The Day the Wind Changed
The Pow Trail 5 Years after the Pagami Creek Fire
By Dan Handke

In early August 2011 a lightning strike about 10 miles East of Ely is believed to have started Minnesota’s biggest forest fire in 75 years: the Pagmi Creek fire. It moved slowly for several weeks. Then on September 12 the wind changed direction and picked up speed. Wind gusts of 40 miles per hour advanced the fire 16 miles in 5 hours. In the ensuing days $23M was spent on man-power and equipment to fight the fire. When it was over 1/10’th of the BWCA was burnt down to the bedrock.

No human lives were lost and property damage was limited to one small building. However, substantial high value non-monetary assets [public access and utilization of the BWCA wilderness] were lost. Some temporarily, for a decade or two as the forest regenerates, but some wilderness assets like the Pow Wow Trail (PWT) may be lost permanently. Five years after the fire only 1 of 8 campsites on the PWT has been restored, and only 6 miles of the 32 mile PWT are maintained/useable for the public. The balance of the trail and campsites are impassibly choked off by over 4,000 tree falls. Volunteer organizations are currently working singularly to keep the entire Pow Wow Trail alive and in the BWCA backpacking trail system.

The scope of restoring the Pow Wow Trail is daunting for volunteer organizations and some tasks such reopening campsites (which serve as a base of operations for clearing projects) are beyond the authority of volunteer organizations. Five years after the fire we know that more volunteer work is needed and that the USFS leadership can help by prioritizing restoration of the entire PWT to a maintained and useable state for the public. With the combined forces of volunteers and the USFS leadership making the PWT a priority objective we believe that the winds of change can prevail and that the entire 32 miles of the Pow Wow Trail can be restored for public use and enjoyment.