The Smoldering Trestle

Well, here it is eleven months later, and the Ham Lake Fire is still burning. Just a small part, but it will become worrisome if it isn't out by summer. There is an old railroad trestle that the Pigeon River Lumber Company built by laying logs across a ravine, just northeast of Bridal Falls. It was perhaps 200 feet long and 15 to 20 feet high. Just solid logs. They spread gravel on it to fill the gaps, then laid ties and tracks. Most of the track was later pulled up, maybe to be used again, or maybe just scrapped. I don't know, but I remember hiking there as a kid, and seeing some pieces of track near the south end. The trestle has served mostly as a snowmobile trail in recent years.

Then, last May, it caught fire. Smoldered, mostly. And it smolders still. Parts of it will jump into flame now and again. We visited it several times this winter and it was fun to see the plumes of steam and smoke amongst all the snow. Even the gravel was hot. The U. S. Forest Service finally decided they would blow it up to get at the hot spots. It seemed to help some, but it's still not out.

Recently, our neighbor John and I took our ski-doos down to check out how it looked all blown up. It looks mostly the same. But there were some exposed areas of burning log that perfectly resembled small ovens. Two days later, with these ovens in mind, Barb and I rode back to the trestle with a pack of bratwurst.

When we arrived, the sky was full of ravens and eagles. There was a kill just to the west, and the birds were pretty intent on cleaning it up. Two of the eagles chased each other, chirping and whooshing by. Every so often, the lower one would flip onto its back, talons extended. Then they would seperate and come back together. Eventually, they tired of this and lit on trees to contemplate their meal, or maybe just to rest.

We hiked across the trestle. After carving some forked sticks, we roasted up several brats until they blistered, then stood around the smoking trestle enjoying our lunch. Because of this stubborn remnant, the Ham Lake Fire is the longest burning wildfire in Minnesota's history.

It's an Otter's Life

The possibility of a March blizzard that I mentioned last month ended up to be an April one....actually two. On Sunday, April 6, Greg measured a total of eighteen inches of new snowfall. The following Friday, April 11, we got five more inches. Naturally we ask ourselves, where was this in February? Nonetheless, we are always happy for the added moisture. This meant that we were still in the firm grip of winter, and so there was still time for snow-related activities. Here is an account of one of Greg's recent adventures:

We have a neighbor down the lake whom I've known for 35 years. We were young teenagers when we first met, at a homeowners' picnic. John challenged me to a rock skipping contest within four minutes of being introduced. In the winter, we would go sledding, climbing the steepest and longest hills that we could find, and then racing to the bottom. We'd do this over and over, trying to run the other off the trail. It was always the same with skiing, too, and sledding behind pick-up trucks.

John is always game for an adventure, and one day last week, he asked if I wanted to take the snow machines out for an evening ride through the 18" of wet snow that had just fallen. I agreed, and after two hours of riding and exploring, we found ourselves standing on the Enzenhauer Bridge. We washed down some cashews with winter ale, while watching an otter work its way toward us. The river was mostly frozen over, but there were plenty of holes where you could see the dark water rushing past. The otter ran a little, then tobboganned on its belly toward one of the holes, and slid smoothly into the current. He popped up at the next hole, periscoped his head in our direction, slid over to another hole, and down into the water again. His sleek body briefly passed through the hole right beneath us. We moved to the other side of the bridge in time to see him climb out and make his way to the next hole, and on and on until he was out of sight down river.

It's something otters seem to really enjoy. I have seen their tracks while grooming ski trails: a few footprints on the level, then sliding tracks all the way down and around some of the switchbacks on the West End Trail. Another time I watched as two otters trudged up a bank on Lanktree Lake, slid down, trudged up, slid down, again and again, like kids on a playground slide.

John would probably tell you that an otter's outlook on life is a good thing to aspire to.

Longer Days

Despite continued cold temperatures, I can tell that we have turned the corner on this winter. The last several days have started out with either single digits, or well below zero. But the March sun is doing its thing, so that by midday, it's much warmer out. Combine that with the new daylight savings schedule, and it feels like we are well on our way to spring.

