Unless we have an unusually early spring, the moccasin flowers bloom right around Father’s Day each year along the Gunflint Trail. This year, the moccasin flowers bloomed right on schedule at Tuscarora Lodge. We spotted this beauty on the first stretch of the little trail across the creek from Cabin 2. The bunchberry grow thick beside this path and there’s plenty of other wildflower treasures tucked in if you look close enough – starflower, false lily of the valley, perhaps even some northern mountain cranberry plants and definitely, lots of little green blueberries.

Other things have been right on schedule at Tuscarora too. The outfitters keep busy getting groups of all sizes (including our annual group of 48 wonderful middle schoolers) ready for the woods, while the housekeepers whip up French toast breakfast most morning and keep the place looking great as the paddlers and cabin guests come and go.

It seems only natural that the days are at their longest while we get into the summer swing of things and there seems to be endless possibilities for activities and fun. On the Friday, most of the staff went into town to take part in some the solstice/wooden boat show festivities at North House Folk School, including the contra dance. There’s so much summer fun on the horizon: a 5th anniversary dinner celebration put on by the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and the annual Gunflint Lake Canoe Races on July 15, just to name a couple options. Perhaps we’ll see you in our neck of the woods sometime soon for your own summer fun.

It always seems like time moves so quickly after summer solstice. Dusk creeps in a little sooner each passing evening. Sometimes it seems as if we blink and suddenly it’s late August.

That’s why I like to keep my eyes to ground and watch for the wildflowers popping up right on schedule. It keeps the passage of time in perspective. Each bloom (big or small), along with everything else, has its place and season. It’s our job to notice those seasons and schedules as they pass us by and to take a moment to truly appreciate and enjoy each season’s nuances and beauty. Happy Summer!