The Book Across the Bay

 As the year progresses, one of the things that keeps me sane and grounded is my anticipation of the fun and enjoyment that accompanies our several annual events. One of the more interesting annual ski events is the Book Across the Bay. It is a fundraiser for a number of organizations including the Washburn Public Library, using a grant process with the proceeds of the race.  Seventeen years ago a bunch of folks got together and decided to freeze a bunch of luminaries in pickle buckets, track a course from Ashland to Washburn Wisconsin across Lake Superior's Chequamagon Bay, ski or snowshoe the 10k, and then have a big party at the end.  The idea 'got legs' and this year 3,500 people joined in, from kids being towed on sleds to we borderline geriatric types.
The snow was almost perfect this year.  Ice being ice however, there were a few icy bare spots and the usual pressure ridges, the only topography at all on the flat course.  The weather was in the high single digits and three our our intrepid gang of eight, including me, decided to use skate skis, a decision that proved flawed as the evening progressed.  It was a beautiful night on the ice.  The sky in the west was a deep blue with a line of orange as the sun went down, the luminaries were lighting the entire 10k route, a rustlers moon provided some nice ambiance, and the Big Dipper pointed the way north to Washburn and it's seductive and inviting party tent.  I started the race with the KingOfIronwood Island.  That ended about 3k in when a woman started to fall and stuck her pole between my skis to brace herself.  We both went down with her on top of me.  The King claimed he never saw the incident and later, being a man interested in female companionship, asked me about my technique for having women fall all over me.  I got up, dusted myself off, and made it another 3 or 4k before a second woman fell over to her left as I was passing her and landed on my right ski, which put me squarely on top of her on the ground. I'm not going to print the Kings comment on that incident.  I had a minor fender bender on Thursday which all my friends and relatives attributed to tail-gating.  When I related these two incidents in the tent, I was immediately accused of ass-gating on the ski trail as well.  At this point any thought of a decent time had evaporated and I did fall one more time, all on my own, as I was crossing an icy pressure ridge at about the 7k mark.  Fortunately I remembered a local business that I patronize had told me they would be having a rest stop. The owner told me that in addition to a bonifre, healthful energy drinks and water, he  would also have an adult beverage or two for the folks he knew.  Of course the King had immediately stopped there and waited for me but I must have just missed him.  Somehow my sister skied past without me seeing her and we met at the finish line.  The last 4k or so was tough because the temperature had dropped to 0F and the skate skis felt like I had sandpaper on the bottom due to the change in the ice crystals in the snow.  We all made it in fine form however and enjoyed the music of Fido and the Love Dogs in the tent.  The three dollar pints of South Shore Nut Brown Ale made everything about the evening just that much better.  Some body passing even ensued, with a close relative of mine being a reluctant participant, but everyone had great fun.

Its great to see a grass roots community event come off like this.  Between the large warming/party tents on both ends, freezing and deploying the luminaries, registration, course tracking, and ambulance service, it was a collective community effort from start to finish. No giant corporate sponsor had banners all over the place; I hope Budmiller never hears of this event and attempts to throw big dollars at it so we can continue to enjoy the local brew.  The rest stops along the way were outstanding and have become really creative. The course went past the sea caves south of Washburn that we play in when the wind keeps us off the big lake, which were nicely lit with luminaries.  It's a great local event, one which we sincerely hope will continue in its present form.

(all photos are crappy iPhone images.  Sorry, I was traveling light that night......)

Beer, the Book, and the Bad River

Sorry for the belated post this week; I just returned from four days in hell, also known as Los Angeles.  Specifically I was in Anaheim at the gigantic soulless convention center for a trade show. Pretty much everything that I encountered was either aggravating, depressing, or fake,  other than my industry buddies, most of whom I look forward to meeting every year at this event.  Because they are my buddies, micro brewed beer is sought out and tested relentlessly.  Even the antiseptic convention center had a couple of micros along with the Budmiller, but the earnest business folk in their starched shirts with the company logos avoided the beer stand for fear that customers and potential customers would think they were having fun at this event.  The good beer pickings were few and far between however, with the exception of the sublime dry hopped, bottle conditioned IPA in the photo.  That beer deprived situation in Anaheim is a far cry from the vibrant beer scene here in Northeast Minneapolis.

A new brewpub actually opened up while I was out in freeway hell, an item forwarded to me by our crack marketing director, MsHotNSpicy.  612 Brewing opened up two blocks from where we first homesteaded when we emigrated across the border from Wisconsin back in 1978.  They  have an intriguing 'session style IPA', a naming ploy brewers use to hide the fact that they actually brewed an excellent bitter or ESB (Extra Special Bitter).  Indeed Brewing, another newcomer, is only about a three wood away from 612.  They have the delectable Day Tripper, which is also available in cans.  The real way to enjoy Day Tripper though, is from the cask, double dry hopped, at the brewery.  As I type this at 6am I get thirsty just thinking about it.  Dangerous Man opened up about 8 blocks west of Indeed.  I am behind in my brewpub testing but Dangerous Man ran out of their one thousand growlers in about a week and a half.  If you have a growler to lend it's a free pint for you until their next shipment comes in. Outside Northeast is Harriet Brewing, a fine establishment off Hiawatha Ave and Northbound Smokehouse with their home smoked meats and an excellent IPA.  Both of those have been visited but we have not hit Steel Toe in St Louis Park or Badger in Minnetonka.  We did visit Excelsior Brewing and had excellent cask ale there as well.  Badger uses a ploy a bit different than the 'session IPA' trick for their excellent bitter; it's called MSB, which stands for Minnesota Special Bitter.  So why have all these brewpubs cropped up on the last year or so?  Passage of the 'Surly Bill' or more properly the repeal of the special interest focused law which prohibited brewers from selling their own beer on their own premises.  This did zero to protect the consumer, but it protected distributors quite nicely, the guys who warehouse, store, distribute, and mark up the cost of the beer a few percent in the process.  Most of these new breweries have a rotation of food trucks that stop by in the afternoon.  This is another pheomenom that was jump started by the relaxing or repeal of City of Minneapolis ordinances designed to protect the consumer from eating great food on the city sidewalks.  While Minnesota has these two fine examples of legislating away rules which ultimately screw the citizenry, Wisconsin continues to plod relentlessly in the opposite direction.

I won't go deeply into the iron mining bill, that's for another post/tirade.  Certain Wisconsin interests seem determined to bend over backwards to let Goegebic Taconite build a mine that scientific evidence strongly suggests will destroy the Bad River watershed which flows into Lake Superior.  It will take a few years for the damage to occur so the bill has been written (by GTAC is the story) to absolve GATC of any responsibility before the leaching and contamination reaches full force.  This year the Bad River Watershed Association, an organization that won Lake Superior Magazine's 2012 Achievement Award, will be exhibiting at Canoecopia in the lobby area.  Their goal is not to be pro or anti mining; it is to point out possible threats to the watershed that they are named after, a river that flows through the reservation inhabited by the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa. The Bad and Kakagon sloughs are home to one of the most fertile and productive wild rice beds in the world .  Needless to say, healthy wild rice will really hate mining runoff.  More to follow on both the progress of the mining bill and the Canoecopia appearance, but sources have indicated that Lake is the Boss notables such as Podman and the inimitable GurneyGranny will be manning the booth, as will Yours Truly.  We might even be able to recruit the VoiceOfReason, a woman that you are compelled to pay attention to.  She is after all, the Voice of Reason.  A membership is twenty five bucks, a small price to help protect Gitchee Gumee, the lake we all love.  I have a scheme in the back of my mind for a Canoecopia membership bonus to sweeten the pot but I need to make sure it's legal.........We hope to meet lots of Lake Superior paddlers at the booth.

