Fall Colors Past their Peak
The leaves on the
Gunflint are now post peak and they are falling and beginning to litter the
ground. The tamarack just beginning to take their fall golden color. It is
still very beautiful along the Gunflint and on the area trails. The wind and rain that we had over the past few days brought down many of the remaining leaves on trees in the area.
The weather until
today has been beautiful- mostly warm and sunny. Yesterday however we received
our first snow flakes. Not enough for any snow to stay on ground. Then this
morning we reseaved our first frost 28 degrees but is warming up and looks like
it is going to be a beautiful day.
Croft Yurt along the Banadad Forcibly
moved by Forest Service Edict
We have operated the
Bedew Lake Yurt Camp at its present location since 1984. The camp is located
five miles west of the Poplar Public Landing along what “locals” refer to as
the Moose Trails.
The Croft, our first
Yurt site, was selected in the summer of 1983 by USFS personnel and at that
time the site was approved by the USFS and we were told by the Forest Service
that the site was outside the BWCA. Fast
forward to this spring –Nancy Larson, Gunflint Ranger, USFS, notified that the
Croft yurt is actually located within the
BWCA and she went on- the yurt must be move outside the BWCA
We informed Larson
that moving the yurt was a major job for us and would like some assistances
from the Forest Service particularly since it was “you guys that picked out the
site for the yurt originally. Larson, at first, informed us that we would have
to locate a new site and move the yurt without any help from the USFS. However
with the help of Congressman Nolan’s office the Forest Service changed their
tune and at agreed to at least to help us clear a new site two hundred yards or
so down the Moose Trail from the old site.
The new site was
cleared and after many hours of labor and at great expense to us the Croft has
now been moved and set-up. We are currently moving the furnishing in and we
expect this yurt to be open for skiers traveling the Banadad Ski again this
winter.
The other yurt at the old site was in such poor shape that we have decided to dispose of it.
The other yurt at the old site was in such poor shape that we have decided to dispose of it.
The annual meeting
of the Banadad Trail Association (BTA) will be The Banadad annual volunteer Trail Clearing Day will be
For those from out
of town and who will need lodging –Please contact 800-322-8327 or email use at bct@boundarycountry.com. The Banadad
Trail Association provides lodging for members and other Trail Groups.
The purpose of the BTA is to maintain and enhance the Banadad Ski Trails, preserve the history of the forest and the trail and promote appreciation and care of the BWCA wilderness. The BTA is a volunteer organization open to all who share these goals.
The purpose of the BTA is to maintain and enhance the Banadad Ski Trails, preserve the history of the forest and the trail and promote appreciation and care of the BWCA wilderness. The BTA is a volunteer organization open to all who share these goals.
Image above is from last winter. While this clump of brush was cleared, we are hopeful we will not be finding many clumps like this when we go out this year.
Getting the Banadad Ready for Ski this
Fall
Last year a major
Snow/rain storm struck the Banadad in mid December totally blocking the trail
with snow weighted down brush and downed trees. Last year while the
Association spent hundreds of hours working to open the trail before the ski
season began, we were only to clear about one-third of the trail. This year we
must not only clear this past summer’s accumulated brush and down
trees but We must also clear much of which remains from last December’s
storm. Above image is one of clumps of brush we were confronted with last year. At least this one is gone but there is still plenty out there to clear.
Work on the trail to
date:
- Minnesota Conservation Corp While spend five
night camping mid way alone the trails west end, during the day they
cleared eight miles of west end of Banadad and another ½ mile up to
Whoopee one on the trail eastend
- Paid trail crews have cleared the
- Andy Jenks and a friend Udai Singh have opened a portion
of the 2 mile maintenance - Winchell Lake Fire Trail. Unfortunately
beavers have damn up a creek along the trail which took a lot of time to
bye pass.
We are hoping to have the trail completely open by the Volunteer Trail
Clearing Day so we can use the trail to access a remote section of the
Banadad’s eastern end.
Planned for next few
months;
- A Tractor with a bush hog has been hire
to mow the east end trails outside of BWCA sometime in October.
- On October 21 & 22 volunteers trail
crews from Northstar Ski Tour Club and the Banadad Trail Association will
be accessing the Banadad within the BWCA via:
1.
Winchell
Lake Fire Trail (if open)
2.
the BWCA
line at Meads Lake Portage
3.
the west
end at the BWCA line
4.
if there
are enough people, the Moose Trail at the BWCA line
- December 3 Minnehaha Academy Ski Team will be work clearing the trail where ever they will then be most need.
All and all we
believe we have an ambitious maintenance program this and barring another disastrous
storm such as last year, this year the Banadad Ski Trail will be open for
skiing.
Remember- If you are coming from out of town and will
need lodging please contact Ted Young at 800-322-8327 or email us bct@boundarycountry.com. We currently
have lodging available for about twenty people. Also please RSVP if
you plan to attend Meeting/Potluck on Friday night and/or Trail Clearing on
Saturday. Locals call 388-4487
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