Trail Association Meets with Forest Service

Grand Marais, MN- Banadad Ski Association members; Barb and John Bottgar, Pete Harris, Jim Morisson and Ted Young met with Dennis Neitzke and Steve Schug from the Gunflint Ranger District yesterday. The purpose of that meeting was to bring the forest service up to speed concerning the maintenance supervision of the trail being transfer from our company, Boundary Country Trekking to the new Association.

At the meeting we gave Dennis and Steve Schug,a list of the Trail’s needs, projects and concerns (see attached). In reviewing this list, Schug agreed that the Forest Service would assist in rebuilding the Banadad Bridge and Dennis stated that they had applied for stimulus funds to hire Minnesota Conservation Crews to work on trails. Dennis stated that if funded, a crew could be assigned to work on the Banadad Trail Widening Project. Schug also mention that they had budgeted $750 for each trail in the District for this year. It was however unclear if this would be in addition to what the Forest Service would spend in replacing the bridge.

It was also agreed that as a first step in moving the trail's west end, the Assocation should layout a proposed new route ending near the Loon Lake Public Landing. When that is competed the Forest Service could then consider re-routing this section of the Trail along this proposed route.

Schug will be drawing up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the USFS and the Banadad Trail Association which if acceptable to the Assocation will define the rights and responsibilities of each party in the administration of the Banadad Trail.

New Ski Trail Association Formed on Gunflint Trail

Grand Marais, MN – Boundary Country Trekking, Gunflint Trail area residents, and several members of the Twin Cities-based North Star Ski Touring Club (NSSTC) have joined together to form the Banadad Trail Association (BTA). According to Karen Monsen, the association’s new president and NSSTC member, “the purpose of the association is to maintain and enhance the Banadad Ski Trail, preserve the history of the forest and the trail, and promote the appreciation and care of wilderness lands”.

The new association will manage the 46-kilometer Banadad Ski Trail system that includes the Banadad Trail (the BWCAW’s longest tracked trail), the Lace Lake Trail, the Tim Knopp Trail, and the Tall Pines and Seppala Trails. The trail system is centrally located along the 200-kilometer Gunflint Nordic Trail system.

The organization’s founding meeting was held February 14 on the Gunflint Trail to adopt by-laws and elect a Board of Directors. In addition to President Monsen, the board includes Vice President Linda Bosma of Minneapolis, Treasurer Karla Miller of Duluth, and Secretary Barb Bottger of Hungry Jack Lake. Elected as at-large board members were Jim Morrison of Poplar Lake, Wayne Monsen of Stillwater, Tom Rice of Shoreview, Mel Peterson of St. Paul, Peter Spink of Poplar Lake and Minneapolis, John Bottger of Hungry Jack Lake, and Anne Rykken of St. Paul.

Following the meeting, the board met and selected Ted Young of Boundary Country Trekking to continue to serve as the trail maintenance manager. Board members were also assigned responsibility for incorporating the new association as a non-profit organization.


Until a permanent mailing address and e-mail account are established, the Banadad Trail Association can be reached by e-mail at bta@boreal.org.

Snow Report for February 15, 2009

Banadad Ski Trail - February 15, 2009
Snow on Ground – 24 inches

Packed Trail Base - 18+"

New Snow last .5 hours - traces

New snow last 7 days - 6

Groomed and Tracked
Banadad –31 km- February 14

Lace Lake –5 km – February 13

Knapp-3 km- February 10

Tall Pines (Westside) 1 km -February 10



Excellent ski conditions; trails in great shape


For lodging along the trail information go to- www.poplarcreekbb.com

Snow Report for February 11, 2009

Banadad Ski Trail Snow Report

The temperature over the past 24 hours has been in the low 30’s, this along with some rain has dropped the snow on the ground from 27” to 20” a loss of seven inches.

All the Banadad Trail System is tracked but the trails are now icy. As soon as the temperature falls we will attempt to cut-up the ice and re-set the tracks.

Banadad Ski Trail - February 5, 2009

Snow on Ground - 27 inches

Packed Trail Base - 20+"

New Snow last 24 hours - traces

New snow last 7 days - 4"

Groomed and Tracked
Banadad –31 km- February 3

Lace Lake –5 km – February 4

Knapp-3 km- December 30

Tall Pines (Westside) 1 km -February 4

Conditions Rated
Skiing excellent - great snow conditions

For More Information:
Boundary Country Trekking and Poplar Creek Guesthouse





bct@boundarycountry.com

Boundary Country Trekking/Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B
800-322-8327 218-388-4487
11 Poplar Creek Drive 218-388-2253 Fax
Grand Marais MN 55604

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Banadad Ski Trail

January 28, 2009 Trail Map
Snow on Ground - 25 inches

Packed Trail Base - 16-18”

New Snow last 24 hours- 0
traces

Groomed and Tracked
Banadad –31 km- January 27

Lace Lake –5 km – January 25

Knapp-3 km- January 25

Tall Pines (Westside) 1 km -December 27

Conditions Rated
Skiing continued excellent - great snow conditions

For More Information:
Boundary Country Trekking and Poplar Creek Guesthouse

Snow and Trail Conditions

Monday, January 021, 2009
Banadad Ski Trail - January 6, 2009

Snow on Ground- 24 inches

Packed Trail Base - 16-18”

New Snow last 24 hours- <1"

New snow last 7 days- 4-5 inches

Groomed and Tracked

Banadad –31 km- January 19.