To complete the trifecta suggested in the post title, a bunch of us will be skiing the Book Across the Bay, a ski race/tour that benefits the public library.  The course has minimal elevation beacuse it cuts across Chequamagon Bay on our favorite lake, departing from what's left of  the ore dock in Ashland. The finish is a large and inviting beer tent in Washburn with both chili and excellent live music to accompany the South Shore beers that will be on tap. I am certain that discussion of the mining bill and the Canoecopia appearance will be foremost at the tent, fueled no doubt by South Shore Nut Brown Ale.  Unlike Anaheim there will be no fake snow in sight.


(I'd like to credit the Ansel quote and poster but it was sent to me by a friend, no idea of the source.  The Port Brewing High Tide bottle shot on the other hand, was all me.)

Paddles

What the heck is he doing writing about paddles in February?  Shouldn't he have a ski pole or maybe an ice fishing pole in his hand?  Could he possibly be thinking about violating his anti chlorine pledge and attending a pool session!?  Senility!!??  Actually my mind has been flirting with the idea of Canoecopia, one short month away.  The UndergroundHippie and I have been making reservations and plotting for a barley friendly weekend in Madison, one that will avoid motor transport and allow walking from our lodging to various eclectic eating and imbibing locations, primarily on Willy St.  I also responded to a 'what's your favorite paddle' post on Facebook.  I passed on the 'foam core carbon fiber asymetrical low profile this and that' stuff and tossed out my good old Basswood Greenland stick as my preferred paddle.

I will admit to having a pronounced retro streak in many things.  Wooden paddles, wool clothing, a single shot deer rifle, bamboo ski poles, and manual transmissions are a few of my old school preferences.  I like wooden paddles, Basswood in particular, because of the liveliness, the strength, and the hand feel.  The fun of carving a functional, efficient, and often beautiful paddle out of a rough 2x4 is a fulfilling exercise but they also really work well.  The VOR would give up her Betsie Bay Greenland stick only 'if you pried her cold, dead fingers from the shaft'.  Compared to carbon fiber, wood is flexible and gives you a feel of a flexing 'snap' forward at the end of the stroke.  It may just be hallucinatory, but that little extra spring forward does make me feel that I got that little extra jump as I exit the water to prepare for the next stroke.  I can make the same claim with my trusty '70s vintage bamboo ski poles; they just flex and feel really good moving forward.  Plus if I do break one, a bit of duct tape will get me back to the parking lot with no problems.  Hand feel is something that can't be replicated with carbon fiber either.  I often pass on the gloves in early and late season paddling on Gitchee Gumee because the warm feel of the wood keeps my hands nice and toasty, unlike the cold dead feel of carbon fiber.  I like Basswood as a paddle material as well.  The BadHatter and I made Basswood paddles with the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN and still have them. Sitka Spruce is much lighter and a wood that is used for masts and such, but I've broken two of them.  With the lightness strength is sacrificed. Western Red Cedar is the same, beautiful and light but it just doesn not seem to have the strength.  Strong wood species or not folks, a wooden paddle will break.  Christopher Crowhurst of Qajaq Rolls and another Canoecopia attendee/exhibitor, watched me come up with half a paddle in my hand late this summer after what I thought was a nice, smooth forward sweep roll.  For some reason forward finishing rolls seem to be a bit more deadly on wooden paddles than other activities, although a vigorous sprint to the finish line in a race can be deadly as well.  Note GalwayGuy with a treacherous Sitka Spuce stick that gave up the ghost 100 yds from the finish.  He still won his age group, even though he had to go to the backup paddle.

