Ham Lake Fire
This weekend, we drove to the Seagull Lake at end of the Gunflint Trail with some friends. The Ham Lake fire is finally contained. The devastation that the fire left in its wake is hard to believe. Over 200 homes and outbuildings were destroyed along with 76,000 acres of pristine wilderness in the US and Canada. It is the largest fire in Minnesota since the huge fires of 1918 that destroyed towns and took many lives. Thankfully no lives were lost in the Ham Lake fire.
New Life After the Fire
Seagull Lake is still one of my favorite lakes in the BWCAW but it will take some time before it recovers from the last two fires. Last year the Cavity Lake fire burned 30,000 acres on the south end and most of Seagull’s Islands. The year before the Alpine Lake fire burned 1,000 acres on the west end. Some of this area was just recovering from the Roy Lake fire that burned most of the northwest end. The Ham Lake Fire has burned the remaining east and north side. There were several businesses and homes in this area. Some of these people have lived there for most of their lives.
Trails End Campground
We walked around some of the campsites at Trail’s End Campground. Some were left untouched but others were completely burned. The huge Norway Pine that held an eagle’s nest since just after the blowdown of 1999 was mostly burned. I wondered how long the mother stayed with the chicks as the fire approached. I’m sure many wildlife lost their lives during the fire.
We took some photos of Jessie as she looked at the burned forest. I wondered what goes through her mind as she saw the destruction. All she wanted to do afterwards was hug her dog.
Jessie Hugging Her Dog
The area will recover. Already, people are planting trees and going through their belongings. The fire burned so hot in certain areas that an aluminum boat completely melted and only the trailer was left in the rubble. Sprinkler systems and well trained firefighters saved many of the homes.
Loon Lake Rainbow
As we were returning home, a beautiful rainbow appeared over Loon Lake. If not for the firefighting efforts and the much needed rain, the area around Loon would also have burned. For those thinking of heading into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, go. There are hundreds of beautiful lakes to explore. If you canoe through the burned area you can see new life springing up all around you. Recovery has begun.