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One day at this time of year, you look at the date and think to yourself, “Holy cow. It’s already August. Where did the summer go?” Even if you’ve already had plenty of fun, you make plans to cram in some more good times before the fall colors arrive. It won’t be long now; and you know it. In the Northern Wilds, we save some of the best for last. The first weekend in August is when the Fisherman’s Picnic in Grand Marais occurs. Other big events include Rendezvous Days in Grand Portage, Beaver Bay Daze, CLE Family Fair in Thunder Bay, Lake County Fair in Two Harbors, Live from the Rock in Red Rock, Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth, Tori Music Festival in Finland, the Blueberry Blast in Nipigon and the Boundary Waters Blues Fest in Winton. You can find out more about these events and others in this issue.
You don’t need to attend a festival to find fun. For a growing number of folks around here, riding a bike is where it’s at. In this issue, we take a closer look at biking in the Northern Wilds. We meet a man who is building backwoods trails, as well as some of the folks who ride them. August is an excellent month to get out on Lake Superior as well, although you can’t do that on a bicycle. Many folks who visit the Northern Wilds (as well as a surprising number who live here) never get out on the big lake. We’ve provided a round up of the many ways just about anyone can have a Superior experience.
Speaking of Superior, just about anyone who has ventured down to the shore is aware the lake is presently at a near-record high level. Emily Stone takes a closer look at why the water is so high and what it means for communities along its shores. For Superior anglers, Gord Ellis gives a basic breakdown on how to use downriggers, a tool which lets you fish great depths without adding a heavy weight to your line.
In this issue, you’ll also find a story about the newly elected tribal chair of the Grand Portage Ojibwe, Beth Drost. You may notice the story was originally published by Minnesota Public Radio. We are pleased to announce that Northern Wilds is now a news partner with MPR. This came about a few weeks ago when MPR reporters Evan Frost and Cody Nelson joined publisher Shawn Perich for a morning of brook trout fishing. The excursion proved mutually beneficial. Suffice to say that Evan and Cody were bitten not only by hordes of mosquitoes, but also with the fly-fishing bug. Hopefully, the pair will have some fun on the fly before summer slips away. We hope you will, too.—Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt
