Mayor Don Ness estimates that repairs to public property will cost from $50 million to $80 million. Ness said the city has identified 340 sites that need repair, mainly streets and storm-water sewers.

“That’s a real key for city staff right now is to make sure that the storm-water system that was so stressed by this storm, that we clear the materials out of there, so when we have the next rain event we don’t have additional damage,” Ness said.

At the top of the repair list is the West Skyline Parkway, Public Works Director Jim Benning said. Washouts along the parkway have left some residents isolated. Benning said some of the bigger repair jobs will take months.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin assessing damage in the region Tuesday. It has been reported that FEMA officials will arrive in Duluth and hard-hit areas of Carlton County on Thursday. And the state Department of Transportation and Homeland Security and Emergency Management officials are advising ahead of the FEMA visit.

In the meantime, city staffers are assessing damage to private property, said mayor spokeswoman Pakou Ly.

Ness said the extent of damage to private property is still unknown.

“We know there’s going to be additional need, that there will be private property damage that isn’t going to be covered by insurance companies or by FEMA,” the mayor said.

In Carlton County, nearly 800 homes have been damaged by floods, and about 100 are uninhabitable. As in Duluth, few property owners have flood insurance.

On Monday, Minnesota Power said floodwaters apparently have crested and water levels are starting to drop at its reservoirs along the St. Louis and Cloquet rivers in northeastern Minnesota. That should alleviate some of the flooding in low-level areas downstream from Island Lake, Boulder Lake, Whiteface, Fish Lake and Rice Lake reservoirs, according to the Duluth-based utility.

Since last week’s flood, Minnesota Power has been operating its Thomson, Scanlon, Knife Falls, Island Lake and Fond Du Lac dams under an emergency plan for high flows. Gates have been opened to allow for large volumes of water to move quickly through the watershed to ensure the dams’ integrity.

When the high-water flows decrease, the gates will be closed at the reservoirs, which will help alleviate flooding. The expected dry weather should help.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Still geared up to contend with mountain passes I found myself trucking quickly through heavily wooded foothills. Most areas up here which are heavily wooded are also heavily Pine Beetled. These nasty little suckers have killed millions of acres of trees, desecrating entire parks and wilderness expanses. No large scale defense presents itself but the forest service (and larger community) have responded by cutting down the dead trees (to protect hikers) and using them in construction projects. The results are not pretty.

Proceeding northward, the trail alternates between beetle cuts and healthy wooded groves. The trail is wide and distinct where day use trails access it or cut over to junctures to back country destinations such as Boss Mine (on North Rock Creek Trail), Boulder Lake, Slate Creek Lakes, and Lost Lake Trail (a horseshoe trail off of the Gore). For the most part, the northern section of The Gore was overgrown to varying degrees.

God must have spilled his morning Joe while reading the paper on that first, laid back, Sunday morning because stagnant pools of the stuff speckle Eagle’s Nest Wilderness. I can’t help but suspect this is somehow related to the mosquito population which abounds to the degree that applying bug repellent is an exercise in frustration and futility.

Furthermore, the local woodland creatures were less than welcoming. Birds squawked and mini bears chattered angrily. I stayed on the trail and explained I was just passing by but some of them hopped tree to tree just to get their say in. I don’t speak their languages but, “buzz off,” can be pretty universal.

The trail wanders around down in the foothills, predominantly under tree cover, so views of the Range were infrequent. However, those views which do peek through the trees, are striking.

The miles passed and my feet grew sore. My Asolo boots have a seam idiotically placed along the center ridge of the footbed. Short on energy (still not hungry), I took an afternoon sit, dipping my feet into Boulder Creek. Upon referencing the map I found myself about to hike off its northern edge. Although I would be flying blind, water had been frequent and trail junctures are well signed and rarely more than 5 miles to civilization, so I pressed on.

As the air cooled and the shadows grew, pine gave way to spruce and the landscape opened up into waist deep meadow grasses. Here the Gore was indistinguishable from game trails and I proceeded with trepidation, constantly relieved to encounter a length of established trail. Rolling amoung the hillocks, I kept pressing on, hoping to find a mosquitoeless spot.

