Bob saw an unexpected sight today on the porch of cabin 11 — a Fisher.

A forest service stock photo of a Fisher.

No, not A fisherman, although that is also an unexpected sight lately during our cold snap. What Bob found in the screen porch was an elusive, medium-sized member of the weasel family known as the Fisher or sometimes called a Fisher Cat. Similar to a Pine Marten, but quite a bit bigger, it is very rare to spot a Fisher, muchless see one on a cabin porch.

A Pine Marten photo, taken by Darlene Richardson outside Cabin 5.

Around here, Pine Martens can routinely be lured onto decks and porches, especially in Lodges 1-4. One of the fun guest games lately is to leave an apple out on a lodge deck and wait for the Pine Marten to come and take it. But the glossy brown fur of a Fisher is rarely glimpsed at Bearskin, always in a “What was that dark brown animal I just saw slipping into the woods?” way.

We’re not sure why this Fisher ended up on the Cabin 11 porch, but they are aggressive predators of smaller mammals. Maybe the red squirrels down by cabins 9-11 who routinely munch on porch window screens lured the Fisher in. We enjoy our red squirrels, but if any of those screeniverous squirrels around Cabin 11 ended up as a Fisher snack, we  won’t object.

It was actually a very good animal day for Bob, who is legendary for his inability to spot any wildlife, ever. While standing on the the lodge front steps this morning, a Nuthatch fluttered around him. When Bob held out his hand, the Nuthatch landed in his palm. For just a moment Bob thought, “Ah, this is the life of a lodge owner.” Then the bird flew away and Bob returned to the real life of a lodge owner, which has more to do with water leaks, turbidity readings and propane tanks than with wildlife magically appearing on an outstretched hand.

Wiki info about Fishers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal)

It’s over. We’re coming to the end of the spring/summer/fall seasons and beginning preparations for that very different season at Bearskin, winter. Quinn and Andy have taken out most of the docks, put away the Adirondack chairs, and moved most of the boats into winter storage. Screen windows are coming off, and storm windows are going back on. Cabin 4 and the fish cleaning house have been closed down for the winter.

In the cabins and lodges, Laura, Kate and Rachel are “deep cleaning” – pulling out everything in every cabin to scrub it all spotless. Laura has been through two deep cleanings already, so she’s a bit of a pro. But Kate and Rachel are new to the process and they are, as one of them commented, amazed at what a mess we make in order to get a cabin so clean.

Claude O’Neill from O’Neill Flooring is sanding and refinishing the wood floors in Cabin 3 and Cabin 11. The newly refinished floors are going to be stunningly beautiful. If you rent Cabin 3 or 11 in the future, you have to promise to walk around in your stocking feet forever more to keep the floors so gorgeous. (Just kidding, but the first scratches are going to be heartbreakers!)

As we wrap it all up, we have this to say to our Bearskin visitors: THANK YOU for being such wonderful guests! Bearskin might have the nicest guests on this planet. In any business, it seems like there are bound to be a few people who are cranky or rude or unpleasant or upset. Real life is not perfect. Staff members will make sporadic mistakes, misunderstandings are bound to happen, expectations sometimes will be unmet – all occurrences that might occasionally irk a guest. And yet, it rarely ever happens here. Bearskin guests are almost universally cheerful, pleasant, positive and upbeat, even when resort life doesn’t go flawlessly.

Today we had one of those rare reasons to discuss this question: Why are people who stay at Bearskin generally so affable? Maybe being in the woods brings out the best in most people. Or maybe if you are the type of person who desires a wilderness escape, you are more likely to be an exceptional person. Perhaps we’re just lucky to have somehow attracted a large group of people with a dominant “nice” gene.

We don’t know, but we certainly do appreciate you. Dealing with grouchy, unpleasant people on a regular basis would make running a busy resort like Bearskin a very different, stressful experience. Thank you for making our daily life here at Bearskin, as well as the work life of our staff members, so consistently enjoyable.

Yes, you heard it right. It snowed on the Gunflint Trail this morning.  It didn’t last long, but for a short time there was a layer of white on every flat surface.  Many of our resort guests awoke this morning to see snow falling outside their cabin windows.

We think the snowfall was probably caused by Quinn and Kate, Bearskin employees who had worked 8 days in a row and thought they could perhaps take a pleasant little BWCA canoe trip once they finally had time off.  Of course it snowed.  With their luck, it was fortunate the whole BWCA didn’t ice over.