Lace Lake –5 km – January 20

Knapp-3 km- December 30

Tall Pines (Westside) 1 km -December 29

Conditions Rated
Skiing excellent - great snow conditions continues

For More Information:
Boundary Country Trekking and Poplar Creek Guesthouse

Cook Country Volks Ski Fest

Skiers Unite; attend Cook County's Gunflint Trail and Northshore Volks Ski Fest- January 31, 2009 - Sunday, February 08, 2009

The Volks Ski Fest is a fun, laid back, skiing and snowshoeing festival for the whole family! All week-long, all over the county, there are events and contests designed to help everyone get out and enjoy hundreds of kilometers of beautiful northwoods trails.

You can try to be the person to ski the most km in a week...or enjoy a leisurely ski just one day. You can get your festival booklet stamped to show you've made it to all of the trails...or you can just go to the events that feature food. Whatever you enjoy the most. Check out the list below for the details on the many events planned.

Banadad Ski Trail - January 6, 2009

Snow on Ground- 25 inches

Packed Trail Base - 16-18”

New Snow last 24 hours- traces

New snow last 7 days- 13 inches

Groomed and Tracked
Banadad –31 km- January 5.

Lace Lake –5 km – January 5

Knapp-3 km- December 30

Tall Pines (Westside) 1 km -December 29

Conditions Rated
Skiing excellent - great snow conditions

For More Information:
Boundary Country Trekking and Poplar Creek Guesthouse

Happy New Year Snow Report- 12/31/08

Snow on Ground 19-20 inches
Packed Trail Base 12-14”
New Snow last 24 hours 1/2 inch
New snow last 7 days 7 inches
Groomed and Tracked

Banadad –31 km-12/29
Lace Lake –5 km – 12/30
Knapp-3 km- 12/30/08
Tall Pines (Westside) 1 km - 12/29

Conditions Rated -Skiing good to excellent some trails wind has blown snow onto tracks

For More Information:Boundary Country Trekking and Poplar Creek Guesthouse

First Skiers Through the Banadad This Winter

Gunflint Trail-With the temperature hovering above freezing, the ski conditions on the Banadad Ski Trail were not great, as Erik and Karl Hoeg became the first skier to complete the entire 31 kilometer Banadad non-stop this winter. The two boys time was about 4 hours. They both are very good skiers and they explained afterwards that had the ski conditions been better they certainly would have made the trip much faster. Their parents shuttled a car to the western end of the Banadad then skied in from the western trail head, about 7 kilometers, where they met-up-with Erik and Karl. The pair were staying at one of Poplar Creek Guesthouse’s cabin with their parents.

Snow and Trail Conditions

Banadad and Adjoining Ski Trails- Gunflint Trail, Minnesota. Ski and snowshoeing Trails- map

DATE: December 17, 2008

SNOW DEPTH IN WOODS: 20"

COMPACTED BASE ON TRAIL:12"

NEW SNOW PAST 24 HOURS: 0

NEW SNOW PAST 7 DAYS: 11"

GROOM/TRACKED TRAIL: 10 km.

SNOWSHOE TRAILS: 6 miles open

ADDITIONAL COMMENT: excellent - plenty of snow/eastern end of Banadad to Lizz Lake and Lace Lake Trails Tracked; remaining trails packed and grooming underway

Lodging at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B, Ski-in Cabin and Yurt
Boundary Country Adventure Trips - Ski Yurt to Yurt and/or Lodge to Lodge- on the web

Great Snow for Skiiing on the Gunflint

Grand Marais, MN- The cross-country skiing season has begun along Minnesota’s famed Gunflint Trail as the snow piles up- over nine new inches of snow fell yesterday. More is expected this week. With yesterday snowfall, area B&B and lodge owners along the Gunflint report eighteen to twenty inches of snow now on the ground.

According Ted Young from Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B, which operates the Banadad Ski Trail, “we are grooming the east end of the Banadad now and we should be completed tracking all our trails by the weekend. With this new snow skiing should be great!” Those responsible for the Central and Upper Gunflint Ski Trails expressed similar optimism.

