Calling All Backpackers to Volunteer on Powwow Hiking Trail This Fall!

Dear Meetup Members,
Fall is here and so is cooler weather for hiking! We are fortunate to have an abundance of hiking trails right here in Northern Minnesota. One of those trails is the BWCAW Powwow Trail near Isabella. The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee volunteers adopted the Powwow and have kept it open for hikers and backpackers since 2015 (The trail was temporarily closed after the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire). It takes a lot of work to clear deadfalls and prune back new jack pine growth. This year we need your help more than ever. That’s because late ice out and high-water levels in May prevented many volunteer crews from getting on the trail. Our Duluth Chapter needs to clear about 40 tree falls and some brush on a trail segment 2 ½ miles from the trailhead. To make it easier for volunteers to participate this fall, BWA Committee has partnered with the Frost River store in Duluth. Frost River will provide a free van ride to the trailhead and back for the October 15th day trail clearing trip.

Volunteering is easy and takes only five steps:
1. Attend October 6, 5:30 PM training at Frost River (learn safety, trail maintenance standards and what to bring. BWAC provides handsaws and loppers).
2. Attend the "Meet and Greet" hike on October 9 at 1 PM at Hartley Nature Center.
3. Contact the October 15 crew leader Robert 218-310-2169 for a brief interview (physical fitness etc.) and permission to register for the trip on the Meetup.
4. RSVP/Pay the $10 fee on Meetup to join the October 15th trip.
5. Meet with us bright and early on October 15th and get a free ride in a Van provided by Frost River.

Why volunteer? It is a way to give back to the Boundary Waters and preserve backpacking trails for other hikers. When you volunteer, you will have a sense of personal accomplishment, and that of contributing to the BWCA Wilderness! You will meet new friends and pick up outdoor skills you did not have before in addition to exchanging gear tips with other hikers like you. And this year, the twentieth anniversary of the BWA Committee founding, we are giving away a coffee mug with commemorative BWAC logo (sure to be a collector’s piece, we hope) and the map of the trail you will be working on. Another bonus is a free rental of a Frost River canvas pack for the trip (reserve at the training session), my favorite is the “Summit” but there are several models. BWAC is also working with Trailtopia foods and the Frost River to give a 20% off discount to BWAC volunteers at the Frost River store (learn more at training session).
My hope is that you are interested in this adventure and will join us. Please RSVP today for the October 6, 5:30 crew training and/or feel free to text/call me at 651-214-5849 cell with your questions. Thank you.

Enjoy the Hike,
Martin Kubik, BWAC Founder, chair of the BWAC Duluth Chapter

September News

Dear BWAC Friends,

What’s a wilderness worth? The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC) can help you experience forest and bog and meadow set aside for visiting only, not for development, and answer that question for yourself.

• Fall Trips. Your help is needed. Registrations are underway for fall clearing trips to the Powwow Trail north of Isabella, MN, where volunteers use hand saws and loppers to keep a historic trail accessible. BWAC offers a variety of guided trips and provides training, tools, and gear advice. Entry permits are provided by BWAC trail partner and land manager, the USFS. You provide a flexible, try-something-new frame of mind. Be willing to earn scrapes and bumps and possibly wear out the knees or seat of your pants. Return to your daily life with limbered-up muscles and the satisfaction of being part of keeping a wilderness trail accessible. Browse the BWAC Meetup site for current trips.

• BWAC Leadership. It is with mixed feelings that I announced my retirement from BWAC presidency effective July 31, 2022. BWAC often measures accomplishments in numbers of trees cut and trail miles cleared, but it’s my fellow volunteers, working in the crannies of their personal and professional lives, that have given me the steam to guide this great nonprofit for over two years. BWAC leadership and trail volunteers, BWAC sponsors and those who donate goods and services to our cause, our other trail allies with missions to steward trails in the BWCAW, and our public service colleagues at the Superior National Forest, USFS—I can’t express how many individuals caring about trails make for the best of friends and the best of conservancy. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

• Stay tuned for more club announcements. The BWAC Board of Directors is excited to be welcoming a new President in the coming weeks. We are lucky to have an experienced backpacker, long-standing trail advocate, and active BWAC volunteer stepping up to lead BWAC for the coming term.

• BWAC in the news—in case you missed the story. BWAC has been keeping trails on the map since our establishment as a 501(c)(3) in 2002. We advocate for all trails in the BWCAW with our current priority still on the fire-damaged Powwow Trail north of Isabella, MN. Last October 30, 2021, more than fifty supporters made the trek to the Powwow Trailhead to celebrate Ten Years of Powwow Trail Restoration and Forest Recovery. The sun shone; the speakers were top-notch; the cake and cocoa were delectable. Many attendees experienced the first mile of trail on a hike to the Isabella River bridge. The celebration was hosted by BWAC in collaboration with the land manager, the Superior National Forest. KBJR6, Duluth NBC affiliate, story and video here.