I am not a zealot on this paddle thing.  I own both Werner Euro paddles and also a carbon fiber Greenland stick and I paddle with both of them.  It sometimes feel like I'm 'cheating' on my Basswood paddle but variety is indeed the spice of life, at least in paddles.  The amazing lightness, strength, and even beauty of some of the carbon fiber paddles is truly amazing.  But for my every day forward stroking I love the feel of tung oiled Basswood in my hand.  It puts my mind at ease right along with the rhythm of the waves on my favorite large body of fresh water.  Speaking of fresh water, I am indeed planning on attending a pool session in the not too distant future.  No chlorine will be involved however, since the Bayfield Rec Center has converted their pool to salt water.  ChrisG of Boreal Shores Kayak tipped me off to this gem in my backyard when we were cross country skiing a couple weeks back.  I'm thinking I could complete the trifecta of telemark skiing, cross country skiing, and rolling my kayak, all within the space of an afternoon.  Now if RangerMark could only find those elusive Coho salmon off the Onion River I could add ice fishing for the quadrafecta.......if that's a word. 

Kayak lusting is only a month away in Madison boys and girls.  In the meantime enjoy the winter!!

The weekend ski report

The annual Intensive Training weekend found most of us wondering whether we would even be skiing because the trail conditions were so marginal.  The Birkie Tour was cancelled a week ago Saturday and the trails were pretty much skating rinks.  I guess all that it took was the ManFromSnowyLegs and I loading up the car and heading north for the snow to begin to fall.  We stopped at our favorite joint, the Trailways Inn south of Hayward, for supper and by the time we left driving had become exciting.  The rest of the gang rolled in and we headed for our favorite classical trail system, the Rock Lake loops, on Friday morning after an evening of beer, insults and loud complaints and accusations at the card table.

We were pretty sure that the US Forest Service would have not groomed the trails and we were spot on with that prediction.  There was about 6" of new snow on top of the ice however, and we had a wonderful day, even though we had to break trail.  The WoodFondlingBarrister is a man who favors, some say demands, perfectly set track and  even he had a good time in the woods.  These trails are narrow single track classical trails and the scenery is spectacular.  An area we call the White Pine Cathederal was breathtaking with it's towering canopy still snow covered from the night before. Classical style seems much more amenable to 'stopping and smelling the roses', and we stopped plenty to enjoy the brisk and snowy 12F day.  A little known post ski trick is to pay $5 and use the hot tub and pool facilities across the road at the Lakewoods resort; more on that later.

Saturday the group scattered.  The WFB absolutely required good track and lured the FamousCrimminalDefense attorney up to Mount Ashwabay with him.  Pod, the KingOfIronwoodIsland, and Spools headed back to Rock Lake to tackle the Holy Grail, the 16k loop, and the MFSL and I headed to the North End trails so we could skate and classical as well.  The snow was soft, I was soft, and my skis had wrong and not enough wax for cold temps with new snow.  The trail was 12k but under the conditions, including the 1,500 plus feet of vertical, it felt like about 30k.  The snow was soft but everything was covered, rolled, and the ice did not show through.  Even the actual Birkie and Kortie trails were nice, although soft.  We discovered that the Telemark lodge also had that same $5 health club deal.  We also noted that their sauna worked perfectly and that the Telemark hot tub had nordic skiers in it.  I'm going to throw out a generalization here but I've noticed that the average cross country skier generally appears a bit more fit and has a slightly different body type than the average snowmobiler.  I personally know exceptions but as a general rule.......Anyway, we had a lovely hot tub soak and nice conversation with some folks from Sparta, WI and some women from a Milwaukee ski club at Telemark on an annual ski trip.  In a controlled experiment we also discovered that while 4%ABV Bitter American froze in the car while we skied, that the 5.7% ABV Indeed Day Tripper stayed nicely liquid.  Ain't science wonderful?  Meanwhile back at Lakewoods the hot tub was a far different experience.  A group of couples, fresh off the snowmobile trails joined the boys for their soak.  From the Kings description, any one of them, male or female, could have easily blocked BJ Raji or Clay Matthews.  He also offered the opinion that they had been drinking for a fair period before entering the hot tub. Not quite as relaxing as our experience but variety can indeed be the spice of life.

