The Legend of Ollor Snevets Lives On

Many years ago I worked for one summer at Gunflint Northwood Outfitters. Near the end of the Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais, the outfitters sat at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. (The "wilderness" designation didn't happen until several years later.) Janet Hanson owned and operated the outfitters.That summer, she hired an old, one-armed guy to put a foundation under a log cabin on the outfitter's property.

Ollor always worked alone. He didn't talk to anyone, other than Janet, that I ever saw. He spent a lot of time walking back and forth. He sat and stared at the cabin with a cup of coffee (I assume it was coffee). He  grumbled and mumbled. He got the job done.

Ollor, the old and one-armed guy, got the log cabin raised up. He got a foundation dug and laid up. He got the cabin set on the foundation. And, it was all good!

Ollor didn't give up. Ollor figured things out. Ollor got it done.

The wind storm this past July blew out the cover of our ShelterLogic Roundtop. It is a 12' by 20' by 10' high canvas-covered shelter. The wind ripped the cover down the middle. A replacement cover was ordered and arrived in September.

This morning, I put on my "Ollor Snevets" persona and installed the new cover - all . by . myself!! I may not be old. OK, I am old. I may not be one-armed. But, I'd like to think I'd honored the memory of Ollor Snevets.

It turned out pretty well! If I do say so my self.

It lives! It lives!

Looking pretty good!

Postscript:
"Ollor Snevets" is a rather unusual name. You may be wondering about its origin. The story - that long-ago summer at Gunflint Northwoods Outfitters - was that Ollor was really named Rollo Stevens. He changed his name because he was (allegedly) on the lam from his wife. And, now you know the rest of the story.

Hawk Ridge

Scanning the Skies

Spectacular fall foliage is not the only thing we watch for in late September.

Raptors of all shapes and sizes migrate north to south at this time of year. Many, on their journey south, bump into that vast expanse of water known as Lake Superior. Those raptors, being pretty smart birds, are reluctant to head out over the lake so they follow the North Shore of the lake toward Duluth. At Duluth, many birds pass over an area known as Hawk Ridge.

Hawk Ridge is not only a popular place to see the migrating raptors, it is also the location of the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. During the migration season, September 1 to October 31, the staff and volunteers of the observatory do a count of the passing birds. They also capture, band, and release a few of them. On the day we were there, they had counted quite a few as tallies in the photo below show.

Hourly/Daily Bird Count

While we were at Hawk Ridge, the staff caught, banded, and released a Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

and, a Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

and, an American Kestrel.

American Kestrel aka Sparrow Hawk

To raise money for the operation of the observatory, the audience is invited to "adopt" a bird that is about to be released. For $25, the "adopter" gets to hold the "adoptee", have their picture taken, and then release the bird. Also, if the "adoptee" is ever re-captured - anywhere in the world - the "adopter" is notified of the time and location of the re-capture event. Cool! This young person got to hold and release a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

About to release a Sharp-shinned Hawk