My 14-year old told me about this this weekend as we were walking the dog around the neighborhood. “There’s a video of a guy snowboarding off this wall, then down into the creek and into that tunnel.” We got an e-mail at PDD headquarters this morning with this link, sure enough, the last shot is just as my kid described. Produced by local clothing company Jambox and filmed at familiar sites all over Duluth.
The first four seconds of this video is the gonzo adventure part, but the next three minutes and 26 seconds of trying to get out of the water is pretty good comedy.
Can anyone give me some tips on which trails are usable after our recent monsoons? I tried to run in Bagley Nature Area early last week and even after one day of heavy rain it was pretty soaked. I’m looking for somewhere on the east side of the city to take a run tonight. Hawk Ridge is my favorite, but I’m guessing it will be a complete mud pit for a while.
USA Today took recommendations from “local experts” across the country to select one great beach in each state and the District of Columbia. Greg Breining, author of Paddle North: Canoeing the Boundary Waters-Quetico Wilderness, was Minnesota’s expert. He recommended Park Point.
Minnesota’s best beach lies on 6-mile-long Park Point, which shields Duluth’s harbor from the furious storms of Lake Superior. Though the water is rarely warm enough for swimming without a wetsuit, the beach is a great spot to watch incoming waves, giant saltwater freighters and Great Lakes ore carriers passing under Duluth’s signature Aerial Lift Bridge, and to spot birds that rest on the point during spring and fall migrations. The Park Point Nature Trail follows the beach and occasionally passes old-growth pine and tamarack.
Jay Austin, a lake researcher at the University of Minnesota Duluth, says Lake Superior is running warm this spring after a warm winter and lack of ice cover. The lake’s summer “turnover,” in which the warm water from below replaces cooler surface water, may occur in early June instead of the customary early July.
Star Tribune: “Warmup could bring Superior swimming“
National Trails Day is this upcoming Saturday, June 2. Projects are happening all over town. Disc golfers (Zenith City Flyers) are planning work at Miller Creek Disc Golf Course. Mountain bikers (COGGS) are planning work in Hartley Park. Skiers (Duluth Cross Country Ski Club), are planning work at Spirit Mountain. The Wheels on Trails folks advocating for Universal Accessibility will be at Hartley Nature Center. The Duluth Area Horse Trail Alliance will be at the top of Gogebic Street and the DWP, brushing trails. For more info, contact Judy at 218-269-4712 or jgibbs @ duluthmn.gov.
Well, the snows have receded, so that means road construction and outdoor concerts. Here are a few highlights of the upcoming season.
June 15 | Trampled by Turtles
June 27 | Emmylou Harris
June 30 | Glen Campbell
July 1 | Wilco
July 7 | Twin Ports Bridge Festival (with the Jayhawks)
July 14 | Bayfront Reggae and World Music Festival
July 21 | Steve Earle & the Dukes
July 21 | Respect Your Mother Earth Festival
Aug. 3 | Bradfest
Aug. 5 | Bayfront Jam Music Festival (with Steve Martin)
Aug. 5 | Greg Brown
Aug. 10-12 | Bayfront Blues Festival
Aug. 31 | Cloud Cult with That 1 Guy
What outdoor concerts are on your radar this summer?
On May 1, Zach Chase and Kris McNeal set off on their bicycles to circle the Great Lakes. It’s a trip that will take 90 days and span close to 6,000 miles. They are filming along the way and will produce a feature length documentary about the communities surrounding the Great Lakes and the importance of the natural beauty in our backyard. Check out the journal they have been keeping along the way.
Last night I set my hammock underneath a footbridge in Tischer Creek to sleep over trickling water and under a starry sky. Using LED lights I lit the water and the hammock and came out with this time lapse. I hope to try this again but with different camera settings so I can capture star traces in the sky.
Our third video in the PDD Shift series is an interview with Tara Lieberg from the Great Lakes Aquarium.
Music: “Improv” by Andy Immerman.
For 25 years, one of the best bike rides in Duluth for those who like level, flat trails is the Munger Trail. But before you head out for a great ride up the old railroad track bed through the hills of far west Duluth, you might want to read my blog update about trail closures and delays this summer. There’s a total trail closure for bridge construction in the Riverside area until June 1 and major re-paving in the works for this summer.
The trillium and violets are blooming like crazy along the trail, though your best bet is to head for the parking lot off Becks Road for now.
This semester, UMD journalism student Jamie Merideth has been working at Perfect Duluth Day on a series of interviews with people at work. Monday through Thursday of this week, we’ll present four videos that profile five people and their jobs.
Here’s a chance to get 10-13 year olds out of the house this summer. Send them to Urban Wilderness Camp to explore the public forests and creeks of Duluth and Superior. Sign up for the location closest to you for drop off and pick up. This year, camps will be at Lester Park, Lower Chester Park, Fairmont Park and Billings Park. Find more information and register at hartleynature.org, or call 218-365-6537. Warning: kids may come home wet and dirty.
The goal of Duluth Outdoors is to be an online network for the outdoors community in the Arrowhead region of Lake Superior. Our indexed information is meant to provide visitors with recreational opportunities. Duluth is known for its outdoor recreation and now visitors and local outdoor enthusiasts can access those opportunities through one inclusive site.
