We welcome you to join us for a weekend on the Pigeon River Cliffs section of the Border Route Trail. This will be an excellent chance to visit some of the best easily accessible sections of the Midwest’s premiere hiking trail with its combination of old and second growth pine forest and multiple overlooks with spectacular views out over the Royal and Pigeon River valleys and North and South Fowl Lakes. We guarantee that you’ll be impressed.

We'll depart from REI-Roseville Thursday after work and aim for a 9 to 10PM Sunday evening return time. The plan is to car camp at the Otter Lake Trailhead camp site and split into 2 groups on Friday in order to do a reconnaissance hike of both the Royal and Pigeon River Ridges. On Saturday and Sunday we'll then take care of any problem areas that we ran into plus spend some time scouting for potential campsite locations along the Pigeon River and Portage Brook.

Keep in mind that on summer trips there is a certain obligation to test the waters of Otter Lake, the Pigeon River, and maybe even the little lake up from the Otter Lake Junction even if it does involve a bit of bushwhacking. We may even find ripe raspberries in need of picking.

We will bring along two chain saws, two brushcutters, and a few hand limbers in order to be prepared to actually do enough genuine work to avoid feeling guilty. Specific plans include clearing and properly marking the trail treadway through three fairly small patches cut during a recent timber sale – a pretty straight forward job. I also would like to do a minor realignment of a roughly two block section that was hit by the 7/4/99 Big Blow.

Some camping experience is helpful but not essential. You should be in good enough condition to hike 5 to 6 miles per day over relatively rugged terrain. We’ll take care of transportation, food planning and purchase, any needed tools, etc. You’ll be responsible for your personal gear as per the "Packing list - Fall mechanized trail maintenance" in the MORE - FILES section of the Meetup site.

The trip cost of $55 will cover transportation plus food from Friday breakfast through Sunday lunch. If you meet us in Duluth, deduct $10. If you provide your own transportation, deduct $25. Food in Duluth or Two Harbors on the way up and back will be on your own. Please remember that your spot is not reserved until we receive your payment.

If you’d like to get involved with various aspects of the trip such as food planning, equipment selection, etc., please let us know.

Thanks for your interest.
Ed