What an unusual spring! Last weekend, there was supposed to be an ice fishing contest on Poplar Lake. There wasn’t enough ice, so it was moved to Leo Lake – and told everyone to bring their own boat or canoe. I don’t know about you, but to me there is something incongruous about going ice fishing from a boat. But it’s only the end of March, and the ice is out on many of our lakes.

Look on the bright side: No ice or snow means you can come up here and hike and canoe before the crowds! I took my dogs out on the Superior Hiking Trail on Sunday expecting to get us all quite muddy. As it ended up, I was way overdressed on my feet. The trails were snow-free and mostly dry. We’re actually hoping that the trails will get muddier, since we need the moisture to keep down the fire danger. The bugs are still at bay, but hurry because it’s a sure bet that they will be here soon. Ruffed Grouse drumming is about to arrive, too.

Inside, we’re starting to turn the store over for spring and summer. Ice fishing gear is being replaced with fly fishing gear. We’ve been talking about going out on the big lake before work to look for lake trout, but we haven’t done that yet – maybe next week. With some of the heavy rain we’ve had, the river levels have come up and the water has warmed enough for the Steelhead to start running. More rain will do nothing but make things better.

In a few days, you will notice our canoe rack back out in front of the store. The beach kayak rack has been set up, and we’re in the process of moving boats from the warehouse. There seems to be an increase in SUP interest already this year, and we’re hoping to see a lot more of that activity on some of the nearby lakes.

We have a good supply of tents, sleeping bags and camping equipment in already with much more coming in soon. We were taken by surprise at how strong our boot and shoe sales were last winter, so we are a little low on those, but starting next week we should be getting all of our spring/summer shoes and boots in stock.

The bottom line is that if you have the time, come on up. There is much you can do before the spring/summer crowds arrive, and we’ll be glad to show you where you can hike and bike. Stop in soon – if you’re someone who wants to make the most of this unusually warm spring, we’ll be expecting you!