We finished the weekend with the Washburn Pursuit: 5k skate at Mt Ashwabay, 5k classic at the same venue, and a pint of Widow Maker and a Patsy burger at the bar of the same name.  There is far more snow in Ashland, Washburn, and Bayfield (hint:if you take the first couple letters of each city you come up with.....Ashwabay!) than even 30 minutes south of there.  We did manage to get pulled over for speeding and, deja vu from the drive up, hit snow about halfway home.  35W had the 25-35mph crawl so we slid over to Old 61 where we could careen down the snow  covered roads at a more appropriate 50mph or so.

Even with marginal driving I have to say bring on the snow!  I think more will be needed before the Birkie and the 5" or so will help the Vasaloppet trail, which is scheduled in two weeks.  The Book Across the Bay is in three weeks and we can only hope that none of those crappy hot days or rain storms will screw up any of those races.  This was the first decent weekend of what we all hope will be many more this ski season.  That is, after all, why we live up here.

When at ski, the number is three - Rescue in the Northwoods

The above rule applies to sea kayaking and has been borne out countless times, including several incidents that I've personally been involved in.  I never thought much about it when cross country skiing however, simply because the risk factors we think about in sea kayaking, drowning, being blown out to sea, and other water related aspects just aren't there in the woods.  A couple are though, and hypothermia and remote locations with marginal access are most definitely cross country ski risks in many of northern Wisconsin areas.  As we learned from first hand experience on Saturday. 

  

Five of us headed to the Valhalla ski area in the Chequamagon National Forest for a short 6 or 7k afternoon ski before tying into some happy hour cheer and whipping up a nice supper.    We split up at a trail junction with a couple folks opting for a slightly shorter and somewhat less hilly loop.  I was with the threesome that took the longer route.  All was well until KK fell at the top of a long hill and yelled to her hubby and I, who were in the lead, for help.  I skied back and KK, a physicians assistant in 'real life', told us she couldn't feel or move her lower leg and it felt like she had broken her femur. After less than 60 seconds of consultation we decided that BK would stay with his wife and that I ski back to get help.  We had a cell phone but no service. I skied the 2k back to the parking lot as fast as I've ever skied and arrived, drenched with sweat, to find the other couple, BS and JS, just getting back to the parking area.  Still no cell service so I jumped in the car with BS and we headed for the closest help.  Fortunately, as a Wisconsin boy, I knew the location of the closest bar, where we called 911 on the landline.  We drove back to the parking lot in heinous disregard of the posted speed limit and BS headed back up the trail with blankets to KK's location which I had pointed out to him on the map.  A Bayfield Co. Deputy arrived very shortly after we got back and the Washburn Ambulance with both a Bombadier type vehicle and a snowmobile with a rescue sled showed up a short time later.  At least a half hour had passed and all I could think of was KK lying in the snow on a windy hillside with a broken leg. I told the paramedics on the snowmobile that I would show them how to get to KK back in the woods and they agreed.  Maybe 40 minutes had elapsed at this point, it's tough to tell.  We reached KK and BK and I'm not sure which of us were the most relieved. The paramedic did a quick check and went back to the sled. I heard him call for a helicopter evac to Duluth and to have an ortho surgeon ready. Unfortunately our balmy 25F day at the start of our ski had rapidly deteriorated.  The wind had kicked up to 20-25mph, the temperature had dropped ten degrees, and it had begun to flurry.  No helicopter would be heading our way.  BS then showed up at the top of the hill with he blankets.  After what had to be an excruciatingly painful stabilizing of the leg and loading on to the sled, we slowly made our way to the parking lot to avoid any unnecessary jarring and jostling. KK was loaded into the waiting ambulance where she was warmed up and stabilized.  I helped load the sled and gear and waited for BK and BS to ski out. The ambulance was still there when they arrived and BK was able to accompany his wife to the ER at St Lukes in Duluth. 

