Poplar Creek Courier Brought to you by Boundary Country Trekking

A five-person crew from the Minnesota Conservation Corp (MCC) spent eight tough days widening the remote interior of the Banadad Ski Trail. The crew hiked in from the west end trailhead, setting up camp at the bench midway to the Bedew Lake Yurt Camp. After several days clearing the trail on either side of their camp, the crew then moved onto Bedew where the sent several more days widening the trail from the yurts to the midtrail junction. When they finally hike out from Bedew the crew had widen two full miles and cleared many down trees blocking the eight miles of the trail they covered.

It is speculated that the down trees were the result of a nasty hail-wind storm cell that hit the western end of the Banadad on August 13. Luckily it appears the storm missed the trail’s eastern end.

Now with this year’s work by MCC some eight remote interior miles of the Banadad have been widen over the last four years.  Yet to be widened is about one and one-half more miles some of which it is anticipated will be taken-on this fall. 

"Gunflinters" woke-up this morning to a bit of snow on the ground. Not much; less then a quarter of an inch. But after all it is near the end of October and snow is expect. However for you skiers it still is to early but work has begun getting the trails ready for you.Earlier this month a crew from Adventure Vacations, a Twin Cities based adventure travel company widened a three-quarter mile section on the eastern end of the Banadad Ski Trail. The group found a larger number then normal of down trees, which they removed. The down trees were a result of a combination of the heavy rains and winds of the pasts two months.

Then today a two-person local crew is going out to widen a remote section of the trail beginning two miles west of the Croft Yurt. This crew will be camping on the trail for five days and plan to widen about mile.

More Volunteer crews are expected out on the Banadad during November. Normally by mid-December the entire Banadad is cleared and ready for skiers. Prior to that and given a little help with mother nature providing snow, skiers have been able to start skiing on the eastern end of the Banadad as early as Thanksgiving.

Members of the North Star Ski Touring Club, a Little Ollie Lake cabin owner and Boundary Country Trekking staff spent two days cutting open the remaining sections of a new ski loop off the south side of the Lace Lake Ski Trail. Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B provided lodging for the club and supervised the trail work.

According to trail administrator, Ted Young, "while the new trail is cleared there is still some additional brushing to be completed before the trail will be usable. This new 3.7-kilometer loop trail will allow skiers to ski in and out of the Tall Pines Yurt along a tracked trail from two different directions. Previously skiers had to ski the 1+ kilometers to the yurt along the untracked yurt service road. The trail will also provide another trail option for skiers traveling along the Lace Lake Trail. It is anticipated the remaining work on the trail will be completed in time for the opening of this winter ski season. "

With the addition of this new trail loop the Banadad Trail System will offer 43.7-kilometers of tracked trails. The Banadad System is part of the 180-Kilometer Gunflint Nordic Trails. The Banadad Trail System is administrated by Boundary Country Trekking and is open to the general public. The Minnesota Ski Pass is required to ski the Banadad Trail System. The North Stars Ski Touring Club is one of largest, if not the largest, cross country ski clubs in the nation. The club has been helping to maintain the Banadad and adjoining Ski Trails for some twenty years.

Volunteers Open News Ski Trail to Tall Pines Yurt The weekend of Novermber 3-5 volunteers spent two days chainsawing, hand cutting and clearing a one and one-half kilometer trail connecting the Lace Lake Trail to the Tall Pines Yurt. Perviously skiers had to travel along the un-tracked supply trail to get from the Lace Lake Trail or parking area to the Yurt. According to Ted Young, trail administrator, "this new trail is the first section of a planned 3.75 kilometer loop trail. Hopefully we will complete the entire loop in time for next winter's ski season."

Join one of this year's trail maintenance crews clearing the summer's accumulation of brush and downed trees along the Banadad Ski Trail.

The Banadad, located along the Gunflint Trail in Northeast Minnesota is the BWCA's longest Ski Trail. Most of the trail runs through the BWCA, a Wilderness area, where the use of power equipment for maintenance is prohibited. As a result to get the trail open for skiing each year requires some 600-650 hours of hand labor.

Your help is needed! Weekend Ski Trail Maintenance Trips are scheduled October 27-29 and November 17-19.

