Battling a Snowstorm & High Wind at Cabin on Lake Superior! (-15ºF)

Welcome to the rugged north shore of Lake Superior. Resembling a vast ocean, it's the largest of the Great Lakes here in the United States. And on top of the rugged coastline, this region boasts the only mountain range in the state of Minnesota. And so we're spending the next few days at a cliffside cabin perched above the shoreline. Taking in the beauty of this extraordinary place. We'll be hiking the coastline, witnessing remnants of the past, and trekking into the backcountry, experiencing the raw power of nature. So grab a seat and pull up to the fire, because this is Tiny Capital. Hey everybody, welcome back. I am so excited to be here. We're at the most beautiful A-frame cabin perched right above Lake Superior. And even better, I've got the whole family along for this adventure. Now we're a little further south than we normally are on the north shore. We usually spend our time up in the Grand Marais area. Well this time we're right around the Split Rock Lighthouse. So we're going to get a chance to explore some new things. Things that I have never seen before. And then I also brought my snowmobile along so we can get out and do some exploring a little bit deeper into the woods. But before we do anything, let me show you around the cabin. So as you guys can see, this cabin is incredible. You've got floor to ceiling windows looking out over Lake Superior. Just an absolutely beautiful living space here with a couch. We've a little coffee table and tons of room for Olivia to run around and play. And then we've got a full kitchen set up, which we're definitely going to take advantage of. I'm going to make some good breakfast this morning before we head out on an adventure. And we're going to make a really, really good dinner tonight as well. Just over here is the main bedroom. This is where we're sleeping. You've got a king-size bed, nice natural light coming through looking up at the mountains here. And then a very rare treat for us, we have a bathroom. We've got running water, a toilet, and a shower. And honestly, I'm not mad about it, guys. You know I love my off-grid cabins, but having the whole family here with Olivia, having a bathroom space like this is just going to be very, very convenient. And then there is a loft. If you come up here, there is another bedroom, which I love. If I was staying here by myself, I think I would probably stay up in the loft because you easily get the best views of the entire cabin from up here. And then outside we've got a fire pit as well as our own private sauna. So this place is beyond incredible. And I'm happy to be back on a video. I haven't been on a video in a while, so hello again. Just happy to be here with the fam. What do you think of the cabin? Is it cool? Big cabin. You want to go hiking later? Yeah. Me too. Well guys, before we head out and do some exploring, I'm going to whip up a bomb breakfast. We're doing chocolate chip pancakes with eggs and sausage. We'll see if these turn out better than the last time I made pancakes. Oh yeah, baby. Crack an egg. Yay, you cracked it. Yay, you cracked the egg. Good job. Good job. Good job, Olivia. You did it. Crack another one. All right, last one. Last egg to crack. Yay. Good job. Crack an egg. Yeah. I'm going to eat it. Yeah, I can't wait to eat it too. I love daddy's eggs. You love daddy's eggs? Yeah. Oh, you're so precious. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Yes. Not too shabby, guys. The pancakes turned out so much better than my first time doing it. Of course, the eggs and sausage look amazing too. Oh yeah. Phenomenal. Is it good, right? It's really good. Thank you. Yeah, of course. After breakfast, it was time to head out for a little bit of a hike on the shoreline. We started to get some snow flurries as well, which was absolutely beautiful. All right, so we are headed to the Split Rock Lighthouse. It's a historic lighthouse on the shore of Lake Superior here, and this is really exciting because we're always so much further north that we've never gotten to really stop and check it out. Yeah, we're really excited to do this. We drive by Split Rock so many times when we come up here, and we're always like, we need to go check it out, and so we're finally doing that. So yeah, we're excited. Oh my gosh. This is beautiful. This is absolutely stunning, you guys. I just love how Lake Superior has the rugged coastline, and over here we've actually got the black sand beach. You can see the rocks here are a darker shade, and that gives it that black sand, which is just so unique. We're hanging out at Pebble Beach, which is a very popular place here in the park, especially during the summertime when people are out in kayaks and even taking dips in the lake. But during the wintertime, this place receives far less visitation due to the extreme cold. Good job, sweetie. Lake Superior always blows my mind just with how massive it is. I mean, this thing is essentially an ocean, and it gets really, really crazy out there when the wind picks up. You know, if you look at the waves that are coming in right now, this is pretty tame compared to what it can be. I mean, they get waves that get to be 10 feet, 20 feet, and there's probably even bigger ones way out in the middle of the lake. So unfortunately, the girls had to make their way back to the car. It's just a little too cold. I can see the lighthouse just poking its way up over the tree line. However, I bet you if we make our way over this hill, we can get a better view. Let's give that a shot quick, and then we'll make our way back to the car and meet up with them. Gotta be careful on the rocks here. They are slick. Oh yeah, that is what I'm talking about. Wow. The Split Rock Lighthouse was built in 1910 and is one of Minnesota's most iconic landmarks. It was built in response to the increasing number of shipwrecks along Lake Superior's rugged coastline, particularly during stormy seasons. It was originally powered by kerosene, but was eventually transitioned over to electric. