It's July and resorts on the Gunflint Trail are busy! If you are coming this way, now is the time to call your favorite resort and get a reservation.

Meanwhile the fishing continues to be good. Andy McDonnell at Bearskin Lodge says that evening fishing with leeches and a slip bobber have yielded a 27" and 28" walleye. He feels that walleye fishing in the Bearskin area is better than it has been the last couple of years. Ted Young at Poplar Creek Guesthouse says his guests have been catching walleyes on Little Ollie lake which is unusual.

Teressa Baumann at Golden Eagle Lodge also has had some nice fish come in. A 30" and a 28" walleye were caught off their dock using leeches. Her son, Zach, brought in a 28" northern. Ericka over at Hungry Jack Lodge says that Leo Lake has been giving up some rainbows while walleyes, smallmouth bass and northerns are being caught on Hungry Jack Lake.

As usual the animals are out in force. Ted Young woke up at 6:00 a.m. the other morning to see a moose walking towards his apple trees. It immediately gave him a dilemma -- call the guests and risk the moose eating his apple trees or scare the moose away and save the apple trees. Luckily the moose just smelled the apple leaves so the guests got to see her.

Babies are out all over. Andy McDonnell says the fox babies have learned to follow when the staff is trashing fish guts. They follow the truck and feast on the guts. Golden Eagle has a loon with two babies. Teresa has also seen mallards with 10 and 7 babies.

Dave Seaton at Hungry Jack Outfitters has our best baby story. They have a loon with a cracked voice who has not been able to get a mate. This lonely male found a mate for the first time this year. He is so happy to have a baby that he is overly protective. At the same time thee is a very determined eale on the lake who wants loon chick for dinner. Every time the eagle swoops down, Dave can hear the distinctive call of the loon as he has a fit. So far the baby loon is still with us.

Everyone up and down the Trail from Luana Brandt at Nor'Wester Lodge to Shri Baker at Gunflint Pines to Sue Ahrendt at Tuscarora Lodge can't stop talking about the berries. The strawberries are good now and the rspberrries and bluberries are coming along fine. Sue swnt scouting one day and found pincherries, dewberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. She says don't get disappointed if you find some blueberries tha were caught b e cold snap. There are sill lots of blueberries around.

Two activities are happening on the Gunflint Trail now. The first is a grand opening of the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. It will oficially be open on Sunday, July 4th. Earlu opinions tell me that it is well worth the stop. The second is that the U. S. Forest Srvice is conductin an archeological dig at Gordon's Site on Gunflint Lake. They will be here through next week and it is a grat opporunity to see an actual dig in progress.

Speaking of the Forest Service, they have just come out with a guide to the new Centennial Trail. This trail was built last fall between the Kekekabic Trail and the Round Lake Road. Tom Kaffine from the Gunflint District has identified 14 historic spots on the trail. He then wrote a small brochure telling you the signifcance of what you are looking at. Spend an afternoon hiking this trail.