Leading BWAC for me has been about the trails, and about the people. I am grateful for your trust and support, whether you are a past or future wilderness trail advocate. Call or email me at Susan.Pollock@BoundaryWatersTrails.org with questions, to find out more about how you can help, or to say hello.

Sincerely,

Susan Pollock

Immediate Past President

The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC)

www.BoundaryWatersTrails.org

Crew Leader picnic and training session

The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee is gearing up for fall clearing trips to the Powwow Trail. After a shortened spring trip season, due to snow cover, crew leaders have planned 13 trips for September and October 2022. To continue our record of safe and productive trips, 23 crew leaders met on Thursday, August 11th at the North Mississippi Regional Park for a picnic lunch and a refresher leadership training session. Presentations were given by the trail committee chairs, and the Forest Service liaison / tool boss. Crew leaders are now prepared to host trips for new and returning volunteers. Become a volunteer crew member by signing up Meetup membership to view available trips. Contact the crew leaders for consideration.

November News and volunteer with BWAC at the Midwest Mountaineering Expo

Dear BWAC Members and Friends,

Thank you for your enthusiastic advocacy for wilderness trails in the Superior National Forest. Whether you joined a work crew, hiked the Powwow Trail, learned about or talked about the BWAC mission with a friend, you made a contribution to keeping BWCAW trails safe and accessible.

What’s up with BWAC?

• Your help is needed November 19-21 to staff the BWAC booth at the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo. https://www.outdooradventureexpo.com/ No backpack or dehydrated meals required. We love browsing the sale, the exhibitor booths, the presentations and the opportunity to let folks know about our unique BWAC volunteer opportunities. Job description: greet visitors and be an ambassador for our rewarding trips. Two to three volunteers for each shift are needed. Sign up for a shift at https://www.meetup.com/Friends-of-BWCA-Trails/events/.

• More than fifty supporters made the trek to the Powwow Trailhead October 30 to celebrate Ten Years of Powwow Trail Restoration and Forest Recovery. The sun shone; the speakers were top-notch; the cake and cocoa were perfect. Many attendees experienced the first mile of trail on a hike to the Isabella River bridge. The celebration was hosted by BWAC in collaboration with the land manager, the Superior National Forest. KBJR6, Duluth NBC affiliate, story and video here: //kbjr6.com/2021/10/30/ten-years-of-restoration-bwcas-powwwow-trail-ready-for-backpackers/

• 2021 Accomplishments. Shout out to BWAC's impressive crew leaders and crew members. Numbers are still coming in but it looks like 125 generous volunteers pitched in to clear the Powwow trail on twenty-one crews. Crews were able to reach about 75% of the trail this year, despite spring trips limited in size and BWCA Wilderness-wide closures.

• Looking ahead. BWAC will be back. Brush and shrubs keep encroaching and burned trees keep choosing the trail corridor to block. We hope you can plan to return, or to be a first-timer, to trail in 2022.

• Volunteer Recognition and Annual Meeting. Membership party! Plans are percolating for crew reunions, a catered dinner, a special guest speaker, and the BWAC annual meeting during the first half of February. Stay tuned for an announcement.

• Powwow Trail Hiker Guide. The long-awaited PWT Hiker Guide was first released in October 2020. Testimonials from the trail in 2021 confirm that it is being used to plan trips and get out and backpack the trail. Look for the 2nd edition on www.BoundaryWatersTrails.org after December 1. If you would like to be sent a pdf now, please email info@BoundaryWatersTrails.org.

BWAC is grateful for your support, whether you are a past or future wilderness trail advocate. Call or email me at Susan.Pollock@BoundaryWatersTrails.org with any questions, to find out more about how you can help, or to say hello.

Sincerely,

Susan Pollock, President

The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC)

www.BoundaryWatersTrails.org

612 644-4562

US Forest Service and BWA Committee Celebrate 10 Years of BWCAW Powwow Trail Restoration on October 30

For Immediate Release:

US Forest Service and BWA Committee Celebrate 10 Years of BWCAW Powwow Trail Restoration on October 30

Event Date: Saturday, October 30

Time: 1 PM – 2:30 PM

Location: Powwow Trail trailhead at Forest Center, near Isabella, Minnesota

Please RSVP Today at https://www.meetup.com/Friends-of-BWCA-Trails/events/281073808/

October 18, 2021. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWA Committee) in collaboration with the US Forest Service invites all outdoor enthusiasts to celebrate 10 year anniversary of the Pagami Creek Fire and the multi- year effort by volunteers to restore the Powwow Trail.

