Day 1, Thursday, June 8 - Arrive on the Gunflint Trail

After a smooth trip from the Twin Cities to Duluth, and then along the north shore of Lake Superior to Grand Marais, we finally make the turn north onto highway 12, the Gunflint Trail. After some miles, the scenery changes dramatically, but in a way difficult to describe. Somewhere you seem to travel through a curtain, leaving the familiar highway scenery of contemporary times behind, and emerge on the other side in a place that feels like it could be a century older. The trees appear wilder and the vegetation seems to creep closer to the edge of the road. Before long, you begin to pass small lakes and rivers. Bogs begin to reveal themselves in clearings, and there feels like there could be a moose behind just about any clump of tall grass. A glimpse of granite peeking out of the ground completes the transformation, and soon you are surrounded by the signature beauty that defines the boundary waters and areas north into Canada. The few signs of civilization along the way consist mostly of the occasional outfitter and canoe or kayak carrying vehicle.

Our destination for the first night is Tuscarora Lodge and Outfitters located on Round Lake in close proximity to entry points 50 through 52. Our entry is scheduled for tomorrow morning (Friday) at Cross Bay entry point #50, just a hop and a skip up the road from the outfitter. We arrive at Tuscarora Lodge shortly before 5:00PM and head straight to the office where we're greeted by the lodge owner, Andy Ahrendt. Andy sets us up with our entry permit, bunkhouse accommodations and a discount coupon for the new Red Paddle Bistro located at the Gunflint Lodge, only a few miles over on the other side of the Gunflint Trail. We decide to take advantage of the coupon and use it as an excuse to go check out the Gunflint Lodge, since this is where we'll be staying the following weekend for our anniversary after the boundary waters spits us back out.

But of course, before we can leave, we must first view the requisite BWCA video. The new version of this video seems shorter and more to the point than the older one we've seen previously. Heidi particularly likes the new bear segment. The old version filled you with a certain helpless fear and dread over a possible attack from a hungry bear. The new video, in contrast, motivates you to action by encouraging you to take up arms, load up with rocks, and unload a relentless barrage of debris upon your shocked and frightened nemesis. I only wonder whether the bear in the video got paid extra for having to endure that abuse and whether multiple takes were required. Those didn't look like foam rocks to me!

After checking into our spotless bunkhouse, we stop by the supply store for fishing licenses. I immediately notice Bungee Dealee Bobs hanging on the wall for purchase. We already have plenty, but it's nice to see them available from the outfitter. Like our bunkhouse, the store, restrooms and shower facilities are all spotless and in great condition. They clearly run a tight ship at Tuscarora Lodge, and we'd gladly return on some future trip. All the folks working there are also very nice, and I suspect one of the Tuscarora cabins might serve well in the future as a home base for a series of day trips in and around this area.

A short ride from Tuscarora Lodge delivers us to the Red Paddle Bistro located in the main office and dining building at the Gunflint Lodge. The bistro is essentially a series of tables surrounding a small bar between the office and the main dining room. Heidi and I settle into some chairs at a counter-like table by one of the windows and each order a beer and sandwich. We had heard that the food at the Gunflint Lodge was really great, and we are not disappointed. Everything is fantastic. With the bistro this good, we can't wait to try the main dining room the following weekend. After a week of freeze dried pasta, granola bars and GORP, it will be a welcome shock to our taste buds.

While finishing up the meal, my eyes wander up the wall to an enormous bull moose head mounted above. My imagination fills in the rest of the picture, and I marvel at the sheer size of this giant animal. My thoughts move to the trip ahead and to the distinct possibility that we could awake some morning to find such a specimen right next to our tent. With the real sense of scale vividly set in my mind, I begin to feel a twinge of both fear and excitement. It is clear that seeing a moose from a distance or from behind a barrier at some zoo is something entirely different than having one towering above you. I conclude that my fear is a good thing, a healthy dose of respect for a place where animals bigger and more powerful than myself will abound.

Upon returning to Tuscarora Lodge, we take a quick walk down by the lake to work off some of our dinner and see more of the lodge. The evening is a bit humid and overcast, and it isn't long before the buzzing bloodsuckers descend upon us. We decide to make a night of it and return to the bunkhouse to make final adjustments to our gear. There is luckily no fighting over bunks, as we have nine all to ourselves to choose from. Fatigue from the day's travel finally trumps our excitement for tomorrow's launch, and we are soon off to sleep.