a new percentage figure. The fire did grow in Canada, so the new size is now 74,800 acres. We got some rain last night, and that helped to cool areas off, which in turn makes it easier to work in the fire area. The fire has burned some areas in a mosaic pattern, so that means that patches of green do remain.

Our neighbor Bob Baker Sr. had to go up to the lake, and he reported other that when driving down the South Gunflint Lake Road, you would not know that there was a fire. It is still green as ever. Imagining that is such a relief.

The latest word is that it will still be several days before we are able to get back in to the area. Naturally, this is a disappointment for many. But we trust that they are making the right decisions and we dig deeper into the well of patience for what lies ahead.

I'm sorry that this is a short post tonight, but I will make up for it soon--perhaps even tomorrow. Paul and Addie have their assignments for the day all lined up, and I will be trying to catch up on my work---not quite "business as usual" but closer than it has been in many days.
Postscript: I am using WiFi at the Gunflint Tavern, and whatever they are cooking, it sure smells good! And I'm not even hungry!

Sunday Update

Today could be another turning point day. It is hard to judge what the weather is doing at home from my perch here at the community center in Grand Marais. The sun was out early, but now it is getting cloudy. I don't think that it will bring rain.

Greg and Robert left after church to go back up the trail. They have received permission from the sheriff's department to travel up there and assist the local volunteer fire department. Many hands are needed to keep the sprinkler systems running. As the propane tanks run out, they must be swapped with refills. Greg and Mark Darling were doing this on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (until evac time). They would drive around on their designated route, grab tanks, bring them to a refill station further up the Trail, and then return them to systems. Robert will now be with Greg for this task. Mark has stayed up the Trail from the beginning, doing all sorts of jobs with the fire department.

They did get the okay to go in to our lodge yesterday. They found that Shar's house and the rustics had been set up with a sprinkler system. The lodge and our cabins still had only the basic systems that Mark and Nathan Dexter and Paul had put up on Thursday. Greg talked to a few people working nearby, in hopes that we could get a few extra sprinkler systems like Sharlene's. The coverage was much more adequate then what we originally were using. Whether that has been done, I don't know. I'll know more tonight after Greg calls me.

The fire fighters are continuing to use Spruce cabin to sleep in during the day. They are part of the night crew that first stayed with us on Tuesday. Greg found a note on the counter that they are writing on each day to let us know who is staying there and when. I take this as a really good sign. If they are writing to me, they expect that I will be able to read it once I'm back home. It also means that a fire truck is parked right there each day.

The daily briefing brought us the news of 15% containment of the fire. This includes the north side of Gunflint Lake. It is cooling off considerably on that side. Today's work is to fight against the southeast winds, with much effort concentrated in the Gunflint/Loon Lakes area. At the same time, other crews are working to strengthen fire lines on the other side, because tomorrow the winds are predicted to be from the northwest. We heard at the meeting this morning that the Incident Command people have ordered up that both those winds---the southeast and the northwest--come at the same time and blow against each other---think it can be arranged? That brought a chuckle from everyone. It is so important for us to keep our sense of humor intact. In addition to everyone's thoughts and prayers, it is another part of the picture that really keeps us going.

It's Monday tomorrow, and I really have to get back to work. I am hoping to set up a temporary office out of the bus, and try to get back to a sense of "business as usual", at least as far as the deskwork is concerned. And Paul and Addie need to get back to their schoolwork, to finish out the year. Addie is due to go join Shar and Jim in Alaska at the end of the month. Even more important, Paul needs to finish his schoolwork so that he can graduate. We're navigating in a new situation, but you know us---if nothing else, we can be really flexible.

To all of the moms---Happy Happy Mother's Day! We need something good to celebrate!

Talk to you again soon.

Barb