Grand Marais, MN The Gunflint Trail Association is pleased to announce the dates for the Third Annual Winter Tracks Festival. Planning is underway and the 2007 Winter Tracks Festival is scheduled for March 1 to 4, 2007. This festival continues to celebrate the best that Minnesota winter has to offer; in classic Gunflint Trail tradition.
Activities throughout the festival include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sled rides, races and contests, seminars, guided hikes and tours, a variety of unique dining options and shopping. Events are for the entire family. New activities in 2007 will include skijoring, geo-caching, curling and quin-zhee building.
Grand Marais, the gateway to the Gunflint Trail, this year is offering additional activities during the Winter Tracks Festival. The Sivertson Gallery will feature artwork of Canadian Inuit, Siberian Yupik, Alaskan Inupiaq and Yupik artists. The North House Folk School will offer a 2-day workshop weaving birch into baskets, shoes and hats.
"This is classic winter fun at its finest," says John Bottger, Winter Tracks coordinator. "There is something here for everyone. We realize that lots of folks need some how-to when it comes to the winter arts, so this year we are offering a variety of "intro to" events to get them started. All of us who live here love winter, and we want to share some of the fun and excitement with the rest of the world." The festival is open to the public and guests of Gunflint Trail and Grand Marais resorts, and most of the activities are offered free of charge to registered Winter Tracks participants.
The Gunflint Trail, originally a footpath for Native Americans to get to Grand Marais, is a 60 mile paved road that runs from Grand Marais to Saganaga Lake through the Superior National Forest and adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). The Gunflint's 200 kilometer Gunflint Nordic Ski Trail System is recognized as one of North America's finest ski trail systems. Snowmobilers can travel up to festival events along the Gunflint Snowmobile Trail from Grand Marais.
Plan to attend this year's Winter Tracks. Poplar Creek Guesthouse Bed and Breakfast still has opens for this exciting event. Information on Winter Tracks and a calendar for the 2007 events can be viewed at http://www.wintertracks.com. Among the events sponsosred by Poplar Creek Guesthouse are; a Mongolian Firepot Dinner for Thurday night - March 1, a wooden ski festival scheduled for all day Saturday - March 3, a seminar conducted by Ted Young entitled "Yesterdays BWCA" on Friday night- March 2, and providing a list of Quinzees and Snow Forts built around the area.
News Years Eve day started with a light rain but by four in the afternoon the rain had turned to snow. The snow continued through most of the night. By morning three inches of heavy wet snow had accumulated on the ground.