Border Route Trail Maintenance, Gunflint Section - Mechanized

“It's fun, it's great exercise, it makes you feel good, and the scenics and camaraderie are unbeatable.”

Join us for the annual spring maintenance trip to the Gunflint Section of the nationally acclaimed Border Route Trail.

You'll experience great scenics, camaraderie that can't be beat, excellent food, a chance to see and/or hear wildlife such as eagles, loons, moose, wolves, pine martins, black bears, and fox. Perhaps best of all you'll go home feeling really good about yourself for having helped to keep the Border Route and connecting trails in good condition. It wouldn't happen without our time and dedication.

Prior trail maintenance experience is not a prerequisite, but you should be in good physical condition in order to enjoy the trip.

We'll be sleeping in bunkhouse rooms at Gunflint Lodge on Gunflint Lake with next door access to heated restrooms and hot showers.

The Trip fee of $60 includes transportation, lodging, and food from Friday breakfast through Sunday lunch. We’ll stop for food in Duluth or Two Harbors on Thursday and Sunday night.

The entire Gunflint section was cleared of dead-falls and brush last fall, so we’ll only be dealing with trees that fell down over the winter. It should go fast. Look upon it as a day-hike where we happen to be carrying a chain saw and fuel in case you need to clear something out of the way.

During weekend we'll be doing a dead-fall sweep from the western trailhead through to the old power line cut to the east of Heston’s, a distance of 8.8 miles. We’ll also do a dead-fall sweep on the 2.1 mile Brice-Breon Tr. These sweeps will consist of one sawyer using a chain saw plus two swampers to assist in throwing debris off of the trail. They will also put in flagging where needed and keep notes as to areas needing more attention.

While the dead-fall removal crews are busy on Friday, we’ll take another crew in on the Crab Lake Trail to do dead-fall removal and light brushing from the trailhead to the east end of Crab Lake and then up the Crab Lake Cutoff to the junction with the Border Route. This will be a total of approximately 2.3 miles. Dependent upon how many people we have, we may stash the equipment and return on either Saturday or Sunday to continue with a dead-fall sweep back to where the east bound crews left off. Doing that would take care of everything outside of the BWCAW.

On Saturday, I’ll be leading a crew into the boundary waters to do about a mile of brushing using our newly acquired Fiskars loppers and pruners. Fun, fun, and no noise!

This Meetup is cosponsored by the Border Route Trail Association (http://www.borderroutetrail.org/), and the Minnesota Rovers Outdoors Club. It'll be originating in the Twin Cities. Transportation options would include being picked up in route or forming a car pool from Duluth. Exact details will be determined by who signs up from where.

After you've RSVP'd Yes, please send me an email with your phone number as a backup to communication via email. Also please send a check for $60.00 made out to BRTA and send to BRTA c/o Ed Solstad, 3701 Pillsbury Ave. So., Minneapolis, MN 55409.

Please keep in mind that "Yes" RSVP's are not official until your deposit is received.

You'll find the BRT Trail Maint Spring packing list in the files section.

If you have any questions, please email me at esolstad@pressenter.com or give me a call at 612-822-0569.

Thanks,
Ed