By true dark I dropped camp on a ridge, munched Ramen Noodles, and allowed the Ibuprofen to wear off so I could assess damages. The main grievances filed were sole pain and a toe nail jumped ship based on an old break, negligence, and being smashed against a rock while white water rafting. At the end of it all, I had covered at least 19.7 miles (but probably more like 21), and I felt beaten down. Consciousness dissipated into the vast web of stars.

The next morning was more of the same, but without the ability to determine location and distances I became increasingly discontent, culminating in a yelling match with a shrub which rudely snatched at my bare legs. Again I tried to eat but could hardly nibble a Clif bar. I knew I needed to get a grip, so stopped to refill water. Whereupon my Aquamira drops ran out. Only then did I concede that maybe I didn’t need to be out here right now and wasn’t having much fun by myself anyway.

Pride pushed us on to the rim of Black Creek’s canyon. From the southwest Dora Mountain and unnamed companions presided over the landscape. Grazing land stretched out to the north and Black creek connected the dots of 3 lakes and reservoirs. I inhaled deeply, trying to draw strength as I took off down the switchbacks. As I stole another peek at the behemoths at the head of the table I missed a step and rolled through a patch of Bull Thistle; coming to a stop one switch back down.

As I lay there, feeling bad for myself, an angry squirrel scuttled out onto a branch, the better to chide me. He then proceeded to hurl a pine cone at me. I’m not good at intrpreting subtle but even this was getting through to me. Next road I hit, I cut down toward civilization.

Within 5 minutes a truck pulled up and the driver informed me I was trespassing. An abbreviated version of the preceding 3 entries got a ride down to public road with no bad blood.

I stuck my thumb out, got home, crawled up the front stairs and curled up in my empty bathtub, too defeated to turn on the water or get undressed.

As it turns out, I had been 5 miles from the end.

This past weekend, I attended a Project Wild, Project Wild – Aquatic and Project Wild Minnesota workshop at the Boulder Lake Management Area. It was a perfect day for it. In past years, Boulder Lake would still be ice covered in the middle of April. Not this year! Blue skies and a spring wind – mmmm, good.

The training was led by Carl Haensel and Ben Bishop. Ben is in my program, so I knew him. And although Carl looked familiar, I don’t think I’ve ever actually met him, so it’s nice to expand the circle.

Project Wild includes a set – no, a tome! – of curricula for educators to use. The curriculum is tightly woven into K-12 school standards, so any teacher should be able to work it into a lot of different units pretty easily. And indeed, over half the attendees were school teachers or school teachers in training. The rest were environmental education students from UMD.

The agenda seemed to be primarily geared toward providing continuing education credits for teachers, but it’s certainly good info for anyone teaching outside.

Carl and Ben were team teachers, although I think the class would have gone fine with just a single teacher. If I had a wish, though, it would be for the class to be designed differently. We received three huge, thick books, full of hundreds of lesson plans, and we went through about five. So my wish would be that we would have spent some time strategizing how to use the books more effectively, instead of playing “Oh Deer,” which we were all familiar with.

We had a deaf student in the class, which was good. I like adding diversity to experiences – your perspective always expands beyond what you might have taken away otherwise. What I found myself thinking about, though, were the interpreters. There were three, and they were tag-teaming the whole time. Here’s the thing – interpreters (of whatever type) must need to be ready to handle situations for which they have absolutely no technical training. So, when we started talking about macroinvertabrates, there are a lot of concepts and words that start flying around that they need to be able to communicate. “Naiads are shredder macroinvertabrates which can be found in riparian watersheds.” Boy, if I were trying to sign that – yikes! I’m sure there are tricks of the trade, but the job must get stressful, at least sometimes.

Here I am, looking for a bloodworm on the petri dish:

Hooking a microscope up to a TV is genius! Prediction Time: Bluetooth microscope cell phone camera attachment that you view on your iPad. You heard it here first…

Anyway, it was a fun day at Boulder. As we were walking out to the deer exclosure, I mentioned to one of the other students – if the entire grad program was like this, I would never want to leave!

