The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1941-06-26
Trail Riders to Make
l3-Day Canoe Trip in
Superior Natl Forest
American Forestry ASSN
Group to Leave Ely
on July 10.

=
organization originated By the Amer.
lean Forestry association, will aban-
don their horses and take to canoe:
July 10 for a 13-day trip through the
Superior National Forest.
The party, which will be QUILTED by
the Border Lakes Quitting company
and accompanied by Ely cooks, guides
and packers, will enter the border
lakes country through the Little In
dian Sioux river route and will ter
inmate the expedition at the Fernberg
landing on Lake One.
Travelling entirely by paddle-pro-
PEELED canoe and launch, they VIII
visit Lac La Croix, Crooked lake.
Eastwood, and the chain Of smaller
lakes enroute from Prairie Portage to
the Fernberg landing.
They will view the Indian village
on La Croix, the painted and pictured
rocks on La Croix and Crooked, Cur
tain Falls, inspect fire guard stations,
and view other scenic places. Nearly
all Of the trip will be made BY canoe
The complete party will number 80
people.
Because Of its experimental nature,
the expedition will be limited 10 Is
men and women guests, an expert
paddler guide assigned to each canoe,
physician, two cooks, and one rep
resentative each of the association and
OF the forest service, Glare Hendee,
Duluth, forest supervisor, announces.
Shirley w. Allen, professor of for
eStry at the University Of Michigan.
VIII represent the association. and L.
P. Neff, former ranger on the Super-
ior and now in charge Of lands, recre-
alton, and wildlife work on that for
est, the forest service.
Since 1888 the association has con-
Quoted IS horseback trips into wilder
ness areas of the west and south. The
13-day expedition to the Superior viii
be the first attempted in the middle
west. 1t will also be unique in that
horses viii be abandoned in favor OF
canoes.
Wedged in the northeastern corner
OF Minnesota and running parallel TO
the international boundary for $50 miles.
the Superior National Forest embraces
a land OF rugged beauty and one Of
the little kingdoms of the wilderness
sought by the Trail Riders. II is a
natural forest area, with more than
5000 lakes within its boundaries. They
range in size from a few acres to 10
square miles and are stocked with
wall-eyed pike, great northern pike.
lake trout, with some crappies. and
sunfish. Shore lines vary from muskeg
to virgin pine, from boulders and rock
lodges to wonderful sandy beaches.
Over large parts of the forest there
appears to be more water than land.
Countless lakes are fastened together
by bits of land, and the canoe or
foot trails are the only means Of over
land travel.
Because of the forests attraction
for people who wish to enjoy wilder
ness country, great expanseS within the
Superior have been set aside TO re-
main as roadless areas More than a
million acres of this wild land extend
for lob miles along the international
border. No roads passable during the
summer season are permitted Travel
by canoe is the approved method. and
lakes and rivers provide a network over
which the scenic wonders of the forest
may be seen and enjoyed. Nearly 90
per cent of the lakes in the forest
are concentrated in the roadless area.
There are no living accommodations
orf .<
sorts on private land. To safeguard the
region and accommodate the recrez-
tionistS seeking canoe camping. numer-
Gus primitive canoe campgrounds have
been developed. where parties may
camp with little risk of their camp
fires escaping and where they can find
good water and sanitary facilities.
Travel by canoe and blackjack, ac-
cording to Hendee, has an appeal at
once historic and healthful. The 1871
pioneers will be following the same
water highways as the Sioux and Chin
pewa Indians of 300 years ago. the
French fur traders Radisson and Gros-
eillers, and the explorer La Verendrve.
who sought elusive northwest pas
sage. They will find waterfalls and
streams, pine-fringed lakes, and the
painted rocks on which the Indians
recorded, in red pigment that de-
fies the centuries, incidents sacred 70
them.
A typical day, as planned by the
Forest Service, viii find the expedition
breakfastfng at 7:30, leaving camp az
nine, padding from s to Is miles with
an hour and a half for lunch. and
taking their evening meal in new sur
roundings about $50. Time is allowed
for resting and fishing en- route, and
the hours of padding viii be broken
by portages between lakes and rivers.
The Superior is a coniferous forest
Astounding in white. red. and jack pine,
black and white spruce, white cedar.
and tamarack- 1t also contains large
stands of white birch and poplar and
small amounts of yellow birch, ash.