Details
Date: Thursday May 16th - Sunday May 19th
Crew Leaders:
Gretchen Gosnell
Katie Larson
Kaitlyn Birk
*** All participants must be pre-approved by the crew leaders before registering. ***
Please message or email Katie Larson (larsonkatie77@yahoo.com) and Kaitlyn Birk (kbirk13@gmail.com) for approval and registration instructions.
This is a remote trip on a wilderness route in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Do not hesitate to contact us as soon as you can if you are interested! Registrations will be in order of approval.
ITINERARY
This is a Canoe and backpack work trip to the Sioux Hustler Trail in the BWCAW. Some backpacking and canoeing experience is required. Tools and training will be provided. Additionally, we will provide you with a gear list.
Thursday morning, we will either carpool from the Twin Cities area or meet up in Duluth to head for the Sioux Hustler Trail, entry point #14. We will canoe approximately six miles up the Little Indian Sioux River to Upper Pauness Lake and make our base camp at a site nearby, anywhere between one-two miles hiking based on what site we pick.
Friday and Saturday, we will be hard at work clearing the bottom right side of the loop of the trail around Shell Lake, where there's fallen trees and brush.
On Sunday morning, we will pack up our camp, hike back to our canoes and canoe back to Entry #14. We will be stopping for a meal together on our way home if desired.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Each participant will carry their own pack, shelter, sleep system, food, personal gear, and tools. You will be responsible for providing your own gear (we provide work tools). You should be in good physical shape for full days of travel and working, and have a "can-do" attitude for unknown trail and weather conditions. Good communication throughout the team will be key.
Recommended gear list: https://www.boundarywaterstrails.org/gear-list-for-trail-clearing-backpacking-canoeing-april
A required training hike will be scheduled for May 1st to meet each other in the twin cities. You will meet your fellow crew and crew leaders, and we will conduct a gear check, hash out trip logistics, and get to know each other on a short hike. Location to be determined. Plan to fill out your forms here if you have not already turned them into your crew leaders.
There is a required safety training and orientation on the evening of April 16th for all BWAC volunteers. Look for the meetup event to come soon!
OTHER STUFF TO KNOW:
All participants must sign the BWAC liability release, BWAC medical health form, and U.S. Forest Service volunteer agreement before trip departure. Review forms at www.BoundaryWatersTrails.org.
The $25 registration fee includes a map of the Sioux Hustler Trail and offsets a portion of administrative and tool costs for BWAC. Additional costs will include the cost of dinner on the way home and chipping in for gas for those not driving. Our trail partner, the U.S. Forest Service provides wilderness permits for our BWAC volunteer crews.
Thank you for choosing to volunteer with the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee, where safety is our #1 priority.