After a fairly warm and sunny September, the past 10 days have been cool and often overcast or rainy.  The change in weather has finally brought the color out in the foliage. It was beginning to look like many tree leaves would go straight from yellowish-green to shriveled brown without ever passing through a vibrant yellow or orange stage. Now, however, the hills surrounding the Gunflint Trail are vivid with color.  

“How long will the leaves last?” ask callers.  Last year we observed the leaves rather suddenly tumble down from the trees in about 48 hours between October 11th & October 13th:  http://bearskin.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/falling-leaves/   Based on my photos, there are more leaves on the trees now than there were at this time last year.  During this past summer season, everything from snowmelt to berry ripening seemed to be on a schedule of occurring 2 weeks late. Leaf color has also been a bit delayed, so it will be interesting to observe whether the leaves persist on the trees a bit longer too.

If it turns out that one day soon all the yellow and orange leaves suddenly plummet from the trees, there will still be plenty to see along the Gunflint Trail.  Animal activity greatly increases this time of year.  Moose sightings are more common now, although because moose are in “rutting season” during October moose viewing can be risky business.  Andy and his friend Ada spend a great deal of time hiking local trails.  They came over a rise on one of our ski trails yesterday and encountered a very large bull moose, who indicated great displeasure with their arrival in his territory.  What the moose did next is a mystery, because both Andy and Ada wisely  turned and ran as fast as they could back down the trail.  Nothing like Andy’s more famous moose encounter.

We’ve also heard several stories of hikers spotting numerous smaller animals lately: wolf pups frolicking with each other, foxes playing odd ”catch me if you can” games with hikers, pine martins stealthily slipping into the woods.  Many hikers have reported seeing bear “scat” on the trails, sometimes very fresh, but lately nobody has actually spotted a bear. (Not counting the little guy Bob scared away from the dumpster a couple times.)  Pileated woodpeckers have been very active right outside the lodge. The red squirrels have abandoned chasing each other all day and seem to be concentrating on serious food gathering.  Trading the colorful leaves for more animal visibility may be a fair exchange.

BEARSKIN LODGE

In the land of the Voyageurs

HAY FEVER HAVEN  – NO WOOD TICKS

NO POISONOUS SNAKES – NO POISON IVY

MODERN CABINS … AMERICAN PLAN AND HOUSEKEEPING

If you wish a modern city home in the woods for your vacation pleasure, our modern cabins will fill the bill. They are large and airy, furnished for your comfort including radios, ample closet space, refrigeration, automatic gas heat.  You have a choice of cabins with 1 bath or a private bath adjoining each bedroom.

Both types of cabins may be reserved, either American plan our housekeeping.

If you wish to spend a quiet hour and eat your meals in a restful atmosphere, then it is our pleasure to serve you in our picturesque, homey lodge … American Plan.

If your cabin is reserved for American Plan, maid service for your cabin is furnished.

Come to this area with warm outdoor clothing.  Even during the warm months, evenings and mornings are cool – bring warm jackets and wool shirts.  It is a land of great beauty; and side trips to many lakes are an outstanding feature.  Boats are kept on outlying lakes, each lake with a different variety of fish.

Housekeeping guests may procure their necessary groceries and supplies at the lodge trading post. All items are sold at a reasonable price level. This is the gathering place. Here there is a juke box, movies and other games. Full line of groceries, meats, beverages, dairy products, souvenirs, leather goods and fishing tackle used in the area.

When writing for reservations, please state number of persons in party, date of arrival, and length of stay. Letters are promptly answered with rates. We request a 25% deposit with each reservation which will be credited to your account. Advance reservations are advisable.

Mr. and Mrs. Edw. Cavanaugh

Grand Marais Box 1 Minnesota

Telephone 7132

Thanks to Scott and Sharon Kron, who found this old brochure in their family cabin on Summer Home Rd

These days nobody gets fabulously wealthy running a resort on the Gunflint Trail. Time and again our colleagues and friends along the trail have proffered this advice: “You have to remember, it’s not about the money. It’s about the lifestyle.”

Let me tell you about the lifestyle.

Monday was just an ordinary fall day at Bearskin Lodge. Rainy, a bit windy, not the nicest autumn day ever, but nonetheless, an unexceptional day. It was quiet enough that Bob and I devised a little date for ourselves—the exciting plan was to make a trip to the Grand Marais recycling center and then perhaps stop in for a treat at the World’s Best Donut Shop. Doesn’t get much better than that.