Lodging, breakfasts and lunches, trail tools and supervision are provided on all trips. You provide work clothing, sleeping bags and your labor. A minimal fee is charged to cover cost of food (breakfast and lunches, dinner on your own) and two nights lodging.

Cash donations also accepted. Check should be made payable to the Banadad Ski Trail Committee. Sign-up now for this year's trips!

____ October 27-29 Work Weekend (Cost $60) 2 days/2 nights -work on Saturday and Sunday AM

_filled November 17-19 Work Weekend (Cost $60) 2 days/2 nights -work on Saturday and Sunday AM

Call 800-322-8327 to reserve your space on the trail crew
BANADAD SKI TRAIL COMMITTEE
11 Poplar Creek Dr, Grand Marais, MN 55604
Email- bct@boundarycountry.com

View on Web at www.boundarycountry.com/trailwork.html

With seven inches of snow on the Trail, the Minnehaha Academy's girls ski team spent Saturday opening the westend of the Banadad. According to coach Anne Rykken, the team cleared brush from the westend trailhead to about a kilometer beyond the Dawkins bridge. The next day the crew moved down to the eastern end of the trail and cleared along the Lace Lake Trail.

The team is planning a Yurt to Yurt trip the first weekend in March at which time they can admire their handiwork.

Boundary Country Trekking, which own and operate Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B, grooms and maintains the 45 kilometer Banadad and Adjoining Ski Trails. The Banadad is the BWCA's longest tracked ski trail. The Trail is in the center of the 180-kilometer Gunflint Nordic Trail System. Getting the Banadad open each year for skiing require some 450-500 hours of hand labor. Volunteers recruited and supervised by Boundary Country Trekking contribute most of this work.

This year's maintenance began September 29 with three people, Barbara and John Bottger (Hungry Jack Lake) and Ted Young (Poplar Creek Guesthouse). The crew drove out the Moose trail by truck to the Croft Yurt then walked in a mile and one- half to the sagging Banadad Bridge. Picture is of John Bottger working on bridge. The decking on the bridge was removed and the rotting beams reinforced and the decking replace. After completing the bridge, the crew widened the approach to the bridge and cut out the over hanging brush along the way back to the truck. It drizzled all day. The work crew encountered three parties of moose hunters along the Moose Trail including one group that had set-up their hunting camp just off the trail and near the Bedew Creek. While working on the bridge two more moose hunters came though the Rush- Banadad Portage.

The next day, September 30, another crew of volunteers- Cindy Tiffany and Margit Jamieson (Gunflint Lake); John Bottger; Mike Nelson and Bryan Straniero, Adventuresome Christians 's staff and Ted Young tackled the eastern end of the trail. This crew hiked-in from the Poplar Lake Public Landing along the one and one-half mile maintenance access trail- the old Winchell Lake fire trail build by the CCC in the 1930's.

Arriving at the Banadad Five of the crewmembers headed west towards the Old Logging Camp cutting brushing as they went. This crew estimate they cleared and widened, at least, another mile of the Trail.

Young walked back east surveying the trail conditions between the access trail to the eastern trailhead and Poplar Creek Guesthouse a distance of 4 1/2 miles. While there were a few small trees that were cut, the rest of this section was in fairly good condition. Two moose hunters were encountered along the way. It was another gray day.

Your help is needed to assist in clearing the Banadad Ski Trail. If you can help meet at, 9:00 a.m. Saturday September 30 at the Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B. Please contact Ted Young, Boundary Country Trekking's Trail Coordinator by phone at 388-4487 or email at bct@boundarycountry.com if you plan to join us on Saturday or would like more information.

Volunteers should wear work clothing, bring gloves and rain gear. We provide tools and lunches Everyone that works on the Trail receives free ski parking for the Banadad and discounted on overnight accommodates during this year's ski season.

If you ski the Banadad, please help get it ready to ski. We really need your help!

You may not be ready for winter yet or even thinking about skiing. But if the Banadad Ski Trail is going be open this winter now is time to start getting ready. If this interest you or if you might be interested in lending a hand on getting the trail open this fall you can read about it in a two part series published in Boundary Country Trekking's news blog the Edge- Last Year what it took and Help Needed! - BWCA Ski Trail Clearing Volunteers Sought.

Picture is of the North Stars Ski Touring Club's trail crew working on the Bandad last fall.