Life at Tuscarora Lodge

Another Day…

On Wednesday, we watched the shoreline of Round Lake (our little jewel) burn from the landing to the Brant Lake portage. Helicopters (like giant mosquitoes) sucked up the water from Round Lake to dump on hotspots.

We scurried around prepping canoes and camping food for crews that plan to go in to Brant Lake this morning at 8am. Katie, our newest staff member arrived to help Mike and Jake, and begin her summer adventure! Worker bees from Grand Marais–Judie Johnson and Lynn Swanson received check point clearance for Fire Business and came to our food packing party. Jane and Sheldon Fewer (my parents) continue to be stabilizing forces.

Dave and Nancy Seaton down on Hungry Jack Lake have stepped up their busy outfitting weekend to help us accommodate for our fishing opener guests. There isn’t any smoke around the mid trail area—and on Saturday the season opens for lake trout and walleye fishing.

Wednesday evening we watched a successful back burn—planes ignited a fire line from Larch Lake toward Magnetic Lake—and the north side of Gunflint Lake. This was an awesomely beautiful sight. We’re hopeful that it burned the fuels on that line—so that when the wind shifts today—out of the north west, hopefully the fire will burn back onto itself and stall on the north side of Gunflint Lake. As I drove down the trail to spend the night with the kids in Grand Marais (they still have school, piano lessons, tennis practice in town…) I saw a moose watching the flames. She stood still—apparently not afraid of the fire, but she spooked when she heard me roll down the window—so I couldn’t get a photo of her.

Shelby and Daniel’s friends and cousins will be glad to know that although the fire burned all the way around the back house, only sparks touched their trampoline.
Life at Tuscarora Lodge

Aren’t we lucky?

Our neighbors, our competitiors—Hungry Jack Outfitters, Gunflint Lodge, Voaygeur Outfitters, Seagull Outfitters, Gunflint Pines, Loon Lake Lodge, East Bay Suites—these folks go out of their way to make sure that Tuscarora survives.

  • The volunteer fire departments—-(the slogan “support your local volunteer fire department” takes on a whole new meaning) are also our neighbors, coaches, community members. They have walked through fire for us here. (note that this picture was taken on Sunday night at the end of the Gunflint Trail)

  • Our guests and staff members— all Gunflint Trail guests—aren’t just looking for a good time, but have found a home in the BWCA and Quetico. They’re loyal stewards as well.


  • We are even grateful for fires in the Wilderness. They refresh, they cleanse. We see what new growth a fire in July can incite by September. We’ve been through the Cavity Lake Fire footprint. We now realize that an outline on paper doesn’t mean that the area is black. (Ashy pictures are newsy and compelling, but the actual experience is that of a mosaic).
    Most campsites are still lovely, views still stunning.

  • Fires don’t burn lakes. Still, there are calm waters, big skies, ecosystems always changing.


We are blessed with incredible community support for our family far and near–nothing like a crisis to drive that home!

Life at Tuscarora Lodge

On it burns…

I made it into Grand Marais to watch the kids’ talent show —because we were still evacuated from Tuscarora. We’ll stay in town tonight-too smokey for the kids up there. The world goes on as if all is normal. When I saw (USFS) Tom Kaffeine (I had seen him at the check point an hour before) I rushed over to talk to him….someone who was familiar with the “front lines”—someone who knew.
It was a firey, smokey afternoon up the Gunflint Trail. Andy managed to get a sheriff escort back in to Tuscarora, where he is now keeping the sprinklers running while watching the shore of Round Lake (by the access road) burn. He is also hosting 3 crews (60 fire fighters) in the bunkhouses. I’m glad that he is not alone.
It is a calm evening, the humidity is up. At least the fire should lie down for the night. We continue to hope for rain….and brace ourselves for another hot dry day forecasted for tomorrow.
Life at Tuscarora Lodge

Regardless of our predictions—the fire will do what it will.

About an hour ago I was comfortably writing a blog from our cocoon of Tuscarora, thinking that the fire was “contained” in our area–as we had heard at the 11am public meeting.

The hot (80 degrees) dry wind has shifted from south west to west–enough to stir something up. My dad came in and said—“Flare up beyond the point!!” we scrambled to start up the sprinklers. The hot dry sun took the eerie orange glow as large flames loomed from the west–on the ridge beyond the access road. The sheriff drove in to evacuate us.

Andy is still at the check point–where we heard from the air support on the radio “Tuscarora does not appear to be in immediate danger–this fire will burn into the black. We’ll need to watch for a change in the wind.”

The sprinklers will run as the rest of us are based at Gunflint Pines until the fire decides to let us back in.
I also heard, unofficially from Seagull landowners at the checkpoint, that Fishook Island is burning hotly today. I’m not hopeful for Wilderness Canoe Base, the special place where Andy and I met. We grieve with the entire Wilderness community today.
We also continue to be thankful that no lives have been lost to the Ham Lake Fire.

Welcome!

Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters
193 Round Lake Road
Grand Marais, MN 55604
218-388-2221
info@tuscaroracanoe.com

Winter Hours
Please call between 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.

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