Early, Early Spring Toboggan Trip

I got back yesterday from a 4 day traverse of a portion of the tip of the Keweenaw, using the old winter canoe of the north, my toboggan. Brought along Gabe, Lynn's erstwhile hound for company (no one but the canine sort would go along with me!). Even Gabe was reluctant to go but he ended up sleeping warm in the heated tent. I ended up changing campsites rather than base camping and saw some great winter country in total solitude. The big lake was rimed with ice and the winds were creating big surf and turmoil. The snow was settled to about 3 foot deep with enough of a crust to make it great snowshoeing and easy to create a 1 trip "float" for the trailing toboggan. Thought I might detect the first stirrings of spring, but other than increased light it was not to be. Ended up walking out yesterday in the midst of a snowstorm.
When I got home there was a terrific racket of crows that were mobbing a snowy owl in the now peaceful falling snow. The owl flew off followed by 1/2 of the mob. The other 1/2 stayed behind and were just as noisy. As I watched, two from the big bunch plummeted out of a tall tree to the snow below, the others crowing loudly. With binoculars from 35 feet, I played naturalist voyeur as the two nibbled at each other playfully and performed coitus over and over; in the 4 minutes that I watched they were encouraged by others of their tribe that seemed as excited as the two performing the rites of spring. I guess I did get to see a bit of spring at the end of my trip, but back home!


Is it a smudge on the lense or a long tailed abominable snowman? No, it is a very large fisher that Gabe treed that then travelled from tree to tree at dusk on the coast fairly close to the Nature Conservancy "Club Superior". It was nip and tuck with light conditions and fast-moving fisher (as well as he went to ground once and I thought that he was going to tear into the dog) but I ended up getting one shot where at least he's silhouetted, moving from a deciduous tree to large white pine. The fisher moved through the trees in long soaring, death-defying dives that put any squirrel's movements to shame. On the ground he moved across the snow like a shadow; the heavy dog fell behind in the deep snow at every bound he took.




My canvas winter camping tent from Empire Canvas with titanium woodstove from 4 Dog Stove Co.