Border Route Trail—Pigeon River Section

Depart: Thursday, May 13th, 6:15pm (Friday night option if the number of people matches available transportation)

Return: Sunday, May 16th, aprox, 11pm.

Experience level: Beginner to expert Cost: $50/person.

Trip coordinators: Ed Solstad & John Elliott

We welcome you to join us for three days on the easternmost portion of the Border Route Trail. The Pigeon R. Section of trail has multiple overlooks with great views of the Pigeon, Swamp, Stump, and Royal River valleys as well as North and South Fowl Lakes. It was also fortunate to have received only minimal damage from the "Big Blow" of 7/4/99 so you'll be able to see everything from old growth pines to large poplars to new stands of balsam and white pine as well as meadow like areas between Portage Brook and the Stump River.

Our main purpose is to continue our project of getting the trail back up to the condition that it was in after Rovers finished it's construction in 1977. We now have hikers coming off of the Superior Hiking Trail and we have a reputation to reestablish and maintain.

We're taking a three day trip in May this year in order to sneak in between the snow and the bugs and heat of the summer. We'll start by upgrading the connection with the SHT with signage and a thorough brushing between the SHT and the 360 degree overlook. That will invite SHT users to see what the BRT is all about - the best overlooks in the upper Midwest!

Other projects will be a deadfall sweep of as much of the trail as possible. This should not be a big deal as the entire section was cleared last season with the exception of about a half dozen large diameter pines in the first mile east out of McFarland Lake. If the back roads are dry, we'll take the van in to the Stump River and do further brushing north along the banks of the Pigeon cutting back the new balsam growth. This section of trail is open but very narrow.

All in all it'll be a busy but fun weekend. A lot of hiking, especially for the saw crew, with the benefit of enjoying a lot of the BRT not visited by a lot of people. You'll be able to do something totally different from your normal weekday life and feel good about making a positive contribution to recreation in Minnesota.

We'll be driving up after work on Thursday night, May 13th. Dinner will be at Sir Benedicts in Duluth after which we'll proceed up the north shore to Hovland and turn inland to our campsite at Otter Lake. We'll drive into Grand Marais for dinner at the Gunflint Tavern one night and cook out the other night. Return time will be between 10:30 and 11:30 on Sunday night.

Cost of $50/person will include transportation, breakfasts, lunches, and the dinner at Otter Lake.

Contact Ed Solstad at esolstad@pressenter.com or (612) 822-0569 or see John Elliott at the Rover meeting.