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1969, but it still stands today as an icon of maritime history. Once I met back up with the girls, I remembered that there is a scenic overlook where we can get a good view of the lighthouse, so we headed there to make sure that Rye got a good view as well. All right, I believe this is the overlook. The snow is really deep. Yeah, it is. That's stunning. Isn't it? Yeah. Oh my gosh. It would be so cool to go in there one day. I know. It's too bad it's closed. I know. I mean, we would be in there if it wasn't, but yeah, that's beautiful. After checking out the overlook, I took the girls back to the cabin and Ellie and I set off to find another hike. All right, so Ellie and I are going to get out on a hike now. We're going to head only about 10 miles away to Gooseberry Falls State Park and hit a trail from there. We're planning on checking out Gooseberry Falls itself, and at this point in time, the trail is supposed to be very, very icy. Ice cleats are encouraged, and if you don't have those, snowshoes will do just fine, which is what I happened to bring on this trip. My snowshoes broke. The little strap here just snapped right off, so looks like we're going without them. I'm going to have to leave them here at this bench and grab them on the way back. Well, it looks like the Middle Falls are just right here. Oh, yeah. Wow, that is beautiful. The Gooseberry River is a 23-mile stream which flows into Lake Superior, and the falls here are made up of three distinct drop-offs, the Middle Falls, Lower Falls, and, of course, Upper Falls. Each set of falls is pretty close to one another, and so the plan is to check out all of them today. Well, this is certainly more of a gentle hike than I was expecting, but it's very cool. I've never seen Gooseberry Falls before, and so it's pretty neat to be here and to see it completely frozen up like this. Oh, these must be the Lower Falls. Yeah, absolutely. Definitely seem bigger than the Middle Falls. Certainly wider, that's for sure. It's pretty cool how you get both tiers here. You can see the Middle Falls on top, and the Higher Falls are just around the corner up there. And here are the Upper Falls. Wow, very, very beautiful. There you have it, Gooseberry Falls, just another beautiful place here on the North Shore in Minnesota. After the hike, we headed back to the cabin to cozy up for the night. All right, what are you about to do? I'm about to go in the sauna. That's so great. It's so cold outside. It's 15 degrees out, so I'm so looking forward to this. There goes Mommy. As soon as she's back, I'm going in. Elmo says hi. Yeah, Elmo is happy. That's right, he's happy to see you. That was so incredible. Was it nice? Yes. How was the steam? So great. We need a sauna. Well, I'm glad it was good. I'm definitely getting out there. Gosh, this is awesome. All right, guys, let's get a little steam. While I sit here in the sauna, I want to share with you the partner of this week's video and how they helped me to manage my YouTube channel at home and on the road. This right here is my hygge desk on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Hygge is a Scandinavian word that means cozy, but it's even more than that. It's a lifestyle centered around contentment and simplicity. And so the idea of a hygge desk is to make your work environment as simple as possible to allow for maximum creativity and productivity. And the Opera Browser is just an extension of that for me. What I love about the Opera Browser is how organized and clutter free it is. I love how you can use different workspaces. So as you can see, I've got my research tabs open here. But if I click over to the second one, I've got my creative tabs open, helping me keep those processes separate and organized. And there's also built in AI tools, which is extremely helpful for doing research or if I need to create a quick image for a video. And I also love that there's a built in ad blocker to help keep my screen decluttered and help me stay focused. Traveling on a weekly basis has made it imperative for me to be able to keep up editing videos and researching new adventures. And so the hygge experience that I get from Opera has made it so that I'm able to stay inspired and productive when I'm out on the road. So if you want to get the same hygge experience, you can do so by downloading the Opera Browser by following the link in the description of this video. Or if you want the chance to work from a designed hygge desk in Norway, you can apply by following the link below as well. It's a pretty cool opportunity and I think you guys should check it out. After the sauna, it was time to make some dinner. I decided to make one of my old favorite dishes, a scramble with sweet potatoes, onions, Brussels sprouts, eggs, and sausage. It's tasty Not too shabby. You guys, you got to give me some credit on this one. We've got multiple ingredients, most are vegetables, and it looks really good. And it is very good. That sausage makes it. It really just adds a whole