By Joe Crain
After last year’s record breaking snow total of 137.1 inches (As recorded by the nearest National Weather service station in Duluth, MN) a lot of us up here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin were hoping that this winter would be a bit kinder to us… But I don’t think many of us were hoping for things to be as snow free and mild as we have been having this winter season! The only decent snowfall we received this season came in October. That month, we saw more snow fall than had fallen in both the months of November and December combined! The last time that happened was 1913, according to Minnesota Public Radio’s Updraft weather blog. Of course, all of that snow melted away well before the Christmas holiday. At the start of January the National Weather Service in Duluth, MN had recorded a 29.8 inch snow deficit compared to total-snowfall averages by that point in the winter. The first week of January saw temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above average which forced me to go hiking instead of cross country skiing on my annual first week of January vacation. Although it was some nice trekking on the local stretch of the North Country National Scenic Trail, I would have much preferred to be sliding along on my skis than stomping down the trail in my hiking boots. Finally, in the second week of the month, things turned wintery, as the temperatures fell and a bit of snow started to accumulate again. For about a week we had what seemed like fairly normal winter weather. It wasn’t what I would call an Ideal stretch of winter weather though, because by the next week the mercury suddenly plummeted to 10 to 15 degrees below average for January! This meant that we were dealing with below-zero highs and -15 degree overnights… but beggars aren’t in a position to choose.
The snow that came wasn’t but a few inches at first, and was just enough to coat Lake Nebagamon enough to ski its surface. Finally the ’23-’24 ski season was underway! It felt great to be out there cruising along on my skis! I was able to get out on the lake until the 14th when the bitter cold swept in. Below-zero temperatures are just a bit too cold to be out skiing. At the time, I thought it would just be the usual short burst of cold and I would be out there soon enough, but little did I know. From the 14th to the 19th things stayed chilly, and we welcomed a few small snowfalls. I sat inside, warming up, dreaming about skiing through camp as the ground total finally reached about six inches — enough depth to ski over the ample tree roots sprinkled through the Camp Nebagamon ski/bike trail system. Around the 20th of the month the mercury again started to rise and I was indeed able to ski camps trails! Unfortunately the mercury didn’t stop rising when it got to the average temp for mid-January, and just kept going up. I was able to ski the complete five-mile winter trail through camp twice before the paltry snow cover succumbed to the spring like temperatures. By the 25th of the month the daily high temps were again back to 10-15 degrees above average, leaving us hovering just above freezing for the last two weeks of the month. With the a high on January 31st of 45 degrees and above freezing temperatures predicted through the first week of February I suspect we will again be snow free in no time. Yes, that’s right, I have put the skies away again and have put the hiking boots back on.
Debating with myself wither this new hybrid Fall-like/Spring-like season should be called “Spall” or “Fring” it’s Caretaker Joe At Camp.