Nordic Skiing is by definition an eco-friendly sport but the Gunflint area ski trail managers have taken this one step further. Last year, the Banadad Ski Trail became “carbon neutral” with the purchase of carbon credits to offset the emissions of grooming. This year, the Central and Upper Gunflint ski trail systems are adopting carbon neutral strategies. The cost to sequester the carbon released into the atmosphere from the maintenance and grooming for the Gunflint Nordic Ski Trails will be invested in planting of trees along the Gunflint Trail.

Packing of the Banadad Ski Trail Underway

With about four inches of snow now on the ground, the final stage of maintenance of the Banadad began yesterday. This stage is the packing, which is done by snowmobiles running back and forth along the trail to compact the snow in preparation for setting track. During this process any remaining trees and brush blocking the trail are cleared with handsaws and nippers. Usually the packing takes about of week. After that as soon as another four to six inches of snow falls tracks can be laid down and the Banadad will be opened for skiing.

Maintenance of the Banadad Continues

February 8 and 9, Lee Wenzel fromt the NSSTC and a friend spent two days widening one and one-half miles on the western end of the Trail. The crew spend their nights at the Croft Yurt after walking the eight miles from western trailhead to the Yurt. In addition to the widening, the they removed all but one of the larger trees blocking the trail's western end.

February 14, Al Berglund using a tractor and brush-hog cut the side brush along the 5 mile Moose Trail. This trail is used as the snowmobile access to the Croft Yurt and as skating trail for those staying at the croft and at the Trail's eastern it is tracked for local skiers.

Boundary Country at the Twin Cities Winter Sport Show

If you are looking forward to winter and live in the Twin Cities area you should plan to attend Midwest Mountaineering's annual Winterfest http://www.midwestmtn.com. This event is scheduled for Friday, November 21 through Sunday, November 23 at Midwest Mountaineering's Store located at 309 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, and in large tents erected behind the store.

We at Boundary Country Trekking (BCT) will have a booth at the show and will be providing information about our winter Nordic Skiing program- including, ski and snowshoe vacations at the Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B and Ski-in Cabins, Yurt to Yurt and lodge to Lodge Skiing, and of course skiing the BWCA's longest tracked trail the Banadad.

This year we have spent on lot of time clearing the Banadad Ski Trail in anticipation of the ski season. With the assistance of eight volunteers from the Minnesota Conservation Corp (YCC), three-quarters of a mile of the Trail’s remote interior by “Moose Kill Hill” was widened. Brush was encroaching into the Trail along this section; after the YCC completed their work this section of trail looked great! In addition the old Olga’s Hut, midway along the trail and used as sleeping quarters for larger groups was replaced. This overnight stop along the Banadad will now be able to comfortably accommodate nine people again.

The Banadad Ski Trail is maintained and operated carbon neutral.

Attending the show for BCT will be Ted Young and his daughter Karla Miller. They would love to have you attend the show and stop at BCT's booth to say hi!

This announcement is brought to you by Boundary Country Trekking providing secluded lodging and Adventure Vacations on Minnesota's Gunflint Trail, BWCA, the Iron Range and Lake Superior's North Shore. For additional information go to Boundary Country or call 800-322-8327.

Getting the Banadad Trails Ready for Skiing

According to Ted Young co-owner of Boundary Country Trekking and Banadad Trail Coordinator, “opening the 39.8 kilometers of the Banadad Ski Trail System is no easy undertaking. Twenty-seven Kilometers of the trail system are located within the BWCA where only hand tools can be used to cut the summers accumulation of brush and down trees and crews are only able to travel to the work site under their own power-by foot or canoe. The remaining portion of the trails, outside the BWCA, power equipment including mowers is allowed and when possible used. Annually some 500-600 of labor is require to open the trails for skiing each year. This year’s maintenance will be no acceptation.”

Over the pasts two weekends nine volunteers from the North Stars Ski Touring Club and thirteen volunteers from Adventure Vacations, a Twin Cities based adventure travel company logged 332 hours cutting brush and down trees along the Banadad and hand cleared the Tall Pines Trail. Prior to this volunteer effort, Boundary Country Trekking, staff had cleared and mowed the Lace Lake, and Seppala Trails outside the BWCA. Earlier this summer a group of eight youth and staff from the Minnesota Conservation Corp spent two days widening approximately 1.2 kilometers of an overgrown portion of the Banadad around Moose Kill Hill.

As a result of these efforts, to date the Lace Lake, Tall Pines and Seppala Trails and the first 1.6 Kilometers of the Banadad now only needs snow to be opened for skiing. Along the 32 kilometer Banadad, most of which is within the BWCA, crews have cleared 21 kilometers.

Minnehaha’s Academy’s High School Ski Team is scheduled to work on the trail in mid-November. They will round out this years volunteer maintenance effort. Then, as in past years, the remaining clearing of the Banadad will occure when snow arrives and the trail packing by snowmobile groomers can take place. These groomers, as they pack, will hand-cut the remaining brush in the remote interior sections of the trail, which volunteers could not reach.