other level of flavor to it. All right guys, it is time for me to hit the hay, but I just found out we're supposed to get some snow overnight. Anywhere between two to eight inches. You can see that we're starting to get some flurries already and it's supposed to continue all night. But as for right now, I'm gonna get some sleep. We've got another awesome day ahead of us tomorrow. Good night guys. We definitely got a few inches of snow overnight, although it's a pretty light powder which is being pushed around quite a by this heavy wind. The temperature this morning is significantly lower than yesterday, hovering right around eight, nine degrees Fahrenheit, but the windchill is certainly dipping down below zero. Here you go. Thank you. Okay. Dear God, thank you for this food. Thank you for another day up here on the North Shore. Good job. Good sausage? You're welcome. After breakfast, it was time to load up the sled and head out for a ride. All right, so we are headed to Teddagooch State Park to do a little trail ride with the sled. My plan is to get up to one of the remote lakes there and check that out and then if I feel like there's time, maybe we'll continue on and try to find an overlook of Lake Superior. Now, I want to be mindful of the time because the girls are waiting at the cabin and the plan was to head to town and go to a brewery after this, so I don't want to be gone too long up there, but I still want to try to check out some cool stuff. Unloading the sled is pretty simple. I remove this bar, take off a couple ratchet straps, and then it's time to fire it up. On this ride, I'm making sure to bring some emergency supplies like an axe, fire starters, and other survival tools. Oh, and I'm also bringing Riley's snowshoes just in case I get stranded. All right, guys, so the ride up to the lake is only a couple of miles, so it probably won't take us too long to get up there. Check it out and we'll see if we've got some time to maybe explore more from there. we got last night is just being pushed around, almost turning into a full whiteout when the wind really gets whipping. It's unbelievable. I can barely even turn in that direction. It's so cold and the snow is just blasting into my eyes. It's truly something else. God, we get protection in the woods because if I was riding out in this, it would just be absolutely brutal and probably pretty dangerous. Witnessing the extreme power of nature like this truly humbles you, and for me, it's a reminder to always be careful when I'm out in the woods like this any time of year, but especially in the wintertime. It's also why I made sure to bring those emergency supplies because if we were to get stranded out here, you know, would not be a great situation. But hey, with that, I say we get back to the sled. I don't know if I have the guts to venture further. We might want to just head back to the truck and get back to the girls. All right, I'll see you back in the truck. Once I got home, I picked up the girls and we started to make our way into town. Guys, this is harsh. Like, this is really harsh weather. It is so cold and it just, it's windy, just gusting winds. Yeah, there's no way we're taking Olivia out to play in the snow today. Yeah, as much as I would love to take everyone out on another hike, I think that is definitely off the table today. So we are headed to one of my favorite breweries called Castle Danger, and yeah, we're looking forward to it. It's going to be great. Aren't you with your mouth closed? No, you closed that mouth. For our last evening up here on the North Shore, I knew I wanted to have a campfire. I just had to dig out the fire pit and brave a sub-zero wind chill. Well, sadly nobody was brave enough to join me out here, and that includes Ellie. I tried to get her to come out and she just was like, no, I'm going to stay in the cabin. So it's just me braving the cold. Now, this definitely calls for a little high west campfire blend, but on top of that, I think we're going to be able to do a snow cocktail as well because we got the fresh snow last night. We're going to scoop a little bit of this fresh powder into our glass and then we're going to add some high west and we're ready to go. This goes out to you guys. Thank you so much for supporting us and allowing me to do what I love with my family. I mean, it honestly does not get much better than this and I'm just so grateful. So thank you and cheers. Oh, that's just so good. And I love that kick of scotch. It just adds that smokiness again that gives it its namesake, The gang's all up except for Rye and the sun's not even up, but that is definitely per-uge in this household. Anyway, it's the final morning and you guys know the drill. We're going to enjoy some coffee and just sit here and watch that sun come up. All right, everybody, that's going to do it for the video. Thank you so much for coming along. Yeah, thank you so much, you guys. This was so fun and we hope to do it again soon. Yeah, it's always great having the whole family with me. It just makes it so much more special and how do you beat a view like this? I mean, Lake Superior is incredible, the North Shore is great and we'll certainly be back again. As always, I want to thank our patrons for your support. Thank you so much for donating to this channel. It means the world to us, but to all of you who watch these videos, thank you. Your support is what keeps this channel going and makes it so we're able to do these videos on a weekly basis. But with that, it's time for us to get home. We'll see you next week.