Now I must say that the arrival of spring in the Northwoods is much different than in other areas. When I say that this new season is coming, it still means that it will take weeks to get here. We will see temperatures that go up and down, even way down, I'm sure. We'll see sunny days, and probably snowy ones. We may get a March blizzard. But the duration of the weather events will lessen, and the episodes of warmer weather will lengthen. Already I've noticed two of my late-winter harbingers.....the birds are very active at the feeder, and I've seen the squirrels chasing each other a lot more.

The next thing to listen for is the crows. For whatever reason, the crows don't winter with us here at Heston's. Maybe it's the ravens' doing. They are larger members of the same family, Corvidae, so maybe like older siblings, they send the crows off to to other hang-outs for several months. I've heard that they are as nearby as Grand Marais. What I know for certain is that within a few days, they will be back up here, ravens or not. Sometime between the 15th and 21st of March, we'll hear them in the early morning, communicating to each other in their rough, throaty language. It will wake us up and make us smile, knowing that the season's change is signaled in another form. I love these markers in the natural world.

It was another great weekend here. The snow is still in good shape, and several people hit the trails. We heard an excellent fishing report, so there are still trout to be had out of the iceholes. The sun was shining each day, and the best part...the Northern Lights were out on Saturday night. Though I don't keep a formal record, it seems like it has been a long time since we've seen much of them. It was quite a treat to once again see the shimmer and dance of the pale green light across the northern sky. There were even a few rays shooting towards the southern sky. Perfect.

Back in the Saddle: A Winter Tracks Wrap-Up

Those who know me remember that a year ago, during the Winter Tracks festival dance, I managed to confirm my middle-aged status by rupturing my achilles tendon. I guess that I was having a little too much fun while dancing with my husband and teenaged children, celebrating that all of the planning of the previous year had culminated in a successful event. I learned that I am probably too old to pogo dance anymore, and I learned what it is like to have day surgery, recovery, and how to cope with an "old dance injury". It has been quite a year in that respect.

This past Saturday, it was time for our 4th annual Winter Tracks banquet and dance, appropriately named the Snow Boot Ball. Greg informed me that I should definitely plan to dance, stressing the importance of, as he puts it, "gettin' back up on the horse what throwed ya." During the band's break, he asked one of the musicians if they could play "Dirty Deeds" by ACDC. He agreed, and said it would be in the second set.

The band soon started up again, and by the fourth song, they were queuing up for it. Imagine my surprise when the guitarist announced the song and said that he had learned that last year, someone had injured herself while dancing to it. Greg grabbed my hand and pulled me up to the dance floor. I implored Addie to join us---"He's making me dance! Come with!" Soon the three of us were up there, dancing away with several other folks. Many of my fellow Winter Tracks committee members were out there, too. When Greg started to pogo during the song, one gal hollered to him, "Don't do that! You'll get hurt!" I shouted back, "It's okay! He's not middle-aged yet!" We all had a great time dancing our way through the song, and I am very happy to report that I made it through, injury-free. I learned that my legs are not as strong as they had been a year ago, so more walking and skiing is in order for the upcoming year. But it was great to be back out on the dance floor, movin' and groovin' and having a good time with everyone.

Our pizza party went very well on Friday afternoon. We prepared nineteen pizzas, which were consumed fast enough so that they didn't freeze. I joked that there was a short window of opportunity where a pizza slice would not burn the roof of one's mouth, but still be hot enough to enjoy. The ingredients, on the other hand, were a different story. About an hour into the fun, I noticed that the veggies were frozen, and the sausage crumbles were not far behind. The sauces, too, were beginning to get quite thick. Once they were on a crust and tossed into the oven, they thawed quickly, and the cheese melted nicely. The results were delectable. Some folks skied on down the highline trail, and had a few slices right away. There is something quite memorable about eating food like this outside on a brisk winter day.

From the reports I received, many of the other activities of the weekend were well-attended and lots of fun. If you want to get in on the good times next year, mark your calendar now for these dates: Thursday, February 26 to Monday, March 2, 2009. Hope to see you there!