Outdoors Posts

The Water’s Fine

Is it over yet?

Photo taken June 3, 2013. According to Thom Storm, this is the latest date snow has stayed on the Chester Bowl ski hill by about a month.

Lift Bridge in Heavy Fog

Greenhouse Advice

I’m trying to make my yard and garden more inviting to pollinators, and I’m having trouble finding greenhouses in the Duluth area that don’t treat their flowers with long-lasting systemic insecticides that get into the pollen and nectar. I don’t want to bring flowers and shrubs home that will poison the bees and butterflies I’m trying to attract. Any recommendations for where to get untreated plants locally? I’ve gotten some at Burchfiel’s and some at Boreal Natives, but they don’t have everything I’d like to plant.

First Tick of the Year — 2013 Edition

In addition to misapplied possessive apostrophes and upset people in the newspaper, another thing we’ve been following on PDD for quite some time is the first tick to show its face each year. This little bloodsucker latched on to me today on the Lumber Camp Trail at Pattison Park.

Morel Hunting in Greater Duluth Area

I’ve done quite a bit of morel hunting in southern Minnesota, where I’m from, but I don’t know if there are morels up here or good places to look. If anyone up here has hunted mushrooms and can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. I realize that good morel grounds might be top secret around here, but if anyone is willing to share I promise I won’t tell anyone!

Mystic Moon Festival and Camping

Mystic Moon Festival and Camping is a three-part series of events located in North Central Wisconsin under the full moon, stars, and sun, encompassing a 600-acre plot of land with plenty of room for camping and recreation. The first part in the series, June 21 to 23, features 48 hours of non-stop Electronic Dance Music presented by the creators of DS Frequency’s Aura series, the 2011 and 2012 beach “Luna Parties,” Wrekt Records and Groove Shop North.

Duluth Outer Harbor Views

Wolf Blood

Ars Technica has an interesting article on Isle Royale wolf ecology.

See also:  Wolf Blood.

Rock-hopping Chester Creek

Duluth & North Shore Kayaking on NPR

NPR’s weekly sports show ended with a feature on the area’s whitewater kayaking. Hear Only A Game’s story on SoundCloud.

Some terrific photos are on the show’s Flickr stream, too.

Chester Creek Survey 3

Chester Creek Survey 2

Chester Creek Survey

Happy Smelting

Smelter: John Finkle
Photographer: Chelsea Froemke

Smelting posts from years past:
Where is the best place to eat smelt? (2012)
Duluth Smelting (2011)
Remember the glory days of smelting? (2010)