The Wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask. -Nancy Waynne Newhall
The wind continues to howl today but we didn’t want to remain cooped up in our tent with a fresh blanket of snow on the ground and a Wilderness waiting to be explored outside our tent flap. Walking around our campsite it we found Pine Marten, Red Squirrel, and Chipmonk track dotting the snow. We dusted the thin layer of snow off our canoe and grabbed our paddles and life jackets. The main body of Knife Lake is not an inviting place today, but looking across the protected bay behind our campsite it looked like ice had formed on the far side. Looking for something to do we decided to paddle over and investigate. The bay was calm, but not ice covered so we pulled up our canoe of the far shore to explore the narrow isthmus that forms two small bays. Snowshoe hare tracks wove through the willows that we ducked through on our way to the second small bay. The waves were freezing on the rocks in the bay and coating branches and logs along the waters edge. We poked along the edges looking a the ice, occasionally breaking through into a few inches of water. It was cold in the wind, so we didn’t stay long, but it is fun to watch the freezing process begin. Tonight and tomorrow night are supposed to dip into the teens, so with any luck our little bay may be covered in ice soon.
The wind continues to howl today but we didn’t want to remain cooped up in our tent with a fresh blanket of snow on the ground and a Wilderness waiting to be explored outside our tent flap. Walking around our campsite it we found Pine Marten, Red Squirrel, and Chipmonk track dotting the snow. We dusted the thin layer of snow off our canoe and grabbed our paddles and life jackets. The main body of Knife Lake is not an inviting place today, but looking across the protected bay behind our campsite it looked like ice had formed on the far side. Looking for something to do we decided to paddle over and investigate. The bay was calm, but not ice covered so we pulled up our canoe of the far shore to explore the narrow isthmus that forms two small bays. Snowshoe hare tracks wove through the willows that we ducked through on our way to the second small bay. The waves were freezing on the rocks in the bay and coating branches and logs along the waters edge. We poked along the edges looking a the ice, occasionally breaking through into a few inches of water. It was cold in the wind, so we didn’t stay long, but it is fun to watch the freezing process begin. Tonight and tomorrow night are supposed to dip into the teens, so with any luck our little bay may be covered in ice soon.
I suspect gathering, cutting, and splitting wood will remain part of our daily routine for the next 5 or 6 months. It is gratifying to sit back after a couple hours gathering and processing wood, soaking in the radient heat from the wood stove.
Every day in the Wilderness helps us appreciate these lakes, rivers, and forests more. Please like, share, and support @savetheBWCA and help protect the Boundary Waters for future generations. #wildernessyear #wilderness #savetheBWCA #boundarywaters #BWCA #onlyinMN #minnesota #ice
