BWCA Permits

Boundary Waters permits become available for reservation tomorrow, Wednesday, January 30th. Call us now so we can assure that we get the permit you desire. We have many great trip route suggestions on our website at www.seagulloutfitters.com/routes.htm . In addition, we are happy to discuss and assist in planning new and unique trips into the Boundary Waters. There are over 1,000 lakes, rivers, and streams stretching over 1,500 miles of canoe country. The Boundary Waters allows you to get away from the everyday hustle and bustle and truly find the inner beauty in this world and in yourself.

Beyond Boundary Waters permits, Quetico permits are available five months in advance of your trip. The 1,500 miles that the BWCA has to offer extends into over 600 more lakes on the Canadian. Planning a trip into the Quetico adds a little extra paperwork. Let us know if you are interested and we will get you set up!

Give us a call and we'll help get it all set up for you! We look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Planning!!
Katelyn

Gunflint Greenup 2013

If you are available the weekend of May 3-5th, the Gunflint Trail could use your support!! The Gunflint Trail will be holding the 6th annual Gunflint Trail Greenup. The Ham Lake Fire of 2007 has affected many areas throughout the end of the trail. Throughout the past few years, we have worked at cutting the vegetation that had been crowding other plantings. The upcoming year provides a variety of activities including tree planting, additionally vegetation cutting, as well as maintenance of trails at the Chik-Wauk Museum. Any help in assisting the natural disaster is greatly appreciated.

To cap off the weekend, the Gunflint Trail is also hosting their annual Ham Lake Half Marathon. In addition to that, there will be a Ham Run 5k and a Little Runts Run. For additional information, head to the website at http://www.hamrunhalfmarathon.com/. 

Seagull Outfitters and the Gunflint Trail truly appreciate the endless support and commitment. 

Katelyn

Brisk Winter Weekend

We have survived the brisk weekend on the end of the Gunflint Trail so far. The temperatures haven't surpassed zero yet and are not looking promising for the next few days... Lows around -25 and highs around -2. The cold weather allows for beautiful scenery and wildlife though. The winter weather really brings about the moose as they enjoy laying out in the middle of the roads to lick the salt. The photo below was taken along side the Gunflint Trail... How beautiful!!

Although the weather is cool and brisk, there is no lack of enthusiasm for summer 2013 canoe trips and cabin stays. The phones have been busy and the trip planning has begun!! We are here to help if you have any questions. Please don't hesitate to call. To get you started, head to our website at www.seagulloutfitters.com/routes.htm to get a jump start on your route planning!

Stay warm!

Katelyn

Happy New Year!

Greetings from Seagull,

With the New Year approaching, it is time to get back to planning for the coming summer.  We have had a great and restful off season.

October was spent catching up from the endless days of summer.  Dave and I had planned a Far East vacation for November 2012,  so we were busy getting everything in line for summer 2013 marketing, rates and web changes before leaving for Sydney Australia on November 20th.  After a couple nights in Sydney, we hopped on a ship for 27 days ending in Hong Kong just recently.  We snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef and visited spots on the globe that I could only dream of...Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong.  It was truly a memorable trip which leaves me with images and experiences of a lifetime.  It makes those long summer days worthwhile.  Katelyn took over the phone and email which really gave me a break.  Below are a few photos of the sights, sounds and smells that we experienced along the way....

 

         

 

We are ready to go for 2013....everything is current on the website including cabin availability. We are here to take your calls and emails daily as you start thinking about your summer plans.  We can help you make nearly anything become a reality!

A few details for you in regard to permits....Quetico Permits are still reservable 5 months in advance of your trip departure date....so, June 15 trips can be reserved on January 15, etc.... Boundary Waters Permit Reservations open up on January 30, 2013.  We are happy to reserve your permits so best to get your plans in line soon.  Call or email if we can help you with anything.

NEW IN 2013....we have added another Kevlar canoe model to our fleet of rentals.  It is the Wenonah Champlain.  It is a larger version of the Kevlar Spirit 2, very stable and designed for larger loads...give it a try, we think you will like it. In addition, we have NEW tents coming in as well as NEW sleeping bags. 

We have started the staff hiring process for the summer.  If you know anyone that may be interested in working a summer in the Northwoods, send them our way.  As many of you know, Katelyn will be doing an internship this summer and working on her Master's Degree...she worked alongside me for 4 summers and will be missed.  That is one position we are looking to fill as well as the usual staffing needs of towboat operators, outfitting staff, store staff and cabin cleaners. 

