Twister at Goose Lake

On Friday July 4/2003 a little after 1:00 PM, a series of severe thunder storms passed through the Goose lake area.  As part of this storm system, a twister developed just south of Nechigona Lake and tracked east crossing Goose Lake about 2 miles south of our camp. The path was very straight and ended at Mamakwash Falls.  Although we were spared the twister experience, we did get several severe thunderstoms and gold ball size hail stones which did serious damage to our cabin roofs.

The twister started on the south side of the first lake south of Nechigona and ended at Mamakwash Falls

The starting point
 

The end point
 

The track

Crossing Goose Lake

 

2 Miles north of track at Goose Lake

 
 
 

Yes there were people out fishing during the strom.

<>Hi Bill and Louise!           I just had to write a note to tell you that we had a trip that we'll never forget. We came with our friends Bob and Karen Newstrom from Duluth, MN. Not only was the fishing fantastic( 29 inch Walleye) but the hospitality was wonderful. Thankyou Louise for starting the stove after the tornado and thank you Bill for coming to our rescue after the storm. I thought that we would write a short story about what happened the day of the storm.
We got a late start after having a big breakfast on the fourthof July. I wanted to show
Bob and Karen the Upper falls and we wanted to have "shore lunch" on the small island near the the mouth of the river. We couldn't catch a fish for nothing,(we had caught 50 the night before). We could see that it might rain but we were going to tough it out with our rain gear (we came here to fish right?)
We kept watching the clouds, and they started getting ominous looking. We were too far from camp to chance a run home  sooo!
Karen said those clouds are moving in two different directions and I think we're going to have a twister!!!
Bob is a very capable outdoorsman and figured that the mainland was the safest place to go, so he headed there. I, on the other hand, watched as he headed right at the storm, so We(Dottie andI) went to the island.
Dottie and I had a perfect vantage point to watch the tornado form, touch down, jump the south bay, and come dowm directly behind our friends. But we couldn't watch long because we saw what was coming!!!
A million hailballs, some as big as handballs. I got hit a couple times in the arms and I knew we were in grave danger. Luckily for us there was some old plywood on the island. This plywood might have saved our lives. We were pummeled for 15 minutes under that plywood and then the rain started to pour. We waited for a while, till the rain let up a little, and went out to try to see our friends.
We used my binoculars and could not locate them.
It started to hail again again, this time marble size, but they still sting!
So back under the plywood we went.
We waited out the hail and again the torrential rain.
We went out to look again and we could spot their boat on shore, but nobody in sight.
Once again the hail and rain, and back under the plywood.
Again we thought we could go back out. It looked like it was letting up. We decided we were going to go look for our friends , so I got in the boat and Dottie started to push us out.
The hail started again and We used our boat cushions to protect us until we got back under the plywood. And we waited for the rain and hail to subside.
After a short time we got out but it was still rainig pretty good. We decided that it was time to try again. Well, we got across the water and found our friends OK, karen had got hit by hail, but the pine trees had protected them pretty well.
Now the problem was that Bob couldn't start his motor.
We decided to tow the boat by anchor rope and pray that more hail and rain and tornado would not return. Thank God it didn't and Bill came to the rescue.
Bill got the motor running and we headed home.I
I remember getting in the cabin and the fire was going. Again I thankyou Louise!!!!
WE warmed up and talked about how blessed we were to survive unscathed except for a few bruises and wet cold bodies.
It was about 4 pm and after all that hail I thought we'd have to wait till tomorro to catch any fish.
Again I was wrong because Bob and I ventured out again, and that 4th of July night I caught the biggest walleye I had ever caught- 29 inches.
Later that evening I was sitting with our group contemplating the day and I said "what a day !!!!! Was that a nice fish!!  Karen Newstrom just looked at me and laughed in wonderment.My fish over a tornado,hail, lighting, and towing a boat inthrough a storm.
Kinda funny how men think,HUH???
We're gonna do it again!!!!!!!! Dottie and Jim