September 3
Back in Duluth after another great summer at the cabin. We will still head up periodically through out the fall and winter but its time to get back to work. I've got lots of canoe paddle orders that have built up...

I'm very excited about returning to work because I am moving into a new shop located in downtown Duluth. The new shop is MUCH larger than my old shop and conveniently located downtown for any paddlers heading through to Ely or Grand Marais.


Dan relaxing on the loading dock of his new shop.

August 20, 2006
Headed into the BWCA again. This time our route took us from Gunflint Lake along the border all the way back to our cabin on Hungry Jack. We chose this route hoping the westerly winds will prevail (so the wind is at our back…).

The weather was spectacular. The fishing was pretty good but not great. Joey was a champ on the portages and in the canoe. I made her a little canoe paddle this summer and she loves paddling along with us. But mostly she just relaxes in the canoe and sings songs and asks LOTS of questions.


Barb relaxing in the hammock at our South Lake camp site


Joey loves the hammock but the static is frightening...

On Day 1 the westerlies DID NOT prevail. We made an arduous paddle the entire length of Gunflint Lake completely against the wind.

We spent several days at a lovely campsite on South Lake. This is an area that sees relatively few visitors -I’m not sure why. It’s a gorgeous lake and the fishing is excellent.

For several days we had been telling Joey that there was a MAGIC island filled with treats on this lake (which has no islands…) we built it up until she just couldn’t stand the anticipation any more. We brought a big bag of candy along so I took it over to an unoccupied campsite and hid candy all over (like an easter egg hunt.)

I returned to our camp site and very excitedly exclaimed that I had found the fabled TREAT ISLAND! We rushed over (so that no varmints would eat all of the treats) and watched Joey go nuts. She had an absolute blast hunting for treats. If you have kids, this is a great game to play while on BWCA trips.


Joey taking a nap before doing the vaunted Stairway Portage


Joey finding treats on Treat Island

August 8, 2006
Barb, Joey and I are heading out to Saganaga for some fishing and camping. We found an awesome island camp site in the center of this gorgeous lake. We stayed for several days -fishing in the morning and swimming in the afternoons. Very relaxing.

Barb with a nice small mouthed bass


Barb and Joey paddling on Saganaga Lake


Dan and Joey just waking up.

August 6, 2006
Took a day trip to Johnson Falls. Its a really long paddle to do in just one day from Hungry Jack. Hungry Jack/Flour/Moon/Deer/Caribou/Little Caribou/Pine and then BACK.

But its totally worth it to soak in these amazing falls and snack on sandwiches as the falls rush by.

Dan taking a dip in the pools below Johnson Falls.

August 5, 2006
Today we rented a pontoon boat and took Olaf, Georgette and the rest of us on a tour of Poplar Lake. Poplar is a beautiful lake right on the edge of the BWCA.

Joey and Olaf relaxing on the pontoon cruise on Poplar Lake.

August 4, 2006
Barb’s parents, Olaf and Georgette are up visiting from St. Paul. When they arrived, I promised them a big trout dinner. Of course after making such a big promise, I returned with just two fish. My honey hole had dried up.

Not to be discouraged, I headed to yet another honey hole the next morning –and again returned with just two more fish. How embarrassing. Well, I stuck with it and by the 3rd day I finally had enough to feed 5 people.

That evening, we sat down by the water’s edge and enjoyed our hard-earned meal (thankfully, Barb did the cooking.) Then we sat in the screened in gazebo late into the evening drinking wine and enjoying the summer night -free of bugs.

Dan, Olaf and Georgette enjoying some post feast wine.

July 28, 2006
Barb, her sister Karin, and I competed in the Dragon Boat races down in Grand Marais. This is an annual event that is too much fun to describe. We were proud members of the Hungry Jack Outfitters team that took first place in the Hospitality Division.

If you’ve never tried Dragon Boat racing you really should. Its astounding how fast these boats can move with 20 paddlers stroking. Reach. Reach. Reach.

Karin preparing to race.


Dan enjoying a beautiful day along the Grand Marais harbor

July 18, 2006
Lately, I’ve been heading over to another nearby undisclosed lake that has been yielding absolutely amazing rainbow trout. It doesn’t seem to matter what time of day or what the weather is like. We just keep catching them. Of all of the fish species, there are none that I cherish more than the trout.

