Details
Why volunteer? The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC) has been advocating for and restoring wilderness trails since 2002. We need volunteers like you to help maintain the Powwow Trail and keep it a great hiking and backpacking destination for all.
We’re looking for self-motivated, nature-loving, goal-oriented team members willing to tackle unknown trail and weather conditions to help us take care of the Powwow Trail. Prior trail clearing experience not required.
PLEASE MESSAGE SARA FULCHER OR LUCAS RAUDABAUGH TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST OR ASK ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRIP - PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND A GOOD TIME TO REACH YOU. YOU MUST SPEAK WITH A TRIP LEADER FIRST, BEFORE RSVP’ING FOR THE TRIP.
WHAT TO EXPECT
On this BWAC volunteering adventure, we will depart from the Powwow Trailhead (BWCAW EP #86) early Friday morning and backpack up the eastern side of the Powwow Trail to the Pose Lake campsite, where we’ll make base camp for two nights. The goal is to clear trail with saws, loppers, and root slayers south of the “culvert” landmark where the brush is thick has enjoyed a relatively rainy year.
ITINERARY
Departure, Thursday, October 17th (Day 1): In the late afternoon, we will carpool from the Twin Cities to the Powwow Trailhead. We’ll spend the first camping on USFS land near the trailhead, in order to get an early start the next morning.
Friday, October 18th (Day 2): In the morning we will hike 5.7 miles in to Pose Lake campsite and set up base camp and have a quick lunch. In the afternoon, after a brief training on safety, tool usage, and USFS trail standards, we’ll backtrack ~1 mile to the “culvert” and start clearing in groups of 2-3. We’ll return to camp in the late afternoon (4-5pm) to enjoy our dinners and some volunteer comradery.
Saturday, October 19th (Day 3): After a good nights sleep in the woods and breakfast, we will head back to the “culvert” for more clearing. We’ll break on trail for lunch, and then continue clearing until late afternoon (4-5pm). We’ll return to camp to share wild and wooly stories from the trail while enjoying our backpacking dinners.
Sunday, October 20th (Day 4): Rise and shine early and pack up camp, leaving tools and lunch/snack accessible in our backpacks. We will hike down towards the “culvert”, stow our gear, and a get a couple more hours of trail clearing in. Around lunchtime we’ll hike the remaining ~4 miles back to the trail head to carpool back to the Twin Cities.
OTHER STUFF TO KNOW
Pre-requisites:
Physically able to backpack for up to 8 miles per day.
Attend the fall crew member training event (August 20th at REI).
Attend a local hike or gear shake-down event before the trip with your crew leaders.
Personal Gear: Gear lists will be provided and a gear shakedown meeting will be held to assess team members’ gear needs. Each team member will be responsible for carrying their own pack, shelter, sleep system, food, water, personal gear, borrowed trail tools, and their share of group gear. If there is something you do not have, please let the crew leaders know well in advance of the trip.
BWAC Gear: BWAC will provide (at no cost) to use: McKenzie maps, safety glasses, hard hats, water sterilization devices, trail clearing tools, safety training, BWCA permits, bear cannisters.
Anticipated Temperatures: We’ll know as we get closer to the date, but likely chilly (at least at night).
Food: Bring your own easy-to-cook, or no-cook, food to enjoy during the 3-4 days. And make sure it fits inside your IGBC-approved, bear-proof container.
Cost: $25 registration cost on Meetup (to offset admin, tool and map costs) + TBD carpool gas money.
THE FINE PRINT: Participants are required to sign a (1) liability release form, (2) confidential health form, and (3) USFS trip form prior to the trip. This is a pet-free and tobacco-free trip. Participation is subject to BWAC rules, i.e. trip leaders can deny participation to anyone for any or no reason.