Join Zach, Dimitris, and John on this 4-day back-country trail clearing combining canoeing and backpacking. This crew will paddle and portage Lakes One, Two, and Three to access the beautifully rugged west side of the Powwow Trail. We will stash our canoes, and put on our packs for our hike south to the final campsite.

WHY VOLUNTEER?

You will meet other like-minded hikers, share your skills and learn new skills from your crew, and have an unforgettable experience helping restore a fire-damaged legacy trail in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

PLAN:

We will be departing the Twin Cities @ ~5:00pm on Thursday, Sept 10th, and returning late evening on Monday, Sept 14th. We plan to be back in the metro area by 8:00 p.m. however flexibility is required due to unknowns of wilderness travel.

On the evening of Thursday, Sept 10th, we will be staying in or near an Ely area bunkhouse to prepare for a 7:30am Friday morning departure from the Lake One landing. After launch, we will paddle and portage for about 2-4 hours to the Lake 3 portage where we will store the canoes. We will continue on by foot to reach our base campsite for the weekend (Friday-Saturday-Sunday). Expect a 2-5 mile hike depending on the trail clearing progress of the prior crews before our trip.

Saturday and Sunday, our crew will enjoy camping in the forest, each other (social distancing...in the fresh air), and working during the day defining the trail as we make our small section of the trail hikeable again. Come Monday morning, we will head out early to retrace our route and return home tired, but rewarded by the knowledge of leaving a safe trail and experiencing the camaraderie of new friends.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Thick brush and fallen trees, cool and possibly wet weather, very remote area, working with a good group of people, working hard to reopen the Powwow Trail for everyone to enjoy.

Each participant will carry their own pack, shelter, sleep system, food, water, personal gear, and a clearing tool. BWAC may have the gear to share or borrow. Participants should be in good physical shape and have a "can-do" attitude for unknown trail and weather conditions. Trail clearing experience is not required or expected: BWAC provides all tools and safety training for our crews.

-- A hike in the Twin Cities metro area will be arranged when the trip is full to meet each other, talk through expectations and conditions of fall travel in the wilderness, check gear, and review gear expectations.

--All volunteers must read and sign the BWAC participant liability form, BWAC health & medical self-disclosure form, BWAC policy for trips under Covid-19, and the USFS volunteer agreement group signature form. Visit https://www.boundarywaterstrails.org/trip-information to review required forms and for a suggested gear list.

-- Sample gear list:
https://www.boundarywaterstrails.org/gear-list-for-trail-clearing-backpacking-canoeing-april

COST:

Cost: $25 Meetup registration, (possibly) $20-30 first night bunkhouse cost, and about $15 shared gas cost.

BEFORE YOU REGISTER:

Contact one of the leaders before signing up via meetup message with your phone number and a good time to call. We'll determine if the trip is a good match and discuss what is needed to be ready for the trail.

Due to the remote nature and weather variables, this trip could turn into an advanced trip. Crew leaders will balance the number of novice participants with more experienced members.

COVID-19:

We ask you to respect the guidelines put in place by BWAC to ensure a comfortable trip for all the participants. For the full list of guidelines visit:
https://www.boundarywaterstrails.org/trip-information

Important small print:

Participants will need to sign a liability and photo waiver. The trip is free of pets and tobacco. Subject to BWAC trip rules, i.e. trip leaders can deny participation to anyone for any or no reason.

Thank you for volunteering!