Half Moon Trail Resort Blog

Boot Lake Ice Off 2017

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Ryan Ahrendt

Thursday morning was beautiful here at the resort, with the sun peaking over the trees and illuminating the resort with a warm orange glow. One of the photos shows a beaver out for one of his first paddles this season, and stretching his legs after being in cooped up in his lodge all winter. This early spring is wonderful, as it gives us an early jump on spring work and getting Cabin 19 finished up! It seemed like the ice went off the lake quickly this year, going from the normal light grey ice color, to a dark blue color just before it started breaking up early this past week. If your curious, our lake association has the history of freeze up and thaw dates. Check it out here!

Posted in Nature, Photographs, Resort Activities, Resort Life | Tagged Boot Lake, Half Moon Trail Resort, Minnesota resorts, Nature, Nature Photos, Northern Minnesota Lake Activities, Park Rapids, Resort life, Signs of Spring, Spring | Comments Off

Deer, Deer, and More Deer!

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Ryan Ahrendt

Mary Kate and I (Ryan) went for a short evening drive yesterday as we both enjoying seeing deer. The field directly across from the resort must have been hosting a deer convention, as there were over 100! We have had a fair amount of snow up here this winter which makes the forage in the fields inaccessible. The deer are excited for spring, and to eat something other than the woody browse they have been eating through the winter months. We, just like them are excited for the warmer weather and are anxiously awaiting getting outside and working on yard work and spring projects!

Posted in Family Life, Nature | Tagged Deer, Family Life, Wildlife | Comments Off

Dave Ahrendt’s Wood Carving Shop

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Ryan Ahrendt

Recently, my brother, Nate, and I helped my dad build a small heated wood shop so he could start carving again. Prior to buying Half Moon Trail in 1995, he and my mom were artists, and made their living carving and painting bird sculptures. My sister, Kayla, has an interest in art, so Dad is doing a little teaching this semester and Kayla is getting a little hands on training from the pro. The photos below are just the “roughing out” stage, which usually starts with a chainsaw, like Kayla is using below. I’ll post a few more pictures at a later date, showing the carvings when they actually look like something other than a piece of firewood 😉

Posted in Family Life | Tagged Art, Carving, Family Life | Comments Off

Ski Date

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Ryan Ahrendt

Liz’s parents were up this weekend and were kind enough to watch the kiddos while we took full advantage of the beautiful weather today and went skiing at Soaring Eagle Ski Trails, located north of Park Rapids about seven miles. The trails were beautiful and it was great to get outside without bundling up like a marshmallow to stay warm 😉 As with many of you, it’s been pretty chilly the last couple weeks with most days barely getting up to zero, so it felt pretty balmy when the thermometer read 20!

Posted in Area Attractions, Family Life | Comments Off

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Ryan Ahrendt

Happy New Year! We’re getting pumped to see many of you this summer! Installing v-grove is how Nate and Ryan celebrated New Years Eve and day. Cabin 19 is coming along nicely and it’s at this stage, where all the rough-ins are pretty much completed, and the paneling is going up, that we can start to imagine all of it coming together…and we’re SO EXCITED with how it is turning out. One of our neighbors is doing most of the paneling work, but Ryan and Nate hopped on the crew this weekend as it was time to do the pitched ceilings, which required scaffolding and a few extra hands. Ryan measured, Nate cut, and Vern, our neighbor, set each board in place. One extra picture of the supervisor, Mary Kate, is included

Posted in Resort Activities, Resort Life | Tagged Boot Lake, Half Moon Trail Resort, Park Rapids, Resort projects, reuinion cabin | Comments Off

Sundog Over Boot Lake

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Ryan Ahrendt

This morning was brisk, with the temps hovering around 10 below and the windchill about 30 below. I zipped outside for a few quick photos of this beautiful sundog before my fingers and camera lost the ability to function. The lake froze over this past Saturday, and with the last few days dipping down into the single digits, and nights well below zero, the lake already has 3-4 inches of ice out in front of the resort.

Posted in Nature, Photographs, Resort Life | Tagged Boot Lake | Comments Off

We’re not just dreaming of a white Christmas

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Ryan Ahrendt

Like many of you, we’ve been wrapped in a winter white blanket of snow these last few days, just in time for Christmas! We excitedly welcome the snow, as it means cozy fires, warm soup, a bit more family time, and breaking out our cross country skis!

The drifts of snow weren’t quite as impressive as some that made the news in North Dakota, but there’s something magical about fresh, untainted snow covering everything as far as we can see, and seeing the real life “flocked” Christmas trees all over the resort!

Two to three dozen trumpeter swans migrate through the area and visit Boot Lake every spring and late fall. We enjoy watching them glide back and forth in the lake, sometimes stopping to feed right in our swim area! They are particularly beautiful with the fluffy white backdrop!

Posted in Family Life, Nature, Photographs, Resort Life | Tagged Boot Lake, Family, Family Life, migration, Northern Minnesota Lake Activities, Park Rapids, Resort life, swans, Wildlife | Comments Off

Taking the Docks Out

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Ryan Ahrendt

Yesterday, Dave and Ryan pulled the docks out of the water. This is generally one of the last things to do to get the resort ready for the winter. They had the cutest audience, and Mary Kate even took her maiden voyage on the Bobcat!
docks-out-1

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Building Cabin 19

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Ryan Ahrendt

We broke ground the day after Labor Day on our new, six bedroom, Cabin 19! Here are some pictures to show the progress. The windows will probably be installed this week, and maybe even the roof! We’re hoping to get the exterior all buttoned up before any really cold weather heads our way.

Posted in Photographs, Resort Activities, Resort Life | Tagged Building Project, Cabin 19, Half Moon Trail Resort, Minnesota resorts, Park Rapids, Reunion Cabin | Comments Off

Summer mornings

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Ryan Ahrendt

There’s been a little taste of the approaching autumn weather with a few cooler mornings lately. We get excited, because fall is one of our favorite times of year as the trees burst into radiant colors around the lake, but we will soon miss these beautiful, warm summer mornings. We love looking out over the lake and seeing a thin blanket of fog over the glassy water and the warm sun rising across the lake. Here’s a couple pictures from last week that capture those mornings perfectly!

Photo credit: Emily Vennerstrom

Posted in Nature, Photographs, Resort Life | Tagged Boot Lake, foggy morning, Minnesota resorts, Nature, Nature Photos, Park Rapids, Photos, Resort life, summer morning | Comments Off

Classic Summer Lake Photos at Half Moon Trail Resort

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Ryan Ahrendt

Here’s a few classic summer photos that I couldn’t resist sharing! These were taken a few weeks back by Michaela, our resident photographer;)

Posted in Family Life, Photographs, Resort Activities | Tagged Boot Lake, Northern Minnesota Lake Activities, Photos | Comments Off

Resort Activities at Half Moon Trail

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Ryan Ahrendt

Here’s a few quick photos that we took earlier this summer of Tuesday’s activity lineup. Marble Mountain is a game for younger kids, and gives the pint size participants a chance to win some dazzling new marbles. For the minnow races, we use two rain gutters side by side and race minnows from one end of the gutter to the other. It’s a unique, and often humorous activity for both kids and adults!

Posted in Resort Activities | Tagged Resort Activities | Comments Off