Winter, Where Are You? (Or A Spur of the Moment Roadtrip to the Icy North Shore of Lake Superior in Search of Winter Recreation)

After a lousy first half of the winter (weatherwise) with no snow and hardly any temps even below freezing, I got restless for real winter weather. A four day break in my work schedule gave me the opportunity to dash off to the winter wonderland of Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior.

Though just a short drive of about 5-6 hours away, I took my time exploring state parks along my route through northwestern Wisconsin and arrived at my hotel perched on a cliff above Lake Superior after dark. The sound of the waves slapping the shore below my balcony eased me into sleep. Fortunately on the North Shore, the sun rises over the lake relatively late in the morning due to being so far north, so I was able to enjoy the above sunrise from my balcony without having to suffer an interruption in my usual sleep schedule.

My first full day up north I decided to go skiing at Lutsen. Lutsen is by far the largest ski resort in the Midwest with a vertical rise of around 800 feet. It is beautifully laid out on hills that spill down to Lake Superior's edge. The skiing was just ok, about what could be expected from a Midwest resort. However the scenery was phenomenal.

Several runs look like they are going right into the lake. The lake itself stretches to the horizon making it difficult to determine where sea meets sky. Of course it was very cold with a high temperature in the single digits and brisk winds from the north. I could see fog rising up from the lake on its way to dump heavy lake-effect snow somewhere beyond the horizon on Superior's South Shore. That night I got to enjoy a local specialty - wild rice. My particular meal had wild rice, grilled chicken, wild sauteed mushrooms, and several veggies all mixed together with a white wine cream sauce. It was excellent.

The next morning I explored further northeast along the coast of Lake Superior towards Canada. Everywhere that the waves crashed against the rocky shore natural ice sculptures were formed. I did dip my hand into the water and found that it was surprisingly warm (relatively speaking). Of course if I had slipped on the ice covered rocks and fallen in, I'm sure that relative warmth would still kill me with hypothermia in just a few minutes.

Many small rivers drain into the lake all along its north shore. I was able to hike on the frozen river surfaces back to see several frozen waterfalls. One could still see (and hear) the water rushing under the frozen waterfalls and rivers. In places the ice cracked and groaned under my weight even though it appeared to be very thick.

Just a few miles south of the Canadian border I stopped at the town of Grand Marais. It's sheltered harbour was completely covered with ice as seen above. Grand Marais is the starting point for the historical Gunflint Trail which leads northward into the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area. I followed this trail for about 20 miles into the frozen land of wolves, moose, and hibernating bears. The deep snow lasts 6-7 months a year up here.

When my explorations were completed it was time to drive home. I stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse as seen above on the way back to Duluth. This is a very popular Minnesota state park in the summer. In the winter, I had the place pretty much to myself.

The sun was setting as I left the park to drive the last few hours home. All in all it was a successful roadtrip. By the time I got home, La Crosse had its own snow to enjoy.