Another Trip to Tofte

[takesiteasy]

I had my annual ski trip to Tofte MN with friends a week or so ago. This winter has been very mild with the exception of a couple of brutal cold snaps. The week before we went saw warm temps and rain storms pass over the North Shore. We were uncertain what kind of conditions we would run into.

As it turns out, there was plenty of snow to ski on and the trail-grooming folks turned what could have been icy trails into very ski-able conditions. We skied two days and went for a hike on the third along the picturesque Temperance River, which tumbles through a steep gorge on its way to Lake Superior.

Here are a few pics from the trip: https://goo.gl/photos/MZX4Ad4HmvUNNQ8o9


Lake Superior (no ice this year):

Groomed trails through the woods:

Wolf tracks:

Lynx tracks:

Beautiful day for skiing:

Temperance River on its way to Lake Superior:

The start of the gorge:

Some prototype Ojibwe-style snowshoes made by apprentices at Urban Boatbuilders
where I volunteer:

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Al.I remember that area from when we camped there several years ago.
The gorge is very beautiful with snow. And wolf/bobcat tracks what a great day on the "skinny skis".
Thanks for the post.
Frank

 

[ski3pin]

That looks like so much fun with your buddies! Beautiful country! Thanks for taking us along.

 

[Taku]

Nice. I have had friends work in that area and often talk about how much they liked it. Now I see why. Nice to to see tracks in the snow like that too.

 

[Bigfoot Dave]

We are heading up there in a week and a half to ski? Snowshoe? Hike and get away. Thanks for the great post. Your wolf track picture reminds me of my wife asking why there were dog tracks on the XC trail and how did the get so much hair in them. She skied faster the rest of the day HiHi

 

[takesiteasy]

Thanks for the nice comments. The animal tracks definitely add to the fun- they are usually quickly obliterated by blowing snow. One advantage of this year's icy conditions- the tracks were preserved for our enjoyment. We had some debate about the cat tracks- whether bobcat or lynx. We decided on lynx based on the size- hard to see in the photos.