After the Pagami Creek Fire obliterated more the 95% of the 30-mile-long Powwow Trail, the Forest Service cleared the trail, but ceased the maintenance in 2016 citing prohibitive cost. That’s when the BWA Committee offered to step in and help ever since. Volunteers saw the Powwow Trail as historically unique because it combines old logging roads joined by a connecting link to make it a loop trail. Powwow Trail is a legacy trail because it was built in the aftermath of the BWCA Wilderness Act of 1978.

After the fire, several thousands of dead trees fell across the trail. At the same time, millions of post fire jack pines choked the path rendering the path increasingly impassable. Hikers in 2014 reported either turning back or spending one hour to bypass tangle of treefalls that stretched only 50 yards in the path. Clearing of the trail called for an approval by the US Forest Service and for an unprecedented organizing effort that stretched over several years. BWA Committee contacted the office of the Representative Rick Nolan, and the Forest Service approved clearing a six-mile segment to Pose Lake. After two seasons Forest Service gradually approved further re-clearing of the trail and BWA Committee responded by organizing 150 crews that cut more than 20,000 dead falls and as many new jack pines in past three years.

The miracle on the Powwow Trail is truly remarkable considering that after the fire there were sceptics who doubted that anyone could accomplish the herculean task. This year the US Forest Service renewed efforts to restore several campsites along the trail and recently replaced aging kiosk at the trailhead. Another collaboration project involving the BWA Committee and the Forest Service was replacing the decaying bridge at Diana Lake. The new bridge was built from locally sourced tamarack trees that are naturally rot resistant and is expected to last for several decades before it will need to be replaced again.

Speaking at the event will be John Benson, USFS recreation planner, Martin Kubik, founder of the BWA Committee and of the Kekekabic Trail Club, Susan Pollock, BWAC president, BJ Kohlstedt, Pagami Creek fire coordinator. Shannon Rische, Superior National Forest Deputy Forest Supervisor and other USFS officials will be attending. A cake and hot beverages will be served at the event.

BWA Committee is a volunteer run nonprofit dedicated to preserving the existing, historic, and naturally beautiful trails of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of the Superior National Forest.

For more information, contact Martin Kubik, martin.kubik@boundarywaterstrails or on 651-214-5849 c.

Fall News

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)

Fall Trips Announced

Our fall trip planning is in full swing. See a summary on our trips page or meetup!

Summer News from the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee

Greetings Friends of Boundary Waters Trails,

Summer is progressing and I hope we are all finding ways to ease back into enjoying social activities. Here is the latest news from the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee.

BWAC Picnic Wednesday, July 28. BWAC is pleased to announce a long-awaited in-person event coming up Wednesday, July 28, at Afton State Park. We’d like to see you!

All are welcome—past and present volunteers, would-be-volunteers, friends, family, find-out-more-about wilderness trails-outdoor enthusiasts—to attend a casual summer meet and greet. This is a bring-your-own picnic dinner. BWAC will provide beverages, charcoal for the grill, and wood for a campfire.

Help BWAC plan for a dozen or one hundred attendees. For event details and to RSVP, visit the BWAC meetup site here: https://www.meetup.com/Friends-of-BWCA-Trails/events/279367581/

Fall 2021 Trips. Your help is needed on the Powwow Trail. Volunteer crew leaders are busy coordinating calendars and routes for fall trips. We love to hike in the fall and you will, too. BWAC will get you up and running (ok...walking with a pack and a hand saw or lopper) whether you haven’t yet been to the Boundary Waters or you are an experienced visitor. Stay tuned to Meetup for trip announcements later this month.

Spring 2021 trips wrap. A huge thank you to the sixty trail volunteers who swarmed the Powwow this past spring. We couldn’t do it without you. The trail is in the most hikable condition since prior to the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire; some long-timers report the tread is even more hikeable thanks to the many dozens of BWAC crew members working hard to keep the Powwow safe and accessible.

Minnesota’s BWCAW wilderness trails belong to all of us. BWAC has been stewarding wilderness trails in the BWCAW with integrity, hard work, and fun for almost twenty years. I am happy to talk trails or trail advocacy with you. Email or call with any concerns or to find out more about how you can help.

I hope to see you at the BWAC picnic on July 28, or on trail this autumn.

Sincerely,

Susan Pollock
President
The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC)

Friends of BWCA Trails: Spring 2021 President's Message

Greetings, Meetup/Friends-of-BWCA-Trails Members,

Spring is in the air across Minnesota, and BWAC’s long awaited clearing season is well underway. As I write this letter, three clearing crews are dispersed on the Powwow Trail and BWAC’s tenth and final spring trip departs this Thursday, May 20.