I’ll be interested to see how I’ll be working the Project Wild curricula into my teaching. A dynamite resource, if nothing else.

12 Free Classes for Landowners at Boulder Lake ELC

Do you or someone you know own land in the Boulder Lake area north of Duluth?

If so, don’t miss this opportunity to attend 12 Woodland Advisor classes for free ($270 value)…Thank you to the Northeast MN Sustainable Development Partnership – Forestry Committee for creating this opportunity.

There are currently 6 full scholarships left….

How to apply: Download, fill out, and return this application form by tomorrow – January 15.  Send it by email to jdgeissl -at- d.umn.edu or fax to 218-721-3373.  Please call 218-721-3731 with any questions.

Below are the Woodland Advisor classes included in the program. Note: you may sign up for individual classes but you will not be eligible for the scholarship money.

Minnesota’s Forests: Ecology, History and People
January 16, 6:00 -  9:00 p.m., $20

How Trees Grow & Top Ten Insect and Disease Problems
of the Northern Boreal Forest
January 17, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. , $20

Winter Tree and Shrub Identification
January 17, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. (includes MN tree ID book), $30

Financial Aspects of Woodland Ownership
February 20, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. , $20

A Brief Introduction to Using a GPS Receiver
February 21, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., $40

Using Landview for Loggers, Foresters, & Landowners
February 21, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m., $20

How & What to Plant in your Forest
March 27, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., $20

How to Mark a Stand for Harvest
March 28, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., $20

Forest Management Field Tour -
Grouse Management Area & Tapping into Maple Resources
March 28, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m., $20

The Nuts & Bolts of Timber Sales
April 17, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., $20

Measuring and Reading Your Forest
April 18, 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., $20

Controlling Runoff & Erosion around Your Property
May 14, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., $20

Note:  You can find many other Woodland Advisor class listings here.  Not all will be eligible for free registration, though!

Look at the numbers. Women are not a niche. They are the market. Fact is 85% of brands are purchased by women? Here’s what else women are buying:

• 66% personal computers
• 92% vacations
• 80% healthcare
• 65% new cars
• 89% bank accounts
• 93% groceries
• 93 % over-the-counter pharmaceuticals

Listen to women. Judy Hoyt Pettigrew, author of the book Women Mean Business, says, “With a woman, you have to sell to both sides of the brain; you have to appeal to her logic and intuitiveness. She goes on to say, “When a woman buys anything, we do it to enhance quality, to make life easier. If you can make a woman’s life easier, you are 50 percent of the way to getting her business.”

With so many homes on the market and so many sellers trying to beat out one another with price, here’s an opportunity to stand out by giving a woman what she wants? Women are looking for ways to enhance their lives and part of that is simplifying. Be sure to point out those features that enhance and make life easier.

Here are a few top features women are looking for:

• Multi-functional kitchens with an adjacent room or nook with a desk, or “command center”
• Luxurious master bathrooms that allow them to retreat
• Laundry rooms located in close proximity to bedrooms
• Curb appeal
• Ability to customize
• Green features and options
• Outdoor living space
• Organization and storage such as walk-in closets and pantries

Our feverish feet had jetted us the two miles to Boulder Lake in a mere thirty five minutes. Up until that point, the hike had been a fairly typical trek. A different story was to be told when we rounded the back of the lake and began our ascend to Boulder Mountain saddle.

Boulder Lake - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Another hour and another grueling pace left us with grand views down into Anderson Lake in addition to the intersecting valley vistas.

Wildflowers - Ray J. Gadd Photography

A friend who had hiked the region prior suggested that we check out an unnamed lake perched above Anderson Lake for better sight seeing and more untracked territory. With no objections we began the traverse across the steep back side of Boulder Mountain. It was a great hidden gem perched directly above Anderson. We eagerly pitched our tents and unloaded our gear in order to maximize the available sunlight.

Campsite - Ray J. Gadd Photography

My two buddies, whom had the good sense to pack fishing rods began to fit their lines and reals in the appropriate places. I opted for a different route and grabbed my swimsuit. Before you knew it we had made the journey down to Anderson, friends lines in the water and me exploring the various rock features leading into the water. Two seconds later and the fish were biting. Beautifully colored cutthroat trout emerged left and right. To be kind, I chose to sit out the fishing before spooking the potential appetizers. Forty five minutes later and there were two sufficiently sized fish ready to tend to our appetites. I found a fun little fifteen foot cliff to help me ease into the water. No turning back, the freezing snow melt only momentarily got to me as I was out of the water nearly as fast as I was in it. Refreshing none the less.

We made the hike back up to basecamp, changed, and started the next activity. You can imagine what was on the minds of three twenty three year olds around 6:30… FOOD! Pasta with pre-grilled chicken and home made pesto satisfied our ravenous hunger. The trout were originally set out to be our appetizer but due to some cooking flaws wound up being our dessert. That coupled with a few donut holes made for a fantastic all around meal.

Cutthroat Trout - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Big boulders surrounded our campsite and with 400ft. steep descends surrounding us, we had to take the opportunity to make some noise. The sheer size and weight coupled with gravity made for some powerful tumbles. Don’t worry, we were sure to check for people below before letting hell break loose.

Boulders - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Boulders - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Boulders - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Boulders - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Our equally adventurous demeanors for boulders had us climbing to the ridge line above us for a birds eye view soon after. From the top we had a near 300* view of our surrounding. Payette Lake, Lake Creek, Anderson Lake and our unnamed lake/campsite were a few of the identifiable locations within site. We sat perched on the spine of the ridge until the sun dipped below what we’ve been told were part of the Seven Devil’s mountain range.

Sunset - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Sunset - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Back at camp we built our fire back up and exchanged stories about the trials and tribulations of life and women over a glass of Jack Daniels. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to take the night to an end.

Sunset - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Campfire - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Bright morning rays seemed to filter into our tents far to quickly. Sluggishly we crawled out of bed to greet the new day. I jetted back up to the ridgeline for a quick morning glimpse. When I made my way back down a breakfast feast was in the works. Egg McMuffins, oatmeal, donut holes and tea refueled us for the day ahead.

When breakfast had been all but slammed down we got to work packing and cleaning up our camp. All ready to rock and roll, we decided to have a little fun before we left. Just above the unnamed lake was a lengthy snow field that was just asking to be boot skied down. Crazy straight-lines and several near falls kept us rather entertained. After all was said and done our packs were on and the journey back down began.

Boot Skiing - Ray J. Gadd Photography

It took us twenty five minutes to reach Boulder Lake. As we crossed the main stream that leads into the lake a shimmer caught our eyes. Further exploration was needed to determine if the site was worth pursuing. Sure enough, the entire stream was stocked full of 10-12in cutthroat trout. Some last minute fishing was in order. Within a matter of minutes there were two good sized fish ready to brought back home. After another twenty minutes, a handful of smaller fish and one more decent sized fish were caught. Three fish were gutted, cleaned and packed with snow for the remainder of the trek down.

Cutthroat - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Cutthroat - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Backpacking - Ray J. Gadd Photography

Wildflowers - Ray J. Gadd Photography

The last two miles took even less time as our steady clip had been maintained. Although only a mere five miles out, an unloaded pack and flip flops were greatly welcomed. It was a great 24 hour trip and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick overnighter. Just try to leave some fish and untracked snow fields for everyone else.

I'm leaving for Seattle in, what, three weeks now? I was looking at my friend Derek's lovely photo-blog this morning (when I should have been writing about milk, Goddammit), and getting really nostalgic. Since most people in Europe don't really know anything about Seattle, here's some view-porn, courtesy of The D.

And here's some of mine, from the summer before I left.

Footnote: I'm never drinking on Independence Day again.

Ok, back to Derek's pics. Below is my college town, Bellingham, which British people always mispronounce magnificently. It sorta looks like a favela here, but that's not really Derek's fault. It was probably designed to depress foreign diplomats or something.

This isn't exactly the same as my '5 minutes' experiment, but all the following things are within probably an hour's drive of Seattle. We like our nature over there.

And, finally, this January I'm traveling to Panama with this man. Would you trust him around coca leaves?

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