Day 6
July 18, 2003
Today's miles: 3.5
Total miles: 56
Destination: Gunflint Outfitters/Gunflint Lodge

Sixty more miles of overgrown, barely marked wilderness trail lay ahead of us to the junction with the Superior Trail. We were carrying ten days of food, our packs heavy. We were using an inadequate trail guide that talks more about picking berries than crucial turns or clearly identifiable landmarks. The Border Route trail would take us far from exit points should we have lost the tread. These things were on our minds this afternoon when we set out to hike to the nearest campsite on the BRT. Our permit to re-enter the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wildnerness was dated for tomorrow, so we intended to make this a very short day, stopping before the entry point.

But we didn't get far before confusion set in. Ski and snowmobile trails diverged from the BRT, then looped back around, becoming one and the same trail. Then the barely discernible BRT would make an abrupt turn. The guide would state something to the effect, "Turn left at the clump of raspberries." There were raspberries all over!

Within a mile, we came to a jumble of blowdowns and, after picking our way over, under and through, we saw no sign of treadway on the other side. Retracing our steps, we noticed a passable area to our left, a ninety-degree turn, which looked more like a large animal had recently passed through the thick brush than part of a designated trail. We pushed through also, maybe fifty feet, and found ourselves on another snowmobile trail. No mention in the chatty guidebook about such a turn, although Allen did find a piece of blue flagging tape on the ground, almost hidden by tall grass. Were we even on the BRT? We decided not to find out. Border Route Trail hike aborted.

Actually, what I said to Allen was, "Isn't there another way to do this? I'm only half-kidding, but what about canoeing?"

Within seconds, the MacKenzie maps were laid on the ground, end-to-end, and we studied the possible water routes, determining if we could get to or close to the northeastern terminus of the Superior Trail by boat. Sure enough, it was doable. We sat there in the middle of the ski trail, being munched by mosquitoes, and discussed the canoe trip. It was either that or get a shuttle to the SHT, which I didn't want to do. So we decided to hike back to Gunflint Outfitters and talk to Sheryl Hindermann, the general manager, about what we wanted to do and find out if we could even get a permit. (The hiking permit we'd already purchased was non-refundable and not transferable to a canoe permit.)

Longish story short -- because I'm tired and we're planning an early start tomorrow -- we've been outfitted with a 40-pound Kevlar Epoxy canoe, paddles, PFDs and a new permit, and will be paddling and portaging our way to the boat launch on McFarland Lake. From there, it's an eight-mile dirt road walk to the SHT trailhead, where we'll continue on foot for another 200 some-odd miles. Since there is no phone at the take-out, we prearranged with Sheryl to have the canoe picked up on Wednesday at noon, allowing ourselves more than ample time to get there ... just in case. If we arrive a day early perhaps, we'll camp at McFarland Lake and enjoy and explore the area some more.

As it turns out, what we've chosen to do for this middle leg of our journey is part of the historic Voyageurs' Route, which I'll find out more about when I get home. An unexpected but exciting change of plans. I'm so happy we're still going to cover the distance under our own power.

--Ramkitten