Celebrate at Chik-Wauk
I sure hope the word gets out about Canoe the Heart and the celebration of 100 years of the Quetico Provincial Park and Superior National Forest. There are some fun activities planned for July 13th in conjunction with the arrival of the Canoe the Heart crew. They plan to arrive at Chik-Wauk around noon if the weather cooperates with their schedule.
Participants in the expedition will crew a 24-foot voyageur canoe along a +350 – mile (+563 -kilometer) route that begins in Atikokan, Ontario and continues on to Fort Frances then followsthe border through the Voyageurs National Park starting in Rainy Lake, Minnesota into theSuperior National Forest at Crane Lake, through Ely, and onwards to Grand Marais, then alongthe Lake Superior shore to Grand Portage, ending in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Unlike the earlyvoyageurs, participants will not have to carry 100-pound stacks of furs, but they will still need toportage the large canoe and all of the group’s supplies and camping gear. They will also carryeducational messages regarding Leave No Trace principles and about non-native invasivespecies to deliver to those they meet along the way.
People who wish to participate in the celebration at Chik-Wauk will have the opportunity to ride in a similar canoe. Wilderness Canoe Base will be supplying their big canoes so guests can be transported by water from the Saganaga Public Landing over to Chik-Wauk. At Chik-Wauk there will be tables set up with information about invasive species, Becoming a Boundary Waters Family and wildflowers of the area. The US Forest Service will have a presentation about the Voyageurs and there will be rendezvous type activities planned for people of all ages, including kids. Inside the future museum there will be a couple of special presentations about the Quetico Park and Superior National Forest. A lunch will be provided with donations going towards the Gunflint Trail Historical Society. The highlight of the day will be welcoming the paddlers to the Superior National Forest.
The day is sure to be a ton of fun you won’t want to miss out on. Activities will begin around 11:00AM and end around 2:00PM so plan to be there on time and be a part of all of the excitment. We hope you will come celebrate with us at Chik-Wauk as we celebrate 100 years of the Quetico and Superior National Forest.