It’s been a long time since i’ve had a chance to hit the trail. With no snow up here in Red Lake, winter has been passing me by. It’s the end of January and we haven’t had enough snow to even break out the snowshoes yet.....that all changed last week when we got blasted by a freak ice storm followed by a good dumping of snow. With temps today sitting around -20 and not a cloud in the sky, I figured today was perfect for my first outing of the year. I dusted off the snowshoes and headed for my favourite trail.
What makes living in Red Lake so unique is how close you are to pristine winter snowshoeing opportunities. 30 minutes after leaving my front door I was at the trailhead. This area features a few different trails leading into a chain of small lakes. While this is my “’go-to” grouse trail in the fall, winter seems to bring out the best as the area is rich with Moose, Wolf Lynx and Snowshoe Hare tracks....but not a human track in sight!
After strapping up, It felt good to break trail for the first time in 10 months. Snow depth was only 18 inches but heck, that’s enough of an excuse to get me out there.
It was also my first time out with my new bush pup.....she’s lovin the snow!
I hadn’t given much thought to the freak ice storm we had a few weeks back, but as I continued towards the lake, I came upon a tangled mess. The trail literally closed in with trees and it became difficult to travel. I’ll have to come back with my saw and clean it up a bit.
I’m amazed at the power of ice. Look at the bend in this poplar.....
It didn't take long to reach the lake.....looks like nobody's been here yet this year.
This lake is loaded with Walleye and Pike so i'll be back in the next few weeks to drill a few holes and get into a mess of fish! I've only walked into the lake in the summer and fall so hard water will give me the opportunity to explore this lake inside and out...who knows what could be around that bend....
I'm always on the lookout for a wolf or coyote while out in the winter. There lots of tracks skirting the shoreline of the lake so I know there's lots of activity. I'll have to bring the predator call out for my next trip and see what I can stir up. Sight lines are excellent from this spot so i'm hoping for success....for now, this is the only canine I could rustle up....she'll be an amazing "bush dog"! Can't wait to train her for the canoe.....for now though, she's at home in the white stuff.
Not much of a report, but it felt great to finally get out there. We're getting another dumping of snow tonight so conditions can only improve.
