♪♪ >> CATHY: THERE'S NOTHING MORE MINNESOTAN THAN EMBRACING WINTER.

IN THIS NEXT STORY, KAOMI LEE TAKES US TO TWO NORTHERN MINNESOTA TOWNS THAT ARE MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR FROZEN WATERWAYS.

>> Kaomi: THEY MAKE IT LOOK, OH, SO EASY.

TEN-YEAR-OLD COOPER IS A HOCKEY PLAYER IN HOCKEYTOWN, USA.

HE'S A GOALIE WHO HAS BEEN SKATING MORE THAN 2/3 OF HIS YOUNG LIFE.

>> IT'S JUST FUN.

YOU GET TO BE FREE AND WHEN YOU'RE ON THE ICE, FOR ME, IT JUST FEELS LIKE, FOR ONE, I GET TO BE WITH MY FRIENDS.

TWO, LIKE I SAID, EARLIER, I'M FREE.

>> THE KIDS AROUND HERE, ARE THEY BORN WITH SKATES ON?

>> PRETTY MUCH.

AS SOON AS THEY CAN WALK OR MAYBE EVEN BEFORE, THEY GET A PAIR OF SKATES.

>> Kaomi: IN THIS NORTHERN OUTPOST KNOWN FOR -- >> WINDOWS, WALLYESTERDAYS AND HOCKEY.

>> Kaomi: IT'S NO WONDER SKATING AND BEING ON THE IRRRB IS A FAVORITE PAST TIME.

SOME HOCKEY DADS GOT CREATIVE.

>> DURING COVID WHEN EVERYTHING WAS SHUT DOWN, OUR KIDS DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO CONNECT A COUPLE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD RIR REPRESENTATIVE.

>> OLAFSON AND HIS FRIENDS USED THEIR ANGERS TO CLEAR PATHS BETWEEN THE BACKYARD REPRESENTATIVES.

AND IT BEING HOCKEY TOWN, THE BAR WAS HIGH.

A LOCAL COMPANY CHIPPED IN A POWER BRIEWM.

>> WE PROCURED A BUNCH OF SCRAP IRON AND WELDED UP A BIG SCRAPER BLADES.

>> Kaomi: THE DADS THOUGHT, HOW COULD THEY GET THAT SMOOTH HOCKEY SURFACE?

>> WHEN WE FIRST STARTED WE HAD PUMPS THAT WOULD PUMP WATER OUT OF THE RIVER TO FLOOD THE RINK, BUT WHEN YOU GO TO THE ACTUAL HOCKEY RISK, YOU HAVE A HOT WATER FINISH.

AND WE WANT TO SOMEWHAT MIMIC THAT HOCKEY RINK EXPERIENCE.

SO WE DEVELOPED A TANK SYSTEM WITH A "TZAM" BE ZAMBONI.

>> Kaomi: AND THAT'S HOW THE RIVER BEND SKATE PATH WAS BORN.

IT STRETCHES ALONG THE RIVER TO THE MOUTH OF THE LAKE FT WOODS.

THIS YEAR, THEY CLEARED TWO AND A HALF MILES.

>> AT ONE POINT, WE DID GO OVER FIVE MILLS, BUT THAT WOULD BE AIDE WILL THE OF WORK AND WE NOTICE THAT NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD THE STAMINA TO SKATE THE ENTIRE FIVE MILES.

>> Kaomi: AND WAS THAT THE LONGEST SKATING PATH IN THE U.S.?

>> IT WAS AT ONE POINT, WHEN WE WERE AT A LITTLE OVER THAT FIVE-MILE MARKS.

I KNOW THAT GUNFLIPT, THEY'RE ADVERTISING THAT THEY HAVE SIX MILES OF PATH.

SO WE HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED.

GGUNFLINT, STAY TUNED FOR NEXT YEAR.

>> Kaomi: IT'S A LABOR OF LOVE, AN IDEA THAT SEEMS HERE TO STAY.

THE LONGEST SKATE PATH IN THE U.S., AT LEAST FOR NOW, MIGHT JUST BE ON ANOTHER MINNESOTA BORDER LAKE, GUNFLINT LAKE IN GRAND MARAIS.

>> SO WHEN IT'S FREEZING, THE WATER WILL EXPAND AS IT FREEZES AND YOU'LL HEAR BOOMS AND MOANS AND GROANS, AND IT WAS REALLY LOUD THIS YEAR.

>> Kaomi: GUNFLINT LODGE OWNER JOHN FREDERICKSON SHOWS US THE CRACKLY CLEAR ICE.

THAT MAY BE ICE UNUSUALLY SMOOTH AND PERFECT FOR A SKATE PATH.

>> I THINK IT'S JUST PEOPLE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT DOING IT.

AND IT'S A LOT OF WORK.

I MEAN, THE REALITY IS, IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME.

IT'S A LOT OF EFFORT AND I'VE GOT A SMALL TRACTOR, YOU KNOW, IT'S A BALANCE TOO BECAUSE YOU'RE ON ICE, SO I CAN'T GET ANYTHING TOO LARGE, BUT YOU WANT TO GET IT LARGE ENOUGH.

SO I GOT A SMALL TRACTOR WITH A SNOW BLOWER AND A DRUSH TO BRO GET OUT AS SOON S POSSIBLE.

>> FREDERICKSON PLOWED SIX MILDS OF PATH.

OUT ON THE OPEN WATER, BORDERS CAN BE A GUESS.

ON ICE, IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, ESPECIALLY, HE SEES MORE EYES ARE WATCHING.

WE SAW WHAT I THINK IS A MOST LIKELY A KA IN AD YAIN BORDER PATROL HELICOPTER WHICH WE'VE ONLY SEEN FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS.

>> Kaomi: THAT HASN'T STOPPED THE FUN.

ABOUT 25 SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADERS FROM A LOCAL CHARTER SCHOOL BRAVES THE COLD TEMPS.

12-YEAR-OLD ZAYA HAS BEEN SKATING EVEN BEFORE SHE COULD WALK.

>> I THINK MY ARENTS JUST STRAPPED ME ONTO THEIR BACK.

THE ICE IS THICK EVERYWHERE AND IT WAS KIND OF WINDY, BUT IT GOT BETTER.

>> CONDITION JUST ASSUME THAT EVERYBODY DOES EVERYTHING THAT'S AVAILABLE IN THE AREA, EVEN FROM FISHING AND HUNTING OR CANOEING, THERE'S SOME THAT HAVEN'T DONE IT.

>> Kaomi: THE SKATING WAS FREE.

TEACHER WILLIAM CHOI SAYS IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE CLASSROOM OUTSIDE.

>> WE WERE EXPECTING REALLY HARSH COLD WEATHER, BUT IF WAS GORGEOUS TODAY.

>> IT WAS HER FIRST TIME TO THE SKATE PATH.

>> NEED TO BE OUT IN THE SUNSHINE.

AND SEE THOSE CRACKS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE TWO FEET DEEP.

IT'S ALMOST EERIE LOOKING DOWN INTO THE WATER.

>> Kaomi: FREDERICKSON SAYS IT'S BEEN A GOOD EXPERIMENT FOR THE LODGE'S 100TH EAR,