Young when on to state that, “normally there is enough snow to start skiing on the Lace Lake, Tall Pines, Seppala and the eastern end of the Banadad by Thanksgiving. Packing and tracking of the full length of the Banadad is usually completed and the trail opened for skiing by mid-December.”

North Star Ski Touring Club Writes about Weekend of Trail Clearing on the Banadad

Andrea Johnson, NSSTC -Nine North Stars arrived at host Ted and Barbara Young's Poplar Creek B & B on the evening of Thursday, October 16, ready to clear the BWCA’s Banadad Ski Trail. The group was put-up in the Little Ollie Lake Cabin and one of the rooms in the Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B. Each day a huge farm-style breakfasts was prepared for us and we returned to mouth-watering dinners and a refrigerator stocked with beer.



On Friday morning, we paddled across a very calm Poplar Lake. We left our canoes at one end of Mead portage and hiked a long trail, part of which was steep and rocky. The day's work consisted of nipping alders and overhanging pine branches as well as cutting down and removing larger trees. Two men took down a stony berm in the trail.

Hiking to our canoes in the late afternoon, I noticed gold underfoot – gold leaves, gold cedar tips, gold pine needles – a welcome cushion for tired feet.

The second day, we drove to a different area on the Banadad. Our group cleared from the western Banadad Trailhead in approximately four miles. A few of us ate our trail lunches sitting in the sun on a bridge crossing a rushing creek between East Dawkins and West Dawkins lakes.

In the evening, several North Stars attended a meeting which saw the initial formation of the BWCA Banadad Trail Association, a non-profit dedicated to maintenance of the Banadad for future generations Ted agreed to continue to serve as Trail Maintenance and Grooming Coordinator.

Our last day, we hiked to an area near Tall Pines yurt where we worked through the morning clearing the western side of the Tall Pine Yurt.

Then we showered, packed, and ate lunch with in the B & B Guesthouse dining room. Ted thanked us for successfully clearing more than seven miles of the Banadad and he noted that North Stars have volunteered trail-clearing there for over 25 years, longer than any other group of volunteers. Barbara pointed out that only she has “volunteered” for Ted longer than the North Stars.

Together, we all shared the highlights of our invigorating trail-clearing experience: beautiful fall weather; lovely small trees on the side of the trail -trees that will need nipping in future years; fascinating lichens, fungi, and rare sphagnum moss spores; a old two-holer outhouse along side the trail at the site of the "Old Logging Camp" which one North Star passionately wishes to be forever preserved; lively discussions touching on diverse topics, including politics; and absolutely fabulous meals, including a roast turkey dinner and an ethnic Nordic brunch.

Trip leader Tom Rice summed it up: “Great crew! Great hospitality!”

Volunteers Needed for Fall BWCA Ski Trail Clearing

Join the "Banadad Beavers" for a Work Weekend clearing the summer's accumulation of brush and downed trees and bridge replacement projects along the Banadad Ski Trail. Most of the Banadad is located within the BWCA, where the use of power equipment for maintenance is prohibited. As a result, just to get the trail open for skiing each year requires some 600-650 hours of hand labor. Your help is needed!

This Fall's Trail Clearing Weekend Schedule

• October 4 – Saturday work all-day; Reduced rate lodging available through Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B.

• October 9-12 – Sponsor, Adventure Vacations, a Twin Cities based touring company- for more information contact Karen at 651-644—0333 or 866-910-0300

• October 11- Saturday work all day; Reduced rate lodging available through Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B.

• October 23-26 Sponsor, North Star Ski Touring Club for more information contact Tom Rice tjr@rhys.net.

• November 6-9 Sponsor Minnehaha Academy Ski team; also open on Saturday, November 8 to others. Work all day; Reduced rate lodging available through Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B

• November 15 - Saturday work all-day; Reduced rate lodging available Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B.

All volunteers receive special reduced lodging rates at Poplar Creek Guesthouse or at the Banadad Yurts and free parking along the Banadad Ski Trail during the 2008-09 Ski Season.

Following the trail clearing the east end of the Banadad is normally open for skiing with the first good snow- sometime near the end of November. However the entire Banadad and the Croft Yurt is not available until about mid-December.

Banadad Ski Trail Maintenance Schedule
2008-09

• September 30 open

• October 9-12 Adventure Vacations Tours for more information contact Karen at 866-910-0300 or in the Twin Cities @ 651-644-0333 or go to www.adv-vac.com .

• October 11 open

• October 23-26 North Star Ski Touring Club contact Tom Rice at tjr@trhys.net

• November 7-10 open

For additional information, to lend a hand, or possible other dates contact- Ted at 218-388-4487