The first change of plans came shortly after Bob and Andy had filled the pickup truck bed with bazillion beer bottles and pop cans. Cabin 4’s water heater quit. With 15 cabins & lodges, a large main lodge, a hot tub house, two laundries and staff housing, Bearskin owns a lot of water heaters. Sometimes it seems like a water heater dies at Bearskin Lodge every 7 seconds. Bob spent the next 90 minutes spreading water heater parts around the bathroom floor of Cabin 4, finally determining that our delayed date in town would also include a search for a thermocouple (definition: the name for the part that always goes out on everything at Bearskin.)

Quinn was theoretically off work for the day, so he opted to ride along on our town trip. The closer we came to Grand Marais, the wilder the wind was blowing. We were astonished by our first view of Lake Superior from the hill above Grand Marais. Under a dark gray, roiling sky, the lake was covered in whitecaps as far as the eye could see. In town, trees were blown into arc shapes, shingles were flying off buildings, shop doors were whipping open, and pedestrians strained forward against the wind.

We struggled to unload the recyclables before they blew out all over Cook County, and then drove to the harbor. The three of us sat in the truck, buffeted by wind, munching on “World’s Best” donuts and totally transfixed by the sailboats bobbing and spinning around their buoys on the rough lake.

Meanwhile, back at Bearskin a tree was falling through the roof of Cabin 5.

Since 50% of the day’s staff was off eating pastries in Grand Marais, Andy was stuck dealing with the tree on his own. As usual, he handled the situation with aplomb until our return.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent pulling tree branches off the roof, calling repair contractors, and covering Cabin 5’s roof and broken skylight with tarps to keep the cabin’s interior dry. At one point Bob slipped off the roof, breaking the fall with (whoops) his elbow. Fortified with a handful of ibuprofen, Bob returned with Quinn to Cabin 4 to finally finish repairing the malfunctioning water heater.

It was shortly after that when the power went out.

I think Quinn and Andy secretly love a good power outage. (Bob, not so much.) There’s lots of lifting, connecting, switching, plugging, and thinking, culminating in a final triumphant moment when (TA-DA!) the lights snap on in the Main Lodge and toilets everywhere in the resort start to flush again. This was an annoying power outage because many guests had started cooking dinner, but unlike our most infamous power outage in February, 2008 (see “Survivor—the power outage edition”), the weather wasn’t dangerous. Electrical service was restored relatively soon to Bearskin and as usual, many of our guests reported turning the lights back off again because they were having more fun by candlelight.

We went to bed Monday night expecting the next disaster. Nothing happened. Lights flickered, but stayed lit. Water heated. Toilets flushed. Trees didn’t topple. Roofs didn’t leak, skylights didn’t break. Even the uncovered geraniums failed to freeze.  Today the sun is shining, the sky is a brilliant blue, the winds have calmed, and it’s another gorgeous fall day on the Gunflint Trail.

It is, indeed, all about the lifestyle.

Last weekend was the 2nd Taste of the Gunflint Trail event, a wonderful way for folks to eat their way up the Trail while checking out the resorts and outfitters along the way.  We had speculated in a Bearskin Blog about which Taste of the Gunflint recipe to make, and after some helpful guest input, finally decided on “Sally’s Herb Bubble Bread.”

Unfortunately, my first attempt at following the recipe was disastrous.  The bread looked great, but tasted precisely like cardboard soaked in grease and basil.  Truly, I am not a Chef Sally.

Luckily, Ada Igoe came to our rescue.  Ada is good friends with our all-purpose guy, Andy, and Ada can really, really bake.  When Ada made this recipe, the bread was both beautiful and delicious.  Here is the recipe:

Sally's Herb Bubble Bread, as baked for Bearskin by Ada Igoe.

Chef Sally’s Herb Bubble Bread/Bearskin Lodge

 Recipe from Chef Sally Bresnahan, who was the chef at Bearskin Lodge until 2003.  This recipe appears in “Taste of the Gunflint Trail”  cookbook on page 39-40. 

  This recipe can be served warm from the oven.  It’s guaranteed to impress dinner guests in your home just as it did at Bearskin Lodge.

  2-loaf recipe of white bread (or 2 loaves of frozen white bread, thawed)

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled

½ tsp. dried basil, crumbled

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

¼ tsp. onion powder

4 cloves garlic, minced 

 Prepare dough from your favorite white bread recipe or use frozen, unbaked loaves.  Snip dough (you can use a scissors) into walnut sized pieces. Arrange pieces in loaf pans.  Combine remaining ingredients; pour over dough.  Cover, let rise until double, about 1 ½ hours. 