Spring Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC) highlights—

• Volunteers on trail. BWAC is continuing to clear downed trees and new growth on the historic Powwow Trail in the BWCAW. Ten clearing trips, a total of 57 volunteers, were organized for spring 2021. Two of the most remote, uncleared segments of the trail—from Superstition to Mirror Lakes on the west, and the beautiful South Wilder Lake campsite vicinity on the loop north—have been cleared or are finally being cleared this weekend.

• Hiking is Hip. You’ve heard the news. Many of us were eager to get away to the woods and lakes to help preserve our health and sanity during 2020. Entry permits for the BWCAW were way up in 2020. In-season canoeing permits increased by 25% and in-season hiking permits increased by an astounding 86% from 2019 to 2020. You can find more detailed data here: USDA Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Superior National Forest Permit & Visitor Use Report 2016-2020.

• Latrines on the Loose. Campsites are coming. The U.S. Forest Service and BWAC are working together to return designated camping locations to the Powwow Trail. Eight campsites along the loop were incinerated in the 2011 Pagami Creek fire. Many thousands of volunteer hours have now opened the trail, but hazard trees remain at campsite locations, and latrines need to be installed. BWAC crews have moved toadstool latrines and skids to three locations; the digging and tree felling by the USFS is expected in the coming months.

• BWAC can help you help a trail this fall. Planning has already begun for fall maintenance trips. As a Meetup/Friends-of-BWCA-Trails member, you will receive notification of events and clearing trips as they are announced. I hope you can make time to join a fall crew and experience the hard work and rewards of keeping a wilderness trail accessible and safe.

Trails don’t maintain themselves. I am privileged to work with committed BWAC leadership, to know many of our current trail volunteers, and to extend the BWAC mission to potential volunteers. Thank you for your interest and support of BWAC and of trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Whether you volunteer to maintain a wilderness trail with BWAC or hike your own hike, may you find a way to connect with the woods this summer or fall.

Sincerely,

Susan Pollock

President

The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee

www.BoundaryWatersTrails.org

About the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC). BWAC is an all-volunteer Minnesota nonprofit, established in 2002. The BWAC mission is to preserve existing historic and intrinsically beautiful trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of the Superior National Forest. BWAC volunteers maintain trails in the BWCAW under a signed agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. Learn more at www.BoundaryWatersTrails.org.

Please visit and support major BWAC sponsors:

• Kawishiwi Lodge and Lake One Outfitters (Ely, MN)

• Keith Myrmel maps

• Kollath Graphic Design (Duluth, MN)

• Lake Superior Trading Post (Grand Marais, MN)

• Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Store (Minneapolis, MN)

• Piragis Northwoods Company (Ely, MN)

• Trailtopia™ Adventure Food

Volunteer Group to clear on the BWCAW Powwow Trail Again This Spring

Volunteer Group to clear on the BWCAW Powwow Trail Again This Spring

Minneapolis, MN. Minneapolis-based nonprofit, the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (“BWAC”), plans to send ten crews to maintain the legacy Powwow Trail in May this year, the ten-year anniversary of the Pagami Creek Fire. This year BWAC recruited more than 55 volunteers for trips in May.

Recruiting during the COVID19 pandemic represented a challenge to BWAC as traditional avenues of recruitment (i.e., presentations at outdoor retailers or colleges) were not possible. The club retooled its recruitment strategy to increase its presence on social media and the change paid off. Although the pandemic shows signs of abatement, BWAC will still limit crews to six people rather than nine as in the past for spring trips.

Susan Pollock, BWAC President, stated: "Joining a trail clearing crew is experiencing the magic of a wilderness trail in a special way, by being part of something bigger than yourself. BWAC is living its mission is to preserve and educate the public about historic trails in Minnesota’s BWCAW. “At the end of the 2020 hiking season, a survey crew counted fewer than 500 treefalls. This is a is markedly lower number as compared to several years ago when thousands of treefalls blocked the trail, making it extremely challenging for even the most expert and fit hikers.

This year, the U.S. Forest Service has tentatively agreed to restore several fire-destroyed campsites so that backpackers have access to water and latrines when they camp. Last year a BWAC volunteer crew, with the help of the U.S. Forest Service, replaced a decaying 22 foot-long log bridge at Lake Diana creek with locally sourced tamarack logs. Because tamarack is naturally rot-resistant, the bridge is expected to last for several decades.

Backpackers should now have a much easier time both navigating and camping along the Powwow Trail. To assist, BWAC has a free on-line guide to the trail on the website www.BoundaryWatersTrails.orgBWAC is a non-professional non-profit founded in 2002. Its mission is to preserve the existing historic and intrinsically beautiful trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of the Superior National Forest. BWAC has chapters in the Twin Cities and in Duluth, Minnesota. BWAC volunteers work with the U.S. Forest Service under Volunteer Service Agreement.

For more information contact:

Martin Kubik, Founder