Details
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BE PRE-APPROVED BY ONE OF THE CREW LEADERS BEFORE REGISTERING. Please e-mail Valentin Povarchuk (valentin.povarchuk@boundarywaterstrails.org) or Mel Yackley (mel.yackley@boundarywaterstrails.org) for approval and registration instructions. This trip will fill and registration sequence will be in order of approval. Please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested in participating.
WHY VOLUNTEER?
Join Mel and Valentin on this 4- day backcountry trail clearing-adventure. We will be hiking 6 miles into the beautiful Pose Lake campsite, which will be our base camp. We will be working to clear brush and treefalls mostly east and south of Pose Lake. This is a remote trip on a wilderness route in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
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:
Early Friday morning, May 24, we will carpool from the Twin Cities area to meet in Two Harbors. From there, we will caravan to entry point 86 for the Powwow Trail, north of Isabella, Minnesota. We expect to arrive at the trailhead by 11:00 and get on-trail by noon. We will hike in approximately 6 miles to Pose Lake and establish our base camp. There is access to water at this location.
On Saturday and Sunday, we will clear tree falls and brush, and do needed maintenance of the trail. Plan on roughly 8-hour work days, with breaks. On Monday morning, we will pack up and hike back to civilization, and then drive back to the Twin Cities. We expect to return by 7pm on Monday, but flexibility is required due to unknowns of wilderness and freeway travel.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Thick brush and tree falls on the trail, cool, warm and possibly wet weather. Very remote areas, working with a good group of people, and working hard to maintain the Powwow Trail for everyone to enjoy.
Each participant will carry their own pack, shelter, sleep system, food, personal gear and two clearing tools. BWAC may have 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.
Each participant will carry their own pack, shelter, sleep system, food, personal gear and a clearing tool. 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.
Recommended gear list: https://www.boundarywaterstrails.org/gear-list-for-trail-clearing-backpacking-canoeing-april
MANDATORY MEETINGS
A required local hike will be scheduled in April to meet each other, conduct a gear check and to hash out trip logistics.
On April 16, BWAC will hold a mandatory crew member orientation at REI Bloomington. See details here [LINK].
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 https://www.boundarywaterstrails.org/
The $25 registration fee includes a Mckenzie map of the Powwow Trail and offsets a portion of administrative and tool costs for BWAC. Our trail partner, the U.S. Forest Service, provides the wilderness permit for BWAC volunteer crews.
Thank you for choosing to volunteer with the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee, where safety is our #1 priority.