Preheat oven to 375 and bake until honey brown, about 30-35 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Take from pans and serve.  This bread also freezes well. 

The 2nd annual "Andy with a Taste of Gunflint Cookbook" picture

Once again the family and friends of Dee Peterson will be riding in the “Purple Ride” to support the Pancreatic Action Network, in memory of Dee. We received this e-mail from Dee’s beloved grandaughter, Ellie, and her family:

Dear Bearskin Staff,

Dee Peterson -- photo taken while she was behind the front desk at Bearskin

In memory of my Nana Dee, who died from Pancreatic cancer last June (2008), I am riding 8 miles in the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s Purple Ride this weekend. This year I’m going to ride my own bike (it’s pink)!! My big brother, Andy, has been training me every night to help me get ready.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a non-profit organization working to advance research, support patients and create hope for those affected by pancreatic cancer. The organization funds research grants, provides information and resources to patients and their families at no cost, pushes for increased federal research funding and educates the public about this disease.

Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, yet it receives less funding per patient than other leading cancer killers. Your support helps the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network fulfill its mission and provides hope to the over 37,000 Americans who will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year.

Please visit my personal page to learn more. Thank you for your support!

UPDATE from Dee’s family after the ride:

With your generous support, Team Dee Plus raised close to $4000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network! Donations are still coming in, so we may go over the $4000 mark! Our team is currently ranked 8^th out of approximately 125 teams! At last count, the total amount raised at this year’s Purple Ride was around $225,000!

The weather was beautiful this year. We had team members ride 8, 25, and 50 miles in honor of Mom! Andy took off and completed the ride a full hour ahead of us! I kept expecting him to come from behind on a second lap! Next year, Mr. Crazy Legs is going to do the 25 mile route! The rest of us were about a ½ mile into the ride, when Ellie got going way too fast down a steep hill, lost control and went over the handle bars of her bike (with the entire family behind her for a terrifying view!). She was scraped up and bleeding from head to toe. Someone alerted the trail support team, who arrived within a few minutes to help out. When one of them attempted to put Ellie’s bike in the cart to drive her back, our determined little lady announced that her bike would not be going back in a cart…she was going to ride it. She then picked up her bike, jumped on and proceeded to ride the remaining 7-plus miles! Her Nana would have been proud!

Thanks again for all of your generous donations!

Tim, Sara, Andy & Ellie Groen   

This fall have fun getting fit outdoors at Bearskin with a really great group of active women.  Gear West, the well known   Twin Cities fitness and ski store, has teamed up with Bearskin to present a “Women only” ski and fitness weekend October 23rd, 24th & 25th at Bearskin.

For 18 years, one of the most popular Nordic ski training classes in the Twin Cities area has been the weekly Gear West Cross Country Ski Training and Technique Program.  Coached by the staff of Gear West and Jan Gunther, five time Mora 58 K Vassaloppet winner, Hawaii Ironman finisher, and National Masters Triathlon winner, the Gear West program has helped hundreds of skiers, runners and athletes get in top condition for winter. Check out this article from Cross Country Skier for a taste of Jan’s training philosophy.

 The focus of the Women’s Fitness Weekend will be on preparing for the Nordic ski season, but the fun physical conditioning and socializing with other active women could be a positive experience for any woman who wants to get in shape.  All abilities welcome — just bring a great attitude and a willingness to participate in outdoor adventure.

On mid-afternoon Friday participants will be involved in pole hiking, running or kayaking followed by a deliciously healthy, 4-course Chez Jude meal. We hope that musher Erik Simula will be available Friday evening for a fireside talk about his 1000 mile birch bark canoe journey. 

Saturday morning activities will include ski fitness techniques, dryland training, yoga exercises, and Nordic walking or running.  On Saturday afternoon the group will spend the afternoon either roller skiing or enjoying the town of Grand Marais, followed by eating out in Grand Marais.

Sunday morning will include strength training or ski techniques, followed by a chili lunch send-off.

Cost for the weekend is $250 and will include two nights lodging at Bearskin, a four-course Chez Jude dinner, hot tub, sauna, canoes and kayaks, an optional kayak course, Sunday lunch and, of course,  dryland Nordic ski coaching from knowledgeable, very fun women skiers.  We are limiting this to 40 participants.  When you register, let us know if you are part of a group of friends who will be doing this together – it will help us plan which cabin you will stay in.