July14
We awoke this morning to the distinct smell of smoke. It was clear that a forest fire was burning near by. The fire was ignited by a lightning strike near Cavity Lake and quickly spread during this period of dry, warm weather and gusty winds. This fire eventually burned 31,830 acres of forest.


Aerial view of the Cavity Lake fire

July 12, 2006
Not much to report lately. Our days have been spent paddling, fishing, hiking and berry picking. The weather is VERY hot and dry. We seem to jump in the lake every 10 minutes just to cool off. Joey, of course loves the weather. Barb and I will sit on the dock and watch her swim to near exhaustion.

Joey taking yet another dip




Sunrise from our dock.

July 9, 2006
Barb, Joey and I day-tripped over to Rose Falls (Hungry Jack to Bearskin to Duncan to Rose.) We left in the late morning and enjoyed a picnic by the falls. Before returning we took a dip in the crystal clear waters of Rose Lake.

Barb relaxing next to Rose Falls

July 3, 2006
Not to be out done by Barb’s beautiful stone patio, I decided to build a new deck. I’ve wanted to do this for several years. The hardest part was carrying all of that lumber down from the road. Joey desperately wanted to help so I let her do small tasks like holding the tape measure and fetching me some water.

Dan pounding in the final nail of the new deck

June 29, 2006
Barb, Joey and I decided to try our luck fishing this AM. This year I purchased Joey her first fishing rod (with real hooks, that is.) It’s a lovely Scooby Doo Zebco. We took the canoe out on Hungry Jack for several hours. Joey was the only one to catch a fish -and she made sure that we were aware of this fact. Its tough being trash-talked by a 4 year old who just out-fished you…


Dan and Joey fishing off the dock.

June 21, 2006
Hot, hot, hot. That sums up life at the cabin now a days. Barb decided that 95 degree heat was the perfect weather to continue her stone patio project. We’ve scoured half of the Gunflint region looking for large flat stones. I do most of the hauling but Barb does the hard work. It takes a ton of patience and determination to properly level and interlock these mismatched stones. Its looking pretty great.

Barb showing off her lovely sweaty pits. Barb IS NOT afraid of hard work...

June 17, 2006
Joey and I encountered a bear while we were hiking to Moss Lake. It was feeding in a meadow along Bunn Trail and didn’t even notice us. At first Jo was scared but after a while she realized it was harmless. We stood for a while (at a distance) and watched it browse. Its amazing how terrible their senses are when they are pre-occupied by food.

June 10, 2006
My very best friend, Matt, flew in from Denver, CO for our annual BWCA trip. Our route this year started on Saganaga. We paddled west through the border lakes and then looped back down through Knife, Ogishimuncie, Jasper, Alpine and took out on the Sea Gull river.

On the second morning I woke up early and took the canoe out solo for some fishing. I landed a 3 foot Northern that managed to snap off the line once he was in the canoe. He viciously thrashed around in the bottom of the canoe and snapped the rear thwart in the process.

About a month after we finished our trip, the area that we paddled was decimated by the Cavity lake fire. I feel fortunate to have explored this region one last time prior to the fire.


Fishing solo on Ogish

Matt drying out after a heavy rain

June 13, 2006
The frogs are out in full force. Joey keeps busy every evening chasing them around the grounds. She really loves those frogs.

Joey with one her new friends...

May 22, 2006
Headed up to Ely, MN for Piragis’ annual Sunsplash event. There are lots of vendors with demo gear at this event. Its a great way for customers to try before they by.

May 15, 2006
Fishing Opener.
My buddies Tim and Mike joined me at the cabin for fishing opener. Mike and I drove up a day early and were greeted with a lovely ice storm. We stood outside the cabin trying to get the water pump started for the season –all the while being pelted with BB sized chunks of ice. Tim showed up later in the evening with enough tackle and gear to outfit a group of 50 anglers.

The next day the weather cleared and the three of us paddled into an undisclosed border lake for trout fishing. Before hand, we agreed to place the requisite wager on who catches the first fish of the season. The winner takes the pot.

We had our lines in the water for about 90 seconds when Mike had a fish on the line. As Mike played the fish, Tim declared that he also had a fish on. Mike, the gentleman that he is, stopped reeling his fish to help net Tim’s. He should have known better than to help a scoundrel like Tim. Once Tim had his trout in the canoe, he proudly declared victory in the first fish contest.

Early season lake trout.

Mike, Dan and Tim