Glad I Seized It

     I made the most of yesterday’s nice weather and went for a hike.  This time instead of hiking north of Judge Magney State Park we hiked south.  We left a vehicle on Highway 61 where the Superior Hiking Trail crosses Highway 61 over to the beach.  Then we got a ride to Judge Magney where we hit the trail for 5.2 miles back to the vehicle. 

     This section of the Superior Trail looked like it could be wet at times.  There were lots of wooden planks across marsh like areas that must usually hold water.  There were also quite a few bridges on this section allowing safe passage over river bottoms filled with rocks but no water.   A good section of the trail followed a branch of the Brule River gorge that was absolutely gorgeous.

     I’m thankful for gracious property owners on the North Shore.  There were quite a few areas that were marked private property but still allowed hikers to travel through their property.  I’m hoping people are respectful and access will be allowed for years to come.

     The forecast tells me I made the right decision by spending time outdoors yesterday.  It looks like the weather may turn a bit wintery this week.  We shall have to wait and see what Mother Nature brings.

ELY…ISABELLA…HIBBING…
TWO HARBORS…GRAND MARAIS
356 PM CDT MON OCT 19 2009

…ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA…

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE FROM COLORADO TO CENTRAL
WISCONSIN BY MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN IS EXPECTED
TO DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF THE UPPER MIDWEST TUESDAY AND TUESDAY
NIGHT. ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN MINNESOTA…COLDER AIR BEING PULLED
DOWN FROM CANADA WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION
OVER TO SNOW BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD
GENERALLY BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 2 CORRIDOR
ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE RESULT WILL BE ACCUMULATING
SNOWFALL WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

AT THIS POINT…IT APPEARS THAT THERE WILL BE A LARGE VARIATION IN
SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHLAND. AREAS
OF NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN MAY ONLY SEE AN INCH OF ACCUMULATION
INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE GREATEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED
IN THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD…WHERE 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE
POSSIBLE IN CRANE LAKE…HIBBING…ELY…TWO HARBORS…SILVER
BAY…ELY AND GRAND MARAIS. LESSER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE
LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE…WHERE TEMPERATURES WILL BE A FEW DEGREES
WARMER. IF THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO SNOW A BIT EARLIER THAN
FORECAST ACROSS THE NORTHLAND…SOME LOCALIZED 6 INCH SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE ARROWHEAD.

ONE POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT FACTOR OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS IS THE
FACT THAT THERE IS STILL AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF FOLIAGE ON TREES
ACROSS THE AREA. WET SNOW…COMBINED WITH HEAVY FOLIAGE COULD LEAD
TO SOME FALLEN BRANCHES…LIMBS AND POSSIBLY POWER LINES.

IF YOU WILL BE DRIVING ACROSS THE NORTHLAND ON WEDNESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY NIGHT…BE SURE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.