Our usual route to the Gunflint Trail, the Grade, was closed due to a construction project so we had to drive all the way back to US61 then to Grand Marais. We took advantage of the detour to stop for coffee at Java Moose.

We made good time up the Gunflint Trail to Gunflint Lodge to pick up our canoes. We got good guidance from Carson (not Carston) at the outfitters. He estimated it would take us 4 hours and he was spot on. I had wrongly anticipated that paddling up a river, the Granite River, would be easy going. The river was very pleasant but some of the portages around the rapids and waterfalls were tricky...especially the one marked as "split rock."

We had intended to make it to Larch Lake but decided to stop at Clove Lake which is a wide spot along the river. It was a great choice. Our campsite had a sandy beach and the sand extended well into the lake. It was so easy and comfortable coming into and out of the site.

The theme of this year's trip was, "Well, you are practically a scientist." This was based on our ability to determine (make up) several things including 1) why there was a sandy beach 2) why the snowshoe hare was so "friendly and 3) what makes a super moon. There was a flat, grassy tent site and the perfect setup for the hammocks. Clove Lake was not busy and had an eagle nest on one side. The parent eagles would fly around occasionally and there teenage offspring flew around frequently.

There were several beaver lodges and on one of our day trips, we interrupted a family of otters playing in the reeds.

We were also visited by a snowshoe hare which was a first for us. This hare appeared very accustomed to humans and got very close at times. We also had some friendly chipmunks and a song sparrow. The weather was perfect and we even had the supermoon. We were hoping for northern lights but the moon was so bright and we were facing south so didn't see any aurora.