Calendar updates

October 4-6, GPS on Pow Wow Trail

October 12-13, Clear the South Lake Trail

October 15, 7:00 pm. EMS Roseville, Presentation Brule Lake Trail followed by a monthly KTC meeting November 12, 7:00 pm Presentation:XXXXX followed by monthly meeting

November 15-17, Winterfest `96 at Midwest Mountaineering December 10, KTC Christmas party at EMS

Kekekabic Trail Club Board of Director Nominees Biographies:

Pat Duerr --------- Pat is a native of the Twin Cities and resides in Shoreview. He is employed at 3M as an Advanced Engineer. Pat has been an active member of the Kekekabic Trail Club since he volunteered for his first trail clearing trip in May 1991. Since then he has volunteered for one trip every year, including leading two trips. Pat also was involved in the Kekekabic Trail GPS survey project, hiking the length of the trail and recording GPS data. He feels he can offer to the Kek Club as a Board of Director what he has done as a volunteer for 5 years - commitment to the club and trail.

Sandy Brezinski --------------- Sandy, a software developer with Metrix, Inc. has been an active member of the Club since 1994. Her many activities include: securing the Kek's bulk mailing permit, coordinating the distribution of trail posters and brochures to camping stores and resorts, making phone calls for trail cleaing events and the annual meeting, trail clearing, and helping to organize the 1995 Christmas party. Starting in November, Sandy will chair the newsletter committee. Sandy is an experienced leader. She chaired the Maplewood-North St. Paul area "Daffodil Days" fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society. At that capacity, Sandy managed a team of 30 volunteers.

Carol Baumgartner --------------- Carol has been a member of the Kekekabic Trail Club for over three years and has participated on two trail clearing trips. Before retiring Carol worked for eleven years as an Office Manager for a specialized machine shop. Her duties there included bookkeeping, accounting, payroll and personnel matters. Carol enjoys the outdoors and believes she may be the only KTC member with college credit in canoeing.

Ray Bernard --------------- Ray has been the EMS store manager for over 4 1/2 years. His EMS duties include hiring, recruiting, training, and motivating employees. He also coordinates matters involving the store's physical plant and payroll and sales budgeting. Fifteen years ago Ray moved to Minnesota from Chicago to be closer to the outdoor activities he enjoys, such as cross country skiing, dog sledding and canoeing. Through the KTC Ray was introduced to backpacking. Ray is the former Parent Leader of the Bill Koch Youth Ski League in the Stillwater area; under leadership the chapter was the largest in the U.S.

Monthly Membership Meeting of August 13, 1996

Eastern Mountain Sports, Roseville Minnesota

Ed Hastreiter, Presiding Dennis Brezina, Recording Attendance 15

Martin Kubik began the meeting with a slide show on his spring Kek trip, the 1996 sequel to the Hot Shot Crew.

The July meeting minutes were approved.

Trail committee report by Bruce Anderson We will have one crew on the South Lake Trail the weekend of September 13. Folke Arbin is planning to GPS the Pow Wow Trail the weekend of September 6. There will be a workshop at the annual meeting to attract new people and develop new methods for organizing trips. The present methods and number of people involved can no longer accommodate the increased number of trips we have each spring.

Membership committee report by Mike Walsh We are still at 190 members this month. We will have our first ever membership drive beginning in mid-August. Membership committee members will be contacting all people who have signed up at events this past year.

Treasurer's report by Sharon Koolmo We have a balance of $6,600 which includes money ear marked for the Kek Guide. All bills are paid for August. All trips are cleared except two. Expense checks have been sent out to crew leaders. The balance sheet for all trips will be ready for the annual meeting.

Kek Trail Guide report by Martin Kubik The ninth (and final?) draft of the guide has been reviewed and is ready to go to the publishers now. It is 36 pages long and was available for review at the meeting. Barb White will meet with the three publishers next week. There will be a presentation on the guide at the annual meeting.

Annual meeting report by Mike Walsh Registration forms went out with the August newsletter. Several activities are planed: hiking, canoeing, and a tour that includes the Dorthy Molter Museum, Wolf Center and the Ely Interpretive Center. There will be an additional cost for the tour, probably $7 per person. The key note speaker is not confirmed yet but could be Bob Cary again.

Publication committee report by Martin Kubik We are looking for a new editor for the Hungry Beaver for next year.

Nominating committee report by Mike Walsh The nominating committee is comprised of Ed Hastreiter and Jim Jorstad so far and needs one more member. They will nominate and interview candidates for the Board of Directors election. A proxy ballot will be sent out with the October newsletter. Members will also have an opportunity to vote at the annual meeting. Balloting will be closed 30 days after the proxy is mailed out, around the first of November.

Fundraising report by Martin Kubik Martin asked Rod Johnson of Midwest Mountaineering about sponsoring the Kek Guide but has not received a response yet.

