The newsletter of the Banadad Trail Association
Archive for the ‘News’ Category.
As a result of yesterday’s rain the following email was received from, Donna Hart, USFS Gunflint Ranger District, Grand Marais, “Effective today, Friday May 14 at noon (12:00 p.m. ) the fire restrictions are liffed, Fires are allowed anywhere, anytime.”
This means both inside and outside the BWCA campfires are now allowed.
The Banadad Trail Association, friends and neighbors this spring are planting six hundred red
Tree Planting along the Banadad
and white pines and 100 white spruce trees in previously logged and “blow-down” areas along the eastern end of the Banadad Ski Trail and around Little Ollie Lake. Some 350 trees went into the ground over this past weekend. The remaining trees are planned to be planted during this week by local members of the Association, guests and staff at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B. As in previous years, the tree planting is a way for the Banadad Trail Association to insure that the maintenance and grooming of the trail remains carbon neutral. Similarly Poplar Creek B&B, in joining with the Association in this project, is seeking to sequester the carbon produced by the use of its vehicles in these new tree
This weekend project was injunction with the Gunflint annual Green-Up.. The year’s event attracted some two hundred participants who in addition to the tree planting along the Banadad began clearing the underbrush, called –releasing’” around trees previously planted during the event in past years.
The ice on Poplar Lake went-out on April 6. This marks the earliest the ice, in recent history, has gone out on Poplar. Prior to this year, the earliest the ice went out was on April 16 in 2005 and 2006. Between 1990 and 2000 the ice went out six times during May with the latest May 22. After the year 2000 the ice has gone out six times in April and only three time in May.
This winter the Banadad Ski Trail closed for the season on March 20. This is the first season since the Trail opened in 1982 that the eastern end of the trail was not ski-able into April.
What does this tells us about what is happening to the Banadad Trail’s Ski Season?
Sorry folks the snow is gone; the Banadad is no longer ski-able. See you next winter. The last skier on the trail was March 20th.
I just was on the east end of the Banadad yesterday and there still is enough snow left for a few more days of skiing. The tracks are about gone and you will find bare spots on the side of the trail. You can ski out 3 kilometer as far as the first beaver pond where the snow is gone for about 4o meter and then continue on another 2 kilometers to the Lizz Lake Portage.
Spring skiing on Tuesday on the Banadad–conditions were still good on Tuesday early afternoon–watch out for a couple bare spots, but there are long stretches on the east end of the trail that are still lovely skiing! A moose was also taking advantage of the trail on Tuesday–but he was well behaved and knew to walk alongside the trail and not in the tracks! Great job of grooming, Ted!
There is almost no snow anywhere, but as of Sunday, March 14, the Banadad was in great shape! It was freshly groomed on Saturday and the conditions were good–a few icy spots but only a few. It is rare to ski the Banadad in 50 degree temps with no coat. It is beautiful in this weather. now, I did not see a lynx, but it was still wonderful. – Linda
After several weeks of above freezing temperatures the Banadad remain open for skiing. Yesterday’s skiers reported that there was still plenty of snow along the trail, no bare spots over the section of the east end they skier but there was a lot of sticks and pine nettles scattered along the trail. With the warm weather the snow is soft.
Lynx Along the Banadad
Bonnie and I just got back from a weekend in a cabin on the Gunflint Trail. Blue sky, sunny days, & clear, starry nights. Skiing & snowshoeing. And 1 really exciting wildlife encounter, one we’d never thought we’d see in the wild.
Skiing the Banadad Trail, an old logging road along the edge of the BWCA, so mostly straight and flat—we saw a critter on the trail far ahead. Just a dot, at first. It heard us and went into the woods. I watched where it went in and we stopped just short of that.
The Canadian Lynx cautiously stalked out onto the trail, 10-15 yards ahead of us—and uncomfortably bigger than we had thought they were (about 3/4 ‘ our dog,’s Nando’s size). For several seconds it carefully examined us with a fierce, intense stare. Then it apparently decided we were harmless and uninteresting, neither predator nor prey—despite ‘Nando’s yipping and whining and straining at his leash, wanting to give chase. It casually turned its back on us, showing off its high haunches, its short, black-tipped tail, and its tufted ears in profile. It continued leisurely traveling up the trail ahead of us for at least a quarter mile, occasionally stopping and staring back for a few moments, as we followed at a respectful distance. Then it went into the woods again, and we went on past, having held back ‘Nando already more than we wanted—which is especially difficult on skis, and had become what looked rather like a hilarious spoof of the sport of skijoring.
Skied thru fro west to east today. It was about 30 degrees when we started and 40 when we hit Poplar Lake. The trail is in mixed condition. Parts are very icy and beginning to break down. Parts are perfect and parts are littered with balsam bits and alder leaves. These sections are hard to wax for. Waxless skis would work well. It took us about 3 and a half hours. Beautiful day bright sun and blue sky.