Greetings BWAC Friends,
September is around the corner. BWAC is looking forward to returning to hiking and trail clearing as soon as we can. Here’s what’s happening with the Boundary Waters wilderness, and with our nonprofit.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness closure. On August 21, 2021, the Superior National Forest closed the entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, due to active and increasing fire activity, extreme drought, and limited resources. The closure is in place through September 3, to be reassessed weekly and modified as conditions allow. The Greenwood Fire, outside of the wilderness but closest to the Powwow Trail where our restoration work is taking place, is reported to be 14% contained as of August 28. The John Ek and Whelp Fires, in the BWCA Wilderness, remain at 1,563 acres and 50 acres with no containment.
You're Invited: Fall Crew Member Safety Training and Orientation
“I’m registered for a crew—now what??”
“I’m worried about __________ (mice; bears; water crossings; insects; heat; cold; wolves; thunder; mud;...)”
“My pack is too big. My pack isn’t big enough.”
“What can I eat? What can I drink? Where do I go to the bathroom? How do I wash up? Do I wash up?”
BWAC crew leaders will answer these questions and more at our fall orientation event. This training is for all fall crew volunteers and for anyone wanting to find out more about what happens on a BWAC trip. We’d like to meet you and we’d like you to meet the folks who make our clearing trips happen, the amazing BWAC volunteer crew leaders. Click here for more details and to RSVP for the September 8 crew member orientation. Everyone is welcome.
Fall 2021 Trips. Closure of the Boundary Waters resulted in canceling our first fall trip, a canoe-in to the Powwow Trail’s west side. We are hopeful that increased moisture and reduced winds re-open the Boundary Waters, including the Powwow Trail, before our next trip in mid-September. Come and hike with us! Four upcoming fall trips are full but there is still space available in trip #16 (late September), trip #18 (mid-October) and also an October 18-20 lakeside condo/day trip to the Powwow.
Yesterday I heard from a long-time volunteer and we reminisced about how proud our 2017 spring crews were to clear all the way to Pose Lake—six hard won miles from the trailhead. That same year a final October crew could just make out the view to Diana Lake ahead, but was not able to break through to reach it before saying good-bye to the season’s work. Four years later, our goal of locating the Powwow Trail in its entirety has been reached; we have published a Powwow Trail Hiker Guide; and it’s no longer a rarity to meet non-BWAC backpackers and hikers enjoying the trail. BWAC will be back, and back again, to keep the historic trail open. I invite you to be there with us.
BWAC is grateful for your support, whether you are a past or future wilderness trail advocate. Email Susan.Pollock@BoundaryWatersTrails.org or call me with any questions, to find out more about how you can help, or just to say hello.
Sincerely,
Susan Pollock, President
The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC)