Some Gunflint Outfitters History...

Pantry — Part 2

The second year we were married, Bruce finished the pantry in our house. Each fall everything that couldn’t freeze was moved from the lodge to the house. In addition I would order cases of canned goods for the winter. The leftover pop would come up to be used all winter. By April the only kind of pop left was black cherry. We would also fill the freezer with a side of beef, packaged in sizes for 2 people.

Now that the lodge is open all year, we don’t stock up on food in the same manner. But we keep greater quantities of food on hand than most restaurants do. The nearest source of food is still 50 miles away and the food truck comes only once a week. There has to be enough food in the pantry to take care of the unexpected.

One year we had a well known politician as a guest. In addition to the Secret Service, there were reporters everywhere. In planning for the week, I tried to anticipate every need. Sure enough, the unplanned meal was requested. Would we be able to have a walleye fish fry for 100 reporters the next day? No food delivery would arrive in time. I felt pretty good when we had everything on hand for the cookout.

Requests for unexpected meals come whenever forest fires occur in the area. In the first few days the Forest Service has to depend on local resources to feed their crews. Being asked to provide a pack lunch of 2 sandwiches, fruit, brownies, candy, and pop for 150 people is not unusual. And can we give them all breakfast at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning? In emergencies like this everyone works together to provide the meals.

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