New business Martin Kubik will lead a trip on the Brule Lake Trail either before or after Labor Day. If interested, contact martin. We now have an IBM compatible PC and printer in the Kek office for people to use for Kek business purposes. Ed will load the membership data base in it so it is available for any one to print off.

Monthly Membership Meeting of September 10, 1996

Eastern Mountain Sports, Roseville Minnesota

Mike Walsh, Presiding Dennis Brezina, Recording Attendance 11

Trail committee report by Bruce Anderson Not enough people have volunteered for the South Lake Trail clearing trip this weekend so it will be rescheduled for early October. The Pow Wow GPS trip is planned for the first weekend in October. Martin gave a brief trip report on his hike last weekend on the Brule Lake Trail.

Workshop for the annual meeting, report by Martin Kubik The workshop will be in two parts. The first part will be a presentation on trails in the Superior National Forest by Dennis and Martin to raise awareness of what trails exist. Part two will cover trail committee opportunities to attract volunteers to help with trail committee activities.

Annual meeting report by Mike Walsh 35 people have registered to attend the annual meeting at last count. Bruce Mellor will be our keynote speaker this year. Bruce is curator of a museum in Little Falls, MN and has written the history of the Kek Trail. We will hold a meeting with the Forest Service Saturday afternoon from 3:30-4:30. Agenda will be Kek and Pow Wow trails, education for young people and more.

Membership committee report by Mike Walsh Membership is down by three members which seems to be a case of slow renewals. The next membership committee meeting will be Sunday morning of the annual meeting weekend. Anyone is welcome to attend. The agenda is to plan a strategy for 1997.

Nominating committee report by Jim Jorstad There has been no response to the Hungry Beaver article soliciting nominees for the Board of Directors. The committee has a list of possible candidates and will contact them this week. There are six openings on the Board but we are not sure if all six will be filled. An election will be held at the annual meeting and a ballot will also be included in the October Hungry Beaver. Kek Trail Guide report by Martin Kubik We have received a bill for the Guide of over $1000. Barb White has sent letters to three publishers requesting an appointment to discuss publishing the Guide. New business There will be a retreat in early January for the new Board of Directors to select officers and determine committee chairs. We are looking for volunteers for answering the 800 number and several other small jobs as listed in the September Hungry Beaver. There is still room for more people on Mike Walsh's Kek hike. The number of permits to hike the Kek has risen from 65 in 1985 to 160 in 1990. Over 500 permits per year were issued in the 1970's. Bruce Anderson has put a copy of the Bi-laws and Articles of Incorporation in the Kek office in a yellow folder. He will also bring copies to the annual meeting. Several copies of the membership list are now available in the Kek office.

New Volunteers - Thank you for signing up!

by Martin Kubik

Bruce Wheelright became our official presentations coordinator. Bruce will schedule presentations at the club meetings and at area stores. He replaces Martin Kubik who has unofficially filled this post on and off since 1990. Bruce plans series of training sessions on camping and trail clearing skills in January, in addition to presentations on outdoor activities at our meetings. John Rieck volunteered to pick up the Hungry Beaver from Kinko's each month. These newsletters are mailed to people who inquire about the club and distributed at KTC presentations. John will save the club postage that otherwise would be required to mail the newsletters to the office. Martin Kubik is relieving Ed Hastreiter in answering the clubs 800-818-HIKE phone number. The number will be the same and is routed to a voice mailbox. Ed Hastreiter is donating the cost of the voice mail for the club. Ed Hastreiter, Jim Jorstad, and LeAnn Hensche volunteered for the nominating committee. Their task was to come up with committed and qualified candidates for the Board of Directors for the Club. Thanks to their diligent work and interviewing many fine candidates, we have the four top volunteers to add to the new board. Mike Walsh is replacing Ed Hastreiter for the president of the club. Ed has resigned from the position of the president, due to pursuing career development in school.

News from the USFS

by Martin Kubik

Kawishiwi R.D. New Ranger Would Like to Meet the Kekekabic Trail Club members. Bruce Slover is the new district ranger in Ely. Bruce attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he earned bachelor's and masters degrees in forestry, specializing in outdoor recreation. He has worked with the U.S. soil conservation Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S Forest Service in Conecuh N.F., Daniel Boone Forest, and in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in Utah, Hoosier National Forest. In an interview with Bob Cary of Ely Echo, Bruce said he had strong interest in youth activities, and had worked with Boy Scouts. Bruce has visited the BWCAW for the last 26 years and enjoys outdoor sports and photography. We wish him well in his new job and look forward to meeting Bruce. (adapted from article by Bob Cary in Ely Echo)

Trip Announcements South Lake Trail

by Martin Kubik

John Rieck will lead a trail clearing trip on South Lake Trail on October 12-13. South Lake Trail begins on the Gunflint Trail (vicinity of Grand Marais) and is 3 miles long. This hike parallels scenic Partridge Lake and crosses the Border Route Trail. Legend has it the bootleggers used this portage to bring in booze from Canada. Perhaps you will find a bottle along the trail! Heston's Country Store and Cabins is providing free lodging and wood fired sauna for KTC volunteers. Cost: Car pooling and food (less than $45) . Call John Rieck by October 6th at (612)421-3056.

