Grand Marais, MN -- A group of hardy soles braved the rain and snow this past Saturday to help clear the summer's accumulation of brush and down trees along northern Minnesota's Banadad Ski Trail. The trail crew consisted of Amy and Peter James, Tucker Lake; Mica Harju, Grand Marais; Barb and John Bottger, Hungry Jack Lake and Bryan and Ilena Berg, Grand Marais. (left to right on group photo -- not in photo, Ted Young). Beginning at the Dawkin Creek Bridge one mile in from the Banadad's western trailhead the crew armed with nippers and small handsaws cleared about a mile and a quarter of brush and a large tree. Also assisting (also not in photo) in the day's clearing were Lyle and Joan Gerard from Lutsen. Lyle and Joan cut brush along the eastern end of the trail.

The Banadad, at 31 kilometer in length is the Boundary Water's longest tracked trail. The trail is maintained and tracked by Boundary Country Trekking under the supervision of the USFS and Minnesota DNR's Grand in Aid program. Since most of the trail is within the BWCA all the maintenance must be done with hand tools. As a result according to Ted Young, trail administrator, "each year a minimum of 500 to 600 hours of hand labor is required to open the trail for skiing. The only way we can accomplish this is with the help of volunteers. This year in addition to this past weekend group of locals, we had work crews from the North Star Ski Touring Club, Twin Cities; Minnehaha Academy High School Ski Team, Minneapolis, a group from Duluth, and a couple of USFS crews from the Gunflint Ranger District."

The Banadad is a narrow intimate single tracked trail connecting the Central Gunflint and Upper Gunflint Nordic Trail Systems. Two yurt camps along the trail and operated by Boundary Country Trekking, are available for overnight stays by skiers.