You can register at www.gearwest.com or call the front desk at Bearskin Lodge.  Gather together  a group of good friends and spend a fall “girls getaway” weekend in the northwoods, with the good excuse of getting in shape!

Help us decide!

On Saturday, September 12th, the Gunflint Trail will be hosting  “A Taste of the Gunflint Trail,” a trail-wide event that combines fun food,  local history and fund-raising on behalf of the new Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center. 

During “A Taste of the Gunflint Trail,” businesses along the Gunflint Trail will be offering delicious treats from the Taste of the Gunflint Trail cookbook.  Rockwood, Loon Lake, and Chik-Wauk historic lodges will be the featured sites during the event, but many of the resorts along the Trail will offer delicious “Tastes” from the Gunflint.

Chic-Wauk Lodge, mid 1950's. Photo courtesy of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society.

If you enjoy staying at Bearskin Lodge and the Gunflint Trail, you’re going to find the Chik-Wauk to be a fascinating addition to your visits.  The museum and nature center  are slated to open next July 4th and will be housed in the former Chik-Wauk Lodge on Lake Saganaga, a distinctive all-granite 1934 structure most often remembered as the site of a well-known Hamm’s Beer commercial from the 1970’s.  The Gunflint Trail Historical Society is creating a museum and nature center in the beautiful old rock structure that will tell the story of the people and natural history of the Gunflint Trail. Proceeds from cookbook sales during the “Taste” event will go towards Chik-Wauk museum. Each participating site will also have a box for donations to the museum.

 Last year we served Chef Sally’s Acorn Squash soup recipe, one of Bearskin’s featured recipes from the book. It was a huge success, but we don’t want to make the same recipe again.  Bearskin’s other recipes are for Grouse with Blackberry Sauce (no grouse hunters in this group), Hot Spiced Wine (is it appropriate as a giveaway to visitors driving from lodge to lodge?), and Sally’s Herb Bubble Bread (maybe…).  The item has to be small enough to just be a “taste” of the Gunflint Trail and easy enough for the cooking impaired McCloughans to successfully create.  (Alas, “easy enough” rules out many of the delicious recipes in this book.)

One possibility would be to make a recipe from one of the many Gunflint Trail resorts in the cookook that no longer exist. Or we could make any recipe that isn’t being used by another lodge.

A Taste of the Gunflint Trail cookbook has a huge following of devoted fans who love both the stories and recipes.  So you tell us — what should we make?

This is the door to Bearskin’s newest cabin:

The front door to a new cabin

No, it’s not everyone’s dream “Cabin 12,” although we would like to do that someday too.  It’s a little bitty “camper cabin” at the East Bearskin Lake National Forest Service campground.

Camper cabins are not a new idea. Many Minnesota state parks have camper cabins.  However, when Bob proposed the idea last year to the Superior National Forest Service staff, it was an idea that hadn’t been tried in their campgrounds yet.  They gave it some thought and decided to let us experiment with building one.

East Bearskin Lake Camper Cabin

The camper  cabin honestly didn’t need to be so cute.  The forest service sent us photos of camper cabins from other parts of the country and it was clear that a wooden box with minuscule windows often sufficed as adequate camping shelter.  But Bob has a tendency to get caught up in the romance of cabins.   The cabin he planned was not only serviceable, but sweet.

Bob worked on building the cabin whenever he had a spare minute — which wasn’t often, so finishing the cabin took all summer.  Leo Klisch, a medical device engineer with a passion for building projects, helped start the cabin in early June.   Quinn has been building on it all summer.  Andy worked on the deck.  Kate, Brandon, Laura, Caitlin and Megan all varnished and stained.

And now it’s finally done.  We had our first camper cabin guests this weekend.  It’s a lovely little place to camp.

The cabin is simple: bunks, an indoor trestle table, and rainproof shelter.  A porch, a campfire ring, an outside picnic table. A path winding down to the lake, a short walk to running water, and a slightly longer walk to the campground outhouses.  No electricity.  At this time, no heat. Basic, like cabins used to be.

It rents for $60/night. Because this is a NFS campground, reservations are only taken ahead of time at www.reserveamerica.com  (Right now reservations for this cabin are still glitchy, as Reserve America  adds it to the web site.  That should change shortly.)  The cabin  is also available on a “first-come” basis whenever it is not reserved ahead of time.

Nothings beats staying overnight in a beautiful Bearskin Lodge cabin, but the East Bearskin Lake Camper Cabin offers a simple, basic alternative experience that could suit the needs of many travelers to the Gunflint Trail.

East Bearskin Lake Camper Cabin