We look forward to hearing from all of you and hope to see you back at Seagull this summer.  Happy New Year!

Deb

 

 

Fall is Winding Down at Seagull

We awoke this morning to 20 degrees on the thermometer and a light dusting of snow on the ground!  Burrrr....the transition from 70 degrees to this is way too sudden.  We have been enjoying some nice lazy October days.  Fortunately we were not caught off guard and have most of our outside chores done for the winter. 

I had been enjoying some nice quiet time working in my office at the store.  It is amazing how much one can get done when we are not open. 

Katelyn showed up last weekend and we hiked the Blueberry Hill Trail over at the Chik Wauk Museum.  It was raining lightly but made for a great view from the top.

I tend to immerse myself in Seagull in the summer and miss out on the opportunities outside our doorstep!  This hike should be on everyone's list for next summer.

Dave and I went to Grand Marais today as we start our Skype interviews for summer 2013.  We had the pleasure of using a friend's cabin in the woods and it made for a nice morning.  We hired one young man that will start work May 1.  More Skype interviews to come....

I am working on 2013 rates while Dave is busy designing some new canoe racks.

Open this hyperlink 2013 cabin openings and check out our availability for next summer.

More blog updates to come so stay tuned!

Deb




Bittersweet Goodbye

I am writing this blog as a last chance for me to say thank you, goodbye and how great it was to meet all of you. Throughout my past four summers working at Seagull Outfitters I have met an abundance of faces and personalities that I could never forget. The outreach of customers I have had in the last couple weeks since I left Seagull Outfitters is incredible. My parents came up to Seagull a few days before I left to help me pack, take in a little more of the Northern solitude and to relax with Deb and Dave a few more nights. We had a blast eating burgers and playing darts. From there, I headed back to St. Cloud where I had a postcard waiting for me from a Seagull customer, Linda... and have received a couple since. Today, I was fortunate enough to get a call from long time Seagull customer, Jim, who was passing through Duluth. We were able to meet down at Grandma's restaurant and have a nice lunch. Prior to leaving Seagull I received endless support for my grad school endeavors and was reassured it would be worth it!... I hope reading over 100 pages each day is worth it! :) All of the support warms my heart and I look forward to crossing paths with many of you in the future.

 

I truly want to thank Deb and Dave for everything... mostly for putting up with me for four years!... For those of you that know me, that can be quite the difficult task!! The success of Seagull Outfitters became so evident to me after working so closely with each of them. They put their heart and souls into their business day in and day out... working from sun up to sun down. If I gained a small portion of their work ethic, organization, and drive, I know I too can be successful in grad school and beyond. I learned so much about how to run a successful business that I began to wonder what I was doing going to grad school for Exercise Physiology rather than Business Management. It will one day take an extremely special person to continue the success Deb has started. They are hands down my second parents and there are not enough words to thank them for all they have done for me! The two of them have been there for me endless nights and I appreciate it so much.

I miss Seagull Lake already but I guess living on Lake Superior for the next year will have to work. I already look forward to future visits up the Gunflint Trail and to one day tell my kids the great stories of the amazing friends and customers I met while working at Seagull Outfitters.

Such a bittersweeeeeet goodbye,

Katelyn

Fall Foliage

Yellowing leaves over at our Paddler's Lodge

The leaves are just starting to turn up here in the Northwoods! We're excited to watch the wilderness change its attire even though it means that things are starting to quiet down. As the season slows, our staff has been cut in half and we're missing all the kids that usually come through now that they're back in school! Katelyn, who just finished her fourth and final year as a Seagull staffer just started her graduate program in Exercise Science in Duluth. Three of our other staffers headed back to college last week as well, leaving just four of us. Although they'll be missed, we're loving the dropping temperatures and changing landscapes. It's a beautiful time of year to head out into the woods -- hardly any bugs, comfortable weather, and amazing scenery. We're making the most of the time we have left! Here's a picture from my camping trip last week:

Sunrise on Seagull Lake

With just over three weeks left in the season, you've still got a chance to make it up here for a quick fall getaway before the school year gets into full swing! Or, begin planning your vacation for next season. We've already begun to book cabins and canoe trips for 2013!


Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you soon!

Katie