GPS-ing the Pow Wow is On for October 4-6.

by Martin Kubik

Global Positioning System is back! Wayne Hensche of the USFS and KTC volunteers plan to map the Pow Wow Trail on a two and a half day trip. Leaves will be still in color and the beaver dams should dry, making this trip an enjoyable wilderness experience. You will learn how the GPS works, help carry surveyor grade GPS gear and hopefully, next spring you will see the new trail trace on the Mc Kenzie and Fisher maps! This is one of the more challenging KTC trips. To learn more, Folke Arbin at (218) 879-7168 or e-mail folkearbin@aol.com

Game Trails (not as large as trail stories, but fun to follow) Club Address Book Available

by Martin Kubik

Have you ever wanted to get in touch with other KTC members but did not have their phone number or address? If so you will want to pick up the latest address book at the next club meeting. Or send in SASE (two stamps please) to the club address and attention: Club Phone Book. KTC articles or incorporations and bylaws will be available in reference library in the club. Eventually we hope to add other club procedures and information to KTC office manual. If you would like to scan-in the KTC articles of incorporation and make a text document, please call Martin Kubik (612)426-0925. South Lake Trail. Forest Service has sent to the KTC addendum to existing volunteer agreement. South Lake Trail will be now added to the list of trails that KTC maintains in the SNF. KTC has already led several clearing trips on the SLT and will now provide annual maintenance. Winterfest `96 is coming up. KTC members enjoy meeting hikers who are eager for information about the Kekekabic Trail and trail clearing trips. This years Winterfest is just around the corner, November 15-17. If you are interested in cross country skiing, back country skiing, snow shoeing, winter camping, dog-sledding, skijouring you will want to come to many of the clinics, presentations and meet other club folks at many booths. This year, consider volunteering two hours of your time and share your trail clearing exploits and adventures at the KTC booth. To sign up, call Tom Crampton at (612) 537-1737. Hiking on Kek, Border Route and Superior Hiking Trail. Devin Quince departed on a 43 day backpacking trip in mid-September. Devin is a Minnesota transplant now living in Colorado. When I briefly spoke with Devin, he had this to say:" There is nothing like this in Colorado, like hiking along the lake, in hardwoods, or cooler temperatures without the sun beating down so hard. Many of the trails are above tree line unlike in the deep forest here in Minnesota. That is why I decided to hike these trails before returning to Colorado." Devin met with Bruce Anderson who was backpacking the Disappointment Loop on Snowbank Trail. Devin's comment? "Lost four hours on the Benezie Loop, no way of knowing which trail I was on ( Kek or Benezie)." We hope that the rest of the trip will go smoother. Ralph Pribble reports that Border Route Trail east of the BWCA to Otter Lake is heavily overgrown and with tree falls. Rovers will be trail clearing on the west part of the BRT in the end of October. Heston's Resort is hosting the Rovers trail clearing. Guide to the Kek. Writing the guide was one thing. Publishing will be another. We have completed the writing the guide. Barb White has contacted three publishers. We are working on copyright issues, contacting Angela Anderson in Germany, getting suitably looking photo of hikers in short (!?) pants on the Kek looking happy after hiking the thirty eight miles, etc. Interested in preservation of historic trails? If it were not for the Kekekabic Trail Club, hikers would not enjoy many of the existing trails. But these are only a few trails out of many that were cleared and hiked years ago. Would you like to get involved in a constructive trail restoration effort (administrative, surveying, and P.R. at this point)? Find out where the trails were, meet with surveyors and people who built these trails, review the backpacking trail provision of the 1978 BWCA Wilderness Act and help to get these trails back on the track! If you would like to get involved, call Martin Kubik (612) 426-0925.

Presentation Brule Lake Trail - Story of Lazarus?

by Martin Kubik

A team of KTC adventurers trekked across the Brule Lake Trail in September. They dared where no one has set foot for a long time, well, at least from a year ago or so. This phenomenal story, told through the lens of a camera, unfolds the Brule Lake Trail right in front of your eyes. See the sprawling green ferns, glistening leaves after the rain, a raging ocean of tree falls, and the triumph of finding the logging road near Fishhook Lake, and an aftermath of 1995 Fishhook fire. Should this historic wilderness trail be preserved or vanish? Come on October 15, 7:00 pm at EMS and decide for yourself!