Lots of stuff went right, some could have been done better, and lessons were learned by Yours Truly.  The Bayfield Co sheriff's deputy was there faster than I could have imagined. I can't say enough about the professionalism and responsiveness of the Washburn Volunteer Ambulance Service.   They were there in no time, had all the right gear for the job, and coordinated the rescue very well. Ashland EMTs handled things when we got back to the parking lot and it sounded like a smooth trip to Duluth where surgery was successfully performed.  As I mentally walked through the afternoon, several times, a few things jumped out.

I did not wear my regular fanny pack, the one with the space blanket, candle, matches, stuffed down sweater, etc.  After all, it was just a short afternoon jaunt.  I could have utilized almost all of that stuff.  A gps would have been nice as well. I could have punched the coordinates and handed off the exact location.  Being the only one with the exact location, and only having it in my head was a troublesome thought.  I was able to point out the exact spot on a paper map to the EMTs and the comment was made, most likely from experience, that 'there are quite a few people that couldn't do that'.  Learn to read a map, carry one with you, and pay attention to where you are.  The cell phone was useless and I don't plan on a SAT phone for skiing; maybe a SPOT tracker but in this case the run to the bar seemed quicker.  Why I thought that BS needed to ride shotgun to the bar escapes me at this point.  He was working the cell phone, looking for bars/signal but we hit the bar before we had any coverage.  Having him ski out with the blankets immediately would have been the prudent thing to do.  JS could have came along to work the phone but we thought having someone in the parking lot in case help arrived was important.  Heading for the bar and it's landline was the best choice there since there were no houses in the National Forest; we did not even pass another car on that stretch.  BS heading out with more blankets was a good move as well. I was more than a little worried about hypothermia at that point.  As I write this post its -9F with a 10mph wind; I'm glad those were not the conditions on Saturday.  I couldn't go back with the blankets since I was the guy who knew precisely where she was, but we agreed that getting more insulation out there was critical with the dropping temp. I think the most crucial thing for getting KK out of the woods was having three of us.  Had she been alone she would have waited 45 minutes for the next skier to pass by, which one did when we were loading KK on the sled.  Two would have meant that the only recourse would have been to leave her there alone, cold and injured, to get help. This would be a poor choice, one that would be very tough to make.

Next weekend is our annual Intensive Training weekend.  We ski in spots with longer trails that are far more remote than the Valhalla loops.  11k thru 16k loops with some tough terrain.  Last Saturdays events and lessons will be in the forefront of our 'preflight' planning before we head out the door.  When at all possible, when we ski, the number will be three. My ‘survival’ fanny pack will be the big one that holds more than just extra wax, a cork, and a bottle of water.  We will communicate which trail we are on and give a reasonable time that we will be back at the parking lot.    

The VOR and I visited BK and KK in the hospital in Duluth yesterday.  KK had a long rod and some screws holding her femur together; “First broken bone ever and it has to be the biggest one in the body” was her comment.  I saw the x-ray and cringed a bit.  A clean break with jagged bone tips and a couple of cracks to go along with it.  She was up and moving however, and learning to use the walker and negotiate stairs.  The doctors say a complete recovery with no restrictions is the prognosis.  She is indeed a very tough lady.  Hubby BK was happy to change out of his ski boots after a couple days since details like a change of clothes were not on our radar as the ambulance sped off from Valhalla to Duluth. 

Play safe in the woods people.  Stuff is going to happen and it’s so much easier if you have a couple of things in place to deal with it.  Especially if it’s cold like it is this week in the Great Lakes states.  Perhaps when it’s below zero having a beer in that local bar is preferable to racing in to grab the phone for a 911 call.  Whatever you decide, please use your brain and think ahead a bit.  And be sure to get out there and have some good, safe fun in the snow.