Don’t Miss It!

     Monday is the Canoe the Heart Celebration at Chik-Wauk at the end of the Gunflint Trail.  I’m very excited to welcome the paddlers to Minnesota and the USA.  Different people have been taking turns paddling the big canoe since they left Atikokan, Ontario on July 1st.  They are sharing the Leave No Trace message as well as celebrating the 100 Year Anniversary of both the QueteicoPark and SuperiorNational Forest.

     The festivities at Chik-Wauk will take place from 11am-2pm on Monday, July 13th.  Folks can park at the Saganaga Public Landing on Sag Lake Trail/County Rd 11 and then be ferried via large trader canoes over to Chik-Wauk.  For those people who are physically unable to get in and out of a canoe there will be limited parking right at Chik-Wauk located on Moose Pond Rd/County Rd 81, approximately 54 miles from Grand Marais, MN. 

     There will be a Rendezvous type atmosphere at Chik-Wauk for the day.  Steve Robertson of the USFS and John Silliman a local naturalist will be in costume with stories of the Voyageurs to share.  Activities such as flint fire starting, duluth pack relays, and Voyageur Games will take place for people of all ages. 

     The big canoe is expected to arrive around noon.  With a little luck and coordination a few of the canoes will go out to greet the paddlers and escort them to Chik-Wauk.  There will be presentations about the QueticoPark, SuperiorNational Forest and the Gunflint Trail as well as information about Leave No Trace.  The Gunflint Trail Historical Society is preparing a shore lunch type meal for a donation.

     We sure hope you will join us for this exciting event as we welcome the paddlers and then send them off on the next leg of their journey.