Lynne Anne Vesper
A hundred years ago people were beginning to develop an awareness of the importance of wilderness. The concept of "wilderness" evolved as a result of "not-wilderness," for at some point in our history, land did not have any official special designation. In 1909, leaders on both sides of the US-Canadian border established land areas to be set aside for future generations to enjoy: Minnesota's Superior National Forest and Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park. This year, to commemorate the centennial of the founding of these two areas, officials on both sides of the border collaborated on work projects and an expedition.
This year's expedition had a precedent. Twenty-five years ago, a similar expedition commemorated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of these cross-border wilderness areas.
Former Forest Service archeologist Phil Hyde participated in the 1984 expedition. Over a year ago he inquired as to whether a centennial expedition was being planned. So, of course he was included as a member of this year's expedition team. Four Quetico Park personnel and three Forest Service employees collaborated in the planning of this journey. In the final phase of preparations, the expedition received a donation from Phil Cady, private citizen and Quetico Park enthusiast. An additional dogsled and musher would lighten the load that the skiers would have to tow. I jumped at the chance to join the expedition with a team of Inuit sled dogs from Wintergreen Lodge, located near Ely.
I have guided dogsled trips with Wintergreen for eight years. The majority of the trips that I guide are lodge-based. We also offer dogsled-ski expeditions in the Boundary Waters and Arctic adventures in Canada, Greenland and Scandinavia. These trips often feature ambitious itineraries, however participant comfort is usually a top priority in a guide's mind.
This expedition with the professionals was different because everyone fully participated in camp chores and meal preparation. We set a formidable challenge: to travel from Ely to Atikokan, Ontario in five travel days on an 85-mile route. We were able to accomplish this goal because all of the expedition team members worked together to make and break camp efficiently and we therefore had as many daylight hours for travel as possible.
We also had good, although not perfect, travel conditions. A thin waning crescent moon graced the darkening sky in the west as we set camp most evenings. The clear skies translated into cold nighttime temperatures, down to -20 degrees or colder most nights. The sun warmed our backs most of every day, lifting spirits as we broke trail in about 4 inches of new powder snow. If the snow had been deeper or if it had snowed during our trip, we might have been slowed by slush. The trailbreakers did a fantastic job, carefully routing us around thin ice and open water and keeping people and our supply line safe.
This expedition was a landmark in the growing cross-border collaboration between the Forest Service and Quetico Park. A shared campfire has a way of bringing out camaraderie and conversation. Forest rangers compared notes on various topics related to wilderness on both sides of the border.
Each of the participants on this expedition surely came away with a new perspective on the nearly 2.5 million acre wilderness in our backyards. One of the welcoming party of Atikokan residents who met us at the Nym lake landing pointed out that Ely is, as the crow flies, the nearest neighboring community to Atikokan.
For me personally, I was reminded of one of the reasons that I guide trips: to make the wilderness accessible to people whom otherwise would not have had the opportunity for wilderness travel. On this trip it was refreshing to step out of my usual guiding role and become one of a team, a team that included both Americans and Canadians who take a professional interest in caring for wilderness.
Sierra lawsuit against Forest Service dismissed
Duluth News Tribune 27 Jan, 2009
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the Sierra Club and
other groups that challenged parts of the long-term plan for the
Superior National Forest. (more)