Sam, my guide, drives us to his favourite spot in the frozen harbour near Duluth. A harbour-side panorama of grain elevators, ore docks, shipyards and the city's famous Aerial Lift Bridge spreads behind. This plate isn't going anywhere. That's good news, because I've been told that every year fishermen drift out to the open water when ice separates from shore. Fortunately, most get rescued by the Coast Guard.
Seasoned veterans carry cell phones or drag small boats onto the ice, just in case.
Sam leads across the slippery surface, pulling a sled piled high with gear. I scuffle behind, trying with the grace of an inebriated penguin to stay upright. The fishermen in Grumpy Old Men were wimps compared to these guys on Lake Superior. Because of the uncertain ice, there are no seasonal shelter houses out here. A few have tents, but most sit in the open, their backs to the bracing breeze.