Above Zero on the Gunflint Trail

Gunflint Trail Cross Country Skiing 

    As long as it’s above zero I’ll venture outside to go cross-country skiing.  Yesterday it was a few degrees above zero so I got my first ski of the season in.  In spite of the fact I love winter and cross-country skiing I can’t push myself to go out when it’s below zero.  I just can’t seem to dress right when it’s that cold and my body gets too hot while my eyelashes turn into clumps of ice.   

    I usually ski thetrails near Gunflint Lake because they are the ones closest to Voyageur Canoe Outfitters.  I also usually write down how long it takes me to ski a particular portion of the trail system but I never remember where I put the list from year to year.  Since I didn’t know how long it would take for me to complete a longer loop I just skiied the Highlands to Rabbit Run to Aspen Alley and back out to my vehicle.  I needed to be done in time to pick the kids up from the school bus.

     On my hour long journey I stopped several times to gaze at the beautiful surroundings.  The afternoon sunlight was filtering through the trees making sparkles dance on the surface of the snow. The snow clinging to the trees created a very serene and sheltered setting.  I had brought my camera along to take pictures but before long my fingers were frozen and my battery dead from the cold. 

     The trails are in awesome shape right now and there’s nothing like being the first one to ski a freshly groomed trail.  There’s plenty of snow and the tracks have been set perfectly.  I’m hoping I’ll get one more ski in this week before we venture onto the Banadad this weekend.  I’ve checked the forecast and it calls for above zero temperatures so we should be good to go.

Scenery near the BWCA  Gunflint Trail cross-country skiing    Gunflint Trail Cross-country ski trails